Packed with picturesque expressions and profound meanings, idioms paint a panoramic picture of linguistic evolution, proving that prose can be both pragmatic and poetic. Progressing through our alphabetic pilgrimage, we pause at the pivotal and plentiful letter “P”, which plays a predominant role in a plethora of our most prized idioms.
From “paint the town red” to “put all your eggs in one basket”, the letter “P” parades a profusion of idiomatic phrases, each with its peculiar provenance and purpose, providing a peek into past practices and popular culture. Primed for philologists, purveyors of prose, or those with a penchant for playful linguistic puzzles, this piece promises to pique your interest. Plunge into the world of “P” idioms with us, as we probe their origins, ponder their meanings, and partake in the joy of discovering the stories that have positioned them in the pantheon of our parlance.
Idioms Beginning With Letter P
Plunging passionately into the profound panorama of English idioms, we are presented with the prolific and picturesque pronouncements propped up by the letter ‘P’. Packed with poetic punch and practical perspectives, ‘P’ provides a plethora of phrases painting peculiar paradigms of our past and present. In this pedagogical piece, let’s peruse the prominent and playful idioms predominantly propelled by the persuasive letter ‘P’.
- Put All Your Eggs in One Basket
- Meaning: To rely solely on one course of action or investment for success.
- Example: “Diversifying your portfolio is smart; you shouldn’t put all your eggs in one basket.”
- Pull Someone’s Leg
- Meaning: To tease or joke with someone.
- Example: “Don’t take him seriously; he’s just pulling your leg.”
- Paint the Town Red
- Meaning: To go out and enjoy oneself flamboyantly.
- Example: “After the final exams, they decided to paint the town red.”
- Pass the Buck
- Meaning: To shift responsibility onto someone else.
- Example: “The manager always passes the buck instead of dealing with issues himself.”
- Play It by Ear
- Meaning: To act spontaneously based on the situation.
- Example: “We don’t have a fixed plan for the weekend; we’ll play it by ear.”
- Penny for Your Thoughts
- Meaning: A way of asking someone what they are thinking.
- Example: “You’ve been quiet all evening – penny for your thoughts?”
- Push the Envelope
- Meaning: To test or push the limits.
- Example: “In order to innovate in the tech world, one must always push the envelope.”
- Put the Cart Before the Horse
- Meaning: To do things out of the proper order or sequence.
- Example: “You’re decorating the room before even building the house? That’s putting the cart before the horse.”
- Packed to the Rafters
- Meaning: Extremely full or crowded.
- Example: “The concert was packed to the rafters with excited fans.”
- Pour Oil on Troubled Waters
- Meaning: To calm a tense or troubled situation.
- Example: “She always knows how to pour oil on troubled waters during family disagreements.”
- Pull Up Stakes
- Meaning: To leave one’s job, home, etc., and move elsewhere.
- Example: “Deciding it was time for a change, he pulled up stakes and relocated to Europe.”
- Plead the Fifth
- Meaning: To refuse to answer a question, especially in a legal context.
- Example: “When asked about his involvement in the scandal, he pled the fifth.”
- Put One’s Best Foot Forward
- Meaning: To act or perform to the best of one’s ability.
- Example: “Knowing the competition was tough, she put her best foot forward during the interview.”
- Play Devil’s Advocate
- Meaning: To argue against an idea for the sake of debate or to test the validity of the idea.
- Example: “I agree with your plan, but just to play devil’s advocate, have you considered the potential risks?”
- Put One’s Nose to the Grindstone
- Meaning: To work hard or focus heavily on one’s work.
- Example: “With exams around the corner, it’s time to put your nose to the grindstone.”
