An idiom is a phrase or expression that typically presents a figurative, non-literal meaning attached to the phrase; but some phrases become figurative idioms while retaining the literal meaning of the phrase.
Here are the list of idioms starting with P.
Idioms Starting with P
1. Packed like sardines
Meaning: If a place is extremely crowded, people are packed like sardines, or packed in like sardines.
2. Paddle your own canoe
Meaning: If you paddle your own canoe, you do things for yourself without outside help.
3. Pain in the neck
Meaning: If someone is very annoying and always disturbing you, they are a pain in the neck. Pain in the butt, or pain in the ass (USA), and Pain in the arse (UK) are less polite alternative forms.
4. Paint the town red
Meaning: If you go out for a night out with lots of fun and drinking, you paint the town red.
5. Paint yourself into a corner
Meaning: If someone paints themselves into a corner, they get themselves into a mess.
6. Painted Jezebel
Meaning: A painted Jezebel is a scheming woman.
7. Pandora’s box
Meaning: If you open a Pandora’s box, something you do causes all sorts of trouble that you hadn’t anticipated.
8. Paper over the cracks
Meaning: If you paper over the cracks, you try to make something look or work better but only deal with superficial issues, not the real underlying problems.
9. Paper tiger
Meaning: A paper tiger is a person, country, institution, etc, that looks powerful, but is actually weak.
10. Par for the course
Meaning: If something is par for the course, it is what you expected it would be. If it is above par, it is better, and if it is below par, it is worse.
11. Parrot fashion
Meaning: If you learn something parrot fashion, you learn it word for word. A parrot is a bird from South America that can talk.
12. Part and parcel
Meaning: If something is part and parcel of your job, say, it is an essential and unavoidable part that has to be accepted.
13. Pass muster
Meaning: If something passes muster, it meets the required standard.
14. Pass the buck
Meaning: If you pass the buck, you avoid taking responsibility by saying that someone else is responsible.
15. Pass the hat
Meaning: If you pass the hat, you ask a people in a group to give money.
16. Pass the time of day
Meaning: If you pass the time of day with somebody, you stop and say hello, enquire how they are and other such acts of social politeness.
17. Pastoral care
Meaning: This is used in education to describe the aspect of care offered to pupils that cover things besides learning.
18. Patience of Job
Meaning: If something requires the patience of Job, it requires great patience.
19. Pay on the nail
Meaning: If you pay on the nail, you pay promptly in cash.
20. Pay the piper
Meaning: When you pay the piper, you have to accept the consequences of something that you have done wrong or badly.
21. Pay through the nose
Meaning: If you pay through the nose for something, you pay a very high price for it.
22. Pay your dues
Meaning: If you have paid your dues, you have had your own struggles and earned your place or position.
23. Pecking order
Meaning: The pecking order is the order of importance or rank.
24. Peeping Tom
Meaning: A peeping Tom is someone who tries to look through other people’s windows without being seen in order to spy on people in their homes.
25. Pen is mightier than the sword
Meaning: The idiom ‘the pen is mightier than the sword’ means that words and communication are more powerful than wars and fighting.
26. Penny ante
Meaning: Something that is very unimportant is penny ante.
27. Penny pincher
Meaning: A penny pincher is a mean person or who is very frugal.
28. Penny wise, pound foolish
Meaning: Someone who is penny wise, pound foolish can be very careful or mean with small amounts of money, yet wasteful and extravagant with large sums.
29. People who live in glass houses should not throw stones
Meaning: People should not criticize other people for faults that they have themselves.
30. Pep talk
Meaning: When someone gives you a pep talk it is to build you up to help you accomplish something. In sports a coach might give a player a pep talk before the game to bolster his confidence. At work the boss might give you a pep talk to get you to do a better job.
31. Perfidious Albion
Meaning: England is known to some as perfidious Albion, implying that it is not trustworthy in its dealings with foreigners.
32. Perish the thought
Meaning: Perish the thought is an expression meaning that you really hope something will not happen.
33. Pet peeve
Meaning: A pet peeve is something that irritates an individual greatly.
