personnel [p# s@ "nEl] n. the peo-
ple who work for a company or
organization. (No plural.)
perspective on
something
a way of
looking at a situation and deter-
mining what is important.
perspire [p# "spaI#] iv. to sweat.
persuade [p# "swed] tv. to use
argument or discussion to cause
someone to do or think some-
thing.
persuasion [p# "swe Z@n] n.
efforts to persuade someone of
something. (No plural.)
→
be of the persuasion that
something is so
pertain to
someone or something
[p# "ten ] to have to do with
someone or something; to be rele-
vant to someone or something.
pesky ["pEs ki] adj. being a pest Q
or W; irritating; annoying; trou-
blesome. (Adv: peskily. Comp:
peskier; sup: peskiest.)
pest ["pEst] 1. n. any animal or
insect that destroys crops, spreads
disease, or enters people’s homes.

clothing size or range of sizes] fit-
ting women who are Q.
petition [p@ "tI S@n] 1. n. a docu-
ment signed by many people who
are demanding something from
someone.
2. tv. to request some-
thing formally of a government or
of an authority, often through the
use of Q. (The object can be a
clause with
that U.)
petroleum [p@ "tro li @m] n. oil that
is pumped from under the ground,
used to make gasoline and other
substances. (No plural.)
phantom ["fAn t@m] 1. n. a ghost;
an image or memory that is “seen”
by the mind in a dream or in a
vision, but is not real.
2. adj. like a
ghost; unreal; apparent, but not
real.
phase ["fez] 1. n. a stage in the
development of someone or some-
thing; a stage in a sequence of
events.
2. n. any of the stages of
the appearance of the moon as
seen from earth.

photo; a snapshot. (Can be short-
ened to
photo.) 2. tv. to take a pic-
ture, with a camera, of someone
or something.
photographer [f@ "ta gr@ f#] n.
someone who takes pictures with a
camera, especially for a living.
photography [f@ "ta gr@ fi] n. the
science, study, art, or act of taking
a picture with a camera. (No plu-
ral.)
phr. an abbreviation of phrase Q
and W.
phrase ["frez] 1. n. a group of
words that functions as a unit of
grammar within a sentence.
(Abbreviated phr. here.)
2. n. an
expression usually including sev-
eral words.
3. n. a series of notes
that is a part of a piece of music.
4. tv. to put communication into
words.
5. tv. to perform music,
grouping into a series the notes
that belong to E.
physical ["fIz I k@l] 1. adj. of or
about the body; of the body. (Adv:

hammers connected to a keyboard
strike tuned metal strings. (Plural
ends in -s.)
pick ["pIk] 1. n. a tool that is a
heavy, pointed metal bar attached
to a handle, used for breaking
apart ice, rocks, and other objects.
2. n. a choice; a selection. (Plural
only for types and instances.)
3. tv. to choose a particular
person or thing.
4. tv. to remove
something from someplace, espe-
cially using one’s fingers or a
pointed tool.
5. tv. to gather or
harvest flowers, fruit, cotton,
peas, beans, etc.
→
have a bone to pick (with
someone
)
pick a lock to open a lock without
using a key.
pick a lock
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pick and choose to choose very
carefully from a number of possi-

someone or something
up
1. to grasp and raise someone or
something; to lift someone or
something.
2. to collect someone
or something; to stop at a place
and gather, obtain, or secure
someone or something.
3. to
acquire someone or something.
pick
something
out to select or
choose something, such as an item
of clothing.
pick up to increase, as with busi-
ness, wind, activity, etc.
pick up (after
someone or some-
thing
) to tidy up after someone or
a group.
pick up the tab to pay the bill.
pickle ["pIk @l] 1. n. a cucumber—
whole, sliced, chopped, or in sec-
tions—that has been preserved in
salt water or vinegar.
2. tv. to pre-
serve food, especially vegetables,

(as) pretty as a picture
→ in the picture of (good) health
→ motion picture
the picture of
something
the per-
fect example of something; an
exact image of something.
pie ["paI] 1. n. a kind of food that
has a crust of pastry or something
similar and is filled with meat,
fruit, or some sweet substance.
(The crust can be on the bottom
or on both the bottom and top.
Plural only for types and
instances.)
2. n. a single, complete,
round unit of Q.
→
(as) easy as (apple) pie
→ eat humble pie
→ have
one’s
finger in the pie
→ have
one’s
finger in too many pies
→ a piece of the pie
pie in the sky a future reward,
especially one that is not likely to

