Pay through the nose (6)
To pay much more than something is worth
(भारी क़ीमत देना)
Sentence: They had to pay through the nose for the last-minute tickets.
Pell-mell
In a confused or disorderly way; hastily
(अस्त-व्यस्त)
Sentence: The crowd rushed pell-mell towards the exit.
Penelope’s web (3)
A task that is never completed; something that must be done again and again
(अंतहीन कार्य; कभी न ख़त्म होने वाला काम)
Sentence: Cleaning this place feels like Penelope’s web.
Penny wise and pound foolish (2)
Being careful with small amounts but wasteful with large ones
(छोटे खर्च में सतर्क लेकिन बड़े खर्च में लापरवाह)
Sentence: He saved on cheap items but wasted thousands elsewhere—penny wise and pound foolish.
Perfect storm (2)
A situation where several bad things happen at once, creating a very difficult situation
(अत्यंत प्रतिकूल परिस्थिति)
Sentence: The company faced a perfect storm of rising costs and falling sales.
Pick (or tear) to pieces
To criticize something or someone very severely
(कड़ी आलोचना करना)
Sentence: The critics picked his performance to pieces.
Pick a quarrel
To deliberately start an argument with someone
(झगड़ा मोल लेना)
Sentence: He always tries to pick a quarrel over trivial matters.
Pick and choose
To select only the things you want from a larger group
(चुन-चुनकर लेना)
Sentence: You can’t pick and choose rules to follow.
Pick holes in (4)
To find faults or weaknesses in something, especially in an argument or plan
(कमियाँ निकालना, आलोचना करना)
Sentence: The committee picked holes in the proposal.
Pick someone’s pocket
To steal from someone’s pocket without them noticing
(चोरी करना)
Sentence: Someone picked his pocket in the crowded bus.
Pick up the threads
To continue something after it has been interrupted
(फिर से शुरू करना)
Sentence: After the break, she picked up the threads of her speech.
Pie in the sky (2)
An idea or plan that is not practical and unlikely to happen
(असंभव योजना)
Sentence: His promises of instant success are just pie in the sky.
Pigeon-hole
To put someone or something into a category that is too narrow or simple
(सीमित श्रेणी में बाँध देना)
Sentence: Don’t pigeon-hole her as just a singer; she’s also a great writer.
Pin money (2)
A small amount of money for personal use
(जेब ख़र्च)
Sentence: She earns some pin money by tutoring students.
Pipe dream (4)
A hope or plan that is impossible to achieve
(असंभव सपना)
Sentence: Becoming rich overnight is just a pipe dream.
Pitch and toss
A simple gambling game where coins are thrown
(सिक्के उछालने का जुआ)
Sentence: The children were playing pitch and toss in the playground.
Plain (or clear) as day
Very obvious and easy to see or understand
(बिल्कुल स्पष्ट)
Sentence: His mistake was plain as day.
Play a joke (or trick)
To trick someone or do something funny to amuse yourself
(मज़ाक करना, शरारत करना)
Sentence: They played a joke on their friend during the party.
Play devil’s advocate (9)
To argue against something even if you agree with it, to test the strength of the argument
(विपरीत पक्ष रखना; बहस के लिए उल्टा तर्क देना)
Sentence: Let me play devil’s advocate and question your plan.
Play ducks and drakes (3)
To waste money or resources carelessly
(लापरवाही से ख़र्च करना)
Sentence: He played ducks and drakes with his inheritance.
Play fast and loose
To behave in a careless, deceitful or irresponsible way often by ignoring rules
(नियमों की परवाह न करना)
Sentence: He played fast and loose with company funds and got into trouble.
Play for time
To deliberately delay in order to gain more time
(टाल-मटोल करना)
Sentence: The lawyer played for time to gather more evidence.
Play gooseberry
To be an unwanted third person with a couple who want to be alone
(दो प्रेमियों के बीच तीसरा व्यक्ति)
Sentence: I felt awkward playing gooseberry on their date.
Play havoc (or wreak havoc)
To cause a lot of damage or problems
(तबाही मचाना)
Sentence: The storm played havoc with the crops.
Play it by ear (5)
To decide what to do as a situation develops rather than planning in advance
(परिस्थिति के अनुसार काम करना; बिना तैयारी के)
Sentence: We don’t have a plan yet; we’ll play it by ear.
