Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 641 pass Idioms pass away - to die His father passed away when he was 96 years old. pass for/as (someone or something) - to succeed in being accepted as someone or something The young woman was trying to pass for a reporter when she went to the concert. pass muster - to pass a test or checkup, to measure up to a certain standard The player was not able to pass muster and was not included on the team. pass off (something) as (something else) - to sell or give something by false claims, to offer something as genuine when it is not The man passed off the watch as a diamond watch and received more money than it was worth. pass on - to die My grandmother passed on when she was 92 years old. pass on (something) - to give away something that you don`t use anymore The girl always passes on her old clothes to her younger sister. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 642 pass oneself off as (someone or something) else - to claim to be someone one is not, to pretend to be someone else My friend passed himself off as a reporter and was able to get into the concert free. pass out - to faint Three teenage girls passed out at the rock concert. pass the buck - to shift responsibility to someone else Our supervisor always tries to pass the buck if someone tries to criticize his work. pass the hat - to attempt to collect money for some project We passed the hat in order to raise money for the movie projector. pass the time - to fill up time by doing something My grandfather usually passes the time reading and working in his garden. pass through (someone's) mind - to think about something briefly, to remember something briefly It passed through my mind that I would need to go to the bank and get more money before my holiday. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 643 . a passport to (something) - something that allows something good to happen A university education is often a passport to a better job. a past master at (something) - someone who is extremely good or skillful at something The chef is a past master at cooking with various kinds of sauces. past (someone or something's) prime - to be beyond the most useful or productive period of someone or something The young skater is past her prime as a figure skater. a pat on the back - praise My boss gave me a pat on the back after I finished the project. patch up (something) - to fix something I have been trying to patch up my differences with my friend for many months. path of least resistance - the easiest way I took the path of least resistance and decided to quit the class rather than try to pass the course. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 644 pave the way for (someone or something) - to prepare someone or something for something The new company policy is designed to pave the way for more effective communication in the company. pay Idioms pay a call on (someone) - to visit someone I went to the head office to pay a call on the accounting manager. pay a king's ransom for (something) - to pay a great deal of money for something My friend paid a king's ransom for his new stereo system. pay an arm and a leg (for something) - to pay too much money for something I paid an arm and a leg for the new frames for my glasses. pay as you go - to pay costs as they occur or as you buy some goods The small business was forced to pay as they go when the bank began to look at their loan. pay attention to (someone or something) - to look at something with full attention, to listen to someone with full attention The man never pays attention to what his supervisor tells him. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 645 pay dirt - dirt in which much gold is found, a profitable or useful discovery or venture The company hit pay dirt when they published the new computer software. pay for (something) - to pay money for something I paid for dinner for my friends. pay homage to (someone) - to praise/respect/honor someone The entire country paid homage to their dead leader. pay in advance - to pay for something before it is received or delivered I paid in advance to get the frames for my pictures. pay lip service to (something) - to express loyality or support for something insincerely The city council paid lip service to the concerns of the taxpayers. pay off - to yield good results My risks in starting the new business finally paid off. pay off (something) - to pay something in full and be free from a debt She finally paid off her car loan so she now has some extra money to spend. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 646 a pay-off - the results of one`s work, a bribe The young man expects to get a big pay-off from his university education when he begins to look for a job. pay one's debt to society - to serve a sentence for a crime (usually in prison) The young man spent several years in prison in order to pay his debt to society. pay one's dues - to earn one's right to something through hard work or suffering The young athlete worked hard to pay his dues in order to get on the best team in the city. pay one's last respects - to attend the funeral of someone Our family gathered to pay their last respects to our grandmother. pay one's own way - to pay the costs for something by oneself The young man was forced to pay his own way during college. pay (someone) a back-handed compliment - to give someone a false compliment that is really an insult The woman paid her colleague a back-handed compliment when she told her what a good job she was doing. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 647 pay (someone) a compliment - to compliment someone My supervisor paid me a compliment for the work that I was doing. pay (someone or something) a visit - to visit someone or something I paid the tax office a visit to try and resolve my tax problem. pay (someone) off - to pay someone a bribe The man tried to pay off the customs agent to quickly get his products into the country. pay (someone) respect - to have and show respect to someone The children refuse to pay their teacher respect. pay the piper - to face the results of one's actions The city government was forced to pay the piper after many years of bad management. pay through the nose (for something) - to pay a lot of money for something My uncle always pays through the nose when he buys a new car. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 648 pay to (do something) - to be beneficial to do something I decided that it would pay to buy a new car rather than fix my old car. pay up - to pay someone immediately My friend told me to pay up because he needed the money. . pecking order - the way people are ranked in relation to each other The pecking order in my company is very difficult for others to understand. a peeping Tom - someone who looks in the windows of strangers The police arrested a peeping Tom near our apartment building last week. peg away (at something) - to keep working at something, keep trying something My friend has been pegging away at his job for many years now. a penny for one`s thoughts - the telling to others of what you are thinking about "A penny for your thoughts," the girl said as she saw her boyfriend looking out the window. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 649 a penny saved is a penny earned - money saved through being thrifty is the same as money earned by working A penny saved is a penny earned and trying not to spend a lot of money is as good as trying to earn money. penny-wise and pound-foolish - wise or careful in small things/purchases but not wise or careful about bigger things/purchases He is penny-wise and pound-foolish and is always wasting his money on things that he does not need. people who live in glass houses should not throw stones - do not complain about other people if you yourself are not perfect "You should not criticize other people. Remember, people who live in glass houses should not throw stones." pep (someone or something) up - to make someone or something more active and energetic I drank a cup of coffee in order to pep myself up for my afternoon class. a pep talk - a speech to encourage people to try harder and not give up The coach gave his team a pep talk after they lost three games last month. to perk up - to become energetic or happy after being sad or tired My sister began to perk up after she had a chance to rest after her long drive. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 650 persist in (doing something) - to continue to do something with determination The young child persisted in making noise that disturbed his father. persist with (something) - to continue with something I am going to persist with my demand that my boss transfer me to another department. perspective on (something) - a way of looking at a situation and determining what is important My friend has a very different perspective on what recently happened in his company. to peter out - to die down gradually, to grow less strong The large crowd from the football game has begun to peter out and the streets around the stadium are quiet now. pick Idioms pick a fight with (someone) - to start a fight with someone (usually on purpose) The man tried to pick a fight with his old friend. pick a lock - to open a lock without a key The robbers picked the lock and entered the store. . Tom - someone who looks in the windows of strangers The police arrested a peeping Tom near our apartment building last week. peg away (at something) - to keep working at something, keep trying. perk up after she had a chance to rest after her long drive. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 650 persist in (doing something) - to continue to do something with determination The young. continue with something I am going to persist with my demand that my boss transfer me to another department. perspective on (something) - a way of looking at a situation and determining what