34. Photo finish
Meaning: A photo finish is when two contestants (usually in a race) finish at almost exactly the same time, making it difficult to determine the winner. (The saying stems from the practice of taking a photograph when the winners cross the finish line to determine who was ahead at the time.)
35. Pick up the tab
Meaning: A person who pays for everyone picks up the tab.
36. Pick-up game
Meaning: A pick-up game is something unplanned where people respond to events as they happen.
37. Picture perfect
Meaning: When something is exactly as it should be it is said to be picture perfect.
38. Pie in the sky
Meaning: If an idea or scheme is pie in the sky, it is utterly impractical.
39. Piece of cake
Meaning: If something is a piece of cake, it is really easy.
40. Pieces of the same cake
Meaning: Pieces of the same cake are things that have the same characteristics or qualities.
41. Pig in a poke
Meaning: If someone buys a pig in a poke, they buy something without checking the condition it was in, usually finding out later that it was defective.
42. Pigs might fly
Meaning: If you think something will never happen or succeed, you can say that ‘pigs might fly’ (or ‘pigs can fly’ and ‘pigs will fly’- the idiom is used in many forms)
43. Pin down with a label
Meaning: If you pin someone down with a label, you characterize them, often meant negatively as the label is restrictive.
44. Pin money
Meaning: If you work for pin money, you work not because you need to but because it gives you money for extra little luxuries and treats.
45. Pinch of salt
Meaning: If what someone says should be taken with a pinch of salt, then they exaggerate and distort things, so what they say shouldn’t be believed unquestioningly. (‘with a grain of salt’ is an alternative.)
46. Pink pound
Meaning: In the UK, the pink pound is an idiom for the economic power of gay people.
47. Pink slip
Meaning: If someone receives a pink slip, they receive a letter telling them they have lost their job.
48. Pipe dream
Meaning: A pipe dream is an unrealistic, impractical idea or scheme.
49. Piping hot
Meaning: If food is piping hot, it is very hot indeed.
50. Place in the sun
Meaning: If you have your place in the sun, you find wealth, happiness or whatever you are looking for in life.
51. Plain as a pikestaff
Meaning: If something is as plain as a pikestaff, it is very clear.
52. Plain as the nose on your face
Meaning: If something is as plain as the nose on your face, it is very clear and obvious.
53. Plain Jane
Meaning: A plain Jane is a woman who isn’t particularly attractive.
54. Plain sailing
Meaning: If something is relatively easy and there are no problems doing it, it is plain sailing.
55. Plan B
Meaning: Plan is an alternate or fall-back position or method when the initial attempt or plan goes wrong.
56. Plastic smile
Meaning: When someone is wearing a plastic smile, they are appear to be happier with a situation or events than they actually are. This is actually a description of the forced smile you might see in many photographs.
57. Play by ear
Meaning: If you play by ear, you deal with something in an impromptu manner, without guidelines or rules. It refers to playing music without using written notation.
58. Play fast and loose
Meaning: If people play fast and loose, they behave in an irresponsible way and don’t respect rules, etc.
59. Play for keeps
Meaning: If you are playing for keeps, you take things very seriously and the outcome is very important to you; it is not a mere game.
60. Play for time
Meaning: If you play for time, you delay something because because you are not ready or need more time to thing about it. Eg. I knew I had to play for time until the police arrived.
61. Play hard to get
Meaning: If someone plays hard to get, they pretend not to be interested or attracted by someone, usually to make the other person increase their efforts.
62. Play hardball
Meaning: If someone plays hardball, they are very aggressive in trying to achieve their aim.
63. Play havoc
Meaning: Playing havoc with something is creating disorder and confusion; computer viruses can play havoc with your programs.
64. Play hooky
Meaning: If people play hooky, they don’t attend school when they should and don’t have a valid reason for their absence.
65. Play into someone’s hands
Meaning: If you play into someone’s hands, you do what they were expecting you to do and take advantage of this.
66. Play it by ear
Meaning: If you play it by ear, you don’t have a plan of action, but decide what to do as events take shape.
67. Play out of your skin
Meaning: If someone plays out of their skin, they give an outstanding performance.
