16.0 P

16.1 pace...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



pace n. 1 step, stride: Please walk forward two paces. 2 rate (of
speed), tempo, speed, velocity, Colloq clip: We were proceeding
at a pace of five miles per hour.

--v. 3 walk, stride, tread; traverse: Alistair paced up and
down nervously, waiting for word from the surgeon. 4 measure,
gauge or gage, judge, rate, estimate, determine, reckon, figure,
compute: I was trying to pace myself to conserve some energy
for a sprint finish.

pack n. 1 parcel, package, packet, bundle, bale, backpack, knapsack,
rucksack, haversack, kitbag, kit, duffle or duffel bag: The
stranger hoisted his pack onto his shoulder and loped off. 2
load, lot, bunch, multitude, heap, pile, accumulation, mass,
amassment, mess, barrel, peck: She told the jury a pack of
lies. 3 group, collection, assembly, assemblage, congregation,
gathering, crowd, number, throng, horde, mass, crew, gang, body,
lots, loads, band, company, party, set, flock, herd, drove, mob,
swarm, bevy, covey, circle, coterie, clique: A huge pack of
people were waiting at the stage door for the star to emerge. 4
deck: We ought to have two packs of cards for bridge.


--v. 5 Often, pack in or into. package, bale, bundle, compact,
crowd, cram, jam, fill, stuff, squeeze, ram, press, wedge, tamp:
They packed us into the train like sardines. I packed as much as
I could into the short time I had left. 6 pack it in. stop,
cease, end, finish, quit, wind up, terminate, give up, call it a
day, Colloq chuck: Edward finally packed it in because they
were giving him too much trouble. 7 pack off. dismiss, send off
or away, bundle off or out, hustle off or out or away, get rid

of, drive off or away, order off or away or out, send (someone)
about his or her business: At the beginning of the war, Sally's
mother packed her off to America to stay with her aunt. 8 pack
up. a get or gather together, put away, store: Pack up your
troubles in your old kit bag and smile, smile, smile. b quit,
stop, break down, fail, give out, stall, die, give up the ghost,
Colloq conk out, have had it: After three days crossing the
desert, the engine finally packed up.


package n. 1 packet, parcel, box, container, case, carton, bundle: I
am donating a package of clothing to the relief fund. 2
combination, unit, package deal: Included in the package from
the car dealer are several luxury features.


--v. 3 wrap, pack, containerize, carton, case, encase, enclose,
include; combine, unite, coupled, incorporate: More and more
merchandise comes packaged in plastic these days. A special
sponge is packaged with the cleaning liquid.


packed adj. filled, full, loaded, crowded, stuffed, jammed, crammed,
brim-full, chock-a-block, chock-full, jam-packed, overloaded,
overflowing, loaded or filled to the gunwales, up to there,
bursting, groaning, swollen, replete, Colloq wall-to-wall: The
gallery was packed with the soprano's relatives, who cheered
every note. The publicity for the show promised a packed
programme of mirth and merriment.

packet n. 1 package, parcel, pack, batch: We found a packet of your
old love-letters in a trunk in the lumber room. 2 loads, lot(s),
great deal, fortune, mint, Colloq bundle, pretty penny, pile(s),
tidy sum, king's ransom, Brit bomb: He lost a packet on that
property when they built a sewage plant alongside it.

pact n. agreement, treaty, bargain, alliance, contract, compact,
concord, covenant, concordat, entente, understanding,
arrangement, deal: The companies entered into an illegal pact
not to compete in the same markets.

pad n. 1 cushion, pillow, wad, wadding, stuffing, padding, filling,
filler: Wrap a soft cotton pad over the wound to protect it. 2
writing-pad, note-pad, memo pad, block (of paper), jotter, US
filler: You'd best take a pad with you to make notes at the
lecture. 3 flat, apartment, room(s), home, place, quarters,

Colloq hang-out, Brit digs or diggings, Slang US flop: A few
friends are crashing at my pad while they're in town.

--v. 4 cushion, wad, stuff, fill; upholster: The chair seats
are padded with foam rubber, but the arms are bare. 5 Sometimes,
pad out. expand, inflate, stretch, dilate, lengthen, protract,
extend, blow up, flesh out, puff up, augment, spin out, amplify:
He pads his weekly newspaper column with trivia in order to fill
the space.


paddle n. 1 oar, sweep, scull: A 'crab' occurs when you catch the
water with the paddle blade on the return stroke.

--v. 2 row, scull, oar: Deftly she paddled the canoe over to
the pier. 3 wade: The children were paddling at the water's
edge. 4 spank, paddywhack, thrash, beat, whip, flog: Dad
threatened to paddle me if he caught me playing hookey again.

paddy n. rage, (fit of) temper, fit, tantrum, Colloq Brit paddywhack
or paddywack, wax: She was in a proper paddy when she found out
what you'd done.

pagan n. 1 heathen, unbeliever, idolater, polytheist, infidel,
Gentile: He joined the religion of the pagans and worshipped
the golden calf.

--adj. 2 heathen, infidel, idolatrous, polytheistic,
heathenish, Gentile: Many churchmen condemned Renaissance
scholars for their interest in pagan and pre-Christian writers.


pageฐ n. 1 leaf, folio, side, sheet, verso or recto: On which page
does the index begin? 2 episode, phase, period, time, stage,
point, era, epoch, age, chapter: The early 1940s were among the
darkest pages in Britain's history.


--v. 3 paginate, folio, number: Roman numerals were used in
paging the preface to the book.

page n. 1 attendant, page-boy, servant, errand-boy, messenger, Brit
foot-boy, US bellman, bellhop, Offensive used of an adult
bellboy: Please have a page deliver this message to Mr
Simmonds.

--v. 2 announce, summon (forth), send for or after, call, call
for, call out: They are paging your wife now to give her your
message.


pageant n. spectacle, display, grandeur, tableau, show, parade,
procession, ceremony, formality, ritual, event, affair,
extravaganza, presentation, gala: The children stage a medieval
mystery play as a part of the annual Christmas pageant.


pageantry n. pomp, ceremony, display, magnificence, extravagance,
panorama, showiness, show: The pageantry of the Oberammergau
passion play should be experienced at least once.

pain n. 1 hurt, suffering, discomfort, soreness, ache, aching, pang,
spasm, smarting, cramp: I feel the pain in my back from lifting
that box. 2 anguish, agony, affliction, distress, grief, woe,
suffering, misery, travail, wretchedness, despair, torment,
tribulation, trial, torture, dolour, discomposure, ordeal,
disquiet: No one who has not experienced it can imagine the
pain of losing a child. 3 irritation, vexation, annoyance,
bother, nuisance, pest, Colloq pain in the neck, headache, drag,
bore, Taboo slang pain in the Brit arse or US ass: What a pain
it is that you have forgotten your keys again! David can really
be a pain when he goes on about the book he's writing. 4 pains.
effort, trouble, exertion, toil, labour: She went to great
pains to make our stay comfortable.

--v. 5 hurt, distress, grieve, wound, injure; trouble, depress,
sadden, sorrow, cut to the quick: It pained us to learn of Mrs
McArthur's illness.

painful adj. 1 hurting, grievous, hurtful, sore, distressing,
distressful, excruciating, torturous, agonizing, smarting,
stinging, aching, achy, throbbing, burning, piercing, stabbing,
sharp, tender, sensitive, raw, bitter, Formal nociceptive: The
bullet caused a painful wound in the knee. Mother's arthritis
can be quite painful at times. 2 vexing, vexatious, annoying,
harassing, irritating, irksome, aggravating, galling,
exasperating, unpleasant, afflictive, harrowing, worrisome,
worrying, troubling, disquieting, disturbing, distressing:
Fighting in the front lines was a painful experience for Rupert.
3 painstaking, laborious, careful, rigorous, arduous, assiduous,
sedulous, diligent, earnest, conscientious, meticulous,

scrupulous, detailed, thorough, thoroughgoing, exacting,
demanding: A great deal of painful research went into
discovering the cause of yellow fever.


painfully adv. agonizingly, distressingly, disagreeably, unpleasantly,
unfortunately, sadly, woefully, lamentably, ruefully, unhappily:
I became painfully aware that much of the relief destined for
the poor never reached them.


painkiller
n. anodyne, analgesic, anaesthetic, sedative, palliative: When
he wrenched his back, the doctor gave him a painkiller so that
he could walk.


painless adj. trouble-free, easy, simple, comfortable, effortless,
Colloq easy as 1, 2, 3 or as ABC, easy as pie, a piece of cake,
pushover, child's play, Slang cinch, no sweat: The procedure
for assembling the bicycle is relatively painless.


painstaking
adj. See painful, 3, above.

paint n. 1 colour, tint, dye, colouring, pigment, stain: I bought
the paint and brushes, and started work on the kitchen walls. 2
coating, coat, surface; enamel: The rust has come through the
paint here and there. 3 make-up, cosmetics, maquillage,
greasepaint, Colloq warpaint, face: Sheila is in her room
putting on some paint before we go out.


--v. 4 depict, portray, picture, show, represent, delineate,
render, draw, limn, characterize, describe: Whistler painted a
portrait of my grandmother. Correspondents painted a very grim
picture of the plight of the hostages. 5 coat, brush, apply,
cover, daub: The doctor painted the area with some medication
that soothed the pain. 6 colour, tint, dye, stain, decorate: We
are planning to paint the nursery pale blue. 7 paint the town
red. make merry, carouse, revel, go on a spree, go out on the
town, Colloq whoop it up, live it up, (go on a) pub-crawl, step
out, Slang make whoopee, go on a bender or drunk or binge, booze
it up: Saturday nights a few of the boys would go out and paint
the town red till the wee hours.

pair n. 1 couple, twosome, two of a kind, set of two, matched set,

duo, dyad, twins, double, doublet; brace, span, yoke, team,
tandem: A pair of silver candelabra disappeared during the
party.


--v. 2 match (up), mate, pair off or up, team (up), put
together, partner, twin, double, join, unite, yoke; wed, marry,
join in wedlock or in holy matrimony: Pair these gloves for me,
would you? Husbands may not pair off with wives for the next
dance.


pal n. 1 friend, consort, comrade, alter ego, crony, companion,
amigo, playmate, classmate, Colloq chum, sidekick, mate, Chiefly
US and Canadian buddy: Jim left a little while ago with a few
of his pals.


--v. 2 pal (up) with or about or US around (with). associate
(with), be or become friendly or friends (with), be or get or
become on friendly or intimate terms (with), go (around or
about) with, fraternize (with), consort (with), spend time
together or with, keep company (with), Colloq hang out or about
or around (with), knock about or around (with): Fiona and
Isabel palled up last year. Do you still pal about with Timothy?

palace n. mansion, castle, stately or palatial home or residence,
manor (house), (country) estate, chƒteau, palazzo, villa: After
the wedding, they went to the prince's palace and lived happily
ever after.

palatial adj. luxurious, de luxe, magnificent, splendid, stately,
sumptuous, opulent, majestic, magnificent, grand, elegant,
palatine, Slang posh, ritzy, swanky, classy: After winning the
pools, they moved into a palatial house in Belgravia.

palaver n. 1 nuisance, procedure, red tape, to-do, rigmarole or
rigamarole, Colloq song and dance, bother, nonsense, business,
carry-on, performance: He lost the certificates, so she now has
to go through all the palaver of getting new ones. 2 chatter,
babble, jabber, (empty or small) talk, blather or blether,
gossip, prating, prattle, prattling, palavering, Brit natter,
nattering, Scots clishmaclaver, Colloq jawing, hot air, Colloq
Brit witter, wittering: There is so much palaver at the annual
meeting that nothing important ever gets said. 3 parley, talk,
conference, discussion, colloquy, conversation, confabulation,

meeting, get-together, round table, powwow, Colloq confab,
huddle, chin-wag: The annual palaver of the regional general
managers is scheduled for next week.


--v. 4 chatter, babble, jabber, blather or blether, gossip,
prattle, prate, chit-chat, gabble, Brit natter, witter, Colloq
jaw, chin-wag, US and Canadian shoot the breeze, Slang yack,
yackety-yack: Peter and I were palavering outside the
supermarket when Sophie came along. 5 confer, consult, discuss,
parley, talk, converse, powwow, meet, get together, sit down
(together), confabulate, negotiate, Colloq confab, huddle, chew
the fat or the rag: Management and union representatives will
palaver tomorrow.


paleฐ adj. 1 colourless, white, wan, sallow, waxen, livid, ashen,
ashy, pallid, bloodless, whitish, pasty, whey-faced, washed out,
anaemic, blanched, drained, ghostly, ghastly, peaky or peakish,
peaked, cadaverous: If you had been through an ordeal like
that, you'd look pale, too. 2 faint, light, dim, washed out,
pastel: She was wearing a pale green evening gown tonight. 3
feeble, weak, flimsy, meagre, enfeebled, ineffective,
ineffectual, puny, insignificant, paltry, lame, poor,
inadequate, half-hearted, tame, spiritless, whey-faced, empty,
sterile, lifeless, uninspired, anaemic, Colloq half-baked: The
sequel was a pale imitation of the original film.

--v. 4 blanch, blench, dim, whiten: He paled when they told
him of the car crash. 5 diminish, lessen, fade (away),
decrease, abate: The works of most modern writers pale in
comparison with those of the Elizabethans.

pale n. 1 paling, palisade, picket, upright, post, stake: The pales
are attached to horizontal rails to form a fence. 2 boundary,
limit(s), restriction, bounds, border(s), confines: Nothing is
outside the pale of the imagination of a great novelist. 3
beyond the pale. improper, irregular, unseemly, unsuitable,
indecent, unacceptable, inadmissible, forbidden, anathema,
disallowed, prohibited, verboten, interdicted; US unusual,
bizarre, peculiar, outr‚, weird, abnormal, strange: The
committee have found your behaviour to be beyond the pale,
Frances, and we demand your resignation.

pallฐ n. 1 shroud, covering, mantle, cloth, veil: A black velvet

pall covered the coffin. 2 gloomy or melancholy or sombre or
grave or depressing air or mood or atmosphere; damper, cold
water, Colloq wet blanket: The recently uncovered scandals have
cast a pall over his successes in office.


pall v. 1 Often, pall on or upon. bore, tire, weary, jade, irk,
irritate, sicken: His position lost all its charm when the work
began to pall on him. 2 sate, satiate, cloy, glut, surfeit,
gorge: I had reached the point where even the finest foods
began to pall me.

paltry adj. trifling, trivial, petty, small, insignificant, worthless,
pitiful, pathetic, pitiable, puny, sorry, wretched, miserable,
inconsequential, inconsiderable, unimportant, meagre, mean,
beggarly, base, low, contemptible, Colloq piddling, Brit
twopenny, twopenny-halfpenny, mingy, US penny-ante, Slang Mickey
Mouse: Despite his wealth, his charitable contributions are
paltry. We all recognize Denison for the paltry pedant he is.


pamper v. baby, coddle, cosset, (over)indulge, spoil, mollycoddle,
cater to, pet, Rare cocker, Irish cosher: The Simpsons pamper
their children far too much.

pamphlet n. booklet, brochure, tract, essay, folder, leaflet, circular;
handbill, bill, notice, bulletin, advertisement, hand-out, ad,
Brit advert, US flyer, throw-away: He was arrested for printing
a pamphlet that denounced the government's repression of free
speech. Yesterday we received our sixteenth pamphlet promoting
replacement windows.


pan n. 1 saucepan, frying-pan, skillet, pot, casserole, US spider:
Melt a teaspoonful of butter in the pan, add the mixture, and
stir briskly over a medium heat. 2 face, visage, mien, fa‡ade,
Slang kisser, mug, puss: The worst part of Alf's not working is
that I have to look at his ugly pan all day. 3 depression,
indentation, concavity, cavity, hollow, pit, hole, crater: In a
rain-shower, the pans fill with water and the desert blooms.

--v. 4 wash, separate, sift: For years prospectors have panned
for gold in these hills. 5 criticize, censure, find fault, put
down, reject, flay, excoriate, Brit hammer, Colloq knock, roast,
slate, Slang Brit rubbish, US trash: The critics panned the
play and it closed after a week. 6 pan out. succeed, thrive,

prosper, flourish, fare well, make it; work out, turn out,
result, come out, end (up), conclude, culminate, eventuate:
Your grandiose plans for irrigating the Sahara didn't pan out,
either! How did the election pan out?


panache n. flourish, dash, ‚lan, ‚clat, chic, sophistication, savoir
faire, savoir vivre, flamboyance, verve, style, cultivation,
(good) taste, flair, smartness, boldness, self-assurance,
swagger, vigour, liveliness, spirit, brio, gusto, zest,
animation, enthusiasm, energy: Whatever needs to be done, you
can count on Irena to carry it off with panache.

pandemonium
n. bedlam, chaos, turmoil, disorder, tumult, frenzy, uproar,
Brit furore or US furor, confusion: Pandemonium reigned after
the first bomb struck.

pander v. 1 Usually, pander to. satisfy, gratify, humour, indulge,
fulfil, bow to, yield to, truckle to, cater to: She is tired of
pandering to his every wish. 2 procure, pimp, solicit: I
didn't believe he would sink so low as to pander for his
business clients.

--n. 3 panderer, pimp, procurer, solicitor, whoremonger, White
slaver, Slang flesh-pedlar or US also flesh-peddler or
flesh-pedler, Brit ponce, mack: The word pander is an eponym
for Pandarus, who acted as a sycophantic go-between for Troilus
in Chaucer's Troilus and Criseyde .


pane n. panel, sheet, glass, window-pane, light, quarrel,
bull's-eye: Ring up the glazier and have that pane replaced in
the door.

pang n. 1 pain, stab, ache, pinch, twinge, stitch, spasm: I felt a
sharp pang of hunger. 2 qualm, hesitation, scruple, misgiving,
remorse, regret, contrition, contriteness, self-reproach,
mortification, guilt, anguish, discomfort, malaise: Does Claire
feel the slightest pangs for treating him badly?


panic n. 1 terror, alarm, fear, fright, dread, horror, dismay,
consternation, hysteria; anxiety, apprehension,
apprehensiveness, nervousness: As the speeding car veered
towards us, a feeling of panic gripped me.


