P Idioms

(English Idioms & Sayings) Idioms start with P

pack a punch/wallop

- to provide a burst of energy/power/excitement
The storm packed a wallop and did much damage to the coast.

a pack of lies

- a series of lies
Everything that the man said was a pack of lies and nobody believed him.

pack them in

- to attract a lot of people
The new restaurant is able to pack them in with its new and exciting menu.

packed in like sardines

- to be packed very tightly
The commuters on the train were packed in like sardines during the morning rush hour.

pad the bill

- to add false expenses to a bill
The salesman always pads the bill when he goes on a business trip.

paddle one's own canoe

- to do something by oneself
I was forced to paddle my own canoe when the rest of the staff went away for a seminar.

a pain in the neck/ass

- an annoying/bothersome thing or person
Dealing with my neighbor is always a pain in the neck.

paint oneself into a corner

- to get into a bad situation that is difficult or impossible to get out of
My friend has painted himself into a corner now that he has begun to fight with his supervisor.

paint the town red

- to go out and party and have a good time
We decided to go out and paint the town red after we passed our exams.

pal around (with someone)

- to be friends with someone
I have begun to pal around with a friend from my evening language class.

pale around the gills

- to look sick
My colleague was looking a little pale around the gills when he came to work today.

palm (something) off on (someone)

- to deceive someone by a trick or a lie, to sell or give something by tricking
The man palmed off his old television set as one that was new and reliable.

pan out

- to end or finish favorably, to work out well
"I hope that your plans to go back to school pan out."

paper over the cracks (in/of something)

- to try to hide faults or difficulties
Our boss is trying to paper over the cracks in the office and will not deal with the problems of the staff.

par for the course

- to be just what was expected, to be nothing unusual
That was par for the course. He always comes late when there is a lot of work to do.

paradise (on earth)

- a place on earth that is as lovely as paradise
The resort in the mountains was paradise on earth.

part and parcel of (something)

- a necessary or important part of something
The house that we bought is part and parcel of a much larger piece of property.

part company (with someone)

- to leave someone, to depart from someone
The two business partners decided to part company and begin their own businesses.

partake of (something)

- to eat or drink something
I decided not to partake of the large dinner before the golf tournament.

partial to (someone or something)

- favoring or preferring someone or something
Our boss is partial to the new person who recently began to work in our company.

the particulars of (something)

- the specific details about something
I have no knowledge of the particulars of my father's business dealings.

parting of the ways

- a point at which people separate and go their own ways
I had a parting of the ways with my closest friend from high school.

party line

- the official ideas of a group (usually political) that must be followed by all members
The members of the political party were forced to follow the party line on most issues.

the party's over

- a happy or good time has come to an end
The party's over and I must now begin to work after my long holiday.

Posted by Learning English through Idioms and Sayings