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Paddle your own canoe
If you paddle your own canoe, you do things for yourself without outside help.
Pain in the neck
If someone is very annoying and always disturbing you, they are a pain in the neck.
Paint the town red
If you go out for a night out with lots of fun and drinking, you paint the town red.
Paint yourself into a corner
If someone paints himself into a corner, he get himself into a mess.
Painted Jezebel
A scheming woman. Cleopatra was a painted jezebel.
Pandora’s box
If you open a Pandora’s box, something you do causes all sorts of trouble that you hadn’t anticipated.
Paper tiger
A paper tiger is a person, country, institution, etc, that looks powerful, but is actually weak.
Par for the course
If something is par for the course, it is what you expected it would be. If it is above par, it is better, and if it is below par, it is worse.
Parrot fashion
If you learn something parrot fashion, you learn it word for word.
Part and parcel
If something is part and parcel of your job, say, it is an essential and unavoidable part that has to be accepted.
Pass muster
If something passes muster, it meets the required standard.
Pass the buck
If you pass the buck, you avoid taking responsibility by saying that someone else is responsible.
Pass the time of day
If you pass the time of day with somebody, you stop and say hello, enquire how they are and other such acts of social politeness.
Patience of Job
If something requires the patience of Job, it requires great patience.
Pay on the nail
If you pay on the nail, you pay promptly in cash.
Pay through the nose
If you pay through the nose for something, you pay a very high price for it.
Pecking order
The pecking order is the order of importance or rank.
Pen is mightier than the sword
This means that words and communication are more powerful than wars and fighting.
Penny wise, pound foolish
Someone who is penny wise, pound foolish can be very careful or mean with small amounts of money, yet wasteful and extravagant with large sums.
Perish the thought
Perish the thought is an expression meaning that you really hope something will not happen.
Pick up the tab
A person who pays for everyone picks up the tab.
Pick-up game
A pick-up game is something unplanned where people respond to events as they happen.
Pie in the sky
If an idea or scheme is pie in the sky, it is utterly impractical.
Piece of cake
If something is a piece of cake, it is really easy.
Pig in a poke
If someone buys a pig in a poke, they buy something without checking the condition it was in, usually finding out later that it was defective.
Pigs might fly
If you think something will never happen or succeed, you can say that ‘pigs might fly’.
Pin money
If you work for pin money, you work not because you need to but because it gives you money for extra little luxuries and treats.
Pinch of salt
If what someone says should be taken with a pinch of salt, then they exaggerate and distort things, so what they say shouldn’t be believed unquestioningly.
Pipe dream
A pipe dream is an unrealistic, impractical idea or scheme.
Piping hot
If food is piping hot, it is very hot indeed.
Plain as a pikestaff
If something is as plain as a pikestaff, it is very clear.
Plain as the nose on your face
If something is as plain as the nose on your face, it is very clear and obvious.
Plain sailing
If something is relatively easy and there are no problems doing it, it is plain sailing.
Plastic smile
When someone is wearing a plastic smile, he is appear to be happier with a situation or events than they actually are. This is actually a description of the forced smile you might see in many photographs.
Play hardball
If someone plays hardball, they are very aggressive in trying to achieve their aim.
Play havoc
Playing havoc with something is creating disorder and confusion.
Play it by ear
If you play it by ear, you don’t have a plan of action, but decide what to do as events take shape.
Play out of your skin
If someone plays out of their skin, they give an outstanding performance.
Play second fiddle
If you play second fiddle, you take a subordinate role behind someone more important.
Playing to the gallery
If someone plays to the gallery, they say or do things that will make them popular, but which are not the right things to do.
Pointy-heads
Pointy-heads are supposed intellectuals or experts, but who don’t really know that much.
Pop the question
When someone pops the question, they ask someone to marry them.
Pop your clogs
When someone pops their clogs, they die.
Pork barrel
Pork barrel politics involves investing money in an area to get political support rather than using the money for the common good.
Pot-luck
If you take pot-luck, you take whatever happens to be available at the time.
Pour oil on troubled waters
If someone pours oil on troubled waters, they try to calm things down.
Powder your nose
If somebody goes to powder your nose, it is a euphemism for going to the toilet.
Powers that Be
The Powers that Be are the people who are in charge of something.
Primrose path
The primrose path is an easy and pleasurable lifestyle, but one that ends in unpleasantness and problems.
Proclaim it from the rooftops
If something is proclaimed from the rooftops, it is made as widely known and as public as possible.
Prodigal son
A prodigal son is a young man who wastes a lot of money on a lavish lifestyle.
Pull in the reins
When you pull in the reins, you slow down or stop something that has been a bit out of control.
Pull no punches
If you pull no punches, you hold nothing back.
Pull someone’s leg
If you pull someone’s leg, you tease him, but not maliciously.
Pull strings
If you pull strings, you use contacts you have got to help you get what you want.
Pull the other one, it’s got brass bells on
This idiom is way of telling somebody that you don’t believe him. The word ‘brass’ is optional.
Pull the wool over someone’s eyes
If you pull the wool over someone’s eyes, you deceive or cheat them.
Pull up your socks
If you aren’t satisfied with someone and want them to do better, you can tell them to pull up their socks.
Pull your chain
If someone pulls your chain, they take advantage of you in an unfair way or do something to annoy you.
Pull your finger out!
If someone tells you to do this, they want you to hurry up.
Pull your punches
If you pull your punches, you don’t do something as hard as you could, or don’t criticise someone as much as you could.
Pull your weight
If someone is not pulling his weight, isn’t making enough effort, especially in group work.
Punching bag
A punching bag is a person who gets a lot of unfair criticism.
Pup’s chance
A pup’s chance is no chance.
Push the envelope
This means to go to the limits, to do something to the maximum possible.
Pushing up the daisies
If someone is said to be pushing up the daisies, they are dead.
Put all your eggs in one basket
If you put all your eggs in one basket, you risk everything on a single opportunity which, like eggs breaking, could go wrong.
Put or get someone’s back up
If you put or get someone’s back up, you annoy him.
Put somebody’s nose out of joint
If you put someone’s nose out of joint, you irritate him or make him angry with you.
Put your foot down
When someone puts their foot down, they make a firm stand and establish their authority on an issue.
Put your foot in it
If you put your foot in it, you do or say something embarrassing and tactless or get yourself into trouble.
Putting the cart before the horse
When you put the cart before the horse, you are doing something the wrong way round.
Pyrrhic victory
A Pyrrhic victory is one that causes the victor to suffer so much to achieve it that it isn’t worth winning.