Idioms Beginning with p

• pain in the neck

  an annoyance or difficulty.
  I wish Max would go away. He is such a pain in the neck.

• paint the town red

  To go on a partying spree; to go wild.
  Max and his friends painted the town red this past weekend.

• pay through the nose

  To pay an excessive amount of money.
  Real estate prices are very high. For even a tiny house, you have to pay through the nose.

• piece of cake

  Something that is easy or simple to do.
  Last night's homework assignment was a piece of cake.

• play it by ear

  To improvise; to do things without a plan.
  I'm not sure what we'll do this weekend. We'll just play it by ear.

• play one's cards right

  To make the right moves; to have a good strategy.
  I might have gotten that promotion if I had played my cards right.

• point the finger

  To accuse; to assign blame
  I don't want to point the finger at anybody, but somebody forgot to lock the door, Jim.

• pull somebody's leg

  To tease someone; to deceive or fool someone
  Don't listen to Miguel. He must have been pulling your leg.

• pull teeth

  To do something very difficult or unpleasant.
  Mary says that getting Max to take out the garbage is like pulling teeth.

• put a sock in it

  To be quiet; to stop talking.
  Max talked trash about everyone until someone finally told him to put a sock in it.

• put all your eggs in one basket

  To risk everything on a single plan or investment.
  Max applied to only one university, thinking he would surely get in. When he was rejected, Max realized he had put all his eggs in one basket.

• put one's foot down

  To take a firm stand; to insist, demand, or refuse.
  Mary finally put her foot down and said she wouldn't let anyone borrow money from her again.

• put one's mind to it

  To apply oneself; to channel one's effort toward a particular goal.
  If Max had put his mind to it, he could have achieved anything.