Commonly used english part 66 docx

Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 651 pick a quarrel with (someone) - to start a quarrel with someone (usually on purpose) I do not like that woman because she likes to pick a quarrel with others. pick and choose - to choose very carefully from a number of possibilities The company made an effort to pick and choose the best people for the new project. pick at (someone) - to be very critical of someone The woman is always picking at her husband for very small things. pick at (something) - to eat only little bits of something The boy was sick and would only pick at his food. pick holes in (something) - to find all the flaws and falsehoods in an argument, criticize something severely My supervisor picked holes in my argument to buy a new computer for the office. a pick-me-up - food or a drink that one takes when one feels tired or lacks energy I stopped at the restaurant on my way home from work for a quick pick-me-up. the pick of (something) - the best of the group The members of the Olympic team were the pick of the best athletes in the country. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 652 pick off (someone or something) - to kill with a carefully aimed shot from a gun or other weapon The police were easily able to pick off the man who was shooting the rifle. pick on (someone) - to do or say bad things to someone The boy always picked on his sister when they were children. pick on someone your own size - to abuse/bully someone who is big enough to fight back The older boy told the other boy to pick on someone his own size when he was fighting with the smaller boy. pick one's way through (something) - to work slowly through written material I picked my way through the material that I had to study for the exam. pick out (something) - to choose or select something I tried to pick out a nice necktie for my father. pick (someone`s) brains - to extract ideas or information from someone for one`s own use They are always picking my brains to get new ideas for their business. pick (something) over - to sort through something The customers picked the best clothes over at the department store sale. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 653 pick up a radio wave etc. - to catch or receive the sound of a radio etc. We could not pick up any radio stations when we were travelling through the mountains. pick up a trail/scent - to recognize the trail of a hunted person or animal The tracking dogs were easily able to pick up the trail of the criminal. pick up (someone) - to take someone to the police station, to arrest someone The police picked up the man for drinking and driving. pick up (someone) - to take on passengers in a bus/car/train etc. The bus picked up my mother at six o`clock in the morning. pick up (something) - to get/receive something I picked up my dry cleaning after I finished work yesterday. pick up (something) - to learn something without formal study I picked up a lot of French when I lived in France for a year. pick up (something) - to take something that has fallen on the floor/ground and put it somewhere else "Could you please pick up my pen from the floor." Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 654 pick up (something) - to start again after an interruption It was getting late so we decided to stop work and pick up where we left off the next day. pick up speed - to increase the speed of something The car picked up speed as it began to go down the hill. pick up the tab - to pay the bill for someone else I picked up the tab for the dinner at the restaurant. . picked over - rejected, worn All of the best shoes were picked over in the shoe sale. the picture of (something) - the perfect example of something My father was the picture of health when I saw him last month. pie in the sky - a goal/plan that is too optimistic, a future reward after death The boy's plans for his summer were pie in the sky. He would never complete them. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 655 a piece of cake - easy That job was a piece of cake. It was the easiest thing that I ever did. a piece of the action - a share in a scheme or project The small company was able to get a piece of the action with the large building contract. a pig in a poke - something accepted or bought without looking at it carefully The stereo system that he bought was a pig in a poke. He has no idea if it will work well. a piggy bank - a small bank (sometimes in the shape of a pig) for saving coins Her daughter put all of her spare money into her piggy bank. piggyback - sitting or being carried on the back and shoulders The man was carrying his child around the room piggyback style. pile into (something) - to climb into something roughly The teenagers piled into the old car after school. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 656 pile out of (something) - to get out of something roughly The passengers quickly piled out of the bus when it arrived at the station. pile up - to accumulate, to put things on top of each other I piled up the magazines on top of the small table. a pillar of strength/support - someone who provides strong support for someone, a strong/powerful person The man is a pillar of strength in the community. pin one's hopes/faith on (someone or something) - to put one's hope/trust/faith in someone or something I am not going to pin my hopes on getting a promotion next month. pin (someone) down - to keep someone from moving, to make someone stay in a place or position The wrestler won the match after he pinned his opponent down for almost a minute. pin (someone) down - to make someone tell the truth or make a commitment I could not pin my friend down as to exactly when he would pay back the money that he owed me. pin (something) on (someone) - to place the blame for something on someone My friend tried to pin the blame for breaking the computer on me. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 657 pinch-hit for (someone) - to substitute for someone The best batter on the team was asked to pinch-hit for the injured player. pinch pennies - to be careful with money, to be thrifty He has been pinching pennies for many months in order to save money for his vacation. a pink slip - a dismissal notice from a job He received his pink slip yesterday and no longer has a job. pins and needles - a tingling feeling in one's arms and legs, feeling excitement I was on pins and needles all day as I waited to hear the results of the exam. pipe down - to be quiet, to get quiet The teacher asked the children to pipe down in the classroom. a pipe dream - an unrealistic plan He always has a lot of pipe dreams about what he wants to do in the future. pipe up - to speak louder We asked the speaker to pipe up so that we could hear him. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 658 pipe up with (something) - to speak up and say something The student piped up with a comment from the back of the class. piping hot - extremely hot The food from the kitchen was piping hot when the waiter brought it to the table. a pip-squeak - a small and unimportant person The boy called his friend a pip-squeak which made him very angry. pique (someone's) interest/curiosity - arouse interest/curiosity The conversation with the filmmaker piqued my interest and I begin to watch more movies. piss (someone) off - to bother or annoy someone, to make someone angry My supervisor pissed me off when he asked me to work late again last night. pit (someone or something) against (someone or something) - to set one group/person against another The fight over the new shopping center pit the property owners against the local businesses. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 659 pitch a tent - to put up a tent We pitched the tent in a field beside a stream. pitch-black - to be very black It was pitch-black when we left the restaurant to return home. pitch camp - to set up or arrange a campsite We stopped for the night next to a small river and pitched camp. pitch-dark - very dark It was pitch-dark when I took the garbage out to the garbage can. pitch in - to give help or money for something My friends pitched in and helped me finish the job quickly. pitch (someone) a curve (ball) - to surprise someone with an unexpected act or event The lawyer pitched the woman a curve when he began to ask questions unrelated to the court case. place an order - to submit an order I recently placed an order for a new and smaller refridgerator. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 660 place (someone) - to recall someone's name I could not place the woman at the meeting but I knew that I had met her before. place the blame on (someone or something) - to blame someone or something The teacher placed the blame on the boys for breaking the flower vase. plain and simple - absolutely, without further complication or elaboration It was plain and simple. I decided to buy the car and I did not want to talk about it further. play Idioms play a joke/trick on (someone) - to do a joke/trick that affects someone The boy played a trick on his teacher. play along with (someone or something) - to agree to cooperate with someone's plan I decided to play along with my friend and his crazy plan to buy a horse. play around/about with (someone or something) - to engage in some play with someone or something The little boy was playing around with the dog when his mother entered the room. . (something) over - to sort through something The customers picked the best clothes over at the department store sale. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 653 pick up a radio wave etc. - to catch or. order I recently placed an order for a new and smaller refridgerator. Mr_doody2004@yahoo.com 660 place (someone) - to recall someone's name I could not place the woman at the meeting