[piece out] <v.> 1. To put together from many different pieces; put together from odd parts; patch. * /They pieced out a meal from leftovers./ * /He pieced out the machine with scrap parts./ * /The detective pieced out the story from a stray fact here, a clue there, and a hint somewhere else./ 2. To make larger or longer by adding one or more pieces. * /The girl grew so fast that her mother had to piece out her dresses./
[piecework] <n.> Work paid for in accordance with the quantity produced. * /Al prefers working on a piecework basis to being on a regular salary because he feels he makes more that way./
[pie in the sky] <n. phr.>, <informal> An unrealistic wish or hope. * /Our trip to Hawaii is still only a pie in the sky./ Compare: PIPE DREAM.
[pigeonhole] <v.> 1. To set aside; defer consideration of. * /The plan was pigeonholed until the next committee meeting./ 2. To typecast; give a stereotypical characterization to someone. * /It was unfair of the committee to pigeonhole him as a left-wing troublemaker./
[pigeonhole] <n.> 1. Small compartment for internal mail in an office or a department. * /"You can just put your late exam into my pigeonhole," said Professor Brown to the concerned student./ 2. One of the small compartments in a desk or cabinet. * /He keeps his cufflinks in a pigeonhole in his desk./
[piggy-back] <adj.> or <adv.> Sitting or being carried on the shoulders. * /Little John loved to go for a piggy-back ride on his father's shoulders./ * /When Mary sprained her ankle, John carried her piggy-back to the doctor./
[piggy bank] <n.> A small bank, sometimes in the shape of a pig, for saving coins. * /John's father gave him a piggy bank./
[pigheaded] <adj.> Stubborn; unwilling to compromise. * /"Stop being so pigheaded!" she cried. "I, too, can be right sometimes!"/
[pig in a poke] <n. phr.> An unseen bargain; something accepted or bought without looking at it carefully. * /Buying land by mail is buying a pig in a poke: sometimes the land turns out to be under water./
[pig out] <v. phr.> 1. To eat a tremendous amount of food. * /"I always pig out on my birthday," she confessed./ 2. To peruse; have great fun with; indulge in for a longer period of time. * /"Go to bed and pig out on a good mystery story," the doctor recommended./
[pile up] <v. phr.> 1. To grow into a big heap. * /He didn't go into his office for three days and his work kept piling up./ 2. To run aground. * /Boats often pile up on the rocks in the shallow water./ 3. To crash. * /One car made a sudden stop and the two cars behind it piled up./
[pile-up] <n.> 1. A heap; a deposit of one object on top of another. * /There is a huge pile-up of junked cars in this vacant lot./ 2. A large number of objects in the same place, said of traffic. * /I was late because of the traffic pile-up on the highway./
[pill] See: BITTER PILL.
[pillar of society] <n. phr.> A leading figure who contributes to the support and the well-being of his/her society; a person of irreproachable character. * /Mrs. Brown, the director of our classical symphony fund, is a true pillar of society./
[pillar to post] See: FROM PILLAR TO POST.
[pimple] See: GOOSE BUMPS or GOOSE PIMPLES.
[pin] See: ON PINS AND NEEDLES.
[pinch] See: TAKE WITH A GRAIN OF SALT also TAKE WITH A PINCH OF SALT, WHERE THE SHOE PINCHES.
[pinch and scrape] <v. phr.> To save as much money as possible by spending as little as possible. * /They are trying to buy their first house so they are pinching and scraping every penny they can./
[pinch-hit] <v.> 1. To substitute for another player at bat in a baseball game. * /Smith was sent in to pinch-hit for Jones./ 2. <informal> To act for a while, or in an emergency, for another person; take someone's place for a while. * /I asked him to pinch-hit for me while I was away./ * /The president of the City Council pinch-hits for the mayor when the mayor is out of town./ - [pinch-hitter] <n.> * /Jones was hit by a pitched ball and Smith came in as a pinch-hitter./ * /When our teacher was sick, Mrs. Harris was called as a pinch-hitter./ - [pinch-hitting] <adj.> or <n.> * /Pinch-hitting for another teacher is a hard job./
[pinch pennies] <v. phr.>, <informal> Not spend a penny more than necessary; be very saving or thrifty. * /When Tom and Mary were saving money to buy a house, they had to pinch pennies./ - [penny-pincher] <n.>, <informal> A stingy or selfish person; miser. * /He spent so little money that he began to get the name of a penny-pincher./ [penny-pinching] <adj.> or <n.>, <informal> * /Bob saved enough money by penny-pinching to buy a bicycle./
[pin curl] <n.> A curl made with a hair clip or bobby pin. * /Mary washed her hair and put it up in pin curls./ * /All the girls had their hair in pin curls to get ready for the party./
[pin down] <v.> 1a. To keep (someone) from moving; make stay in a place or position; trap. * /Mr. Jones' leg was pinned down under the car after the accident./ * /The soldier was pinned down in the hole because rifle bullets were flying over his head./ 1b. To keep (someone) from changing what (he) says or means; make (someone) admit the truth; make (someone) agree to something. * /Mary didn't like the book but I couldn't pin her down to say what she didn't like about it./ * /I tried to pin Bob down to fix my bicycle tomorrow, but he wouldn't say that he could./ 2. To tell clearly and exactly; explain so that there is no doubt. * /The police tried to pin down the blame for the fire in the school./
[pine away] <v. phr.> To waste away with grief. * /After George was sent abroad, his wife pined away for him so much that she became ill./
[pink] See: IN THE PINK, TICKLE PINK.