--v. 2 be terrified or alarmed or fearful or frightened or
terror-stricken or terror-struck, dread, fear, lose one's nerve;
frighten, scare; Colloq go to pieces, fall apart, Brit lose
one's bottle: I panicked, turned the wheel the wrong way, and
crashed the car into a tree. Gregory panics at the slightest
sign of danger. 3 frighten, scare, alarm, terrify, unnerve:
Something panicked the horses and one kicked out his stall door.


panic-stricken
adj. panic-struck, terrified, alarmed, horrified, aghast,
terror-stricken or terror-struck, panicky, frenzied, in a
frenzy, hysterical, besides oneself with fear or terror,
fearful, afraid, scared (stiff), petrified, horror-struck or
horror-stricken, frightened or scared out of one's wits,
appalled, stunned, stupefied, perturbed, unnerved, nervous,
distressed, upset, jittery, jumpy, (all) worked up, Colloq in a
cold sweat, in a flap, in a tizzy, Taboo slang scared shitless,
shitting green: At the news of the leak at the nuclear plant,
hundreds of panic-stricken people fled from the area.

panoramic adj. sweeping, commanding, extensive, comprehensive, wide,
overall, scenic, far-reaching, all-embracing, far-ranging,
all-encompassing, inclusive, bird's-eye, general: This room
affords a panoramic view of the sea-coast.

pant v. 1 gasp, huff (and puff), blow, heave, breathe hard, wheeze:
He was panting when he came into the room, having run up the
stairs. 2 Usually, pant for or after. crave, hanker after,
hunger or thirst for or after, yearn for, ache for, want,
desire, covet, wish for, long or pine or sigh for, have one's
heart set on, die for, be dying for, Colloq have a yen for, give
one's eye-teeth or right arm for: Margery was the girl that all
the boys panted after when we were ten.


pants n.pl. 1 In Britain (men's) drawers, small-clothes, smalls,
drawers, underpants, boxer shorts, trunks, undershorts,
Y-fronts, briefs, Colloq smalls; (women's) knickers,
camiknickers, panties, drawers, bloomers, pantalettes, tights,
pantihose, undies: The baby was dressed in a frilly dress and
matching pants. 2 In US: trousers, slacks, breeches, (Oxford)
bags, knickerbockers, flannels, shorts, Bermuda shorts or
Bermudas, pedal pushers, bell-bottoms, peg-tops, hip-huggers,

(blue) jeans, dungarees, denims, Trade Mark Levis, Scots trews;
Scots and No. Eng. breeks, US knickers, Colloq cut-offs:
Americans who go into British shops asking for a pair of pants
are embarrassed to be offered only underwear.


paper n. 1 newspaper, tabloid, daily, weekly, journal, gazette,
publication, periodical, newsletter, organ, Colloq rag, sheet:
She is feature editor of a paper in Manchester. 2 Often,
papers. a document(s), instrument, legal papers, form,
certificate, deed, ownership papers; credential(s),
identification: Bring the papers to my office for signing. His
papers are not in order. Many people lost their papers during
the war. b docket, files, dossier, record(s), archive(s): Your
papers seem to have disappeared from our office. 3 stationery,
letterhead, writing-paper, letter-paper, notepaper; foolscap;
scrap or US also scratch paper; wrapping paper; gift-wrapping,
gift-wrap; wallpaper: She wrote to me on the most beautiful
engraved paper. We buy our Christmas paper from a museum shop. 4
article, composition, essay, assignment, report, thesis, study,
tract, analysis, critique, exegesis, treatise, dissertation,
disquisition, manuscript, MS or ms, autograph, holograph,
typescript, script, speech: Adelaide will present her paper at
the meeting of the Royal Academy this year.


--v. 5 (hang) wallpaper, line; post, distribute: The entire
area was papered with posters announcing the meeting.

par adj. 1 standard, normal, average, expected: A success rate of
two per cent is par for these candidates.


--n. 2 level, rank, standing, scale, standard: How can you
place yourself on a par with her as a tennis player? 3 above
par. above average, superior, outstanding, excellent,
exceptional; choice, select, prime: Since I stopped taking that
medication, I've been feeling above par. I am pleased to
announce that the test results were above par for the school as
a whole. 4 at par. average, level, even, equal, equivalent,
standard; par value: The shares are selling at par, or below
their true market value. 5 below or under par. a below
average, substandard, inferior, second-rate, mediocre, middling,
not up to par, poor, inadequate, unsatisfactory, wanting, bad,
wretched, miserable, awful, terrible, Colloq lousy, not up to
snuff or scratch: Ian's goal-keeping has been below par all

season. b ill, sickly, unhealthy, unwell, not (very) well, not
oneself, not in good or the best shape, in bad shape, Brit off
form, off colour; Colloq under the weather, poorly, not up to
snuff: I was feeling below par. 6 up to par. all right,
adequate, average, satisfactory, good enough, passable,
acceptable, Colloq OK or okay, up to scratch or snuff, fair to
middling: If your game had been up to par, Davis would not have
won.


parable n. allegory, fable, lesson, morality tale: When we first read
Aesop's Fables we didn't know they were parables.

parade n. 1 procession, march, train, file, promenade, cortŠge,
column; entourage: They held a parade to celebrate the
soldiers' safe return from the war. 2 exhibition, (ostentatious)
display, show, spectacle, array, pomp, splash: She often makes
a parade of her knowledge of architecture. 3 promenade, walk,
(pedestrian) way, mall, esplanade: Let's meet in the Parade
when you have finished shopping.


--v. 4 march, pass in review, promenade, walk, file: The
generals saluted smartly as the troops paraded past. 5 strut,
flaunt, show (off), brandish, wave, vaunt, display, air: Why
does he feel it necessary to parade every new girlfriend in
front of all the neighbours?

paradise n. 1 heaven, City of God, Zion, Elysium, Elysian Fields, happy
hunting-grounds, Abraham's bosom, heavenly kingdom, Promised
Land, Celestial City, New Jerusalem, Avalon, Valhalla,
Hesperides, Isles or Islands of the Blessed, seventh heaven:
People all have their own ideas of paradise, but everyone agrees
it's a nice place to be. 2 heaven on earth, (Garden of) Eden,
(land of) Goshen, Utopia, Shangri-La, Land of Beulah: Early
settlers of California thought it a paradise. 3 bliss,
happiness, rapture, heaven, delight, blessedness, ecstasy,
seventh heaven, joy, dreamland, nirvana: Being with you has
been sheer paradise.

paradox n. contradiction, self-contradiction, incongruity,
inconsistency, absurdity, ambiguity, enigma, puzzle, mystery,
quandary, problem, dilemma: Can you explain away Zeno's paradox
of Achilles and the tortoise? The paradox was that although it
was Edward's fifth birthday, he was 20 years old.


paradoxical
adj. contradictory, self-contradictory, conflicting,
oxymoronic, impossible, improbable, incongruous, illogical,
inconsistent, absurd, ambiguous, confusing, equivocal,
enigmatic, puzzling, baffling, incomprehensible, bewildering,
perplexing, mysterious, problematic: It would be true, though
it might sound paradoxical, to say that the Norman Conquest made
England Saxon.


paragon n. epitome, archetype, model, prototype, quintessence, pattern,
standard, exemplar, ideal, beau id‚al, criterion: He had
previously regarded Michael as a paragon of virtue and was
deeply shocked by the revelations.


parallel adj. 1 similar, corresponding, congruent, analogous,
analogic(al), correspondent, like, matching, homologous,
coordinate, equivalent, coequal, proportional, proportionate,
pari passu, mutatis mutandis, in proportion, uniform;
contemporary or cotemporary, contemporaneous or cotemporaneous:
The situation in Northern Ireland could be compared with a
parallel situation in Lebanon.

--n. 2 analogue, match, homologue, equivalent, complement,
counterpart, equal, coequal: Campbell found many parallels
among the legendary heroes of other cultures. 3 analogy,
parallelism, equivalence, complementarity, relationship,
kinship, correspondence, resemblance, likeness, similarity,
symmetry, equality, coequality, parity, correlation; proportion,
balance, equiponderance, equipoise, counterbalance, offset: One
can draw parallels between the human arm, the fish's fin, and
the bird's wing. By way of parallel, consider the flood in the
Bible and that in the Gilgamesh epic.


--v. 4 correspond to or with, match, equate to or with, be
likened to, correlate to or with, compare with or to, imitate,
repeat, echo, iterate, reiterate, duplicate, follow, agree with;
keep pace with, conform (to), balance, set off, offset, even off
or up, be accompanied by, coincide with, Colloq jibe with: In
many respects, your attitudes towards life parallel mine when I
was your age. A decrease in the rate of inflation supposedly
parallels a rise in interest rates.

paralyse v. 1 immobilize, inactivate, deactivate, transfix; halt, stop:
The stroke paralysed his entire left side. As the thing
approached, the children became paralysed by fear. 2 deaden,
numb, freeze, anaesthetize, benumb, render insensible: This
injection will paralyse your thumb so that we can operate on it.
3 disable, cripple, incapacitate, disenable: His left leg was
paralysed in the accident.

paramount adj. pre-eminent, chief, supreme, dominant, main, predominant,
cardinal, first, prime, primary, principal, essential, vital,
requisite, basic: The company feel that the independence of
researchers is paramount. It is of paramount importance that
you study trigonometry before calculus.


paramour n. lover, love, inamorato or inamorata, amorist, mistress,
gigolo, concubine, cicisbeo, kept woman, Colloq flame,
sugar-daddy, US POSSLQ (= 'Person of the Opposite Sex Sharing
Living Quarters'), Slang fancy man or woman: At eighty, she
liked to reminisce about her many paramours.


paraphernalia
n. usually pl equipment, apparatus, accessories, outfit,
appliances, utensils, gear, rig, material(s), mat‚riel, things,
tackle, equipage, accoutrements, effects, chattels, possessions,
belongings, appurtenances, trappings, property, baggage,
impedimenta, supplies, stuff, Colloq junk, Brit rubbish,
clobber, Slang crap, Taboo slang US shit: Bring along your
scuba paraphernalia. It took us a month just to pack up all the
paraphernalia we had in the flat.


paraphrase
n. 1 rephrasing, rephrase, rewording, restatement, rewriting,
rewrite, rehash, rendition, rendering, version, Technical
paraphrasis: The editor wanted a revision, not merely a
paraphrase of the original.

--v. 2 rephrase, reword, restate, rewrite, explicate, explain:
Please paraphrase the specialized jargon to make it
understandable to non-professionals.


parasite n. leech, hanger-on, Colloq freeloader, sponger or sponge,
bloodsucker, cadger, scrounger or scrounge, barnacle, jackal,
hyena or hyaena: That parasite lives off Gemma's money and has

never worked a day in his life.

parcel n. 1 package, packet, carton, box, container, case: We are
sending food parcels to the needy. 2 portion, plot, plat, lot,
piece, section, tract: We have bought a small parcel of land
and plan to build on it next year. 3 lot, group, batch,
collection, pack, bundle, set: She gathered a parcel of
drawings and published them as a travel sketchbook.


--v. 4 Often, parcel out. apportion, allot, deal (out), dole
(out), mete (out), hand out, distribute, share (out), divide,
Colloq divvy (up): Before he died he parcelled out his fortune
amongst his grandchildren.


parch v. dry (out or up), desiccate, dehydrate, exsiccate; scorch,
sear, burn, bake; shrivel (up), wither: The earth was parched
by the unrelenting sun.

pardon n. 1 forgiveness, forgiving, amnesty, remission, release,
reprieval, absolution, indulgence, excuse, excusal, allowance,
overlooking, condonation, exoneration, exculpation: Should
there be any pardon for crimes against humanity?

--v. 2 forgive, remit, release, reprieve, absolve, indulge,
allow, overlook, let off, excuse, condone, exonerate, exculpate:
There are some crimes that ought not be pardoned.

pare v. 1 trim, peel, skin, shave (off), shuck; decorticate,
excoriate: Pare the apples and then grate them coarsely. 2
Often, pare down. reduce, diminish, decrease, cut (back or
down), curtail, slash (back), lower, lessen: Since his illness,
Bob has pared down his time at the office. We'll have to pare
our prices to stay competitive in the present climate.


parent n. 1 father or mother, progenitor, progenitrix, procreator,
begetter, materfamilias or paterfamilias; foster-parent,
stepmother or stepfather, guardian, Colloq old lady or old man,
Brit old-fashioned or facetiousmater or pater: Most teenagers
clash with their parents sooner or later. 2 source, origin,
originator, well-spring, fountain-head, root: The liturgy of St
James is undoubtedly the parent of the Armenian Rite.

parentage n. lineage, ancestry, line, family, extraction, descent,

origin, pedigree, stock, birth, strain, bloodline, heritage,
roots: As he was separated from his mother at birth, he knows
nothing of his royal parentage.


parenting n. (of children) rearing, upbringing, raising, nurturing:
Brian and Betty take their parenting very seriously.

parity n. 1 equality, equivalence, consistency, uniformity, par,
likeness, similarity, analogy, congruity, similitude,
conformity, congruence: The ministers agreed that they would
observe parity of power amongst themselves at the conference. 2
proportion, parallelism, analogy, balance, correspondence: We
are trying to maintain parity between the Deutschmark and the
pound sterling.


park n. 1 garden, green(s), common(s), preserve, reserve,
greensward, parkland, woodland, estate, Chiefly Brit
reservation: Twice a day he strolls through the nearby park. 2
Brit car park, US and Canadian and New Zealand parking-lot: I
shall meet you in the car park at the railway station.

--v. 3 leave, put, deposit, store: It is illegal to park in
this street.


parlance n. way or manner of talking or speaking, fa‡on de parler,
phrasing, phraseology, speech, wording, language, idiom,
dialect, jargon, Colloq lingo: In the parlance of the yuppies,
that's a ballpark figure.


parley n. 1 conference, discussion, dialogue, palaver, deliberation,
meeting, colloquy, colloquium, confabulation, powwow, talk(s),
Colloq huddle, confab: The issue will be decided at the
executive council's parley.


--v. 2 confer, discuss, palaver, deliberate, talk (over),
negotiate, deal, Colloq huddle: Would Sitting Bull parley with
General Custer?

parliament
n. 1 Parliament. Houses of Parliament, House of Lords and House
of Commons, Westminster, the House, Mother of Parliaments: The
new health bill got its second reading in Parliament today. 2
legislature, council, congress, diet, council, assembly, Upper

and Lower House or chamber: The United States parliament
consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives.

parliamentary
adj. formal, ordered, orderly, procedural, conforming,
conformist, US according to Roberts Rules of Order: The debate
must follow parliamentary procedure.

parlour n. living-room, Old-fashioned or Brit drawing-room, Chiefly
Brit sitting-room, reception (room), lounge: She invited us
into the parlour where tea was laid out.

parlous adj. perilous, risky, precarious, uncertain, dangerous,
hazardous, difficult, ticklish, awkward, Colloq chancy, iffy,
Slang hairy: These are parlous times in the Middle East.

parochial adj. regional, provincial, narrow, local, insular, isolated,
limited, restricted, narrow-minded, petty, short-sighted,
hidebound, conservative, conventional, illiberal, bigoted,
prejudiced, intolerant, one-sided, partial, biased, stubborn,
opinionated, dogmatic, rigid, stiff, stiff-necked, immovable,
intractable, unchangeable, unchanging, close-minded,
unsophisticated, unworldly, uncultivated, uncultured:
Uneducated and untravelled, Mr Shriver maintained a very
parochial view of the world.

parody n. 1 burlesque, lampoon, satire, caricature, mockery, mimicry,
Colloq take-off, spoof, Brit send-up: The more serious the
intent of the original author's work, the easier it is to write
a parody of it. 2 travesty, mockery, feeble or poor imitation,
distortion, perversion, corruption, debasement: The Inquisition
was a parody of justice and of religion.

--v. 3 burlesque, lampoon, satirize, caricature, mock, mimic,
ape, ridicule, deride, laugh at, poke fun at, guy, scoff at,
sneer at, rib, tease, twit, roast, pillory, make a
laughing-stock (of), make sport of, make fun of, make a monkey
(out) of, Archaic fleer, Colloq take off, spoof, kid, Brit send
up: Swift parodied English political figures and policies of
the day in Gulliver's Travels .

paroxysm n. fit, convulsion, spasm, throe, seizure, spell, outburst,
eruption, explosion, Colloq flare-up: At the sight of George

dressed as Madame Pompadour Melissa rolled on the floor in a
paroxysm of hysterical laughter.

parrot n. 1 imitator, mimic, Colloq copycat: She never has an
original idea of her own: she's a mere parrot of others'
fashions and fancies.

--v. 2 imitate, mimic, ape, copy, echo, repeat, reiterate:
Mick doesn't understand the issues and just parrots what he
hears on TV.

part n. 1 piece, portion, division, allotment, share, percentage,
participation, interest; parcel, fragment, scrap, shard; some:
I bought a part of the company when it was available. I want no
part of the deal now. 2 portion, component, factor, constituent,
element, ingredient: A part of her problem is that she doesn't
speak Japanese. 3 role, function, duty, responsibility, share;
say, voice, influence, participation, involvement, business:
Every man must do his part. Don't thank me! I had no part in
your getting the contract. 4 role, character: He plays the part
of Tweedledum in the school play. 5 side, interest, cause,
behalf, faction, party: Which part did you support in the
argument? No explanation has been offered on either part. 6
neighbourhood, quarter, section, district, region, area, corner,
vicinity, vicinage, Colloq neck of the woods: I come from the
same part of the country as you. 7 piece, portion, segment,
section; department, division, component, unit: Which part of
the turkey do you prefer? In which part of the company do you
work? 8 for the most part. mostly, generally, usually, mainly,
in the main, by and large, on the whole, chiefly, principally,
essentially, for all practical purposes, to all intents and
purposes, in most cases or instances: The shops are for the
most part closed on Sunday. 9 in part. partly, partially, to
some extent or degree, in some measure, relatively,
comparatively, somewhat: He is himself in part responsible for
the present state of affairs. 10 on the part of (someone) or on
(someone's or one's) part. by, on or US also in behalf of, (as)
for, as regards, as far as (someone) is concerned, in the name
of, for the sake of, in support of: Tyrannical acts on the part
of the king were not condoned. For my part, I want nothing to do
with it. 11 take (a) part (in). participate (in), join (in), be
(a) party to, play a part or role (in), be involved (in or
with), associate oneself (with), have or take a hand in, partake

(of), contribute (to): Why insist that she take part in your
nefarious plot? People began to sing, but she didn't feel like
taking part.