Play it safe
To be careful and avoid taking risks
(सुरक्षित रास्ता चुनना; कोई जोख़िम न लेना)
Sentence: He chose to play it safe and not invest in risky stocks.
Play one’s ace (2)
To use one’s best advantage at the right moment
(सबसे बड़ा दाँव लगाना)
Sentence: She played her ace during the final round of the competition.
Play one’s cards right (2)
To deal with a situation cleverly to get the result you want
(सही चाल चलना; चतुराई से काम करना)
Sentence: If you play your cards right, you might get the promotion.
Play second fiddle (3)
To be less important or in a weaker position than someone else
(किसी के नीचे काम करना; दूसरी भूमिका में होना)
Sentence: He is tired of playing second fiddle to his colleague.
Play to the gallery (2)
To act in an exaggerated way to impress people
(वाहवाही लूटना; लोकप्रियता के लिए काम करना)
Sentence: The politician was just playing to the gallery.
Play truant
To stay away without permission
(काम से अनुपस्थित रहना)
Sentence: He used to play truant from school.
Play with fire (6)
To do something that is dangerous or could cause problems
(ख़तरा मोल लेना)
Sentence: You’re playing with fire by ignoring safety rules.
Plenty more fish in the sea
Many other opportunities or alternatives exist
(और भी कई विकल्प मौजूद हैं)
Sentence: Don’t worry about the breakup—there are plenty more fish in the sea.
Plum job
A very good, desirable, and well-paid job
(बढ़िया और अच्छी तनख़्वाह वाली नौकरी)
Sentence: She landed a plum job at a top company.
Pocket (or swallow) an insult (2)
To accept an insult without reacting or protesting
(बेइज़्ज़ती सहना)
Sentence: He had to pocket the insult to keep his job.
Point-blank (2)
Very directly; or from a very close distance
(सीधे तौर पर; बहुत क़रीब से)
Sentence: She refused the offer point-blank.
Poke (or stick) one’s nose in (3)
To interfere in other people’s business
(दूसरों के मामले में दखल देना)
Sentence: Don’t poke your nose in my affairs.
Poles apart
Completely different in views, opinions, or situations
(बिल्कुल विपरीत होना)
Sentence: Their opinions on the issue are poles apart.
Pop the question
To ask someone to marry you
(शादी का प्रस्ताव रखना)
Sentence: He finally popped the question on her birthday.
Potluck dinner
A meal where each guest brings food to share
(जहाँ सब अपनी पसंद का खाना लाते हैं)
Sentence: We had a potluck dinner with friends last weekend.
Pound of flesh
Something that is legally owed but is cruel or excessive to demand
(क़ानूनी पर नैतिक रूप से ग़लत)
Sentence: The lender demanded his pound of flesh despite the borrower’s hardship.
Pour (or throw) cold water on (8)
To discourage or criticize an idea or plan
(हतोत्साहित करना)
Sentence: Don’t pour cold water on her plans; encourage her instead.
Pour oil on troubled waters (2)
To try to calm a disagreement or difficult situation
(झगड़ा शांत करना)
Sentence: She stepped in to pour oil on troubled waters during the argument.
Pour out one’s heart (2)
To tell someone your deepest feelings and thoughts
(मन खोलकर बताना)
Sentence: He poured out his heart to his best friend.
Press into service
To make someone or something start being used for a purpose
(जबरन काम पर लगाना)
Sentence: Old buses were pressed into service during the festival rush.
Prime the pump
To encourage economic activity by investing money
(विकास को गति देना; शुरुआती निवेश से)
Sentence: The government primed the pump with new infrastructure projects.
Promise the earth (or moon)
To promise much more than you can actually give
(असंभव वादे करना)
Sentence: The candidate promised the earth during the campaign.
Provide a blueprint
To provide a detailed plan or model for something
(विस्तृत योजना देना)
Sentence: This report provides a blueprint for future reforms.
Public enemy number one
A person or thing considered the most dangerous or harmful
(सबसे ख़तरनाक व्यक्ति)
Sentence: After the scandal, he became public enemy number one.
Pull (or make) a face
To make an expression of dislike, disgust, or disapproval
(असंतोष या नापसंदगी व्यक्त करना)
Sentence: She pulled a face after tasting the bitter medicine.