68. Play possum
Meaning: To pretend to be dead or sleeping. His younger sister jumped on him because she knew he was just playing possum.
69. Play second fiddle
Meaning: If you play second fiddle, you take a subordinate role behind someone more important.
70. Play the field
Meaning: Someone who plays the field has sexual relationships with many people.
71. Play the fool
Meaning: If someone plays the fool, they behave in a silly way to make people laugh. (‘Act the fool’ is and alternative form.)
72. Play with fire
Meaning: If people take foolish risks, they are playing with fire.
73. Playing to the gallery
Meaning: If someone plays to the gallery, they say or do things that will make them popular at the expense of more important issues.
74. Please revert
Meaning: Please respond to me if the solution provided is incorrect or insufficient.
75. Pleased as punch
Meaning: When someone is pleased as punch, they are very satisfied about something
76. Poacher turned gamekeeper
Meaning: Someone who gets a legitimate job which is the opposite of their previous one. E.G a computer hacker who then helps to catch other hackers or an ex-bank robber who then advises banks on security.
77. Poetry in motion
Meaning: Something that is poetry in motion is beautiful to watch.
78. Point the finger
Meaning: When you point the finger at someone, you are accusing and blaming them for something.
79. Pointy-heads
Meaning: Pointy-heads are supposed intellectuals or experts, but who don’t really know that much.
80. Poison pill
Meaning: A poison pill is a strategy designed to prevent a company from being take over.
81. Poker face
Meaning: Someone with a poker face doesn’t show any emotion or reaction so that people don’t know what they are feeling.
82. Polish the apples
Meaning: Someone who polishes the apples with someone, tries to get into that person’s favor.
83. Polishing peanuts
Meaning: To work very hard at something for little or no return. In other words, wasting time on work which will not yield reasonable value.
84. Politically correct
Meaning: Things or people that are politically correct use language that will not cause offence.
85. Poor as a church mouse
Meaning: If someone is as poor as a church mouse, they are very poor indeed.
86. Pop the question
Meaning: When someone pops the question, they ask someone to marry them.
87. Pop your clogs
Meaning: When someone pops their clogs, they die.
88. Pork barrel
Meaning: Pork barrel politics involves investing money in an area to get political support rather than using the money for the common good.
89. Pot calling the kettle black
Meaning: If someone hypocritically criticisms a person for something that they themselves do, then it is a case of the pot calling the kettle black.
90. Pot-luck
Meaning: If you take pot-luck, you take whatever happens to be available at the time.
91. Pound of flesh
Meaning: If someone wants their pound of flesh, the force someone to pay or give back something owed, even though they don’t need it and it will cause the other person a lot of difficulty.
92. Pour oil on troubled waters
Meaning: If someone pours oil on troubled waters, they try to calm things down.
93. Powder your nose
Meaning: If somebody goes to powder your nose, it is a euphemism for going to the lavatory (toilet).
94. Powers that be
Meaning: The powers that be are the people who are in charge of something.
95. Practical joke
Meaning: A practical joke is a trick played on someone that is meant to be funny for people watching, though normally embarrassing for the person being tricked.
96. Practice what you preach
Meaning: If you practice what you preach, you do what you say other people should do.(In American English, the verb is ‘practice’)
97. Preaching to the choir
Meaning: If someone preaches to the choir, they talking about a subject or issue with which their audience already agrees. (‘Preaching to the converted’ is an alternative form.)
98. Presence of mind
Meaning: If someone behaves calmly and rationally in difficult circumstances, they show presence of mind.
99. Press the flesh
Meaning: When people, especially politicians, press the flesh, they meet members of the public and shake their hands, usually when trying to get support.
100. Pressed for time
Meaning: If you are pressed for time, you are in a hurry or working against a very tight schedule.
101. Prick up your ears
Meaning: If you prick up your ears, you listen very carefully. (‘Pick up your ears’ is also used.)
102. Prim and proper
Meaning: Someone who is prim and proper always behaves in the correct way and never breaks the rules of etiquette.