--v. 12 separate, part company, split up, go his or her (or
their) separate way(s), break up, say or bid goodbye (or adieu,
etc.); leave, depart, go (away or off): We parted on the best
of terms. 13 separate, divide, put or pull apart, put asunder:
I saw a pale hand part the curtains for a brief moment. A fool
and his money are soon parted. 14 part with. give up, yield,
relinquish, release, sacrifice, forgo, renounce, forsake, let
go, surrender: I doubt that you'll persuade Rover to part with
his bone.


--adj. 15 partial, fractional, limited: Ronald is a part owner
of the company.

partake v. 1 Usually, partake in. share (in), participate (in), take
(a) part (in), enter (in or into): We share each other's
burdens and partake in each other's joys. 2 Usually, partake
of. a receive, get, have a share or portion or part (of),
share: We were invited to partake of a meagre repast. b evoke,
suggest, hint at, intimate, imply, possess or have the quality
of: Greater knowledge often partakes of insolence.


partial adj. 1 incomplete, fragmentary, not total or whole, imperfect:
They were able to afford only a partial restoration of the
house. There will be a partial solar eclipse at noon. 2
prejudiced, biased, partisan, inclined, influenced, one-sided,
jaundiced, unfair, discriminatory: It will be difficult to find
a judge who is not partial. 3 partial to. in favour of,
predisposed to, fond of, having a soft spot or weakness for,
having a liking or taste or predilection for, having a fondness
for, feeling an attraction or affinity to or toward(s), finding
enjoyment in: She used to be partial to punk rockers. I am
partial to Scotch beef.

partiality
n. 1 prejudice, bias, inclination, favouritism, predilection,
predisposition, leaning, preference: The losers of the contest
accused the judges of partiality. 2 preference, taste, relish,
liking, fondness, appreciation, fancy, love, eye, weakness, soft
spot, penchant; fetish or fetich: Alas, my wife has acquired a

partiality for emeralds.

partially adv. partly, in part, to some extent or degree, to a limited or
a certain extent or degree, not totally or wholly or entirely,
restrictedly, incompletely, in some measure, relatively,
comparatively, moderately, (up) to a (given or certain) point,
somewhat: Jon found the meal only partially satisfying and
ordered another bread pudding.


participant
n. 1 participator, partaker, sharer, party, contributor, prime
mover: The chief participants in the recent terrorist attack
are in custody.


--adj. 2 Usually, participant in or of. participating,
partaking, sharing: As a shareholder, he will be participant in
the profits.

participate
v. Often, participate in. take part (in), share (in), partake
(in or of), join (in), engage (in), get or become involved (in),
be or become associated (with), enter (in or into), contribute
(to): We invited her to join the group, but she refuses to
participate. I would like to participate in the venture.


particle n. atom, molecule, scintilla, spark, mote, suggestion, hint,
suspicion, gleam, bit, crumb, jot, tittle, whit, mite, speck,
dot, spot, iota, grain, morsel, shred, sliver, scrap, Colloq
smidgen or smidgin: There isn't the slightest particle of
evidence linking them with the murder.

particular
adj. 1 certain, specific, special, peculiar, singular, single,
isolated, individual, distinct, discrete, separate, definite,
precise, express: These are not his particular sentiments but
those of thousands of his followers. In this particular instance
your theory does not apply. 2 marked, special, especial,
exceptional, remarkable, noteworthy, notable, outstanding,
unusual: The commendation is for her particular contribution to
the treatment of nervous disorders. Vintage port is a particular
favourite of mine. 3 detailed, itemized, item-by-item, thorough,
minute, precise, exact, exacting, painstaking, nice, rigorous,
close, blow-by-blow: The inscriptions reveal the particular

care taken in keeping daily records. 4 fussy, meticulous,
finicky, finical, fastidious, discriminating, selective,
demanding, hypercritical, critical, Colloq pernickety or US also
persnickety, choosy, picky: Daphne is very particular about
whom she invites to dinner.

--n. 5 Usually, particulars. detail, minutia, fine point, item,
specific, element, fact, circumstance, information: The
particulars may never be revealed, but we know in general what
took place that fateful night. 6 in particular. particularly,
specifically, precisely, exactly, especially, specially;
particular, specific, special, definite: I told mother that I
was just going out, not anywhere in particular.


particularly
adv. 1 especially, specially, exceptionally, peculiarly,
singularly, distinctively, uniquely, unusually, uncommonly,
notably, outstandingly, markedly, extraordinarily, very,
extremely, strikingly, surprisingly, amazingly: Susannah went
through a particularly bad patch but she's better now. Holroyd
is a good writer, particularly of biography. 2 in particular,
specifically, especially, principally, mainly, exceptionally,
expressly, explicitly, notably, markedly; only, solely:
Maeterlinck was particularly interested in bees.


parting n. 1 separating, splitting, dividing, breaking (up or apart),
sundering, cleaving; separation, split, division, break-up,
rift, rupture: The high point of the film was the parting of
the Red Sea. The parting between Harriet and Sam after twenty
turbulent years was to be expected. 2 leave-taking, farewell,
saying goodbye, departure, leaving, going (away), making one's
adieus or adieux; valediction: Parting is such sweet sorrow.

--adj. 3 closing, final, concluding, last, departing,
valedictory; deathbed, dying: Her parting comment was, 'If
you're leaving, take the rubbish'.

partisan n. 1 partizan, devotee, follower, supporter, adherent, backer,
champion, enthusiast, fan, zealot, fanatic, Chiefly US and
Canadian booster, Colloq US rooter: He has long been a partisan
of surrealism. 2 guerrilla or guerilla, freedom fighter,
underground or resistance fighter, irregular: During the war
the Yugoslav partisans were led by Marshal Tito.


--adj. 3 one-sided, factional, biased, tendentious, sectarian,
opinionated, partial, bigoted, prejudiced, parochial, myopic,
short-sighted, near-sighted, narrow, narrow-minded, limited:
She refuses to become involved in partisan politics. 4
guerrilla or guerilla, freedom, underground, resistance,
irregular: They were both members of the Maquis, the French
partisan group who fought against the Nazis.


partition n. 1 separation, division, splitting (up), split-up,
partitionment, break-up, breaking up, segmenting, segmentation:
One of the results of World War II was the partition of Germany.
2 allotment, allotting, apportionment, apportioning,
distribution, distributing, meting out, doling out, rationing
(out), sharing (out), dividing (up), giving or handing or
passing out, parcelling out, Colloq divvying up: The partition
of the estate is in the hands of our solicitors. 3 (room)
divider, (dividing) wall, barrier, screen, separator: Let's put
up a partition to divide this office into two. 4 compartment,
room, chamber, section, part, area, division, subdivision, cell,
stall, booth: In open floor planning, furniture, plantings, and
other movables are used to create the partitions where people
work.


--v. 5 divide (up), separate, cut up, subdivide, split (up):
It is always a mistake to partition a country into smaller,
potentially quarrelsome units. 6 Often, partition off. divide,
separate, subdivide, wall off, screen (off), fence off: We must
partition off the machine room so that the office staff are not
disturbed by the noise.

partly adv. See partially, above.

partner n. 1 sharer, partaker, associate, colleague, participant,
accomplice, accessory, confederate, comrade, ally, collaborator,
companion, team-mate, fellow, alter ego, friend, Colloq pal,
sidekick, mate, US and Canadian buddy, cohort: His partner in
the bank robbery was arrested this morning. 2 wife or husband,
spouse, mate, helpmate, helpmeet, consort: She became my life
partner more than 50 years ago. 3 companion, fellow-dancer:
Won't you change partners and dance with me?

party n. 1 (social) gathering, (cocktail or dinner) party,

celebration, fˆte or fete, function, reception, soir‚e, levee,
festivity, festivities, festival, frolic, spree, romp, carousal
or carouse, saturnalia, bacchanalia, debauch, orgy, Colloq
get-together, bash, bust, shindig or shindy, ball, at-home, do,
Brit beanfeast, beano, knees-up, US blow-out, Slang Brit rave or
rave-up, Chiefly US and Canadian wingding, bust-up, US hop:
Campbell said he had a marvellous time at your birthday party.
2 group, company, band, body, corps, gang, crew, team, squad,
troop, platoon, detachment, detail, cadre, unit, Colloq bunch,
outfit: A small party of men is trapped on the other side of
the river. 3 side, interest, faction, league, club, coalition,
bloc, division, sect, denomination, clique, coterie, set, cabal,
junta or junto, partisans, adherents, confederacy,
confederation, federation, Chiefly US and Canadian caucus: The
proliferation of political parties confuses the electorate. 4
participant, participator, confederate, associate, ally,
accomplice, accessory, approver, ratifier, upholder,
contributor, supporter, advocate, backer, aid, helper, seconder,
promoter, partisan, defender, exponent, proponent, champion: I
refuse to be a party to any illegal act. 5 individual, person,
litigant, plaintiff, defendant, side, interest, signer,
signatory, co-signatory, participant, US co-signer: The party
of the first part accuses the party of the second part of
infidelity. How many parties are there to this contract?


parvenu n. 1 parvenue, upstart, arriviste, nouveau riche, intruder,
adventurer, social climber: Usually one generation has to pass
before a parvenu is accepted by the class with which his money
associates him.


--adj. 2 nouveau riche, upstart, intrusive: This parvenu
industrialist tried to use his wealth to make up for his lack of
refinement.


pass v. 1 Often, pass by. proceed or move past, go by or past: She
passed me in the street. I didn't recognize her till she had
passed. We met like ships that pass in the night. 2 proceed,
move (onwards), go (ahead), progress, extend, lie, run, flow,
fly, roll, course, stream, drift, sweep: A flock of geese
passed overhead. 3 let pass, let go (by), overlook, disregard,
ignore, pay no heed, omit, skip: I think I'll pass on making a
decision till the proper time comes. 4 qualify (in), pass
muster (in), get or come through, succeed: Deirdre didn't

believe she would pass chemistry, but pass she did. 5 spend,
devote, use (up), expend, employ, occupy, fill, while away, take
(up); dissipate, waste, fritter away, kill: He passed his time
on Devil's Island planning ways to escape. 6 surpass, exceed,
outdo, transcend, go beyond, overshoot, outstrip, outrun,
surmount, outdistance: She passed her own expectations in
winning the scholarship. How Alan ever got a degree passes all
comprehension. 7 allow, tolerate, permit, approve, sanction,
accept, authorize, endorse, carry, agree to, confirm: The
customs inspectors passed my luggage without question. The bill
passed the committee and came up for voting. 8 give, hand round
or along or over, transfer, pass on or over, deliver, convey,
Sports US hand off, Colloq toss, throw, reach: Please pass the
salt. The sweeper passed the ball back to the goalkeeper. 9
utter, express, issue, declare, pronounce, deliver, set forth,
offer: Who is she to pass judgement on abstract paintings? 10
go away, disappear, vanish, evaporate, fade away, melt away,
evanesce, cease (to exist), (come to an) end, die out, go by the
board, terminate, Literary evanish, Colloq blow over: For an
instant I was gripped by a horrible fear, but the feeling
passed. 11 go (by), expire, elapse; slip by or away, fly; crawl,
creep, drag: Weeks have passed since we last met. Time passes
quickly when you're having fun. 12 evacuate, void, eliminate,
excrete, defecate, urinate: The tests showed that he had passed
some gravel in his urine. 13 come to pass. befall, happen,
occur, take place, come about, arise, Colloq come off: And it
came to pass that a great pestilence was abroad in the land. 14
pass away. a die, expire, perish, succumb, breathe one's last,
pass on, go to one's reward, go to one's final or last
resting-place, (go to) meet one's Maker, Colloq go west, give up
the ghost, Slang croak, kick the bucket, Chiefly US bite the
dust, turn up one's toes: He was the sole beneficiary when she
passed away. b vanish, disappear, go away, stop, cease, end:
The feeling of vertigo simply passed away when the plane landed.
15 pass by. See 1, above: The strikers were urging people to
pass by the shop. 16 pass for or as. a be taken for, be
mistaken for, be regarded as, be accepted as: He wrote a book
about being a man who passed for a woman. b impersonate,
imitate, mimic, pass (oneself) off as, come or go as, be
disguised as, disguise oneself as, assume the guise of,
masquerade as, pose as, assume the role of, act the part of, act
like, pretend to be, play: Using her best cockney accent, she
tried to pass as a Londoner. 17 pass off. evaporate, disappear,

evanesce, be emitted: The water passes off as steam, leaving
the distillate in the flask. 18 pass on. a proceed, continue,
progress: Let us now pass on to the next lesson. b bequeath,
hand down or on, transfer, make over, will, cede, give: The old
gambler passed on to me the secret of never losing - Don't
gamble. c See 14, (a), above. 19 pass (oneself) off as. See 16,
(b), above. 20 pass out. a faint, collapse, swoon, black out,
drop, Colloq conk out, keel over: When they told her of the
accident, she passed out on the spot. b distribute, dole out,
mete out, deal (out), hand out: After we took our seats, the
cabin staff passed out glasses of champagne. 21 pass over. See
3, above: I shall pass over his latest misdeeds without
comment. 22 pass up. reject, decline, refuse, waive, turn down,
dismiss, spurn, renounce; deny (oneself), skip, give up, forgo,
let go (by), abandon, forswear, forsake, let pass, ignore, pay
no heed, disregard, pay no heed, omit: If you don't buy this
car, you are passing up an opportunity of a lifetime.

--n. 23 defile, gorge, col, cwm, cut, canyon or caคon, notch,
gap, gully, couloir; passage, opening, way, route, road: We had
mined the pass to prevent the enemy's advance. 24
authorization, permit, licence, approval, safe conduct, green
light, go-ahead; permission, freedom, liberty, authority,
clearance; Colloq OK or okay: He bribed an official for a pass
to leave the country. 25 free pass, complimentary ticket, Slang
US twofer, Annie Oakley: I have two passes to the opera tonight
- Want to go? 26 state (of affairs), condition, situation,
stage, juncture, status, crux; predicament, crisis: At that
critical pass, it was too late to change policy. Things had come
to a pretty pass. 27 attempt, trial, try, effort, endeavour:
Anita's first pass at a perfect score resulted in disaster. We
made a pass at docking while under sail. 28 (sexual or indecent)
overture or advance(s), proposition, indecent proposal: That
lecher has made a pass at every secretary he's ever had. 29
manoeuvre, approach; passage, flight, fly-by, transit: The
pilot's first pass over the airfield was at 500 feet. 30
transfer, toss, throw, US hand-off: A forward pass is illegal
in rugby.


passable adj. 1 satisfactory, acceptable, tolerable, all right,
adequate, admissible, allowable, presentable, average, fair
(enough), fair to middling, fairly good, middling, not bad,
unexceptional, sufficient, indifferent, Colloq OK or okay, so

so: I thought the play passable, but not up to his usual
standard. 2 traversable, navigable, open, unobstructed,
unblocked: The channel is passable till October, when the river
freezes over.


passage n. 1 movement, moving, going, transition, transit, traversal,
traverse, progress, crossing, passing: The queen's passage
through the town was attended by much jubilation. We observed
the passage of Mercury across the sun's disc. 2 extract,
excerpt, selection, section, part, portion, text, paragraph,
canto, stanza, verse, line, sentence, phrase, citation,
quotation: I recognize this passage from The Faerie Queene . 3
way, route, avenue, course, channel; road, thoroughfare:
Amundsen found a navigable passage between the Atlantic and
Pacific across North America. 4 corridor, hall, passageway,
hallway, vestibule, lobby, foyer: As I stepped into the passage
outside my room I heard a door slam. 5 change, mutation, shift,
conversion, progression, passing: In sublimation, the passage
is directly between the solid and gaseous or vaporous states,
without an intermediate liquid stage. 6 passing, elapse,
progress, progression, flow, march, advance: She may become
more tractable with the passage of time. 7 voyage, trip,
journey, cruise, crossing, sail, run, travel, travelling; Brit
accommodation or US accommodations, arrangement(s), facilities:
In 1942 the trans-Atlantic passage was fraught with danger. The
refugees were guaranteed safe passage to the border. We have
been unable to book a passage to Majorca for tomorrow. 8 safe
conduct, permission, privilege, liberty, freedom, visa,
authorization, allowance: Our troops were denied passage
through Nepal. 9 enactment, ratification, sanction, approval,
acceptance, passing, adoption, endorsement, endorsing,
legitimatization or legitimization, legalization, legislation,
constitutionalization, ordainment: It appears that there is
enough support to ensure passage of the bill. 10 traffic,
trafficking, dealing, shipment, shipping, commerce, trade,
exchange, transaction: Representatives of several governments
discussed putting a halt to the passage of narcotics from
Colombia. 11 aperture, hole, orifice, opening; entry, access,
inlet; exit, outlet: We found a tiny passage through which the
termites were entering and leaving.

pass‚ adj. old-fashioned, unfashionable, dated, out of date, behind
the times, outmoded, obsolete, obsolescent, antiquated, archaic,

d‚mod‚, quaint, antique, superseded, Colloq out, not or no
longer in, old hat, back number: She persisted in dressing in a
style that had been pass‚ at the turn of the century.


passenger n. rider, fare, traveller, voyager, commuter: The cruise ships
have very comfortable accommodation for their passengers.

passing adj. 1 disappearing, vanishing, ephemeral, brief, going, fading
(away), slipping away, short-lived, expiring, transient,
transitory, temporary, momentary, fleeting, transitional,
impermanent: I hope that Anne's obsession with acid rock is a
passing fancy. 2 hasty, superficial, cursory, casual, quick,
fleeting, brief, summary, abrupt, dismissive; glancing: The
speaker paid only passing attention to those he disagreed with.
3 in passing. by the way, incidentally, by the by,
parenthetically, en passant: I might mention, in passing, that
my train was late owing to the strike.

