This page gathers the 4,686 dictionary entries of which at least one sense is labelled “Idiomatic” by Wiktionary. The definition shown is that sense; each word leads to its full entry. Page 32 of 47: from “play it straight” to “pull off”.
- play it straight verb To behave in a manner that is straightforward, honest, or sincere.
- play Old Gooseberry verb To suddenly put a stop to a disturbance by force or threats.
- play one against another verb To manipulate two persons into competing against one another in a way that benefits the person carrying out the manipulation.
- play politics verb to act or say something according to political ambition, self-interest, and gamesmanship instead of moral conviction and altruism; to…
- play possum verb To feign death; to remain quiet and still to escape attention or remain undetected; to lie low.
- play the angles verb To seek ways to advance one's self-interest, especially by making choices in a calculating or crafty manner; to scheme.
- play the ball and not the man verb To object to someone's argument by attacking the argument itself instead of them or a facet of their personality; to avoid or make the…
- play the field verb To have numerous romantic partners, without or before committing exclusively to one.
- play the fool verb To behave in a foolish or comical manner.
- play the gender card verb To assert that sexism is involved in a situation, especially in order to exploit sexist or antisexist attitudes.
- play the hand one is dealt verb To use the resources which one actually has available; to operate realistically, within the limits of one's circumstances.
- play the man and not the ball verb To object to someone's argument by attacking them or a facet of their personality instead of the argument itself; to make an ad hominem…
- play the race card verb To assert that race or racism is involved in a situation, especially in order to exploit racist or antiracist attitudes.
- play to win verb To make a special, determined effort to achieve general success or a particular goal, in life, in one's career, in negotiation, etc.
- play up verb To misbehave.
- play with a full deck verb To behave in a manner suggesting that one is of normal intelligence, alert, and mentally stable.
- play with fire verb To put oneself in a precarious situation with a high risk of getting harmed, particularly emotionally or financially.
- play with house money verb To be in a situation where little or no personal risk can be incurred.
- pleasure oneself verb To masturbate.
- plough a lonely furrow verb To carry out an action in isolation, or in an original way, without any help or support from others.
- plough money verb To invest money in a project or endeavor, especially to help it succeed or earn more money.
- plow with one's heifer verb To have an affair with another man's wife or to deal with the wife in order to obtain something from her husband.
- plug in verb To connect (an electrical device) to a plug socket.
- plug into verb To become aware of or knowledgeable about.
- plumber's helper noun A plunger, consisting of a large suction cup attached to a stick and used to remove blockages from toilets, sinks, or drains.
- plummet verb To drop swiftly, in a direct manner; to fall quickly.
- poacher turned gamekeeper noun A person now charged with protecting what they formerly preyed upon.
- pocket dial noun A situation in which one's cellphone makes a call from one's pocket when its buttons are inadvertently pressed.
- pocket-sized adj Small-scale, downsized.
- poetry in motion noun Fluid, graceful movement.
- point blank adv Directly; bluntly; without pretense or caution.
- point man noun A most trusted assistant or associate; the person upon whom one would most rely.
- point out verb To identify among a group of similar subjects, or in a scene where the subject might not be readily seen or noticed, with a gesture of the…
- poison noun An alcoholic drink. (Mainly in the phrases "name your poison" and "what's your poison?")
- poison pen noun A manner, means, or tone of expression had by a written work, characterized by spitefulness, defamation, and/or intimidation directed…
- poison-pen letter noun A missive which is malicious, insulting, and/or defamatory toward a person, organization, or point of view, especially one which is…
- poisoned chalice noun Something which is initially regarded as advantageous but which is later recognized to be disadvantageous or harmful; an apparently…
- poke holes in verb To criticize someone by finding flaws or weaknesses in their work or to criticize something by demonstrating that it is not correct.
- poke the bear verb To deliberately aggravate somebody, especially somebody in a position of power or authority.
- polish a turd verb To work on a time-consuming and ultimately pointless or impossible task; to try to perfect what is inherently bad.
- polish off verb To finish completely, especially a food (polish the plate with one's tongue) or liquor.
- Polish parliament noun A deliberative but indecisive institution.
- polite fiction noun A social scenario in which all participants are aware of a truth, but pretend to believe in some alternative version of events to avoid…
- political football noun A contentious political issue or problem that is often debated or discussed, but that remains unresolved; an issue or problem which is…
- politically correct adj Sensitive to giving offense on the grounds of race, sex, etc.
- poop factory noun An infant.
- poop in one's pants verb To become extremely frightened.
