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[please] See: AS YOU PLEASE.

[pocket] See: BURN A HOLE IN ONE’S POCKET, LINE ONE’S POCKETS.

[pocket money] See: SPENDING MONEY.

[pocket one’s pride] See: SWALLOW ONE’S PRIDE.

[point] See: AT SWORDS' POINTS, AT THE POINT OF, BESIDE THE POINT, BOILING POINT, CASE IN POINT, COME TO THE POINT, EXTRA POINT, MAKE A POINT, ON THE POINT OF, SORE SPOT or SORE POINT, STRETCH A POINT or STRAIN A POINT, TALKING POINT.

[point-blank]{adv.} Straightforwardly; bluntly; directly. •/Sue refused point-blank to discuss marriage with Sam./

[point of view]{n.} Attitude; opinion. •/From the American point of view, Fidel Castro is a bad neighbor to have./

[point out]{v.} 1. To show by pointing with the finger; point to; make clear the location of. •/The guide pointed out the principal sights of the city./ 2. To bring to notice; call to attention; explain. •/The policeman pointed out that the law forbids public sale of firecrackers./ •/The school secretary pointed out that the closing date for making applications had passed./

[point up]{v.} To show clearly; emphasize. •/The increase in crime points up the need for greater police protection./ •/Johnny’s report card points up his talent for math./

[poison-pen]{adj.} Containing threats or false accusations; written in spite or to get revenge, and usually unsigned. •/Mrs. Smith received a poison-pen letter telling her that her husband was untrue./ •/To get revenge on Mary, Alice wrote a poison-pen letter to the teacher and signed Mary’s name to it./

[poke] See: PIG IN A POKE, TAKE A PUNCH AT or TAKE A POKE AT.

[poke around] or [poke about]{v.} 1. To search about; look into and under things. •/The detective poked around in the missing man’s office./ 2. To move slowly or aimlessly; do little things. •/He didn’t feel well, and poked around the house./

[poke fun at] See: MAKE FUN OF.

[poles apart]{adj.} Completely different. •/The two brothers were poles apart in personality./ •/ It was hard for the members to make any decisions because their ideas were poles apart./

[polish off]{v.}, {informal} 1. To defeat easily. •/The Dodgers polished off the Yankees in four straight games in the 1963 World Series./ 2. To finish completely; finish doing quickly, often in order to do something else. •/The boys were hungry and polished off a big steak./ •/Mary polished off her homework early so that she could watch TV./

[polish the apple]{v. phr.}, {slang} To try to make someone like you; to try to win favor by flattery. •/Mary polished the apple at work because she wanted a day off./ •/Susan is the teacher’s pet because she always polishes the apple./ — [apple polisher]{n.}, {slang} A person who is nice to the one in charge in order to be liked or treated better; a person who does favors for a superior. •/Jane is an apple polisher. She is always helping the teacher and talking to him./ •/Joe is an apple-polisher. He will do anything for the boss./ Compare: EAGER BEAVER, YES-MAN. — [apple polishing]{n.}, {slang} Trying to win someone’s good-will by small acts currying favor; the behavior of an apple polisher. •/When John I brought his teacher flowers, everyone thought he was apple polishing./

[politics] See: PLAY POLITICS.

[pond] See: LITTLE FROG IN A BIG POND.

[pool] See: CAR POOL.

[pooped out]{adj.}, {slang} Worn out; exhausted. •/Everyone was pooped out after the hike./ •/The heat made them feel pooped out./

[poor as a church mouse]{adj. phr.}, {informal} Penniless; broke; extremely poor. •/The newly arrived boat people were poor as church mice./

[poor-mouth]{v.} To be constantly complaining about one’s poverty; keep saying how one cannot afford the better things in life. •/Uncle Jack indulges in an awful lot of poor-mouthing, but we know that he has half a million dollars stashed away in a secret savings account./

[pop] See: EYES POP OUT.

[pop fly]{n.} A baseball batted high into the air but not very far from the plate. •/The batter hit a pop fly to the shortstop./

[pop in]{v. phr.} To suddenly appear without announcement. •/"Just pop into my office any time you’re on campus," Professor Brown said./

[pop one’s cork] See: BLOW A FUSE, FLY OFF THE HANDLE, LOSE ONE’S MARBLES, LOSE ONE’S TEMPER.

[pop the question]{v. phr.}, {slang} To ask someone to marry you. •/After the dance he popped the question./ •/A man is often too bashful to pop the question./

[popup]{v.} 1. or [bob up] To appear suddenly or unexpectedly; show up; come out. •/Just when the coach thought he had everything under control, a new problem bobbed up./ •/After no one had heard from him for years, John popped up in town again./ 2. To hit a pop fly in baseball. •/Jim popped the pitch up./

[pork] See: SALT PORK.

[port of call]{n. phr.} 1. Any of the ports that a ship visits after the start of a voyage and before the end; a port where passengers or cargo may be taken on or put off; an in-between port. •/Savannah is a port of call for many Atlantic coasting vessels./ 2. A place you visit regularly or often; a stop included on your usual way of going. •/It was an obscure little restaurant which I had made something of a port of call./ •/His home had become one of my regular ports of call in Boston./

[port of entry]{n. phr.} 1. A port where things brought into the country to sell may pass through customs. •/Other ports of entry have been taking business from New York./ 2. A port where a citizen of another country may legally enter a country; a port having passport and immigration facilities. •/Airports have joined seaports as ports of entry for the visiting foreigner./

[position] See: SCORING POSITION.

[possessed of]{adj. phr.}, {formal} In possession of; having; owning. •/He was possessed of great wealth./ •/He was possessed of great self-confidence./

[possum] See: PLAY POSSUM.

[post] See: PROM PILLAR TO POST.

[pot] See: GO TO POT.

[potato] See: HOT POTATO.

[potboiler]{n.} A book, play, or film written for the primary purpose of earning money for the author. •/"Reading a cheap potboiler helps me go to sleep," the professor wryly remarked./