List of idioms Starting with P
| Idiom | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Pack Heat | Carry A Gun |
| Paddle One’S Own Canoe | To Be Able To Act Independently. |
| Page-Turner | A Page-Turner Is An Exciting Book That’S Easy To Read, A Book That’S Difficult To Put Down. |
| Pain In The Ass | Pain In The Butt |
| Pain In The Neck | Someone Or Something Making Your Life Difficult |
| Paint The Town Red | Go Out Drinking And Partying |
| Par For The Course | What Would Normally Be Expected. This Has A Negative Connotation. |
| Party Pooper | Someone Who Puts A Stop To The Fun |
| Pass The Buck | Blame Someone Else For Something Or Make Someone Else Responsible For A Difficult Or Unpleasant Task |
| Pass With Flying Colors | To Succeed At Something Easily |
| Passing Fancy | A Temporary Interest Or Attraction |
| Pay Through The Nose For Something | Pay A Large Amount Of Money |
| Peaches And Cream | A Situation, Process, Etc., That Has No Trouble Or Problems |
| Pecking Order | Hierarchy, Rank Of Importance |
| Pencil Something In | Make Tentative Arrangements |
| Penny-Pinching | Frugal, Avoiding Expenses Whenever Possible |
| Pep Talk | An Encouraging Speech Given To A Person Or Group |
| Perfect Storm | A Rare Combination Of Disastrous Occurrences |
| Pet Peeve | A Small Thing That You Find Particularly Annoying |
| Pick A Fight | Intentionally Provoke A Conflict Or Fight With Someone |
| Pick Up The Slack | Do Something That Someone Else Is Not Doing, Assume Someone Else’S Responsibilities |
| Pick Up The Tab | To Pay A Bill Presented To A Group, Especially In A Restaurant Or Bar |
| Pick Your Brain | To Ask Questions To Find Out Someone’S Thoughts Or Opinions On A Topic |
| Pie In The Sky | Something That Is Unrealistic Or That Cannot Be Achieved |
| Piece Of Cake | An Especially Easy Task |
| Pig Out | To Eat A Lot |
| Pin Someone Down | Demand A Decision Or Clear Answer |
| Pinch Pennies | To Be Careful With Money, To Be Thrify |
| Pink Slip | A Layoff Notice, Loss Of A Job, Typically Because Of Layoffs |
| Pipe Dream | An Unrealistic Hope, A Fantasy |
| Piping Hot | Very Hot Generally Said Of Food |
| Pipped To The Post | Defeated By A Narrow Margin |
| Pissing Contest | A Meaningless Argument Or Competition, Typically Between Males |
| Play Ball | Cooperate, Agree To Participate |
| Play Cat And Mouse | Trying To Trick Someone Into Making A Mistake So You Can Defeat Them. |
| Play Devil’S Advocate | To Argue The Opposite, Just For The Sake Of Argument |
| Play Hardball | Adopt A Tough Negotiating Position, Act Aggressively |
| Play It By Ear | Improvise |
| Play The Percentages | Bet On Or Rely On What Is Most Likely To Happen |
| Play The Ponies | Bet On Horse Racing. |
| Play With Fire | Do Something Very Risky |
| Play Your Cards Right | Exploit A Situation To Your Best Advantage |
| Plenty Of Fish In The Sea | There Are Plenty Of Other Dating Prospects Out There |
| Plough Its Own Furrow | To Follow A Plan Or Course Of Action Independently |
| Point Of No Return | A Place From Which It Is Impossible To Go Back To The Starting Point |
| Point Of View | An Opinion On Something |
| Point The Finger | At Blame Someone |
| Point The Finger At | Blame Someone |
| Poison Pill | A Provision Or Feature Added To A Measure Or An Entity To Make It Less Attractive, An Undesirable Add-On |
| Political Football | An Issue That Politicians Argue In Circles About Or Seek To Use For Their Own Political Gain |
| Political Landscape | The Current State Of Things And How They Are Looking In The Future |
| Pop One’S Clogs | To Die |
| Pop One’S Cork | To Release One’S Anger, To Blow One’S Top |
| Pop The Question | Propose Marriage |
| Pot Calling The Kettle Black | Accusing Someone Of Something Of Which You Are Also Guilty, Being Hypocritical |
