Словарь американских идиом: 8000 единиц

[pull up]{v.} 1. To check the forward motion of; halt; stop. •/He pulled up his horse at the gate./ 2. To tell (someone) to stop doing something; say (someone) is doing wrong and must stop; scold. •/Jim talked rudely to Mother, and Father pulled him up./ •/Ann said in her report that America was discovered in 1634, and the teacher pulled her up./ 3. To stop moving forward; halt. •/The car slowed down and pulled up at the curb./ 4. To come even with; move up beside. •/The other boat pulled up alongside us./

[pull up one’s socks]{v. phr.} To try to do better, either in terms of one’s behavior or at a task one is performing. •/I’ll have to pull up my socks if I am going to finish my work today./

[pull up short]{v. phr.} To suddenly stop. •/He pulled up short in his red car at the corner when he saw a pregnant lady crossing./ •/When Mark saw that he was hurting Jill’s feelings, he pulled up short and started to talk about something entirely different./

[pull up stakes]{v. phr.}, {informal} To leave the place where you have been living. •/We are going to pull up stakes and move to California./ •/The Jones family pulled up stakes three times in two years./

[pull wires] See: PULL STRINGS.

[punch] See: BEAT TO THE PUNCH, PACK A PUNCH, PULL ONE’S PUNCHES, TAKE A PUNCH AT.

[punch-drunk]{adj.} 1. Dazed or become dulled in the mind from being hit in the head. •/He was a punch-drunk boxer who made his living shining shoes./ 2. In a foggy state of mind; groggy. •/Mary was so thrilled at winning the contest she acted punch-drunk./ •/Mark was punch-drunk for a few minutes after he fell off his bicycle./

[puppy love] also [calf love]{n.}, {informal} The first love of very young people. •/When John and Mary began going around together in junior high school, their parents said it was just puppy love./

[pure and simple]{adj.} Simply stated; basic. — Follows the noun it modifies and is used for emphasis. •/The problem, pure and simple, is finding a baby-sitter./ •/The question, pure and simple, is whether you will support me./ Compare: BOIL DOWN(3).

[purpose] See: AT CROSS PURPOSES, ON PURPOSE, TO ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES.

[purse] See: LINE ONE’S POCKETS also LINE ONE’S PURSE.

[purse strings]{n.} Care or control of money. •/Dad holds the purse strings in our family./ •/The treasurer refused to let go of the club’s purse strings./

[push around]{v.}, {informal} To be bossy with; bully. •/Don’t try to push me around!/ •/Paul is always pushing the smaller children around./

[push off] or [shove off]{v.} 1. To push a boat away from the shore. •/Before Tom could reach the boat, Jake had shoved off./ 2. {slang} To start; leave. •/We were ready to push off at ten o’clock, but had to wait for Jill./ •/Jim was planning to stay at the beach all day, but when the crowds arrived he shoved off./

[push on]{v. phr.} To press forward; proceed forward laboriously. •/The exhausted mountain climbers pushed on, despite the rough weather, as the peak was already in sight./

[push one’s luck] See: PRESS ONE’S LUCK.