[pink around the gills] See: GREEN AROUND THE GILLS.
[pin money] <n. phr.> Extra money used for incidentals. * /She has a regular full-time job but she earns extra pin money by doing a lot of baby-sitting./
[pin one's ears back] <v. phr.>, <slang> 1. To beat; defeat. * /After winning three games in a row, the Reds had their ears pinned back by the Blues./ 2. To scold. * /Mrs. Smith pinned Mary's ears back for not doing her homework./
[pin one's faith on] <v. phr.> To depend upon; trust. * /We pinned our faith on our home basketball team to win the state finals, and they did!/
[pin one's heart on one's sleeve] See: WEAR ONE'S HEART ON ONE'S SLEEVE.
[pint-size] <adj.>, <informal> Very small. * /The new pint-size, portable TV sets have a very clear picture./ * /It was funny to hear a pint-size voice coming out of a great big man./
[pinup girl] <v. phr.> An attractive girl whose picture is pinned or tacked to the wall by an admirer. * /Some Hollywood actresses are understandably very popular pinup girls among male soldiers./
[pipe] See: PUT THAT IN YOUR PIPE AND SMOKE IT.
[pipe down] <v.> 1. To call (sailors) away from work with a whistle. * /He piped the men down after boat drill./ 2. <slang> To stop talking; shut up; be quiet. * /"Oh, pipe down," he called./ Often considered rude.
[pipe dream] <n.>, <informal> An unrealizable, financially unsound, wishful way of thinking; an unrealistic plan. * /Joe went through the motions of pretending that he wanted to buy that $250,000 house, but his wife candidly told the real estate lady that it was just a pipe dream./ Compare: PIE IN THE SKY.
[piper] See: PAY THE PIPER.
[pipe up] <v.>, <informal> To speak up; to be heard. * /Mary is so shy, everyone was surprised when she piped up with a complaint at the club meeting./ * /Everyone was afraid to talk to the police, but a small child piped up./
[pip-squeak] <n.>, <informal> A small, unimportant person. * /If the club is really democratic, then every little pip-squeak has the right to say what he thinks./ * /When the smallest boy was chosen to be the monitor, the class bully said he would not obey a little pip-squeak./
[piss off] <v.>, <slang>, <vulgar>, <avoidable> To bother; annoy; irritate. * /You really piss me off when you talk like that./ [pissed off] <adj.> * /Why act so pissed off just because I made a pass at you?/
[pit against] <v.> To match against; oppose to; put in opposition to; place in competition or rivalry with. * /The game pits two of the best pro football teams in the East against each other./ * /He pitted his endurance against the other man's speed./ * /He was pitted against an opponent just as smart as he was./
[pit-a-pat] <adv.> With a series of quick pats. * /When John asked Mary to marry him, her heart went pit-a-pat./ * /The little boy ran pit-a-pat down the hall./
[pitch] See: WILD PITCH.
[pitch a curve] or [a curve ball] <v. phr.> To catch someone unawares; confront someone with an unexpected event or act. * /My professor pitched me a curve ball when he unexpectedly confronted me with a complicated mathematical equation that was way over my head./
[pitch dark] <adj.> Totally, completely dark. * /A starless and moonless night in the country can be pitch dark./
[pitcher] See: LITTLE PITCHERS HAVE BIG EARS, RELIEF PITCHER, STARTING PITCHER.
[pitchfork] See: RAIN CATS AND DOGS or RAIN PITCHFORKS.
[pitch in] <v.>, <informal> 1. To begin something with much energy; start work eagerly. * /Pitch in and we will finish the job as soon as possible./ 2. To give help or money for something; contribute. * /Everyone must pitch in and work together./ * /We all pitched in a quarter to buy Nancy a present./ Syn.: CHIP IN. Compare: FALL TO.
[pitch into] <v.>, <informal> 1. To attack with blows or words. * /He pitched into me with his fists./ * /He pitched into the idea of raising taxes./ Syn.: LAY INTO(1),(2), RIP INTO. 2. To get to work at; work hard at. * /She pitched into the work and had the house cleaned up by noon./ * /He pitched into his homework right after dinner./ Compare: LAY INTO, SAIL INTO.
[pitch out] <v.> 1. To deliberately throw a pitch outside of the home plate in baseball so that the batter cannot hit the ball and the catcher can make a quick throw. * /The catcher wanted the pitcher to pitch out and see if they could catch the runner stealing./ 2. To toss the ball easily to a football back. * /The quarterback faked to the fullback and pitched out to the halfback going wide./