--n. 4 death, dying, demise, end, loss, expiry, expiration,
dying out, extinction, disappearance, vanishment: Her passing
is a great sorrow to all of us. Who thought we would live to see
the passing of the steam engine?

passion n. 1 Often, passions. ardour, ardency, eagerness, intensity,
fervour, fervency, fervidness, zeal, zealousness, avidity,
avidness, zest, zestfulness, vivacity, vivaciousness, gusto,
verve, emotion, feeling, animation, spirit, spiritedness,
vigour, enthusiasm, eagerness; zealotry, fanaticism,
feverishness: The passions of the mob are uncontrollable.
Passion and prejudice govern the world. Passions ran high at the
political convention. 2 fit, outburst, frenzy, paroxysm,
seizure, spasm, convulsion, eruption, whirlwind, tempest, storm,
ferment, fury, furore or US furor: Henry fell on his knees in a
passion of grief. 3 infatuation, mania, obsession, craze,
craving, lust, (unquenchable) thirst, (insatiable) hunger, itch,
yearning, longing, desire, concupiscence, love, affection,
enthusiasm, compulsion, fondness, predilection, keenness, fancy,
fascination, partiality, liking, interest, weakness, Colloq yen:
Would the world be a better place if the passion for spiritual
values were as great as for material things? She has a passion
for chocolates. 4 love, heart's desire, beloved, idol, hero or
heroine, obsession, Colloq heartthrob, dream-girl or dream-boy:
He may not look much to you but he is the passion of every

teenage girl. 5 Usually, Passion. pain, suffering, agony,
martyrdom: Christ underwent his Passion at Calvary.

passionate
adj. 1 ardent, eager, intense, fervid, zealous, avid, eager,
earnest, zestful, feverish, fanatic(al), vehement, impassioned,
emotional, animated, spirited, enthusiastic, vigorous,
invigorated, energetic: Passionate environmentalists campaign
for better governmental control of carbon dioxide emissions. 2
aroused, lustful, lecherous, erotic, sexual, amorous, sensual,
Colloq hot: She tried to resist his passionate advances. 3
quick-tempered, irascible, hotheaded, fiery, testy, huffy or
huffish, peevish, cranky, peppery, choleric, touchy, bilious,
snappish, volatile, cross, temperamental, irritable,
quarrelsome, pugnacious, argumentative, contentious,
belligerent, Rare atrabilious or atrabiliar: Valerie gets into
a passionate mood whenever she thinks she is being treated
unjustly.


passive adj. 1 inactive, non-aggressive, inert, motionless,
unresponsive, quiet, calm, tranquil, serene, placid, still,
idle, unmoving, unmoved, impassive, untouched, cool,
indifferent, phlegmatic, uninterested, uninvolved,
dispassionate, apathetic, lifeless, listless, quiescent,
unperturbed, unaffected, imperturbable, unshaken, Colloq
laid-back, out of it: The comic was unable to get a reaction
from the passive audience. 2 submissive, repressed,
deferential, yielding, compliant, complaisant, receptive,
flexible, malleable, pliable, tractable, docile, subdued,
sheepish, ovine, lamblike, cow-like, bovine, tame, gentle, meek,
patient, unresisting, unassertive, forbearing, tolerant,
resigned, long-suffering, Colloq US excuse-me-for-living:
People tend to bully those of a more passive nature. 3
unexpressed, tacit, unrevealed, undisclosed, implicit,
unasserted: We can no longer take a passive position regarding
crime. Your passive support, while welcome, is not as effective
as active campaigning.

password n. watchword, shibboleth, open sesame, countersign: If you
don't know the password, the guard won't let you in.

past adj. 1 over, done, finished, (over and) done with, gone (and
forgotten), dead (and buried or gone), defunct: The day of the

horse and carriage is past. 2 late, former, one-time, sometime,
previous, prior, erstwhile, quondam, whilom; last, recent: Past
owners of the house had no idea that this treasure was buried in
the basement.


--adv. 3 on, (close) by, nearby: I was standing here when he
ran past. 4 ago, before, heretofore, since: The previous
owners moved out two years past.


--n. 5 history, background, life, lifetime, existence, career,
lifestyle, biography: She reveals all about her past in her new
book. 6 days or years or times gone by, days of yore, old
times, olden times or days, former times, (good) old days, days
of old, days beyond recall: In the past, life proceeded at a
more leisurely pace.

pastiche n. mixture, medley, blend, compound, composite, patchwork, olla
podrida, pot-pourri, motley, miscellany, omnium gatherum,
m‚lange, gallimaufry, farrago, mishmash, hotchpotch or US and
Canadian hodgepodge, tangle, Colloq mess: The room was
furnished in a pastiche of styles from every imaginable period.

pastime n. hobby, avocation, recreation, diversion, distraction,
amusement, entertainment, fun, play, leisure-time activity,
relaxation, leisure, sport, divertissement: As a pastime, she
collects books.

pastor n. vicar, clergyman, clergywoman, parson, minister, churchman,
churchwoman, rector, canon, reverend, father, divine,
ecclesiastic, priest, bishop: The pastor led the congregation
in prayer.

pastoral adj. 1 bucolic, idyllic, Edenic, innocent, simple, tranquil,
serene, quiet, restful, peaceful, peaceable, placid, pacific,
harmonious, simple, uncomplicated, Literary Arcadian, georgic:
After a week in those pastoral surroundings, she felt inspired.
Theocritus is noted for his pastoral poetry. 2 country, rural,
rustic, provincial, farming, agricultural, agrarian; humble: He
has chosen a pastoral setting for the play, which contrasts
sharply with the emotional intensity of the characters. 3
clerical, ministerial, ecclesiastic(al), church(ly): Our vicar
discharges his pastoral duties with energy and sincerity.

--n. 4 idyll, eclogue, georgic: Flambeau did these marvellous
engravings for a book of pastorals.

pasture n. meadow, meadow-land, pasture land, grassland, grass, lea,
range; pasturage: How much pasture is needed for 200 head of
cattle?

pasty adj. wan, pallid, pasty-faced, sallow, pale, pale-faced,
whey-faced, sickly, anaemic: He had the pasty complexion of a
child raised in an industrial city.

patฐ v. 1 tap, touch, dab, pet, stroke, caress: Being short, he
hated it when people affectionately patted him on the head. Pat
down the coverlet to smooth out the wrinkles. 2 pat on the back.
congratulate, commend, praise, compliment, encourage, reassure:
The sales manager patted me on the back for clinching the
contract.

--n. 3 tap, touch, dab, stroke, caress: Give the dog a pat and
he'll leave you alone. 4 (small) piece, patty, lump, cake,
portion; patty: The waiter put a pat of butter on my plate. 5
pat on the back. commendation, praise, compliment, flattery,
encouragement, credit, reassurance, approval, endorsement,
recognition; honeyed words: I was expecting a big bonus, but
all I got was a pat on the back.

pat adv. 1 perfectly, exactly, precisely, faultlessly, flawlessly,
just so or right, Brit off pat: She has the new technique pat.
2 aptly, suitably, appositely, readily, appropriately,
fittingly, relevantly: His reply came out a little too pat.

--adj. 3 apt, suitable, apposite, ready, appropriate, fitting,
relevant: The poet made a very pat comparison.


patch n. 1 piece, scrap, reinforcement; shred, snip, snippet, tatter;
pad: Mother sewed colourful patches over the holes in my jeans.
2 area, section, segment, plat, plot, lot, tract, ground,
parcel, field: All he ever wanted was a little house on a
little patch of land. 3 responsibility, area, bailiwick,
territory: The handling of customer complaints is in your
patch, Gordon. 4 period, interval, spell, stage, episode, time;
experience: She went through a bad patch shortly after Starkey
died.


--v. 5 patch up or over, mend, repair, vamp, revamp, darn, sew
(up), reinforce, cover: I had my trousers patched where the dog
bit me. Her father always wore the same patched jacket to the
club. 6 Often, patch up. fix (up), doctor, jury-rig, improvise,
knock together or up: Can you patch it up so I can drive it
home? 7 patch up. settle, set right or straight, straighten
out, reconcile, resolve, heal; come or bring to terms, bury the
hatchet, kiss and make up, call a truce: Will the two girls
ever patch up their differences?

patchwork n. pastiche or pasticcio, mixture, confusion, hotchpotch or US
also hodgepodge, gallimaufry, olio, olla podrida, mishmash,
jumble, m‚lange, medley, hash, US crazy quilt, Colloq mixed bag:
The landscape is a patchwork of ploughland and pasture, with
little copses and rivers. The concerto by Lindslade is
'derivative' - that is, it is a patchwork.

patent n. 1 certificate of invention, letters patent, trade name,
trade mark, copyright, US service mark; licence, permit,
charter, franchise, grant; control: My brother holds the patent
on a new piece of laboratory equipment. You think you have a
patent on misery, but I have news for you.


--adj. 2 obvious, clear, transparent, manifest, apparent,
plain, evident, self-evident, unmistakable or unmistakeable,
unequivocal, explicit, palpable, tangible, physical,
conspicuous, flagrant, blatant, prominent: The results are as
patent as the fact that two and two make four.


paternal adj. 1 fatherly, kindly, indulgent, solicitous, fond,
concerned, devoted, loving; patriarchal: Uncle Charles takes a
paternal interest in the welfare of his nieces and nephews. 2
patrilineal or patrilinear, patriclinous or patroclinous or
patriclinal or patroclinal or patriclinic or patroclinic,
patrilateral, patrimonial: She resembles her paternal
grandmother. His fortune is partly paternal, partly acquired.

paternity n. fatherhood, fathership; parentage, descent, heritage, line,
lineage, extraction, family, stock, strain, blood, patrilineage:
The child's paternity was established through DNA tests.

path n. 1 footpath, pathway, tow-path, track, trail, walk, walkway,

Brit footway: A little kitten was sitting on the garden path.
2 way, course, track, route, road; orbit, trajectory, circuit:
She had to overcome many obstacles in her path to the
directorship. The path of the missile will take it outside the
atmosphere. 3 course, approach, channel, direction, procedure,
process, way, avenue, means, method, technique, strategy,
scheme, plan, Colloq US game plan, scenario: What path would
you follow to accomplish your ends?


pathetic adj. 1 moving, stirring, affecting, affective, touching,
emotional, emotive, poignant, tragic, heart-rending,
heart-breaking, pitiful, pitiable, piteous, plaintive, wretched,
miserable, sorrowful, grievous, sad, doleful, dolorous,
mournful, woeful, lamentable: The boat people told a pathetic
tale of the hardship of weeks in the open sea. 2 meagre, paltry,
feeble, inadequate, poor, petty, puny, sorry, piddling, Colloq
measly, Slang crummy: He made a pathetic effort to pull himself
together. A return of three per cent a year is pathetic.


patience n. 1 tolerance, forbearance, restraint, toleration, sufferance,
leniency, submission, resignation, self-control,
imperturbability, even temper, unflappability, composure,
calmness, serenity, equanimity: Many parents lose their
patience when dealing with children. 2 diligence, tenacity,
doggedness, indefatigability, endurance, assiduity,
perseverance, constancy, persistence, steadfastness,
pertinacity, determination, resolve, resolution, firmness,
stoicism, fortitude, Colloq US stick-to-it-iveness: Where do
you get the patience to wait in those long queues?


patient adj. 1 resigned, submissive, stoical, long-suffering,
compliant, acquiescent, passive, self-possessed, philosophical,
serene, unaggressive: The staff who handle complaints must be
extremely patient. 2 diligent, dogged, tenacious, persistent,
assiduous, sedulous, steadfast, staunch, perseverant,
unwavering, unswerving, constant, unfaltering, unfailing,
untiring, tireless, indefatigable, pertinacious, determined,
resolved, resolute, firm, unyielding: Be patient, and don't do
anything rash. 3 forbearing, tolerant, forgiving, lenient,
accommodating: We have been patient long enough and must now
put a stop to the vandalism.

--n. 4 invalid, sufferer, case, valetudinarian: Doctors were

called in to treat patients who developed the symptoms.

patriot n. nationalist, loyalist; flag-waver, jingo, jingoist,
chauvinist: She was among the patriots ready to do battle for
their country.

patriotic adj. nationalist(ic), loyalist; flag-waving, jingoist(ic),
chauvinist(ic): The fact that they criticize the government may
show that they are more rather than less patriotic.


patrol n. 1 guard, sentry, watch, watchman, sentinel, patrolman: The
patrol passes here once every hour. 2 rounds, policing,
patrolling, beat; protecting, protection, guarding,
safeguarding, defending, watchfulness, vigilance: The patrol
must be maintained night and day.

--v. 3 police, guard, protect, defend, watch over, walk a beat,
make (the) rounds, stand or keep guard or watch (over), keep
vigil: Some of the local residents have taken to patrolling the
neighbourhood at night.

patron n. 1 patroness, benefactor, benefactress, philanthropist,
Maecenas, protector, supporter, defender, advocate, champion,
guardian (angel), sponsor, backer, promoter, sympathizer,
friend, US booster; friend at court; Colloq angel: Lady Agnes
is a well-known patron of the arts. 2 customer, client,
purchaser, buyer, patronizer, habitu‚, regular, frequenter: The
patrons habituate her shop because of the bargains to be found
there.


patronage n. 1 sponsorship, support, backing, promotion, encouragement,
boosting, aid, help, sympathy, financing, auspices, protection,
guardianship, aegis: The exhibition was organized with the
duke's patronage. 2 trade, business, custom, trading, traffic:
The shop could never succeed with our patronage. 3
condescension, disdain, scorn, contempt, contumely, superiority,
patronizing, stooping, deigning, humiliation: There is an air
of patronage about him when he finally does allow me a visit. 4
favouritism, partiality, preference, bias, nepotism, political
patronage, granting of indulgences, US spoils (system):
Politicians have always used patronage to reward support.

patronize v. 1 look down on, scorn, look down one's nose at, treat

condescendingly, talk down to, treat as (an) inferior, disdain,
demean, put down, humiliate, Formal contemn: He patronizes
people by patting them on the head. 2 bring trade to, deal or
trade or do or transact business with, buy or purchase from,
frequent, shop at, be a customer or client of: You should
patronize the local merchants in your town. 3 sponsor, support,
back, promote, encourage, boost, aid, assist, help, fund,
contribute or subscribe to, underwrite, foster: The fund has
patronized the arts in this town for many years.


patterฐ v. 1 tiptoe; scurry, scuttle, skip, trip: I could hear the
squirrels pattering across the metal roof. 2 spatter,
pitter-patter, tap, pit-a-pat; beat, pelt: The rain pattered on
the tent with increasing intensity.


--n. 3 spatter, spattering, pit-a-pat, pitter-patter, tattoo,
drum, thrum, beat, beating, tap, ratatat, tap-tap: The
rhythmical patter of the rain lulled me to sleep.


patter n. 1 pitch, sales talk, spiel, line: Anyone listening to his
patter might be inclined to buy a time-share holiday. 2 chatter,
prattle, prate, babbling, babble, gabble, gabbling, cackle,
cackling, palaver, jabber, jabbering, chit-chat, small talk,
gossip, blather or blether, gibberish or gibber, Chiefly Brit
natter, nattering, Scots clishmaclaver, Colloq gab, gabbing,
Slang gas, hot air, yackety-yack, yack: The chap tapping our
phone had to listen to the teenagers' patter for hours on end.

--v. 3 chatter, prattle, prate, babble, gabble, cackle,
palaver, jabber, rattle (on), chit-chat, chaffer, gossip,
blather or blether, gibber, Chiefly Brit natter, witter (on),
Colloq gab, Slang gas, yackety-yack, yack, jibber-jabber: They
just patter on about nothing in particular.


pattern n. 1 model, original, archetype, prototype, exemplar, paragon,
ideal, standard, yardstick, criterion, gauge, measure: Their
life together could serve as a pattern for any couple. 2
figure, motif, design, device, decoration, ornament: The
pattern of the wallpaper clashes with that of the curtains. 3
system, order, arrangement, plan, theme; repetition,
consistency, orderliness, regularity, sequence, cycle: By
carefully noting the movements of the heavenly bodies, ancient
observers were able to detect a pattern. 4 blueprint, diagram,

plan, layout, design, draft, guide, template or templet,
stencil, mould, matrix: These new lighting fixtures are made to
a 19th-century pattern. 5 sample, example, instance, specimen,
representation: Were you able to match up your fabric pattern
with one of those in the tailor's book? 6 layout, configuration,
figure, formation, composition: The geese often flew in a
V-shaped pattern.

--v. 7 Often, pattern on. model on, imitate, copy, mimic,
duplicate, follow, emulate, simulate: She tried to pattern her
behaviour on that of her older sister. 8 decorate, figure,
ornament: Cynthia's gifts were wrapped in a beautifully
patterned paper.


paunch n. belly, pot-belly, Colloq corporation, US bay window, Slang
beer-belly: Capitalism is often conventionalized as a
top-hatted older man, in tails, with a huge paunch and a cigar.

pauper n. have-not, indigent, down-and-out(er), bankrupt, insolvent;
beggar, mendicant; tramp, hobo, vagrant, US bum: The mortgage
payments on such a lavish house soon made him a pauper.

pause v. 1 hesitate, interrupt, delay, hold up, discontinue, break,
wait, mark time, suspend, intermit, falter, rest: He paused for
a moment to allow late-comers to take their seats.