- poop machine noun An animal whose defecation inconveniences humans.
- pop in verb To pay a visit in an impromptu manner.
- pop one's cork verb To become explosively angry.
- pop the cherry verb To break the hymen.
- pop up verb To appear without warning.
- popcorn movie noun A motion picture without serious dramatic content, a weighty message, or intellectual depth, which serves simply as enjoyable entertainment.
- porcelain goddess noun A toilet bowl.
- pork up verb To add spending, especially targeted spending, to legislation in order to get votes for it (see pork-barrel).
- positive Polly noun Someone who is excessively upbeat, encouraging and optimistic, often to the point where it may seem overly cheerful or naive.
- pot calling the kettle black noun A situation in which somebody comments on or accuses someone else of a fault which the accuser shares.
- pot of gold noun A life-changing achievement or fulfillment; happiness.
- potter's clay noun A person or people created and shaped by God.
- potty mouth noun The characteristic of regularly using vulgar language, especially strong profanities.
- pound a beat verb Of a police officer, to walk a regular route.
- pound of flesh noun Something which is owed and which will be hurtful or difficult to provide; a debt owed to someone who is merciless and demanding.
- pound sand verb To engage in a simple, useless activity that anyone would reasonably know how to perform.
- pound the pavement verb To travel on foot; to walk or run.
- pour one out verb To express respect or tribute for someone or something that is lost or gone.
- power behind the throne noun Someone who appears to be without special status, but who has great covert influence on a person in authority.
- power coffee noun A working session or seminar at which important discussions may be held, and important decisions made, over servings of coffee or at a…
- power-hungry adj Having a strong desire for power.
- powers that be noun The holders of power or the authorities in a given situation, especially if seen as being faceless or unreasonably bureaucratic.
- prairie dog verb To pop up from a hole or analogous orifice in a manner that resembles the way a prairie dog pops its head up from its burrow.
- praise with faint damns verb To provide minimal critique, implying that the criticism is the worst that could be said of someone or something.
- pray tell intj Expressing incredulity, please explain (some claim or position the speaker doubts).
- present company excepted phrase These negative remarks do not pertain to anyone who is currently listening to them (including the speaker).
- press into service verb To make someone perform a task or duty, especially one they are not prepared or willing to do; to make something serve a function…
- press on verb To persist, to continue to advance.
- price of eggs noun Something that is relevant or important, usually used to emphasize that another, compared thing is irrelevant, unimportant, or non sequitur.
- price of tea in China noun Something that is relevant or important, usually used to emphasize that another, compared thing is irrelevant, unimportant, or non…
- price out verb To exclude (someone) from a market due to rising or unaffordable prices.
- prime the pump verb To engage in deficit spending.
- primitive type noun A data type provided by a programming language as a basic building block, such as integer, character or Boolean.
- private credit noun An aspect of the shadow banking system involving assets defined by non-bank lending where the debt is not issued or traded on the public…
- prize pig noun Something that is perfect or outstanding of its kind; a prime, heavy, or glaring example of something.
- problem child noun Someone or something persistently difficult or vexing; a frequent source of trouble or annoyance.
- professional victim noun A person who makes it their business to appear perpetually offended and victimized.
- progressive love noun A committed open relationship based on boosting the love and affection opportunities available for one's partner
- Promised Land noun Any place to which one eagerly seeks to go and which one expects to greatly improve one's situation.
- prop up verb To be at the bottom of (a league).
- Protestant work ethic noun A strong work ethic.
- psyched up adj In a state of heightened mental preparedness for a difficult or hazardous enterprise, or one where success is particularly sought.
- psychological warfare noun A mentally manipulative approach to warfare involving use of techniques to demoralize or intimidate someone into surrender.
- pub crawl verb to visit, and drink in, numerous pubs or bars in succession.
- public intellectual noun A well-known, intelligent, learned person whose written works and other social and cultural contributions are recognized not only by…
- public purse noun A quantity of money collected by a government through taxation and other methods, and used for public purposes; public funds, public money.
- publicity hound noun A person who constantly seeks public attention, especially through coverage in the broadcast media or news media.
- puddle jumper noun A small passenger airplane, typically used for shorter connecting trips to smaller airports.
- pull a lever verb To vote.
- pull away verb To move ahead.
- pull in verb To approach or drive up to a place and come to a stop; to park by driving frontways into a parking spot.
- pull in one's horns verb To become less impassioned, aggressive, or argumentative; to exercise restraint; to yield or capitulate.
- pull off verb To achieve, accomplish, succeed at (something difficult).