103. Primrose path
Meaning: The primrose path is an easy and pleasurable lifestyle, but one that ends in unpleasantness and problems.
104. Prince charming
Meaning: A prince charming is the perfect man in a woman’s life.
105. Problem is thirty
Meaning: If a problem is 30, the problem is the person who sits 30 cm from the computer screen. It is used to describe people that lack technical knowledge and can be used when you insult someone who’s having computer problems.
106. Proclaim it from the rooftops
Meaning: If something is proclaimed from the rooftops, it is made as widely known and as public as possible.
107. Prodigal son
Meaning: A prodigal son is a young man who wastes a lot on money on a lavish lifestyle. If the prodigal son returns, they return to a better way of living.
108. Proof of the pudding is in the eating
Meaning: This means that something can only be judged when it is tested or by its results. (It is often shortened to ‘Proof of the pudding’.)
109. Pros and cons
Meaning: Pros and cons are arguments for or against a particular issue. Pros are arguments which aim to promote the issue, while cons suggest points against it. The term has been in use since the 16th century and is a shortening of a Latin phrase, pro et contra, which means “for and against.” Considering the pros and cons of an issue is a very useful way to weigh the issue thoughtfully
and reach an informed decision.
110. Proud as a peacock
Meaning: Someone who is as proud as a peacock is excessively proud.
111. Pull a rabbit out of your hat
Meaning: If you pull a rabbit out of a hat, you do something that no one was expecting.
112. Pull in the reins
Meaning: When you pull in the reins, you slow down or stop something that has been a bit out of control.
113. Pull no punches
Meaning: If you pull no punches, you hold nothing back.
114. Pull numbers out of your ass
Meaning: If someone pulls numbers out of their ass, they give unreliable or unsubstantiated figures to back their argument.
115. Pull out all the stops
Meaning: If you pull out all the stops, you do everything you possibly can to achieve the result you want.
116. Pull out of the fire
Meaning: If you pull something out of the fire, you save or rescue it.
117. Pull rank
Meaning: A person of higher position or in authority pulls rank, he or she exercises his/her authority, generally ending any discussion and ignoring other people’s views.
118. Pull someone’s leg
Meaning: If you pull someone’s leg, you tease them, but not maliciously.
119. Pull strings
Meaning: If you pull strings, you use contacts you have got to help you get what you want.
120. Pull the fat from the fire
Meaning: If you pull the fat from the fire, you help someone in a difficult situation.
121. Pull the other one, it’s got brass bells on
Meaning: This idiom is way of telling somebody that you don’t believe them. The word ‘brass’ is optional.
122. Pull the trigger
Meaning: The person who pulls the trigger is the one who does the action that closes or finishes something.
123. Pull the wool over someone’s eyes
Meaning: If you pull the wool over someone’s eyes, you deceive or cheat them.
124. Pull up your socks
Meaning: If you aren’t satisfied with someone and want them to do better, you can tell them to pull up their socks.
125. Pull your chain
Meaning: If someone pulls your chain, they take advantage of you in an unfair way or do something to annoy you.
126. Pull your finger out!
Meaning: If someone tells you to do this, they want you to hurry up. (‘Get your finger out’ is also used.)
127. Pull your punches
Meaning: If you pull your punches, you do not use all the power or authority at your disposal.
128. Pull your weight
Meaning: If someone is not pulling their weight, they aren’t making enough effort, especially in group work.
129. Pull yourself up by your bootstraps
Meaning: If you pull yourself up by your bootstraps, you make the effort to improve things for yourself.
130. Punching bag
Meaning: A punching bag (or punch bag) is a person who gets a lot of unfair criticism.
131. Pup’s chance
Meaning: A pup’s chance is no chance.
132. Puppy love
Meaning: Puppy love is love between two very young people.
133. Push comes to shove
Meaning: If or when push comes to shove, the situation has become some bad that you are forced to do something: If push comes to shove, we’ll just have to use our savings.
134. Push the envelope
Meaning: This means to go to the limits, to do something to the maximum possible.
135. Pushing up the daisies
Meaning: If someone is said to be pushing up the daisies, they are dead.