--n. 2 hesitation, interruption, delay, lull, lapse,
moratorium, hold-up, wait, break, breather, breathing-space,
discontinuity, lacuna, hiatus, abeyance, discontinuation,
discontinuance, Prosody caesura, Music fermata, Colloq let-up:
There was a brief pause, then the altercation in the
neighbouring flat resumed.

pave v. 1 macadamize, tarmac, asphalt, tile, flag, concrete, cover,
surface: Europeans thought that the streets of America were
paved with gold. 2 pave the way for or to. prepare or smooth the
way for, open the door for, make easy or easier for; facilitate,
ease: If I talk to him first, perhaps I can pave the way for
you to make your proposal.


pawnฐ v. 1 pledge, mortgage, hypothecate, plight, deposit, Formal
pignorate, Archaic gage, Colloq Brit pop, Chiefly US and
Canadian hock: I had to pawn my watch to get enough money to

eat. 2 venture, stake, risk, gamble, hazard, chance,
jeopardize: By agreeing to donate one of his kidneys, he pawned
his life to save hers.


--n. 3 collateral, guaranty or guarantee, pledge, surety,
security, assurance, bond, bail, deposit: She gave her jewels
as pawn for the safe return of the children.

pawn n. tool, cat's-paw, puppet, instrument, dummy, dupe, Colloq
stooge: He's not important: he's just being used as a pawn by
the powerful interests involved.

pay v. 1 recompense, compensate, remunerate, reward, indemnify;
repay, refund, reimburse; pay off, pay out, pay up, satisfy,
clear, remit, discharge, liquidate, settle, honour, meet: Do
you think that nurses are poorly paid? You have 30 days to pay
this invoice. 2 reward, benefit, recompense, requite,
compensate: Thurlew has been amply paid by having his name
engraved on the roll of honour. 3 extend, bestow, transmit, pass
on, give, deliver: Please pay my respects to your wife. 4
benefit, profit, avail, (turn out to) be or prove profitable or
worthwhile, yield a return, be advantageous, produce results,
pay off: It no longer pays to complain about the service in the
shops. Honesty pays. 5 pay back, repay, retaliate, settle
(accounts) (with), even the score or a score, reciprocate,
requite, take or get revenge on, avenge oneself for or on, treat
in kind, hit or strike or get back (at), settle or pay off or
even a score or the score (with), exact one's pound of flesh
(from), make (someone) pay (for), punish, chastise, castigate,
Brit pay out, Colloq get even (with): If I catch him, I'll pay
him for turning informer. 6 suffer (the consequences), answer
(for), make amends (for), atone (for), get one's (just) deserts,
undergo punishment (for), be punished (for): If I catch him,
I'll make him pay. Society requires that he pay for his crime. 7
produce or make or generate or earn money, yield a return, pay
off: His vending-machine business certainly pays well. 8 pay
back. a recompense, compensate, remunerate, reward, indemnify;
repay, pay off, refund, reimburse: I paid back every penny I
borrowed from the bank. I'll pay her back if it's the last thing
I do. b See 5, above. 9 pay for. See 6, above. 10 pay off. a
See 4 and 7, and 8(a), above. b bribe, suborn, buy off, grease
(someone's) palm, give (someone) a bribe or a rebate, Colloq
give (someone) a kickback, slip (someone) something: Did he

really pay off the judges to select his daughter as Miss
Tyneside? 11 pay out. a distribute, deal out, give out,
disperse, disburse: The managing director paid out bonuses to
the entire staff. b disburse, expend, spend, contribute, Colloq
shell out, lay out, US and Canadian and Australian and New
Zealand kick in with, Slang cough up, fork out or over or up:
In the office, we are forever paying out for leaving presents.
c release, loosen, let out, slack or slacken off (on): Pay out
more rope so that he can reach it. d See 5, above: We'll pay
him out for everything he's done to you, never fear!

--n. 12 payment, compensation, recompense, settlement, return;
remuneration, consideration, reward, money, wages, salary, fee,
honorarium, remittance, stipend, income, takings, take-home
(pay), gain, profit, Colloq US take: His sole pay for painting
the kitchen was a big hug and a kiss. The work is tedious, but
the pay isn't bad.

payable adj. due, owed, owing, outstanding, unpaid, receivable, mature:
This bill is payable at the end of the month.

payment n. 1 See pay, 12, above. 2 expenditure, disbursement,
distribution, outlay, fee, contribution, charge, expense,
payout: You are not authorized to make payment of any amount
over œ100.

pay-off n. 1 See pay, 12, above. 2 result, outcome, upshot,
conclusion, wind-up, settlement, final reckoning, Colloq
punch-line, crunch, grand finale, Slang US and Canadian kicker:
The pay-off was that permission to march on Sunday was denied.
3 bribe, graft, rebate; ransom, blood-money, Colloq kickback,
hush money, Chiefly US payola, US plugola: The pay-off was
always made in cash, in used notes.


16.2 peace...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



peace n. 1 serenity, tranquillity, calm, calmness, placidity or
placidness, peace of mind, quiet, peacefulness, peaceableness,
stillness: For a summer holiday, we enjoy the peace of the
Lakes. 2 harmony, accord, harmoniousness, concord, amity,
peacefulness, peacetime; cease-fire, armistice, truce: Since

the Second World War, Europe has enjoyed more than 45 years of
relative peace.

peaceable adj. 1 See peaceful, 1, below. 2 pacific, inoffensive, dovish,
peace-loving, mild, non-violent, non-belligerent, unbelligerent,
unwarlike, non-warring, non-combative, temperate, agreeable,
compatible, congenial, genial, friendly, amiable, amicable,
cordial, civil: Despite cultural differences, the two countries
maintained peaceable relations.


peaceful adj. 1 peaceable, serene, placid, calm, quiet, quiescent,
gentle, restful, tranquil, untroubled, undisturbed, unruffled:
After our week-end guests left, the house was again peaceful. 2
See peaceable, 2, above.


peacemaker
n. conciliator, pacifier, reconciler, propitiator, placater,
pacificator, mediator, arbitrator, intermediator, intermediary,
diplomat, appeaser, interceder, go-between, referee, umpire,
adjudicator; peacemonger: The ambassador was called upon to act
as peacemaker between the warring nations.

peak n. 1 top, pinnacle, crest, ridge, tor, mountain top, summit,
mountain, eminence, elevation, hill: We were just able to make
out the snow-capped peaks in the distance. 2 top, tip, tiptop,
apex, acme, culmination, apogee, zenith, high point, crown,
extreme, utmost, uttermost, perfection, ne plus ultra,
consummation, climax: Irene has brought the office to a peak of
efficiency. 3 visor, brim, US bill, nib: The peak of the
fisherman's cap serves as an eyeshade.

--v. 4 rise, crest, culminate, (reach a) climax, top (out):
Prices peaked during the Christmas shopping season.


peaky adj. peakish, pinched, unhealthy, sickly, ailing, ill, unwell,
infirm, unwholesome, pale, pallid, wan, waxen, anaemic, pasty,
sallow, whey-faced, ashen, washed out, drained, emaciated,
wasted, gaunt, hollow-eyed, haggard, drawn, weak, feeble, US
peaked: Paul has been looking a bit peaky of late.


peal n. 1 ringing, ring, carillon, chime, chiming, toll, tolling,
clang, clangour, tintinnabulation, clamour, reverberation;
knell; clap, crash, roar, rumble, thunder: The constant peal of

the bells nearly drove him mad. The doleful peal rang out for
yet another fisherman lost at sea. A resounding peal of thunder
shook the house.


--v. 2 ring, toll, chime, clang, tintinnabulate, reverberate,
resonate, resound; knell; boom, crash, roar, roll, rumble,
thunder: The cowbells pealed plaintively, reminding me of my
youth in the Alps. Lightning flashed, and the echoing thunder
pealed through the valley.


pearl n. gem, treasure, prize, cream, flower, wonder, nonpareil:
Wasn't Cuba once called the Pearl of the Antilles?

pearly adj. nacreous, pearl-like, perlaceous, lustrous,
mother-of-pearl: The dress was trimmed with pink lace and
little pearly buttons.

peasant n. rustic, countryman, countrywoman, farmer, provincial, (farm)
worker, (country) bumpkin, bucolic; peon, fellah, muzhik or
mouzhik or mujik; Historical esne, serf, Archaic swain, hind,
churl, Derogatory yokel, hill-billy, bog-trotter, oaf, lump,
lout, boor, churl, clod, clodhopper; Colloq US and Canadian
hick, galoot or galloot, Derogatory hayseed, rube, Derogatory
and offensive US poor white (trash): Regimes came and went, but
the life of the medieval peasant endured.

peccadillo
n. slip, error, lapse, mistake, infraction, violation, misdeed,
shortcoming, misstep, blunder, faux pas, indiscretion, gaffe,
botch, stumble, fault, petty sin, (minor) transgression,
trespass, Colloq slip-up, goof: We have to forgive the
occasional peccadillo.

peculiar adj. 1 odd, curious, strange, queer, bizarre, weird, unusual,
abnormal, anomalous, aberrant, deviant or deviate, eccentric,
uncommon, outlandish, exceptional, extraordinary, out of the
ordinary, offbeat, unorthodox, atypical, idiosyncratic,
unconventional, out-of-the-way, quaint, unique, singular, one of
a kind, sui generis, distinct, distinguished, special,
particular, quirky, funny, freakish, Slang far-out, freaky, Brit
rum: Don't you agree that anyone who by choice goes barefoot in
winter is a bit peculiar? She enjoys a peculiar immunity to
colds. 2 Usually, peculiar to. typical of, characteristic of,

characterized by, natural to, symptomatic of, appropriate to or
for, distinctive of, restricted to, specific to, indicative of,
denotative of, limited to, individual to, personal to, special
to, unique to; seen or observed (only) in, local to, native to,
indigenous to: Such behaviour is peculiar to those who have
served long prison sentences.

--n. 3 Typography arbitrary, sort: Characters with diacritical
marks are called 'peculiars' in the printing trades.


peculiarity
n. 1 idiosyncrasy, oddity, eccentricity, abnormality,
irregularity, quirk, kink, crotchet, caprice: Keeping
alligators was only one of Jess's peculiarities. 2 feature,
characteristic, property, quality, trait, attribute, earmark,
hallmark, mark, particularity, singularity, Brit speciality, US
specialty: One of the peculiarities of the books is their wide
margins.


pedantic adj. 1 didactic, doctrinaire, donnish, pedagogic, pedantical,
preachy, professorial, bookish, ostentatious, pretentious,
sententious, pompous, vain, stuffy, stilted, stiff, dry: A
pedantic approach to marketing may be all right in the
classroom, but it doesn't sell products. 2 perfectionist,
scrupulous, overscrupulous, finicky or finical, fussy,
punctilious, fastidious, meticulous, exact, chop-logic,
hair-splitting, quibbling, Colloq nit-picking: His secretary
left because of his pedantic criticisms of her work.


peddle v. sell, hawk, market, vend, huckster, Colloq push, flog: He
is a publishing tycoon today, but he started by peddling books
door-to-door.

pedestal n. 1 foundation, base, platform, stand, substructure, mounting,
pier, foot, mounting, support, Technical plinth, socle, dado:
The statue crumbled away and only its pedestal remained. 2 put
or place or set on a pedestal. glorify, exalt, worship, deify,
revere, idolize, dignify, apotheosize, ennoble, elevate, raise:
No woman is worth putting on a pedestal.


pedestrian
n. 1 walker, stroller, ambler, rambler, footslogger; itinerant,
peripatetic: A special crossing has been installed for

pedestrians.

--adj. 2 boring, dull, banal, tiresome, commonplace, mundane,
tedious, unimaginative, uninteresting, monotonous,
run-of-the-mill, humdrum, stock, prosaic, insipid, dry, flat,
jejune, colourless, dreary, pale, ordinary, hackneyed, trite,
(as) dull as ditch-water or US also dishwater, vapid, stale,
uninspired, uninspiring, spiritless, lifeless, dead: The dean
delivered his customary pedestrian lecture to the new students.
3 walking, strolling, ambulatory, on foot, rambling,
peripatetic: We were exhausted after taking a pedestrian tour
of London.

pedigree n. (line of) descent, ancestry, genealogy, blood, bloodline,
line, extraction, lineage, stock, heritage, family, derivation,
birth, parentage, strain, roots: His pedigree is all right, but
does he have brains as well as money?

pedlar n. hawker, (door-to-door) salesman or saleswoman or
salesperson, vendor, huckster, seller, colporteur, US peddler,
drummer, Archaic chapman, Colloq cheapjack: How can you expect
the watch to work if you bought it from a street pedlar?

peek v. 1 peer, peep, glimpse, look, squint (at), squinny (at),
Scots keek, Colloq take or have a gander (at), Brit take a dekko
(at): A small boy peeked out from under the blanket.

--n. 2 look, glimpse, peep, glance, Scots keek, Colloq gander,
look-see: I've had a peek at what Father hid in the cupboard.


peel v. 1 Sometimes, peel off. skin, strip (off), pare, flay, flake
off, descale, decorticate; shuck, hull, bark, scale; desquamate:
Beulah, peel me a grape. 2 strip, undress, disrobe; do a
striptease: In the last act, everyone peels to the bare skin.
3 peel off. take off or doff, strip off: I peeled off my coat
and dived into the canal to save her.

--n. 4 skin, rind, coating, peeling: Don't you like candied
orange peel?


peep v. 1 chirp, tweet, cheep, squeak, twitter, pipe, chirrup: The
birds peeped excitedly when they saw the cat.

--n. 2 chirp, tweet, cheep, squeak, twitter, pipe, chirrup,
chirr or chirre or churr: The night was filled with the peep of
the frogs at the pond. 3 sound, complaint, outcry, protest,
protestation, grumble, murmur: The students didn't let out a
peep when ordered to remain after class.

peerฐ n. 1 noble, nobleman or noblewoman, lord or lady, aristocrat;
duke or duchess, marquess or marchioness, earl or countess,
viscount or viscountess, baron or baroness: As a peer of the
realm, she had certain rights. 2 equal, coequal, compeer, like,
match, confrŠre, associate, colleague: Under law, he is
entitled to trial by a jury of his peers.

peer v. 1 peep, peek, squint (at), squinny (at), look, examine; spy:
Scrooge peered closely at the accounts ledger. 2 appear, peep
through or out, break through, show, become visible, emerge:
Now and then, the moon peered through the clouds.

peerless adj. without equal, unequalled, matchless, unmatched,
unrivalled, unique, incomparable, beyond compare, unparalleled,
nonpareil, inimitable, unexcelled, unsurpassed, superior,
superb, excellent, supreme, superlative, finest, best, ne plus
ultra, sovereign, consummate, pre-eminent, paramount: James's
mother was a peerless beauty and the toast of her generation.


peevish adj. irritable, testy, touchy, fretful, ill-humoured, waspish,
petulant, crabbed, churlish, querulous, short-tempered,
ill-natured, tetchy, cross, bad-tempered, ill-tempered,
fault-finding, captious, carping, cavilling, crusty,
curmudgeonly, crotchety, cantankerous, grumpy or grumpish,
pettish, acrimonious, splenetic, Colloq bilious, US and Canadian
and Irish cranky: He's very peevish today, so don't get on his
wrong side.


peg v. 1 pin, dowel, rod, stick, bolt; thole or thole-pin;
clothes-peg, hook: Pegs and glue are often used for fastening
good furniture together. Hang your coat on the peg. 2 off the
peg. ready-made, ready-to-wear, stock: As bespoke clothing is
so dear, I buy mine off the peg. 3 take down a peg (or two).
humble, diminish, lower, subdue, suppress, downgrade, dishonour,
mortify, humiliate, put down, abase, debase, devalue or
devaluate: He was acting a bit high and mighty, so she took him
down a peg or two.


--v. 4 fasten, secure, make fast, fix, attach, pin: They
pegged the tent firmly to the ground. 5 fix, attach, pin, set
(by), control by, limit by, restrict, confine, freeze, bind,
regulate, govern: In indexing, the rate of inflation is often
used for pegging wages. 6 toss, throw, shy, flip, sling, cast:
I'll bet a fiver you can't peg that stone across the river. 7
peg away or US also along. work (away) (at), persevere (at),
apply oneself (to), persist (in or at), go to or at (it), keep
at (it), stick to or with or at (it), stay with or at (it),
carry on (with or at), Colloq plug away (at), beaver away (at),
hammer or bang or peck away (at): Trevor pegs away at his
homework every evening.


pell-mell adv. 1 helter-skelter, slapdash, rashly, feverishly,
incautiously, confusedly, chaotically, wildly, impulsively,
recklessly, slap-bang, impetuously, hastily, hurriedly,
precipitately, spontaneously: The ice-cream vendor pedalled
down the street with the children running pell-mell after him.


--adj. 2 helter-skelter, slapdash, rash, feverish, incautious,
confused, disordered, disorderly, disorganized, wild, mad,
chaotic, tumultuous, panicky, impulsive, reckless, precipitate,
impetuous, hasty, hurried: Quick action by the soldiers was
responsible for the pell-mell rout of the attackers.

--n. 3 confusion, disorder, chaos, tumult, pandemonium,
turmoil, mˆl‚e or melee, furore or US furor, commotion, bedlam,
brouhaha, hubbub, excitement: In the pell-mell that followed,
several bystanders were injured.

peltฐ v. 1 bombard, shower, bomb, pepper, strafe, batter, shell,
assail, assault, attack, US pummel or pommel, belabour, pound,
Old-fashioned lay about, Slang US clobber, wallop, paste, work
over: The hooligans pelted the crowd with sticks and stones. 2
Often, pelt down. beat, dash, pound, hit; come down, teem, pour,
Colloq rain cats and dogs, bucket down, US rain pitchforks: The
rain came pelting down just as we were ready to go out. 3 pelt
along or over. hurry, rush, run, dash, shoot, scoot, scurry:
The constables pelted along after the escaping thief.