| Pour Rub Salt Into On The Wound An Open Wound | Worsen An Insult Or Injury, Make A Bad Situation Worse For Someone |
| Powder Keg | An Explosive Situation, A Situation In Which People Are Angry And Ready To Be Violent |
| Powder One’S Nose | To Use The Restroom Lavatory. This Is Used By Women |
| Preach To The Choir, Preach To The Converted | To Make An Argument With Which Your Listeners Already Agree |
| Preaching To The Choir | Making Arguments To Those Who Already Agree With You |
| Pretty Penny | A Lot Of Money, Too Much Money When Referring To The Cost Of Something |
| Price Yourself Out Of The Market | Try To Sell Goods Or Services At Such A High Price That Nobody Buys Them. |
| Puddle Jumper | A Small Airplane, Used On Short Trips |
| Pull Out All The Stops | Do Everything Possible To Accomplish Something |
| Pull Someone’S Leg | To Joke With Someone |
| Pull Strings | Use Influence That’S Based On Personal Connections |
| Pull The Plug On | Terminate Something |
| Pull Yourself Together | Calm Down |
| Puppies And Rainbows | Perfect, Ideal Usually Used Slightly Sarcastically, In Contrast With A Less Ideal Situation |
| Puppy Dog Eyes | A Begging Look |
| Puppy Love | Adolescent Love Or Infatuation, Especially One That Is Not Expected To Last |
| Pure As The Driven Snow | To Be Innocent And Chaste Frequently Used Ironically |
| Push The Envelope | Go Beyond Common Ways Of Doing Something, Be Innovative |
| Pushing Up Daisies | Dead |
| Put A Bug In His Ear | Make A Suggestion |
| Put A Pin In This | Stop Discussing Or Working This Now, With Plans To Come Back To It Later |
| Put A Thumb On The Scale | Try To Influence A Discussion In An Unfair Way, Cheat |
| Put Down Roots | Establish Oneself In A Place, Settle |
| Put In One’S Two Cents | Say Your Opinion |
| Put Lipstick On A Pig | If You Dress Up Ugly, There’S Still Ugly Underneath |
| Put One’S Face On | Apply Cosmetics |
| Put Out Feelers | Make Discreet, Informal Suggestions, Ask Around |
| Put Someone On The Spot | Force Someone To Answer A Question Or Make A Decision Immediately |
| Put Something On Ice | Put A Projet On Hold |
| Put That In Your Pipe And Smoke It | Accept And Consider What I’M Saying, Even If You Don’T Like It! |
| Put The Best Face On Something | Emphasize The Positive Aspects Of A Bad Situation |
| Put The Brakes On | Slow Something Down |
| Put The Cart Before The Horse | To Do Things In The Wrong Order |
| Put The Cat Among The Pigeons | Say Or Do Something That Causes Trouble Or Controversy |
| Put The Genie Back In The Bottle | Try To Suppress Something That Has Already Been Revealed Or Done |
| Put The Pedal To The Metal | Drive As Fast As Possible |
| Put Up With Something | Tolerate, Accept |
| Put Words Into Someone’S Mouth | Attributing An Opinion To Someone Who Has Never Stated That Opinion |
| Put Your Foot Down | Use Your Authority To Stop Negative Behavior |
| Put Your Foot In Your Mouth | Say Something That You Immediately Regret |
| Put Your Head In The Sand | To Ignore Or Hide From The Obvious Signs Of Danger |
| Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is | Back Up Your Opinions With A Financial Commitment |
In Reflection
Permeating the poetic landscape of the English language, ‘P’ idioms proffer a panoramic view of cultural peculiarities, historical parables, and everyday paradigms. They punctuate our conversations with pizzazz, painting precise pictures with just a few phrases. For both pupils and proficient speakers, these idioms are pivotal in peppering dialogues with profundity and panache. Permit yourself to plunge into the world of ‘P’ idioms, picking up these pearls of wisdom to propel your linguistic prowess to its peak! Celebrate the power of ‘P’!
Idioms That Start With
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