piece
something
together to fit
something together; to assemble
the pieces of something, such as a
puzzle or something puzzling, and
make sense of it.
piecrust ["paI kr@st] n. a piece of
pastry found on the bottom and
often the top of a pie.
pier ["pIr] n. a dock; a structure like
a bridge that extends into the
water from the shore, supported
by posts or columns.
pierce ["pIrs] tv. to make a hole
through someone or something; to
cause something to go through
something else.
a
piercing scream a very loud and
shrill scream.
pig ["pIg] 1. n. a farm animal with
short legs and a curled tail, raised
for food, especially bacon, ham,
and pork. (Thought of as greedy
and messy.)
2. n. someone who
eats a lot of food. (Figurative on
Q.)
3. n. someone who is dirty or

off something; to climb down off
something.
pile on((to)
someone or some-
thing
) to make a heap of people on
someone or something.
pile out (of
something
) to climb
out of something, such as a car.
pile
someone
in(to
something
) to
bunch people into something in a
disorderly fashion.
pile
something
up to make some-
thing into a heap.
pile up
1.
to gather or accumulate.
2. [for a number of vehicles] to
crash together.
pilgrim ["pIl grIm] 1. n. someone
who travels, especially to a holy
place, as a religious act.

flies a plane; someone who guides
a boat along a channel.
2. tv. to fly
an airplane; to guide a boat
through a channel.
3. adj. experi-
mental; serving as a test.
pilot
someone or something
through (
something
) to guide or
steer someone or something
through something, especially
through a waterway.
pilot
something
in(to
something
)
to steer or guide something into
something. (Usually refers to
steering a ship.)
pilot
something
out (of
something
)
to steer or guide something out of
something. (Usually refers to

)
and nail
someone
down (on
something
) to demand and receive
a firm answer from someone to
some question.
pin
something
up to raise some-
thing and hold it up with pins.
pinch ["pIntS] 1. n. an act of
squeezing a fold of skin, usually
causing pain.
2. n. a small amount
of something, such as a spice, that
can be held between one’s first fin-
ger and one’s thumb.
3. tv. to
squeeze or hold something, such
as a fold of flesh, between two sur-
faces.
→
feel the pinch
→ in a pinch
→ take
something
with a pinch of
salt

mixed with white; a light, pale red.
(Plural only for types and
instances.)
2. the adj. use of Q.
(Comp: pinker; sup: pinkest.)
→
in the pink (of condition)
pins and needles a tingling feel-
ing in some part of one’s body.
(Compare this with
on pins and
needles
.)
pint ["paInt] 1. n. a unit of liquid
measure, equal to half a quart or
¹⁄₈ of a gallon or 16 fluid ounces.
2. n. a unit of dry measure, equal
to half a quart or ¹⁄₆₄ of a bushel.
3. the adj. use of Q or W.
pioneer [paI @ "nIr] 1. n. someone
who is one of the first of a partic-
ular group of people to settle a
new area. (From the point of view
of the particular group.)
2. n.
someone who is one of the first to
investigate an area of science that
has never been examined; some-
one who is one of the first people
to do something, preparing the

pique
someone’s
interest Go to
pique
someone’s
curiosity.
pirate ["paI r@t] 1. n. someone who
robs ships at sea.
2. tv. to steal or
capture something, especially
while at sea.
3. tv. to take some-
thing; to use something when one
does not have the right to use it.
(Figurative on W.)
4. tv. to dupli-
cate and sell copies of books,
records, videos, and software
without the permission of the
original publisher. (Figurative on
W.)
piss ["pIs] 1. iv. to urinate. (Poten-
tially offensive. The topic and the
word are not heard in polite com-
pany. Use with caution.)
2. n.
urine. (Offensive as with Q.)
pissed off ["pIst "Of] adj. angry.
(Not often heard in polite com-
pany, but its use is increasing.)

thing.
4. iv. [in baseball] to throw
a baseball toward a batter.
5. iv.
[for a ship] to plunge up and
down; [for the front of a ship] to
rise and fall in rough water.
6. n.
[in baseball] the movement of the
ball from the pitcher toward the
batter or the throw that moves the
ball toward the batter.
7. n. slope;
the amount that something is
slanted. (Plural only for types and
instances.)
8. n. the measure of
the highness or lowness of a
sound. (Plural only for types and
instances.)
9. n. the standard
number of vibrations each second
that makes a certain tone; the
standard musical sound for a given
note.
10. n. tar.
pitch a tent to erect a tent at a
campsite.
pitch black very black; as black as
pitch (tar).

