[paddy wagon]{n.}, {informal} A police van used for transporting
prisoners to jail or the police station. •/The police threw the demonstrators
into the paddy wagon./
[pad the bill]{v. phr.} To add false expenses to a bill; make a bill
larger than it really was. •/The salesman padded the bill for his traveling
expenses by exaggerating his food expenses./
[pain] See: AT PAINS, FEEL NO PAIN, GIVE A PAIN, GROWING PAINS, ON PAIN OF,
TAKE PAINS.
[pain in the ass] or [pain in the neck] {n.}, {slang},
{vulgar with ass} An obnoxious or bothersome person or event. •/Phoebe
Hochrichter is a regular pain in the neck (ass)./
[paint a gloomy picture]{v. phr.} To describe something in a gloomy,
pessimistic way. •/We are sad because the weather forecast has painted a
gloomy picture for all of next week when we go on vacation./
[paint oneself into a corner]{v. phr.} To get oneself into a bad
situation that is difficult or impossible to get out of. •/By promising to
both lower taxes and raise the defense budget, the president has painted
himself into a corner./
[paint the lily] See: GILD THE LILY.
[paint the town red] or [paint the town] {v. phr.}, {slang} To
go out to drink and have a good time; celebrate wildly; carouse. •/It was the
sailors' first night ashore; they painted the town red./ Compare: ON THE
TOWN(2).
[pair] See: TAKE TO ONE’S HEELS also SHOW A CLEAN PAIR OF HEELS.
[pair off]{v.} 1. To make a pair of; put two together; associate;
match. •/Mrs. Smith paired off her guests by age and tastes./ 2. To belong
to a pair; become one of a pair. •/Jane paired off with Alice in a tennis
doubles match./ 3. To divide or join into pairs. •/Later in the day the
picnic crowd paired off for walks and boat rides./
[pair up]{v.} 1. To make a pair of; match. •/When she finished the
mending, she paired up the socks./ 2. To form a pair; to be or become one of
a pair. •/Not all the socks would pair up./ •/Joe paired up with Charlie
to work on the lesson./
[pajamas] See: CAT’S MEOW or CAT’S PAJAMAS.
[pal] See: PEN PAL.
[pale] See: BEYOND THE PALE.
[pale around the gills] See: GREEN AROUND THE GILLS.
[palm] See: CARRY OFF THE PALM, GREASE ONE’S PALM, ITCHING PALM.
[palm off]{v.}, {informal} 1. To sell or give (something) by
pretending it is something more valuable; to sell or give by trickery. •/He
palmed off his own painting as a Rembrandt./ •/The salesman palmed off pine
wood floors as oak./ Syn.: FOB OFF, PASS OFF. 2. To deceive (someone) by a
trick or lie. •/He palmed his creditors off with a great show of
prosperity./ Syn.: PUT OFF. 3. To introduce someone as a person he isn’t;
present in a false pretense. •/He palmed the girl off as a real Broadway
actress./
[pan] See: FLASH IN THE PAN, OUT OF THE PRYING PAN INTO THE FIRE.
[Pandora’s box]{n. phr.}, {literary} A thing or problem that, if
activated, will give rise to many unmanageable problems. •/If they insist on
having that inquiry, they will open up a Pandora’s box./ Compare: CAN OF
WORMS.
[pan gravy]{n.} Gravy made with meat drippings with seasoning and
often a little water. •/His wife liked cream gravy, but he preferred pan
gravy./ •/Pan gravy from country ham is often called red-eye gravy./
[panic] See: PUSH THE PANIC BUTTON.
[pan out]{v.}, {informal} To have a result, especially a good
result; result favorably; succeed. •/Suppose the class tried to make money by
selling candy. How would that pan out?/ •/Edison’s efforts to invent an
electric light bulb did not pan out until he used tungsten wires./
[pant for]{v. phr.} To desire something very deeply. •/He is panting
for his girlfriend, who went out of town to see her family./
[pants] See: ANTS IN ONE’S PANTS, CATCH ONE WITH ONE’S PANTS DOWN, FANCY
PANTS, FLY BY THE SEAT OF ONE’S PANTS, GET THE LEAD OUT OF ONE’S PANTS, KICK IN
THE PANTS, WEAR THE TROUSERS or WEAR THE PANTS.
[paper] See: ON PAPER, WALKING PAPERS.
[par] See: UP TO PAR.
[parade] See: HIT PARADE.
[parade rest]{n.} A position in which soldiers stand still, with feet
apart and hands behind their backs. •/The marines were at parade rest in
front of the officials' platform./ Compare: AT EASE(3).
[parallel bars]{n.} Two horizontal bars the same distance apart, that
are a few feet above the floor of a gymnasium. •/The boys exercised on the
parallel bars in the gym./
[parcel] See: PART AND PARCEL.
[parcel out]{v.} To give out in parts or shares; divide. •/He
parceled out the remaining food to the workers./
[par for the course]{n. phr.}, {informal} Just what was expected;
nothing unusual; a typical happening. — Usually refers to things going wrong.
•/Mary is very clumsy so it was par for the course when she bumped into the
table and broke the vase./ •/When John came late again, Mary said, "That’s
par for the course."/ Compare: ALL IN A DAY’S WORK, RUNNING TRUE TO FORM.
[pare down]{v. phr.} To limit; economize; reduce. •/With a smaller
income per month, the family had to pare down their household expenses./
[parliamentary law]{n.} The rules for legislative or other meetings.
•/The club followed parliamentary law at the business meeting./
[parrot-fashion]{adv.} Like a parrot; by rote memorization and without
any understanding. •/The candidate delivered a speech that was prepared for
him and he read it parrot-fashion./
[part] See: DISCRETION IS THE BETTER PART OF VALOR, FOOL AND HIS MONEY ARE
SOON PARTED, FOR MY PART, FOR ONE’S PART also ON ONE’S PART, FOR THE MOST PART,
IN PART, MAN OF PARTS, TAKE PART.
[partake of]{v.}, {formal} 1. To take some of; receive a share of;
eat. •/He partook of ordinary country fare as he traveled./ 2. To have the
same qualities as; show the characteristics of. •/Her way of cooking partook
of both Italian and American habits./
[part and parcel]{n. phr.} A necessary or important part; something
necessary to a larger thing. — Usually followed by "of". •/Freedom of speech
is part and parcel of the liberty of a free man./
[part company]{v. phr.} 1. To part with someone; leave each other;
separate. •/The boys parted company as they came from the park./ •/George
parted company with the others at his front door./ 2. To be different from
someone in opinion or action; follow your own way; disagree; differ. •/They
parted company on where the new highway should be built./ •/The mayor
parted company with the newspapers on raising taxes./
[partial to]{v. phr.} Having a weakness for; favorable toward. •/He
seems to be partial to blondes while his brother is partial to redheads./
[particular] See: IN PARTICULAR.
[parting of the ways]{n. phr.} 1. The point where a road or path
divides; a fork. •/They stood undecided at a parting of the ways, where a
forest path forked./ 2. A time or place where a choice must be made; a
deciding point. •/He had come to a parting of the ways: he had to choose the
high school courses that would prepare him for college, or the courses that
would prepare him for business./
[part of the furniture]{n. phr.} In a job or position for so long that
one is taken entirely for granted, like a part of the physical surroundings.
•/He has been working in the same office for so many years now that people
consider him to be a part of the furniture./