A man met his tailor in the street and stopped him.
"I quite forgot to pay for the suit which I have on now," he said. "Why didn"t you remind me?"
"I never ask a gentleman for money," the tailor replied.
"Then what do you do if he doesn"t pay?"
"Well, after some time I no longer think he is a gentleman and then I ask him."
n. Young domestic fowl, turkey, pheasant, etc. [contraction of *pullet]
POUND
coin n. (also pound note) coin or note worth one pound.
- of flesh n. Any legal but morally offensive demand.
- n. - unit of weight equal to 16 oz avoirdupois (0.4536 kg), 12 oz troy (0.3732 kg).
- (in full pound sterling) (pl. Same or -s) chief monetary unit of the uk etc. [latin pondo]
- v. - crush or beat with repeated blows.
- (foll. By at, on) deliver heavy blows or gunfire.
- (foll. By along etc.) Make one's way heavily or clumsily.
- (of the heart) beat heavily. [old english]
- n. Enclosure where stray animals or officially removed vehicles are kept until claimed. [old english]
POWER
cut n. Temporary withdrawal or failure of an electric power supply.
- line n. Conductor supplying electrical power, esp. One supported by pylons or poles.
- of attorney n. Authority to act for another person in legal and financial matters.
- point n. Socket in a wall etc. For connecting an electrical device to the mains.
- station n. Building where electrical power is generated for distribution.
- —n. - ability to do or act.
- particular faculty of body or mind.
- a influence, authority. B ascendancy, control (the party in power).
- authorization; delegated authority.
- influential person, body, or thing.
- state having international influence.
- vigour, energy.
- active property or function (heating power).
- colloq. Large number or amount (did me a power of good). 10 capacity for exerting mechanical force or doing work (horsepower). 11 (often attrib.) Mechanical or electrical energy as distinct from manual labour. 12 a electricity supply. B particular source or form of energy (hydroelectric power). 13 physics rate of energy output. 14 product obtained when a number is multiplied by itself a certain number of times (2 to the power of 3 = 8). 15 magnifying capacity of a lens. 16 deity. —v. - supply with mechanical or electrical energy.
- (foll. By up, down) increase or decrease the power supplied to (a device); switch on or off. the powers that be those in authority. [latin posse be able]
PRANG
slang —v. - crash (an aircraft or vehicle).
- damage by impact.
- bomb (a target) successfully. —n. Act of pranging. [imitative]
PRANK
n. Practical joke; piece of mischief. [origin unknown]
PRATE
—v. (-ting) 1 chatter; talk too much.
- talk foolishly or irrelevantly. —n. Prating; idle talk. [low german or dutch]
PRAWN
n. Edible shellfish like a large shrimp. [origin unknown]
PREEN
v. - (of a bird) tidy (the feathers or itself) with its beak.
- (of a person) smarten or admire (oneself, one's hair, clothes, etc.).
- (often foll. By on) congratulate or pride (oneself). [origin unknown]
PRESS
agent n. Person employed to obtain advertising and press publicity.
- conference n. Interview given to a number of journalists.
- gallery n. Gallery for reporters, esp. In a legislative assembly.
- release n. Statement issued to newspapers.
- —v. - apply steady force to (a thing in contact).
- a compress or squeeze a thing to flatten, shape, or smooth it. B squeeze (a fruit etc.) To extract its juice.
- (foll. By out of, from, etc.) Squeeze (juice etc.).
- embrace or caress by squeezing (pressed my hand).
- (foll. By on, against, etc.) Exert pressure.
- be urgent; demand immediate action.
- (foll. By for) make an insistent demand.
- (foll. By up, round, etc.) Crowd.
- (foll. By on, forward, etc.) Hasten insistently. 10 (often in passive) (of an enemy etc.) Bear heavily on. 11 (often foll. By for, or to + infin.) Urge or entreat (pressed me to stay; pressed me for an answer). 12 (foll. By on, upon) a urge (an opinion, claim, or course of action). B force (an offer, a gift, etc.). 13 insist on (did not press the point). 14 manufacture (a gramophone record, car part, etc.) By using pressure to shape and extract from a sheet of material. —n. - act of pressing (give it a press).
- device for compressing, flattening, shaping, extracting juice, etc.
- = *printing-press.
- (prec. By the) a art or practice of printing. B newspapers etc. Generally or collectively.
- notice or publicity in newspapers etc. (got a good press).
- (press) printing or publishing company.
- a crowding. B crowd (of people etc.).
- the pressure of affairs.
- esp. Ir. & scot. Large usu. Shelved cupboard. be pressed for have barely enough (time etc.). Go (or send) to press go or send to be printed. [latin premo press-]
- v. - hist. Force to serve in the army or navy.
- bring into use as a makeshift (was pressed into service). [obsolete prest from french, = loan]
PRICE
tag n. - label on an item showing its price.
- cost of an undertaking.
- war n. Period of fierce competition among traders cutting prices.
- —n. - amount of money for which a thing is bought or sold.
- what is or must be given, done, sacrificed, etc., to obtain or achieve something (peace at any price).
- odds in betting. —v. (-cing) 1 fix or find the price of (a thing for sale).
- estimate the value of. at a price at a high cost. Price on a person's head reward for a person's capture or death. What price …? (often foll. By verbal noun) colloq. - what is the chance of …? (what price your finishing the course?).
- iron. The much boasted … proves disappointing (what price your friendship now?). [latin pretium]