--n. 4 stroke, blow, whack, hit, smack, slap, thwack, bang,
thump, Colloq wallop, belt: Chris received a pelt on the head

from a rock.

pelt n. skin, hide, coat, fur, fleece: The trappers traded the fox
pelts for supplies.


penฐ n. 1 writing instrument, fountain-pen, ball-point (pen), Brit
trade mark Biro, Old-fashioned quill: Dearest, I have finally
found time to put pen to paper. I prefer a pen with a fine
point.


--v. 2 write (down or up or out), jot down, (make a) note (of),
draft, draw up, compose, put on paper, commit to paper, commit
to writing, put in writing, scribble, scrawl, scratch, Formal
indite: While he was in prison, he penned letters to many men
of influence.

pen n. 1 coop, enclosure, hutch, (pig)sty, pound, fold, stall,
confine, US and Canadian corral: We kept the geese in a pen by
the barn.


--v. 2 Often, pen up. enclose, confine, coop up, shut up,
impound, round up, US and Canadian corral: It took three of us
to pen the sheep. During the blockade, the ships remained penned
up at Gibraltar.


penal adj. correctional, punitive, disciplinary: Crime and its
punishment are covered in the penal code. He was sent to a penal
colony for life.


penalize v. punish, discipline, mulct, amerce, fine, handicap, impose or
invoke a penalty against, impose a penalty on, Formal amerce;
sentence: This judge penalizes speeders mercilessly.

penalty n. punishment, discipline, penance, sentence; forfeit, fine,
handicap, price, mulct, Formal amercement; imprisonment,
incarceration: The prosecution demanded the maximum penalty
allowable under law for the crimes.

penance n. 1 punishment, penalty, reparation, amends, atonement,
self-punishment, self-mortification, regret, repentance,
contrition, suffering, penitence: A year of public service was
fair penance for the offence. 2 do penance. pay, suffer, make
amends or reparation(s), atone, wear sackcloth and ashes or a

hair-shirt: She has done penance enough for her crime.

penchant n. inclination, bent, proclivity, leaning, bias,
predisposition, predilection, partiality, proneness, propensity,
tendency, affinity, liking, preference, fondness, taste: Agnes
has a penchant for tennis and for men who play tennis.

pendant n. ornament, tassel, lavaliere or lavaliŠre, medallion, locket,
necklace, riviŠre, ear-drop, tear-drop, drop, Old-fashioned
carcanet: I recognized the pendant she wore at her neck as my
mother's.

pending prep. 1 awaiting, waiting (for), depending on, till, until,
'til, till such time as; while, during: Pending the outcome of
the trial, he was remanded in custody.

--adj. 2 unsettled, undetermined, undecided, unconfirmed,
unfinished, inconclusive, up in the air, hanging fire, in the
balance, in abeyance; forthcoming, imminent, impending, in the
offing, Colloq US in a holding pattern, on hold: The pending
negotiations on the rent will determine whether we stay or move
house. While the matter is pending, we can do nothing.

pendulous adj. 1 pendent, hanging, drooping, sagging, dangling,
suspended, pensile: The weaver-bird's pendulous nest is a
marvel of engineering. 2 swinging, swaying, waving, undulating,
undulatory, oscillating, oscillatory: I was hypnotized by the
pendulous motion of the bell.


penetrate v. 1 enter, go or pass through or into, pierce, bore (into),
lance, spear, go through or into, probe, stab, puncture,
perforate, drill: The shell penetrated the tank's heavy armour.
2 permeate, diffuse, suffuse, pervade, filter or seep through,
percolate through: The soothing balm penetrated my aching body
and I relaxed into a deep sleep. 3 reach, get to, get at, touch,
affect, hit, strike: Her cruel words penetrated the darkest
recesses of my soul. 4 sink in, be absorbed, be understood,
register, come or get through, become clear, come across, be
realized, Colloq soak in, seep in: It took a while for it to
penetrate that she did not wish to see him again. 5 understand,
sense, become aware or conscious of, see (through), gain insight
(in)to, discern, uncover, discover, find (out), comprehend,
grasp, work out, unravel, fathom, perceive, Colloq get, figure

out, dig, Brit suss out: Will we ever penetrate all of nature's
secrets?

penetrating
adj. 1 incisive, trenchant, keen, searching, deep, acute,
sharp, perceptive, perspicuous, percipient, quick,
discriminating, intelligent, sensitive, clever, smart,
discerning: This is a penetrating analysis of the situation
which clarifies many of the issues. 2 piercing, shrill,
strident, ear-splitting, ear-shattering, pervasive; pungent,
harsh, biting, mordant, strong, stinging: I was awakened by a
penetrating scream. The penetrating odour of ammonia assailed my
nostrils.


penetration
n. 1 piercing, perforation, puncturing, incision, puncture,
penetrating; inroad, entry, entrance: Penetration of the skull
required great effort on the part of the surgeon. Tentatively we
attempted the penetration of the jungle. 2 insight, keenness,
perception, percipience, intelligence, perspicacity,
perspicuity, perspicaciousness, perceptiveness, acuteness,
incisiveness, sensitivity, sentience, understanding, acuteness,
discernment, discrimination, cleverness, shrewdness, wit,
quick-wittedness: We all admired the penetration that was shown
by the examiner in the questions she asked.

penitence n. penance, contrition, regret, repentance, regretfulness,
compunction, remorse, sorrow, sorrowfulness, ruefulness, grief,
sadness, shame, self-reproach: Brendan's penitence for his
former misdeeds was shown by his selfless devotion to good
causes.

penitent adj. contrite, regretful, repentant, remorseful, sorrowful,
sorry, rueful, grief-stricken, sad, shame-faced,
self-reproachful, apologetic, conscience-stricken: He said that
he was truly penitent for all the heinous crimes of his youth.

penmanship
n. calligraphy, hand, fine Italian or Italic hand, handwriting,
script, writing, longhand, chirography: One must admire the
penmanship of the medieval scribes.

pennant n. flag, banner, pennon, streamer, banderole, gonfalon, ensign,

colours, standard, labarum, Chiefly nautical jack, Nautical and
yachting burgee, Technical vexillum: We saw from her pennant
that she was a Spanish frigate.


pension n. 1 benefit, allowance, annuity, subsistence, superannuation,
allotment, old-age pension, US social security, Colloq golden
handshake: She finds that her pension is not enough to live on.

--v. 2 Usually, pension off. (cause to) retire, superannuate;
dismiss; Colloq shelve, put out to pasture: The company cut
back on staff by pensioning off everyone over 60.

pensioner n. retiree, veteran, senior citizen, Brit OAP (= 'old-age
pensioner'), US golden-ager, Colloq Brit wrinkly: The housing
units were specially designed for pensioners' needs.

pensive adj. thoughtful, meditative, musing, in a brown study,
cogitative, contemplative, reflective, preoccupied, ruminative,
wistful, day-dreaming, in a trance, in a reverie, brooding,
sober, serious, grave: I found the professor in a pensive mood,
staring out the window.

pent-up adj. restrained, constrained, repressed, stifled, bottled-up,
corked-up, held in, checked, held back, curbed, inhibited,
restricted: After weeks of frustration, he wanted to release
his pent-up emotions in a scream. They went jogging to try to
work off their pent-up energy.

penurious adj. 1 stingy, mean, penny-pinching, miserly, tight,
tight-fisted, close-fisted, cheese-paring, niggardly, cheap,
ungenerous, parsimonious, skinflinty, thrifty, begrudging,
grudging, Scrooge-like, Colloq near, Brit mingy, US chintzy:
Even today, he is so penurious that he gives his children an
allowance of only 50 pence a week. 2 poor, poverty-stricken,
destitute, impoverished, penniless, indigent, needy,
impecunious, necessitous, beggarly, bankrupt, Colloq (dead or
flat) broke, stony-broke, hard up: They lived in penurious
circumstances.


people n.pl. 1 persons, individuals, men and women, ladies and
gentlemen, males and females, living souls; mortals; bodies:
How many people can this aeroplane carry? 2 relations,
relatives, kin, kinsmen, kinsfolk or US and Canadian kinfolk,

family, kith and kin; ancestors, forebears: His people left
Russia in 1917. 3 masses, (general) public, hoi polloi,
consumers, multitude, populace, common people, common man,
commoners, subjects, citizenry, plebeians, grass roots,
proletariat, rank and file, the crowd, commonalty or
commonality, mobile vulgus, bourgeoisie; man or woman in the
street, Everyman, Everywoman, Mr or Mrs Average, Brit A. N.
Other, Joe Bloggs, man or woman on the Clapham omnibus, US John
Doe, Mary Doe, Richard Roe, John Q. Public; Colloq and often
derogatory proles, the rabble, ragtag and bobtail, silent
majority, common herd, Brit plebs, admass: Politicians unable
to communicate with the people are seldom elected.

--n.sing. 4 race, community, clan, tribe, folk, nation,
population, society: On the subject of religion, they were a
people divided. The anthropologists were studying the peoples
south of the Sahara.

--v. 5 populate, colonize, settle, occupy: The area was once
peopled with Berber tribesmen.

pep n. 1 vigour, vim (and vigour), spirit, animation, vivacity,
energy, verve, zest, fire, sprightliness, life, effervescence,
sparkle, ebullience, dash, enthusiasm, brio, ‚lan, Colloq zip,
zing: He certainly has a lot of pep for an octogenarian.

--v. 2 pep up. stimulate, invigorate, animate, enliven,
vitalize, vivify, energize, exhilarate, quicken, arouse, breathe
(some) life into, inspire, activate, actuate, fire, cheer up,
Colloq buck up, spark, work or fire up, US wind up: After those
defeats, the team needed to be pepped up.

pepper v. sprinkle, scatter, dot, speckle, fleck, spot, spray,
bespeckle, speckle, spatter, stipple, mottle: The letter was
peppered with ink-spots. Their speech was peppered with
swear-words.

perceive v. 1 see, make out, discern, catch sight of, glimpse, spot,
espy, apprehend, take in, notice, note, discover, descry,
observe, mark, remark, identify, distinguish, detect: I
perceived his hesitation when a solo flight was suggested. She
perceived a strange odour emanating from the cupboard. 2
appreciate, grasp, feel, sense, apprehend, understand, gather,

comprehend, deduce, infer, figure out, ascertain, determine,
conclude, decipher, Colloq dig, catch on: She perceived that he
was going to renege on his promise to take her to the Riviera. 3
Often, perceive of. regard, view, look on, consider,
contemplate, judge, deem, believe, think: Calthorpe perceives
of himself as a great actor, but he is dreadful. This gesture
is often perceived as threatening.

percentage
n. share, part, portion, proportion, interest, piece, Colloq
cut: We are to get a percentage of the profits in return for
our investment.

perceptible
adj. discernible, detectable, observable, perceivable,
noticeable, distinguishable, recognizable, apparent, evident,
notable, obvious, patent, manifest, palpable, plain, clear,
prominent, unmistakable or unmistakeable: There are perceptible
differences between your playing and Heifetz's.


perception
n. 1 appreciation, grasp, apprehension, understanding,
comprehension, knowledge, perspective, view: Mrs Hart's
perception of the situation is quite different from mine. 2
intuition, insight, instinct, feel, feeling, sense, impression,
awareness, idea, notion, consciousness, realization: Norton
hasn't the slightest perception of what is going on behind his
back at the office.


perceptive
adj. astute, alert, attentive, quick, alive, quick-witted,
intelligent, acute, sharp, sensitive, sensible, percipient,
discerning, observant, perspicacious; on the qui vive; Colloq on
the ball: No one was sufficiently perceptive to predict the
full extent of the recession. She is perhaps the most perceptive
journalist writing on French politics today.

perch n. 1 roost, rest, seat; spot, location, position, place, site,
vantage point, perspective: From his perch at the top of the
cliff, Martin had a clear view of the cave entrance.

--v. 2 roost, rest, sit, nest; place, put, set, situate,
locate, position, site: The owl was perched in the tree,

waiting for the vole to appear from its burrow.

percolate v. seep, steep, transfuse, leach, drip, drain, strain, filter,
pervade, infuse, ooze, transude, filtrate, trickle, permeate,
suffuse, penetrate: The earth is too hard for the rainwater to
percolate to the roots below. It slowly percolated through to me
that Clare had told the police where I was hiding.

perdition n. damnation, hell, hell-fire, doom, ruin, condemnation,
destruction, ruination, downfall: If what divines call lust be
punished with perdition, who is pure?

peremptory
adj. 1 commanding, imperative, compelling, obligatory,
mandatory, irrefutable, incontrovertible, decretal: After the
sound of marching came a peremptory knock at the door. 2
decisive, final, preclusive, arbitrary, categorical,
unequivocal, dogmatic, unconditional, unreserved, flat,
out-and-out, outright, unqualified, unmitigated: The juror was
subject to peremptory dismissal because he was the defendant's
cousin. 3 imperious, authoritative, tyrannical, despotic,
dictatorial, autocratic, emphatic, positive, firm, insistent,
Colloq bossy: How dare you take such a peremptory tone when
speaking to your father!


perennial adj. 1 durable, lasting, continuing, enduring, constant,
stable, lifelong, persistent, incessant, uninterrupted,
continual, continuous, chronic: Once we expected our rivers to
yield a perennial supply of fresh water. Bing Crosby has been a
perennial favourite since the 1930s. 2 permanent, unfailing,
never-failing, endless, unending, ceaseless, unceasing,
imperishable, undying, perpetual, everlasting, timeless,
eternal, immortal, Literary sempiternal: The artificial flowers
at her grave symbolize Ingrid's perennial youth.


perfect adj. 1 complete, absolute, finished, (fully) realized,
fulfilled, consummate, pure, entire, whole, perfected, best,
ideal: Many have called the building a perfect example of the
Palladian style. 2 sublime, ideal, superb, supreme, superlative,
best, flawless, faultless, pre-eminent, excellent, exquisite,
unexcelled, unrivalled, unequalled, unmatched, matchless,
incomparable, nonpareil, peerless, inimitable: At her throat
she wore the most perfect emerald I had ever seen. 3 blameless,

righteous, holy, faultless, flawless, spotless, immaculate:
Nobody's perfect. 4 fitting, appropriate, (just) right, apt,
suitable, correct, proper, made-to-order, best, Brit spot on:
Arthur would be perfect for the role of Quasimodo. 5 precise,
exact, accurate, correct, unerring, true, authentic, lifelike,
right on, excellent, superlative, superb, reliable, Brit spot
on: These copies are perfect replicas of the original. 6
utter, absolute, complete, mere, thorough, out-and-out,
through-and-through; 24-carat, categorical, unqualified,
unalloyed, unmitigated: We were perfect strangers at the time.
Once again, he's shown himself to be a perfect idiot. 7 expert,
proficient, accomplished, experienced, practised, skilful,
skilled, gifted, talented, adept, deft, adroit, polished,
professional, masterly, masterful: The admirable Crichton was
the perfect butler.

--v. 8 complete, finish, realize, fulfil, consummate,
accomplish, achieve, effect, execute, carry out or through,
bring (to perfection): The design of the bicycle was not to be
perfected for several years. 9 rectify, correct, emend, (put or
set) right, improve, refine, polish, cultivate, better,
ameliorate: Viniculture has been perfected in the Bordeaux
region of France.


perfection
n. 1 purity, flawlessness, faultlessness, sublimity,
superiority, excellence, pre-eminence, transcendence: Though we
strive for perfection, we never can achieve it. 2 completion,
completeness, achievement, fulfilment, realization,
consummation, accomplishment, attainment: The building doesn't
reach perfection till the last roof-tile is in place. 3 ideal,
paragon, model, archetype, pattern, mould, standard,
idealization, essence, quintessence, acme, pinnacle, summit:
Machiavelli probably achieved the perfection of political
cunning.

perfectionist
n. 1 purist, pedant, precisian, precisionist, stickler, Colloq
fusspot, US fuss-budget: The foreman is such a perfectionist
that there's no satisfying him.

--adj. 2 meticulous, precise, punctilious, scrupulous,
exacting, particular, demanding, fastidious, fussy; obsessive;

Colloq picky, nit-picking: She takes a perfectionist attitude
towards everything she does.

perfectly adv. 1 completely, purely, entirely, absolutely, utterly,
totally, wholly, consummately, thoroughly, quite, definitely,
positively, unambiguously, unequivocally, unmistakably or
unmistakeably, explicitly, truly, very, extremely,
extraordinarily, remarkably: Your instructions for finding the
house were perfectly clear. 2 superbly, superlatively,
flawlessly, faultlessly, impeccably, inimitably, incomparably,
sublimely, exquisitely, marvellously, admirably, wonderfully:
Sally plays that Chopin ‚tude perfectly. 3 exactly, precisely,
flawlessly, faultlessly, accurately, literally, line for line,
word for word, verbatim, letter for letter, to the letter,
literatim: He knows the entire Koran perfectly. 4 very, full,
quite, Dialect right, Brit jolly, Slang damned, bloody: You
know perfectly well that I hate cauliflower.

perfidious
adj. treacherous, deceitful, traitorous, treasonous,
treasonable, disloyal, faithless, false, unfaithful, untrue,
insidious, hypocritical, two-faced, Janus-faced, corrupt,
dishonest: His perfidious brother betrayed him to his enemies.


perfidy n. perfidiousness, treachery, deceit, traitorousness, treason,
disloyalty, faithlessness, falseness, falsity, unfaithfulness,
infidelity, insidiousness, hypocrisy, betrayal: The name of
Judas is a byword for perfidy.


perforate v. riddle, puncture, pierce, honeycomb, drill, bore, punch;
enter, penetrate, pass into: A perforated metal screen let
through a pattern of light. The bullet perforated his lung but
he survived.


perform v. 1 execute, complete, bring off or about, accomplish, effect,
carry out, discharge, dispatch, conduct, carry on, do, fulfil,
Colloq pull off, knock off, polish off; put up or shut up:
Postmen perform their duties despite hazards such as vicious
dogs. 2 do, act, behave, operate, function, run, work, go,
respond: How does your new car perform? 3 present, stage,
produce, put on, mount, do; act, depict, take, play, appear as:
The repertory group performs six shows weekly. He is performing
the role of Scrooge.


performance
n. 1 execution, completion, bringing off or about,
accomplishment, effectuation, carrying out, discharge, dispatch,
conduct, carrying-on, doing, fulfilment: The soldiers acquitted
themselves nobly in the performance of their duties. 2 show,
exhibition, exhibit, play, playing, engagement, act, appearance,
Colloq gig: She does three performances nightly at the Blue
Angel. 3 playing, acting, interpretation, presentation,
portrayal: His performance in the courtroom scene was
outstanding. 4 behaviour, conduct, deportment, demeanour: Her
performance in the pub last night was outrageous. 5 scene,
show, exhibition, display: The lad put on quite a performance
till threatened with punishment by the headmaster.


performer n. actor or actress, artiste, Thespian, trouper, player: They
received their training as performers in a repertory company.

perfume n. 1 essence, extract, parfum, eau-de-Cologne, toilet water,
scent, fragrance; aroma, odour, smell, bouquet, nose: What is
that wonderful perfume you're wearing? The perfume of the wine
wafted over to me.

