puny
Weak. A puny child; a weak little child. A puny stomach; a weak stomach. Puny, or puisne judge; the last made judge.
English · UK & Ireland 1152
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Where will you be? Anywhere UK & IrelandUnited StatesOnline slangBusiness jargon
Expressions you’ll hear in Britain and Ireland — distinctly British usage first, then widespread staples.
pup and ringer
I.e., the "Dog and Bell," the sign of a flash public-house.
pupil mongers
Persons at the universities who make it their business to instruct and superintend a number of pupils.
puppy
An affected or conceited coxcomb.
purdah
A curtain.—Anglo-Indian.
pure finders
Street-collectors of dogs’ dung.—Humorous.
purl
Ale in which wormwood has been infused, or ale and bitters drunk warm.
purl
To spill; PURLED is a hunting and steeplechasing term synonymous with "foaled," or "spilt" (thrown); "he’ll get PURLED at the rails."
purl royal
Canary wine; with a dash of tincture of wormwood.
purler
A heavy fall from a horse in the hunting or steeplechasing field.
purse proud
One that is vain of his riches.
pursenets
Goods taken up at thrice their value, by young spendthrifts, upon trust.
purser's pump
A bassoon: from its likeness to a syphon, called a purser's pump.
push
A robbery or swindle. "I’m in this PUSH," the notice given by one magsman to another that he means to "stand in."
pushing school
A brothel.
pussey-cats
Corruption of Puseyites, a name constantly, but improperly, given to the Tractarian party in the Church, from the Oxford Regius Professor of Hebrew, who by no means approved of the Romanizing tendencies of some of its leaders. The name still sticks, however, to this day.
put
A country put; an ignorant awkward clown. To put upon any one; to attempt to impose on him, or to make him the but of the company.
put
A game at cards, once fashionable, but now played among thieves and costermongers only.
put on
To promise another money or valuables in the event of an anticipated success. "You’re ON a quid if Kaiser wins," might often have been heard before last St. Leger. Many hangers-on of the turf live almost entirely by what they are PUT ON, by bookmakers and backers for whom they do odd work.
put that in your pipe and smoke it
Accept that fact or decision
put up
To suggest, to incite, "he PUT me UP to it;" he prompted me to do it. PUT UP, to stop at an hotel or a tavern for entertainment.
put upon
Cheated, victimized, oppressed.
puttun
Regiment.—Anglo-Indian.
puzzle-cause
A lawyer who has a confused understanding.
puzzle-text
An ignorant blundering parson.
pyah
Weak, useless, paltry. This word, much in use among sailors, is evidently derived from the Indian term PARIAH, signifying the lowest caste of Hindoos. Thus the Pariah dogs in India are termed PYAH dogs; and the Pariah descendants of the old Portuguese settlers are called PYAH Portuguese. Sailors term the natives of St. Helena—a wretched-looking set of individuals—PYAH Englishmen.
pygostole
The least irreverent of names for the peculiar M. B. coats worn by Tractarian curates:—
pyjands
A kind of drawers or loose pantaloons.—Anglo-Indian.
paint the town red
Go out and party.
part and parcel
The attribute of being an integral or essential component of another object.
pass the buck
Shift responsibility.
pay through the nose
Pay much more than a fair price.
penny wise and pound foolish
Economical in small matters while wasteful in big matters.
pick holes
Find fault with.
pie in the sky
Unlikely to be realized.
pigs might fly
Ironically expressing disbelief.
play fast and loose
Be irresponsible.
play games
Deal with someone or something in a way that lacks due seriousness.
play hard to get
Deliberately adopt an aloof or uninterested attitude.
play second fiddle
Take subordinate role.
play the field
Indulge in a series of sexual relationships without commitment.
play the white man
That someone is attempting to be decent and trustworthy in their actions.
play to the gallery
Act in order to appeal to popular taste.
political football
Topic of continued argument.
poor as a church mouse
Extrememly poor.
pop one's clogs
(UK) A euphemism for dying or death.
power behind the throne
A person with influence without formal status.
practice makes perfect
Repeated practice is the way to master a skill.
preaching to the choir
To present a side of a discussion or argument to someone who already agrees with it; essentially, wasting your time.
prepare the ground
Make it easier for something to occur.
pressed for time
Not enough time.
pull a fast one
Try to gain an unfair advantage.
pull out all the stops
Do all that is possible to achieve results.
pull someone's leg
To tease someone playfully by making them believe something untrue.
push the boat out
Be lavish in your spending.
push the envelope
To approach, extend, or go beyond the limits of what is possible; to pioneer.
pushing up daisies
A euphemism for dying or death.
put a brave face on
Act as if something unpleasant or upsetting is not as bad as it really is.
put a foot wrong
Make any mistake.
put the cart before the horse
Reverse the proper order.