Tom had won a toy at a raffle. He called his kids together to ask which one should have the present.
“Who is the most obedient?” he asked. “Who never talks back to mother? Who does everything she says?”
Five small voices answered in unison. “Okay, dad, you get the toy.”
v. (-ling) literary cry querulously or weakly; whimper. [imitative]
PULL
—v. - exert force upon (a thing, person, etc.) To move it to oneself or the origin of the force (pulled it nearer).
- exert a pulling force (engine will not pull).
- extract (a cork or tooth) by pulling.
- damage (a muscle etc.) By abnormal strain.
- a move (a boat) by pulling on the oars. B (of a boat etc.) Be caused to move, esp. In a specified direction.
- (often foll. By up) proceed with effort (up a hill etc.).
- (foll. By on) bring out (a weapon) for use against (a person).
- check the speed of (a horse), esp. To lose a race.
- attract (custom or support). 10 draw (liquor) from a barrel etc. 11 (foll. By at) tear or pluck at. 12 (often foll. By on, at) inhale or drink deeply; draw or suck (on a pipe etc.). 13 (often foll. By up) remove (a plant) by the root. 14 a cricket strike (the ball) to the leg side. B golf strike (the ball) widely to the left. 15 print (a proof etc.). 16 slang succeed in attracting sexually. —n. - act of pulling.
- force exerted by this.
- influence; advantage.
- attraction or attention-getter.
- deep draught of liquor.
- prolonged effort, e.g. In going up a hill.
- handle etc. For applying a pull.
- printer's rough proof.
- cricket & golf pulling stroke. 10 suck at a cigarette. pull about 1 treat roughly.
- pull from side to side. Pull apart (or to pieces) = take to pieces (see *piece). Pull back (cause to) retreat. Pull down 1 demolish (esp. A building).
- humiliate. Pull a face distort the features, grimace. Pull a fast one see *fast1. Pull in 1 (of a bus, train, etc.) Arrive to take passengers.
- (of a vehicle) move to the side of or off the road.
- colloq. Earn or acquire.
- colloq. Arrest. Pull a person's leg deceive playfully. Pull off 1 remove by pulling.
- succeed in achieving or winning. Pull oneself together recover control of oneself. Pull the other one colloq. Expressing disbelief (with ref. To pull a person's leg). Pull out 1 take out by pulling.
- depart.
- withdraw from an undertaking.
- (of a bus, train, etc.) Leave a station, stop, etc.
- (of a vehicle) move out from the side of the road, or to overtake. Pull over (of a vehicle) pull in. Pull one's punches avoid using one's full force. Pull the plug on put an end to (by withdrawing resources etc.). Pull rank take unfair advantage of one's seniority. Pull round (or through) (cause to) recover from an illness. Pull strings exert (esp. Clandestine) influence. Pull together work in harmony. Pull up 1 (cause to) stop moving.
- pull out of the ground.
- reprimand.
- check oneself. Pull one's weight (often refl.) Do one's fair share of work. [old english]
PULP
—n. - soft fleshy part of fruit etc.
- soft thick wet mass, esp. From rags, wood, etc., used in paper-making.
- (often attrib.) Cheap fiction etc., orig. Printed on rough paper. —v. Reduce to or become pulp. pulpy adj. Pulpiness n. [latin]
PUMA
n. Wild american greyish-brown cat. [spanish from quechua]
PUMP
—n. - machine or device for raising or moving liquids, compressing gases, inflating tyres, etc.
- act of pumping; stroke of a pump. —v. - (often foll. By in, out, into, up, etc.) Raise or remove (liquid, gas, etc.) With a pump.
- (often foll. By up) fill (a tyre etc.) With air.
- remove (water etc.) With a pump.
- work a pump.
- (often foll. By out) (cause to) move, pour forth, etc., as if by pumping.
- persistently question (a person) to obtain information.
- a move vigorously up and down. B shake (a person's hand) effusively. pump iron colloq. Exercise with weights. [origin uncertain]
- n. - plimsoll.
- light dancing shoe.
- us court shoe. [origin unknown]
PUNK
n. - a (in full punk rock) anti-establishment and deliberately outrageous style of rock music. B (in full punk rocker) devotee of this.
- esp. Us young hooligan or petty criminal; lout.
- soft crumbly fungus-infested wood used as tinder. [origin unknown]
PUNT
—n. Square-ended flat-bottomed pleasure boat propelled by a long pole. —v. - propel (a punt) with a pole.
- travel or convey in a punt. punter n. [low german or dutch]
- —v. Kick (a ball, esp. In rugby) after it has dropped from the hands and before it reaches the ground. —n. Such a kick. [origin unknown]
- v. - colloq. A bet on a horse etc. B speculate in shares etc.
- (in some card-games) lay a stake against the bank. [french ponter]
- n. Chief monetary unit of the republic of ireland. [irish, = pound]
PUNY
adj. (-ier, -iest) 1 undersized.
- weak, feeble. [french puisne born afterwards]
PUPA
n. (pl. Pupae) insect in the stage between larva and imago. pupal adj. [latin, = doll]
PURE
adj. - unmixed, unadulterated (pure white; pure malice).
- of unmixed origin or descent (pure-blooded).
- chaste.
- not morally corrupt.
- guiltless.
- sincere.
- (of a sound) perfectly in tune.
- (of a subject of study) abstract, not applied. pureness n. [latin purus]
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A cat uses whiskers to determine if a space is too small to squeeze through. The whiskers act as antennae, helping the animal to judge the precise width of any passage.