--v. 2 scent: Orange blossoms perfumed the air.


perfunctory
adj. 1 routine, mechanical, automatic, robot-like, unthinking,
businesslike, unspontaneous, formal, dismissive, inattentive,
uninvolved, apathetic, indifferent, unconcerned, removed,
distant, d‚gag‚, offhand, heedless, uninterested, hasty,
hurried, superficial, cursory, fleeting, rushed: I don't care
for the perfunctory service in those fast-food restaurants. 2
careless, slipshod, slovenly, negligent, sketchy, spotty: The
bill, made out in a perfunctory fashion, was incorrect.


perhaps adv. maybe, possibly, it is possible that, conceivably, as the
case may be, it may be, Archaic or literary perchance,
peradventure, Archaic or dialect mayhap: Perhaps she'll be on
the next train.


peril n. danger, threat, risk, jeopardy, exposure, vulnerability,
susceptibility, uncertainty, insecurity: You enter there at
your peril. It was a time of peril for us all. The child's life

was in peril.

perilous adj. dangerous, risky, hazardous, vulnerable, susceptible,
uncertain, insecure, unsafe, unsure: Why undertake such a
perilous journey alone?

perimeter n. boundary, border, borderline, margin, periphery, limit(s),
bounds, ambit, circumference, edge, verge, fringe(s), Archaic or
literary bourn or bourne: The perimeter of the military base is
patrolled by sentry dogs.

period n. 1 interval, time, term, span, duration, spell, space,
stretch; while; Colloq chiefly Brit patch: During the period of
his absence, his children had grown up. I waited a short period,
then phoned again. We went through a bad period last year. 2
era, days, epoch, aeon, age, years: During the Old English
period, very little was written down. 3 full stop: Place
periods at the ends of sentences.


periodic adj. periodical, intermittent, regular, recurrent, repetitive,
iterative, cyclic(al), repeated; episodic, sporadic, occasional:
We called in the plumber because of the periodic hammering in
the pipes. The next periodic return of Halley's comet is
expected in 2061-62.


periodical
n. magazine, journal, paper, publication, newsletter, organ,
serial, weekly, fortnightly, semi-monthly, monthly, bi-monthly,
quarterly, semi-annual, annual, yearbook, almanac, Rare
hebdomadal or hebdomadary: Nicole's story will soon be
published in an important literary periodical.

peripheral
adj. 1 incidental, unimportant, minor, secondary, inessential
or unessential, non-essential, unnecessary, superficial,
tangential, irrelevant, beside the point: Let's ignore the
peripheral issues for the time being and concentrate on the
important ones. 2 circumferential, external, perimetric,
outside, outer: The peripheral measurement of the figure is
seven inches.

periphery n. 1 perimeter, circumference, border, edge, rim, brim, ambit,
boundary, bound, margin: Trees will be planted along the

periphery of the car park. 2 surface, edge, superficies: Your
analysis deals with the periphery, not the core, of the problem.

perish v. die, expire, lose (one's) life, be killed, be lost, meet
(one's) death, be destroyed: Three gnus perished in the fire at
the zoo.

perjury n. lying, mendacity, mendaciousness, forswearing,
prevarication, bearing false witness: The defendant was
acquitted and the prosecution witnesses charged with perjury.

perk n. See perquisite, below.

perk up v. cheer up, become jaunty, brighten, liven up, invigorate,
smarten up, quicken, (re)vitalize, pep up, revive, inspirit,
Colloq buck up: The old lady perks up when her grandchildren
come to visit. To perk up the party, Peter suggested we should
all play a game.


perky adj. lively, cheery, cheerful, jaunty, bouncy, bright,
invigorated, vigorous, vitalized, peppy, spirited, sprightly,
frisky, animated, vivacious, effervescent, bubbly, buoyant, gay,
Colloq bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, full of pep: Sue's been
quite perky since she started going with Trevor.


permanence
n. permanency, stability, durability, fixedness,
changelessness, lasting quality, longevity, endurance,
persistence, dependability, reliability, survival: The new
roofing material is being tested for permanence.

permanent adj. 1 everlasting, eternal, unending, endless, perpetual,
unceasing, constant, undying, imperishable, indestructible,
stable, abiding, long-lasting, lasting, enduring, perennial,
long-lived, durable: The satellite is in permanent orbit around
the earth. 2 unchanging, invariable, changeless, fixed,
unchangeable, immutable, unalterable, stable, persistent: This
stain is permanent and will not come out in the wash. Bonham is
a permanent member of the executive committee.


permanently
adv. forever, for good, once and for all, forevermore, always,
eternally, everlastingly; perpetually, constantly, incessantly,

non-stop, continuously, endlessly, ceaselessly, unendingly,
interminably: Is the boy permanently disabled? According to one
theory the universe will not continue to expand permanently.


permeate v. imbue, diffuse, penetrate, pervade, infiltrate, enter,
spread through(out), saturate, seep through(out), percolate
through, soak through: He felt the warmth permeate every limb.
Greed seemed to permeate every level of society.


permissible
adj. allowable, admissible, acceptable, allowed, permitted,
tolerable, legal, licit, lawful, legitimate, authorized, proper,
(all) right; pardonable, excusable, venial, Colloq OK or okay,
kosher, legit: Some things that are permissible are not
necessarily honourable.

permission
n. consent, assent, leave, acquiescence, sufferance, tolerance,
laxity, leniency or lenience, leave, licence, sanction,
acceptance, authorization, approval, approbation, countenance,
allowance, liberty, indulgence, sufferance; franchise,
enfranchisement: Have you permission to watch television? She
eats anything she likes with the doctor's permission.


permissive
adj. assenting, consenting, indulgent, lenient, latitudinarian,
acquiescent, lax, easygoing, liberal, tolerant,
non-constraining, non-restrictive, libertarian: Allison grew up
in the permissive society of the 1960s.


permit v. 1 Often, permit to. allow, agree (to), consent (to), give
permission or leave (to), authorize, sanction, license,
tolerate, countenance, suffer, brook, admit, grant, enable,
empower, franchise, enfranchise; let: He permitted me to use
his name as a reference. Do they permit smoking here?

--n. 2 licence, authority, authorization, franchise, warrant;
pass, passport, visa: Your parking permit expired last week.
Shirley has a permit to visit Tibet.


perpendicular
adj. 1 erect, upright, vertical, plumb, straight (up and down):
The plumb-line shows that the wall isn't perpendicular. 2

Often, perpendicular to. at right angles (to), at 90 degrees
(to): The two paths are perpendicular to one another.

perpetrate
v. commit, execute, perform, carry out or through, effect,
effectuate, accomplish, do, be responsible for, practise, Colloq
pull (off): Atrocities were perpetrated on both sides in the
war.


perpetual adj. 1 eternal, infinite, everlasting, never-ending, unending,
perennial, ageless, timeless, long-lived, permanent, unceasing,
lasting, enduring, unvarying, unchanging, immutable, invariable,
undeviating, Literary sempiternal: They declared their
perpetual love for each other. 2 constant, uninterrupted,
continuous, unfailing, incessant, persistent, unremitting,
unending, non-stop, endless, recurrent, continual, repetitive:
Why should we have to listen to the neighbours' perpetual
bickering?


perpetuate
v. continue, maintain, extend, keep (on or up), keep going,
preserve, memorialize, immortalize, eternalize: Thoughtless
jokes can perpetuate damaging stereotypes.


perpetuity
n. permanence, constancy, timelessness; eternity: The estate
was bequeathed to the townspeople in perpetuity.

perplex v. confuse, bewilder, puzzle, mystify, distract, baffle,
befuddle, confound, muddle, disconcert, stump, nonplus, stymie,
stupefy, stun, daze, dumbfound or dumfound, flabbergast, Colloq
bamboozle, hornswoggle, Chiefly US and Canadian discombobulate,
throw for a loop: The more I tried to understand bathymetric
semiotics, the more perplexed I became. Anne-Marie's reticence
perplexed us all.

perplexing
adj. confusing, bewildering, puzzling, mystifying, baffling,
confounding, disconcerting, stupefying, flabbergasting,
enigmatic, paradoxical, incomprehensible, unfathomable,
impenetrable, recondite, arcane, labyrinthine, complex,
complicated, Byzantine, intricate, involved, convoluted,
twisted, knotty, Gordian: The writing is filled with perplexing

references to the author's personal experiences, of which the
reader is told nothing.

perplexity
n. 1 confusion, bewilderment, bafflement, distress, doubt,
difficulty: My perplexity grew as he related his version of the
event. 2 intricacy, complexity, complicatedness, arcaneness,
reconditeness, impenetrability, impenetrableness, involvement,
unfathomability, obscurity, difficulty: The more deeply the
enigma was probed, the greater its perplexity. 3 puzzle,
enigma, mystery, dilemma, problem, paradox, catch-22, quandary,
predicament, bind: Because of the interlocking directorships of
the companies, we faced many perplexities in trying to sort out
what had happened to the funds.


perquisite
n. consideration, emolument, bonus, (fringe) benefit, extra,
bonus, dividend, gratuity, tip, douceur, baksheesh, token (of
appreciation), US lagniappe or lagnappe, Colloq perk: It was
traditional to provide each director with a company car as a
perquisite.

persecute v. 1 oppress, suppress, subjugate, maltreat, ill-treat, abuse,
outrage, molest, victimize, tyrannize, afflict, punish, martyr,
torment, torture: For years black people had been persecuted.
2 bother, annoy, pester, plague, hector, bully, badger, harry,
harass, irritate, worry, vex, trouble, worry, importune, hound:
Her lawyers continually persecuted him for non-payment of
alimony.


persecution
n. 1 oppression, suppression, subjugation, maltreatment,
ill-treatment, abuse, outrage, molestation, victimization,
tyranny, affliction, punishment, torment, torture: They
suffered persecution because of their difference of religion. 2
bother, annoyance, hectoring, bullying, badgering, harrying,
harassing, irritation, worry, vexation, trouble: The press is
often guilty of the persecution of famous people.


perseverance
n. persistence, steadfastness, determination, resolution,
resolve, decisiveness, decision, firmness, purposefulness,
pertinacity, staying power, stamina, sedulousness, assiduity,

grit, pluck, tirelessness, indefatigableness, indefatigability,
patience, endurance, diligence, devotion, tenacity, doggedness,
stubbornness, inflexibility, obstinacy, obstinateness,
obdurateness, Colloq guts, US stick-to-it-iveness: Perseverance
is essential for success in the theatre.

persevere v. Often, persevere in or with or at. persist, resolve, decide,
endure, continue, carry on or through, keep at or on or up, be
steadfast or staunch or constant, keep going, stand fast or
firm, see through, be or remain determined or resolved or
resolute or stalwart or purposeful or uncompromising, be
tenacious or persistent or constant or pertinacious or assiduous
or sedulous, be tireless or untiring or indefatigable, show
determination or pluck or grit, be plucky, be patient or
diligent or stubborn or inflexible or adamant or obstinate or
obdurate, show or exhibit or demonstrate patience or diligence
or stubbornness or inflexibility or obstinacy or obduracy,
remain dogged, pursue doggedly, be intransigent or intractable,
cling to, stick to, support, stop at nothing, sustain, Colloq
stick with, stick (it) out: We must persevere if we are to win.
I shall persevere in my loyalty.

persist v. 1 Often, persist in or at. persevere, be persistent, insist
(on), stand firm or fast, be steadfast or staunch, strive, toil,
labour, work (hard) (at): She persists in arguing her
innocence. Only those who persist will succeed. 2 remain,
continue, endure, carry on, keep up or on, last, linger, stay:
The bad weather persisted through the weekend.


persistence
n. perseverance, resolve, determination, resolution,
steadfastness, tenacity, constancy, assiduity, stamina,
tirelessness, indefatigability, indefatigableness, tirelessness,
pluck, grit, patience, diligence, pertinacity, doggedness,
stubbornness, obstinacy, obduracy: By sheer persistence he got
his own way.

persistent
adj. 1 persisting, persevering, tenacious, steadfast, firm,
fast, fixed, staunch, resolute, resolved, determined,
unfaltering, unswerving, undeviating, unflagging, tireless,
untiring, indefatigable, dogged, unwavering, stubborn,
obstinate, obdurate, inflexible, rigid: He was persistent in

his demands for justice. The inspector never gave up his
persistent pursuit of criminals. 2 continuing, constant,
continuous, continual, unending, interminable, unremitting,
unrelenting, perpetual, incessant, unceasing, non-stop: The
persistent rainy weather began to depress us. At last he gave in
to her persistent complaints and bought a washing machine.

person n. 1 individual, human (being), being, man or woman or child,
(living) soul; mortal: Not a single person knew the answer to
my question. 2 in person. physically, personally, bodily,
actually, myself or yourself or himself or herself or ourselves
or yourselves, or themselves, Colloq in the flesh: The
correspondent visited the battlefield in person to see for
himself the extent of the carnage. I know their records, but I
have never seen them in person.

persona n. face, front, fa‡ade, mask, guise, exterior, role, part,
character, identity, self: Her office persona is quite
different from the one she displays at home.


personage n. celebrity, luminary, VIP, name, notable, somebody,
personality, star, superstar, magnate, mogul, Colloq big-shot,
big wheel, hotshot, hot stuff, Brit big noise, Theatre US
headliner: My cousin is fast becoming a personage in the
financial world.

personal adj. 1 individual, physical, bodily, actual, live; in person,
in the flesh: The star is scheduled to make a personal
appearance on tonight's chat show. 2 intimate, exclusive,
private, special, particular: Would you do me a personal
favour? I hear they are having personal problems. 3 intimate,
close, dear, bosom, familiar, special: Wendy happens to be a
personal friend of ours. 4 intimate, individual; disparaging,
slighting, offensive, derogatory, critical, deprecating,
belittling, adverse, unfriendly, insulting: He should confine
his criticism to her acting and avoid personal remarks.

personality
n. 1 character, nature, temperament, disposition, make-up,
persona; identity, psyche: Miles has an extremely abrasive
personality that has upset many people. 2 celebrity, luminary,
star, superstar, name, headliner, somebody: Whom shall we get
as a personality to attract the crowds?


personalized
adj. monogrammed, initialled, individualized; signed: They
ordered personalized stationery with their new address on it.


personally
adv. 1 in person, alone, by oneself, on one's own, myself or
yourself or himself or herself or ourselves or yourselves or
themselves, Colloq in the flesh: She has not met them
personally, but we have. They will see to the matter personally.
2 in one's own view or opinion, for one's part, for oneself, as
far as one is concerned, from one's own viewpoint, from where
one stands, as one sees it or things, as for oneself:
Personally, I wasn't sure I would make it. 3 as an individual,
as a person, privately, in private: I like him personally but
would never have him as my dentist.

personify v. 1 embody, typify, exemplify, epitomize, be the embodiment
of, manifest, represent, stand for, symbolize, Archaic
impersonate, personate: In my view, he personifies everything
that is evil. 2 humanize, personalize: In literature,
personifying inanimate things in nature with human attributes is
called the pathetic fallacy.


perspective
n. 1 (point of) view, viewpoint, standpoint, prospect, vantage
point, position, angle, Colloq where one is coming from: I can
see that my view would be illogical from his perspective. 2
attitude, position, angle, approach, sentiment, outlook,
lookout: Management has a different perspective on what is good
for the company.

perspiration
n. sweat, dampness, wetness; sweating; Technical sudor;
diaphoresis: I could feel the perspiration stand out on my
forehead. They say that perspiration makes one cooler on a hot
day.

persuade v. 1 urge, induce, prevail upon, influence, exhort, importune,
dispose, incline, prompt, sway, press: The officer persuaded
him to surrender. 2 bring round, convince, win over, talk or
argue into, convert: We persuaded her to open the door. He was
persuaded to vote Labour.


persuasion
n. 1 inducement, inducing, influence, influencing, exhortation,
exhorting, persuading: At the bank's persuasion, the company
tightened up its cashflow management. She has extraordinary
powers of persuasion at her command. 2 opinion, belief, creed,
faith, set of beliefs, faith, religion, (religious) conviction;
sect, denomination, faction, school (of thought), affiliation:
Till he met Maggie, he had always been of the Baptist
persuasion.

persuasive
adj. convincing, telling, influential, effective, productive,
impressive, efficacious, cogent, weighty, compelling, forceful,
valid, winning, authoritative, dynamic: His most persuasive
argument for our leaving was that if we stayed we'd be shot.