2. n. a tall container with a
handle, used for serving liquids.
3. n. the contents of W.
pity ["pIt i] 1. n. a feeling of sorrow
caused by seeing or learning about
the suffering of other people; sym-
pathy. (No plural.)
2. tv. to be
sorry for someone or something;
to feel Q for someone or some-
thing.
pizza ["pit s@] n. a food made of a
baked disk of dough covered with
spicy tomato sauce, cheese, and
perhaps other foods. (Plural only
for types and instances.)
place ["ples] 1. n. a position in
space; a location; a certain area.
2. n. a house or apartment; a loca-
tion where one lives.
3. n. a posi-
tion in relation to other positions
in a numbered series.
4. tv. to put
pistol
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something in a certain position; to
put something on a certain sur-

stripes that cross each other at
right angles.
2. the adj. use of Q.
plain ["plen] 1. n. a flat area of
land; a prairie. (Often plural with
the same meaning, but not count-
able.)
2. adj. obvious; easy to see
or understand. (Adv: plainly.
Comp: plainer; sup: plainest.)
3. adj. simple; not complex; not
decorated. (Adv: plainly. Comp:
plainer; sup: plainest.)
4. adj. not
attractive; average looking. (Adv:
plainly. Comp: plainer; sup:
plainest.)
5. adv. simply; clearly;
obviously. (Colloquial.)
→
(as) plain as day
→ (as) plain as the nose on
one’s
face
plaintiff ["plen tIf] n. someone who
sues someone else; someone who
brings a lawsuit against someone
else; someone who charges a
defendant with doing wrong.
plan ["plAn] 1. n. the ideas for a

planet ["plAn It] n. a huge sphere of
matter that circles a single star in a
permanent orbit.
plank ["plANk] 1. n. a board; a long,
thin, narrow, flat piece of wood.
2. n. an issue or policy that a polit-
ical party officially supports. (A
figurative Q in the party
platform
E.)
plans n. a set of drawings of a
house or building before it is built,
used to help someone build the
building. (Treated as plural.)
plant ["plAnt] 1. n. a stationary liv-
ing thing that makes its own food
plant
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using sunlight and material from
the soil or other substance that
supports it.
2. n. a factory. 3. tv. to
put a seed or a small Q in the
ground so that it will grow; to
place [the seeds or young Q of] a
crop into the soil.
4. tv. to place
someone or something firmly in

license plate
plateau [plA "to] 1. n. a flat area of
land that is raised up higher than
the surrounding land.
2. iv. [for a
number or a measurement] to
reach a higher level and then
remain unchanged.
→
hit a plateau
platform ["plAt form] 1. n. a flat
structure that is higher than the
area around it, especially one that
people can occupy standing or sit-
ting.
2. n. the flat surface next to a
railroad track where people get on
and off trains.
3. n. a formal state-
ment of the ideas and policies of a
political party. (See also
plank W.)
platter ["plAt #] 1. n. a large plate
used for serving food.
2. n. the
contents of Q.
play ["ple] 1. n. fun; recreation;
something that is done for fun or
amusement. (No plural.)
2. n. one

activity.
13. tv. to make music
with a musical instrument; to per-
form a particular piece of music
on an instrument. (E.g., to play a
song.)
14. tv. to perform on a
musical instrument. (E.g., to play
a violin.)
15. tv. [for an electronic
device] to process tapes, records,
or CDs in a way that produces the
sounds or pictures that have been
recorded.
16. tv. [for someone] to
plaster
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cause an electronic device to pro-
duce sounds and pictures as in e.
→
be child’s play
→ foul play
play a joke on
someone
to make a
joke that tricks someone.
play a trick on
someone

some-
one or something
) to act carelessly,
thoughtlessly, and irresponsibly
toward someone or something.
play ignorant to pretend to be
ignorant [of something].
play innocent to pretend to be
innocent and not concerned.
play it safe to be or act safe; to do
something safely.
play
one’s
cards close to
one’s
vest Go to play
one’s
cards close to
the chest.
play
one’s
cards close to the
chest
and play
one’s
cards
close to
one’s
vest [for some-
one] to work or negotiate in a

something
through to play all
of something, such as a piece of
music or a record.
play (the) devil’s advocate to put
forward arguments against, or
objections to, a proposition, which
one may actually agree with,
purely to test the validity of the
proposition.
play the field to date many differ-
ent people rather than dating just
one person.
play the fool to act in a silly man-
ner in order to amuse other peo-
ple.
play to the gallery to perform in a
manner that will get the strong
approval of the audience; to per-
form in a manner that will get the
approval of the lower elements in
the audience.
play to the gallery
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