136. Put a bug in your ear
Meaning: If you put a bug in someone’s ear, you give him or her a reminder or suggestion relating to a future event.
137. Put a cork in it!
Meaning: This is a way of telling someone to be quiet.
138. Put a sock in it
Meaning: If someone tells you to put a sock in it, they are telling you to shut up.
139. Put all your eggs in one basket
Meaning: If you put all your eggs in one basket, you risk everything on a single opportunity which, like eggs breaking, could go wrong.
140. Put it on the cuff
Meaning: If you put something on the cuff, you will take it now and pay for it later.
141. Put lipstick on a pig
Meaning: If people put lipstick on a pig, they make superficial or cosmetic changes, hoping that it will make the product more attractive.
142. Put more green into something
Meaning: To put more green into something is to spend more or to increase investment in it.
143. Put on airs
Meaning: If someone puts on airs, they pretend to be grander and more important than they really are.
144. Put or get someone’s back up
Meaning: If you put or get someone’s back up, you annoy them.
145. Put some dirt on it
Meaning: This means that when you get hurt, you should rub it off or shake it off and you’ll be ok.
146. Put some mustard on it!
Meaning: I think its used to encourage someone to throw a ball like a baseball hard or fast.
147. Put somebody’s nose out of joint
Meaning: If you put someone’s nose out of joint, you irritate them or make them angry with you.
148. Put someone on a pedestal
Meaning: If you put someone on a pedestal, you admire them greatly, idolize them.
149. Put someone out to pasture
Meaning: If someone is put out to pasture, they are forced to resign or give up some responsibilities.
150. Put that in your pipe and smoke it
Meaning: This is used as an unsympathetic way of telling someone to accept what you have just said.
151. Put the carriage before the horse
Meaning: If you put the carriage before the horse, you try to do things in the wrong order.
152. Put the kybosh on
Meaning: To put an end to something.
153. Put the pedal to the metal
Meaning: If you put the pedal to the metal, you go faster.
154. Put to the sword
Meaning: If someone is put to the sword, he or she is killed or executed.
155. Put two and two together
Meaning: If someone puts two and two together, they reach a correct conclusion from the evidence.
156. Put up or shut up
Meaning: ‘Put up or shut up’ means you do something you are talking about or not to talk about it any more.
157. Put you in mind
Meaning: If something suggests something to you, it puts you in mind of that thing.
158. Put you in the picture
Meaning: If you put someone in the picture, you tell them the information they need to know about something.
159. Put your best foot forward
Meaning: If you your best foot forward, you try your best to do something.
160. Put your cards on the table
Meaning: If you put your cards on the table, you make your thoughts or ideas perfectly clear.
161. Put your foot down
Meaning: When someone puts their foot down, they make a firm stand and establish their authority on an issue.
162. Put your foot in it
Meaning: If you put your foot in it, you do or say something embarrassing and tactless or get yourself into trouble.
163. Put your foot in your mouth
Meaning: If you put your foot in your mouth, you say something stupid or embarrassing.
164. Put your hand on your heart
Meaning: If you can out your hand on your heart, then you can say something knowing it to be true.
165. Put your heads together
Meaning: If people put their head together, they exchange ideas about something.
166. Put your money where your mouth is
Meaning: If someone puts their money where their mouth is, they back up their words with action.
167. Put your shoulder to the wheel
Meaning: When you put your shoulder to the wheel, you contribute to an effort.
168. Put your thumb on the scales
Meaning: If you put your thumb on the scales, you try to influence the result of something in your favor.
169. Put yourself in someone’s shoes
Meaning: If you put yourself in someone’s shoes, you imagine what it is like to be in their position.
170. Putting the cart before the horse
Meaning: When you put the cart before the horse, you are doing something the wrong way round.
171. Pyrrhic victory
Meaning: A Pyrrhic victory is one that causes the victor to suffer so much to achieve it that it isn’t worth winning.
Also Read ==>>
- 139+ Idioms Starting with M | List with Meaning
- 93+ Idioms Starting with N | List with Meaning
- 139+ Idioms Starting with O | List with Meaning