pert adj. 1 forward, brash, brazen, cheeky, insolent, impertinent,
flippant, saucy, bold, presumptuous, impudent, disrespectful,
audacious, rude, impolite, uncivil, ill-mannered, unmannerly,
Archaic malapert, Colloq fresh, flip, out of line, brassy,
big-mouthed, wise-guy, Slang Brit smart-arsed, US smart-ass(ed),
wise-ass(ed): He's a clever child, but I don't like his pert
manner. 2 lively, jaunty, ebullient, vivacious, enthusiastic,
bouncy, sprightly, brisk, cheerful, jolly, bright, perky,
animated, nimble: She is usually quite pert in the morning,
becoming depressed as the day wears on.

pertain v. Often, pertain to. concern, refer to, regard, have reference
or relation (to), apply (to), relate (to), include, cover,
affect, appertain (to), be appropriate (to), be fitting (for),
befit, bear on, have bearing (on): The sign, 'Keep Off the
Grass', does not pertain to the people who mow the lawn, Morris.


pertinent adj. pertaining, appropriate, fitting, suitable, apt, relevant,
germane, apropos, apposite: Try to keep your comments pertinent
to the subject under discussion.

perturb v. upset, disturb, fluster, ruffle, unsettle, disconcert, make
uneasy, discomfit, vex, worry, agitate, shake up, alarm,
disquiet, confuse, discompose, unnerve, addle, disorganize: He
became quite perturbed when the police asked him to help with
their inquiries.


perusal n. reading, scrutiny, check, examination, study, inspection,
scanning, review: I saw nothing blasphemous in my perusal of
the text.


peruse v. read, study, scan, scrutinize, examine, inspect, review,
browse, run one's eye over: As Gregory was perusing the ancient
manuscript, a sudden draught blew out the candle.


pervasive adj. penetrating, pervading, omnipresent, general, inescapable,
prevalent, universal, widespread, ubiquitous, permeating,
permeative: A pervasive sense of doom in the castle made
everyone feel uneasy.


perverse adj. 1 wrong, wrong-headed, awry, contrary, wayward, incorrect,
irregular, unfair, improper, contradictory: It was most
perverse of you to change your mind after all the arrangements
had been made. 2 cantankerous, testy, curmudgeonly, churlish,
crusty, bad-tempered, petulant, captious, cross, cross-grained,
peevish, waspish, snappish, bilious, splenetic, fractious,
ill-tempered, quarrelsome, irascible, sullen, contentious,
touchy, obstreperous, crabby, crabbed, irritable, surly, Colloq
grouchy, Brit stroppy, US and Canadian cranky: With everything
going wrong, Catherine feels particularly perverse today. 3
stubborn, self-willed, wrong-headed, intractable, wilful,
obdurate, obstinate, pigheaded, adamant, inflexible, unbending,
refractory, unyielding: I refuse to give in to a perverse child
just because he has a tantrum.


perversion
n. 1 deviation, irregularity, misdirection, corruption,
subversion, distortion, twisting, falsification,
misrepresentation, diversion, sidetracking: The conduct of this
trial has been a perversion of the course of true justice. 2
unnatural act, deviation, deviance or deviancy, abnormality,
depravity, vice, aberration, debauchery, Colloq kinkiness, Brit
kink: Every kind of perversion flourished in ancient Rome.

pervert v. 1 deflect, divert, sidetrack, turn aside or away, subvert,
misdirect, distort, twist, abuse, falsify, misapply,
misconstrue, misrepresent, corrupt: By withholding evidence,
you have perverted the course of justice. 2 seduce, lead
astray, debauch, degrade, corrupt, demoralize, subvert: He was

accused of perverting young girls. 3 deviant, degenerate,
debauchee, US deviate, Colloq weirdo: I worry about your being
out late, when there are so many perverts about.


perverted adj. deviant, deviate, abnormal, amoral, unmoral, immoral, bad,
depraved, unnatural, warped, twisted, profligate, dissolute,
delinquent, degenerate, evil, wicked, malign, malicious,
malefic, malevolent, evil-minded, sinful, iniquitous, base,
foul, corrupt, unprincipled: Members of the Hell-Fire Club
yielded themselves up to the most perverted, abandoned
behaviour.

pessimistic
n. gloomy, negative, despairing, hopeless, inauspicious,
depressed, despondent, dejected, melancholy, downhearted,
heavy-hearted, defeatist, glum, sad, blue, unhappy, cheerless,
joyless, cynical, bleak, forlorn: The bears in the Stock
Exchange take a pessimistic view of share prices.


pest n. nuisance, annoyance, nag, irritant, bother, gadfly, bane,
trial, heckler, vexation, curse, thorn in one's flesh, Colloq
pain (in the neck), Slang US (Yiddish) nudge or noodge or nudzh,
nudnik, Taboo slang pain in the Brit arse or US ass: That man
is such a pest, I wish he'd leave me alone.


pester v. annoy, nag, irritate, irk, bother, get at or to, badger,
plague, vex, fret, hector, harass, harry, heckle, nettle, chafe,
peeve, pique, provoke, exasperate, bedevil, get or grate on
(someone's) nerves, get under (someone's) skin, get in
(someone's) hair, try (someone's patience), torment, persecute,
Brit chivvy, Colloq drive (someone) up the wall, needle, give
(someone) the needle, hassle, ride, give (someone) a hard or bad
time, bug: Please stop pestering me about going to the football
game.


pestilence
n. 1 plague, epidemic, pandemic, Black Death, Rare pest: The
pestilence raged throughout all Europe, killing 50 million
people. 2 scourge, blight, curse, cancer, canker, bane,
affliction: How are we to overcome the pestilence of greed?

petฐ n. 1 darling, favourite, idol, apple of (one's) eye, Colloq
Brit blue-eyed boy, US fair-haired boy: You know that you were

always Father's pet.

--adj. 2 tame, trained, domesticated: Doesn't the landlord
take a dim view of your keeping a pet alligator in the bath? 3
favourite, favoured, preferred, cherished, special, particular;
indulged, prized, treasured, precious, dearest, adored, darling:
Building the summer-house was Desmond's pet project. Elizabeth's
pet pupil is Anne.


--v. 4 caress, fondle, stroke, pat; cuddle, nuzzle, nestle,
snuggle, Colloq neck, smooch or Australian and New Zealand also
smoodge or smooge, Chiefly US and Canadian make out: Small
children need to be petted a lot. Two teenagers were petting in
the back seat of the car. 5 humour, pamper, favour, baby,
coddle, cosset, mollycoddle, cocker, spoil, indulge, dote on:
His mother pets him far too much.

pet n. (bad or ill) temper, pique, sulk, (bad) mood, fume, Colloq
Brit paddy or paddywhack or paddywack: He's in a terrible pet
because they forgot to cancel the milk when they went on
holiday.

peter out v. diminish, evaporate, wane, come to nothing or naught or US
also nought, die out, disappear, fail, fade (out or away),
dwindle (into nothing), run out, give out, flag, melt away: The
path petered out after a mile or so and they realized that they
had lost their bearings.

petite adj. delicate, dainty, mignon(ne), diminutive, small, little,
slight, tiny, small-boned, Colloq Brit dinky: It was
incongruous to see the basketball player with a petite blonde.

petition n. 1 request, application, solicitation, suit, entreaty,
supplication, plea, appeal: An anti-pollution petition, signed
by thousands of people, was delivered to the Department of the
Environment.

--v. 2 request, ask, apply to, apply for, solicit, sue, call
upon, entreat, supplicate, plead, appeal (to), appeal (for),
beseech, implore, importune, Rare obsecrate: The shopkeepers
petitioned the council for better police protection.

petrified adj. 1 horrified, horror-stricken, terrified, terror-stricken,

panic-stricken, frightened, afraid, paralysed, numbed, benumbed,
frozen: The maiden stood petrified as the dragon, breathing
fire, approached. 2 shocked, speechless, dumbfounded or
dumfounded, dumbstruck, stunned, thunderstruck, astonished,
astounded, confounded, stupefied, appalled, aghast, Colloq
flabbergasted: The firemen rescued three petrified children who
were huddled in a corner. 3 ossified, fossilized: These were
not stones but the petrified remains of ancient trees.


petrify v. 1 frighten, scare, horrify, terrify, paralyse, numb, benumb:
I was petrified by the noise of the explosion. 2 shock,
dumbfound or dumfound, stun, astonish, astound, amaze, confound,
disconcert, stupefy, appal, Colloq flabbergast: The sight of so
much destruction petrified even hardened reporters. 3 ossify,
fossilize, turn to stone: Over thousands of years the desert
conditions petrify the wood.

petty adj. 1 insignificant, trivial, paltry, minor, inferior,
niggling, trifling, negligible, puny, inessential,
non-essential, inconsequential, unimportant, slight, nugatory,
of no account, US dinky, Colloq piddling, measly, no great
shakes, no big deal, small-time, Brit twopenny-halfpenny or
tuppenny-halfpenny, US and Canadian picayune: He has been
convicted only of petty crimes. 2 miserly, mean, mingy, stingy,
cheese-paring, grudging, small-minded, cheap, niggardly,
parsimonious, tight, tight-fisted, close, close-fisted: It was
very petty of you to refuse the beggar a few pence.

petulant adj. peevish, pettish, impatient, ill-humoured, testy, waspish,
irascible, choleric, cross, captious, ill-tempered,
bad-tempered, splenetic, moody, sour, bilious, crabby, crabbed,
irritable, huffish, huffy, perverse, snappish, crotchety,
cantankerous, curmudgeonly, grouchy, grumpy: With a petulant
gesture she hurled the rose away.


16.3 phantom...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



phantom n. 1 apparition, spectre, ghost, spirit, phantasm, shade,
wraith, revenant, vision, Formal eidolon, phantasma, Colloq
spook: The so-called phantom of the opera turned out to be a
real person. 2 figment (of the imagination), illusion,

delusion, chimera or chimaera, hallucination, fancy, mirage:
She was a phantom of delight When first she gleamed upon my
sight.


Pharisaic adj. Pharisaical, hypocritical, insincere, self-righteous,
pretentious, holier-than-thou, sanctimonious, pietistic(al),
formalistic, canting, unctuous, oily, slimy, Literary
Tartuffian, Pecksniffian, Colloq goody-goody , Chiefly Brit
smarmy: I cannot tolerate his Pharisaic preaching.


Pharisee n. hypocrite, pretender, dissembler, humbug, fraud, whited
sepulchre, pietist, formalist, canter, Literary Tartuffe,
Pecksniff, Colloq phoney or US also phony: She is such a
Pharisee with her pious little anecdotes.


pharmacist
n. pharmacologist, Rather old-fashioned or formal apothecary,
Brit (pharmaceutical) chemist, US and Canadian druggist, Formal
posologist, Colloq pill pusher, US pill roller: The pharmacist
said that those pills have bad side-effects.

pharmacy n. 1 dispensary, Rather formal or old-fashioned apothecary,
Brit chemist's (shop), US and Canadian drugstore, druggist's:
Stop off at the pharmacy and get me something for this headache,
please. 2 pharmaceutics, pharmacopoeia: Research has vastly
expanded modern pharmacy.

phase n. 1 stage, period, development, step: The boy is just going
through a phase. 2 time, moment, juncture, occasion: At this
phase of the discussion, I should like to introduce a new
subject. 3 state, form, shape, configuration, aspect,
appearance, look, condition, status: Here is a diagram of the
phases of the moon at various points in its orbit. 4 facet,
side, angle, viewpoint, point of view, Colloq slant: Only one
phase of the argument has so far been presented.

--v. 5 phase in. (gradually) introduce, usher in, work in,
inject, insert, insinuate, include, incorporate: The new work
schedules will be phased in over the next month. 6 phase out.
ease out or off, taper off, wind up, put a stop to, (gradually)
eliminate, remove, withdraw, discontinue, end: The use of
non-biodegradable and non-recyclable packaging is being phased
out.


phenomenal
adj. outstanding, remarkable, exceptional, extraordinary,
unusual, freakish, rare, uncommon, singular, unorthodox,
unprecedented, unheard-of, unparalleled, unbelievable,
incredible, marvellous, wonderful, amazing, astonishing,
astounding, staggering, stunning, prodigious, miraculous,
fantastic, Colloq mind-boggling, mind-blowing,: She made a
phenomenal recovery and can walk again.


phenomenon
n. 1 event, happening, occurrence, incident, occasion,
experience, fact: Everyone knows the phenomenon of the souring
of milk. 2 wonder, curiosity, spectacle, sight, sensation,
marvel, rarity, exception, miracle, Slang stunner: An
eight-year-old chess champion is truly a phenomenon, even in
Russia.

philanderer
n. flirt, gallant, rou‚, rake, Casanova, Lothario, Don Juan,
Romeo, lover, playboy, gay dog, Colloq lady-killer, womanizer,
Old-fashioned wolf, Slang stud: In his memoirs it emerged what
a philanderer he had been, often dallying with six women at
once.


philanthropic
adj. charitable, eleemosynary, generous, magnanimous,
munificent, benevolent, open-handed, ungrudging, unstinting,
beneficent, humanitarian, altruistic, humane: Finlay was always
philanthropic, and spent much of his fortune on worthy causes.

philanthropist
n. contributor, donor, benefactor or benefactress, patron or
patroness, sponsor, Maecenas, Good Samaritan, humanitarian,
altruist: Some anonymous philanthropist provided the funds for
the new school swimming-pool.

philanthropy
n. 1 generosity, benevolence, charity, patronage, magnanimity,
charitableness, public-spiritedness, big-heartedness,
thoughtfulness, alms-giving, kind-heartedness, beneficence,
benignity, liberality, open-handedness: Carnegie's philanthropy
was focused on libraries and education. 2 donation,

contribution, largesse, aid, grant, assistance, help: Mrs
Ander's recent philanthropy allows us to offer six new
scholarships.


philistine
n. 1 boor, barbarian, yahoo, lowbrow, Boeotian, vulgarian,
ignoramus, bourgeois, US Babbitt: Charlotte never could abide
the philistines who put love of money above love of culture.


--adj. 2 uncultured, uncultivated, tasteless, commonplace,
unenlightened, unrefined, unread, unlettered, uneducated,
untutored, unlearned, narrow-minded, anti-intellectual, boorish,
lowbrow, dull, prosaic, boring, bourgeois, crass, commercial,
materialistic: The television companies were accused of
pandering to the basest appetites of the philistine viewer.

philosophical
adj. 1 philosophic, abstract, esoteric, learned, scholarly,
erudite, theoretical, rational, logical, impractical: The
person who is out of a job cares nothing about philosophical
reasons for unemployment. 2 detached, unconcerned, unemotional,
unimpassioned, composed, thoughtful, reflective, meditative,
cogitative, contemplative, judicious, sober, level-headed,
realistic, practical, pragmatic(al), down-to-earth, cool, calm,
serene, placid, stoical, patient, unruffled, cool-headed,
tranquil, unperturbed, even-tempered, temperate, moderate,
equable, equanimous, imperturbable: Over the years, Evelyn had
learned to take a philosophical attitude towards her husband's
shortcomings.


philosophy
n. 1 metaphysics, epistemology, logic, natural or moral or
metaphysical philosophy, rationalism, thinking, aesthetics: He
views philosophy as the attempt to describe and codify universal
truths. 2 viewpoint, (point of) view, outlook, opinion,
attitude, feeling, sentiment, idea, notion, ideology, (set of)
beliefs or values, tenets, Weltanschauung, world-view: Harold's
philosophy of life is 'Live and let live'. 3 stoicism,
sang-froid, control, self-control, restraint, coolness,
composure, calmness, serenity, placidity, cool-headedness,
equanimity, thoughtfulness, imperturbability, self-possession,
aplomb, dispassion, patience, resignation: You may be sure that
Paul allows nothing to disturb his philosophy.


phlegmatic
adj. 1 phlegmatical, stoic(al), unemotional, unenthusiastic,
unanimated, sluggish, apathetic, uninvolved, lethargic,
unfeeling, uncaring, cold, unresponsive, stolid, unmoved,
insensitive, unaffected, insensible, indifferent, unconcerned,
uninterested, listless, torpid, indolent, inactive, passive,
Rare hebetudinous: Hutton is far too phlegmatic to be stirred
by the fervour of the revolutionaries. 2 phlegmatical,
self-possessed, self-controlled, controlled, restrained,
composed, calm, serene, tranquil, placid, cool-headed,
equanimous, cool, undisturbed, unperturbed, unruffled,
imperturbable, even-tempered, philosophical, temperate,
moderate: One has to learn to be phlegmatic about things going
wrong at the office.

phobia n. fear, horror, terror, dread, hatred, detestation,
abhorrence, loathing, execration, aversion, revulsion,
repugnance, dislike, distaste, antipathy; disquiet, nervousness,
qualm, distrust, suspicion, apprehension, worry: He suffers
from claustrophobia, which means that he has a phobia for
enclosed places, and he avoids lifts and telephone booths.

phoney adj. 1 unreal, fake, synthetic, artificial, factitious, false,
fraudulent, imitation, bogus, spurious, counterfeit, mock,
ersatz, paste, trumped up; sham, pretended, insincere,
hypocritical, dissimulating, deceitful, dishonest; US also
phony, Colloq pseudo or Brit pseud: They were caught trying to
collect insurance on the theft of a string of phoney pearls.
Every time she wanted something, she'd turn on the phoney charm.

--n. 2 fake, fraud, imitation, counterfeit, forgery, hoax,
sham, US also phony: The diamond she's wearing is a phoney. 3
trickster, faker, humbug, impostor, pretender, charlatan,
mountebank, double-dealer, counterfeiter, quack, deceiver, US
also phony, Colloq Brit pseud, Slang US paper-hanger: Madame
Tatiana claims to be able to communicate with the dead, but I
think she's a phoney.


photograph
n. 1 snapshot, print, picture, slide, transparency; negative,
positive, Colloq photo, snap, shot, pic (pl. pix): Heinrich has
taken some marvellous photographs of the children.


--v. 2 take a picture (of), shoot, film, take, Colloq snap: He
photographed Jennifer holding her kitten.


photographer
n. lensman, lenswoman, cameraman, camerawoman, cinematographer,
paparazzo (pl., paparazzi), Old-fashioned photographist: The
photographers clustered round the prime minister.


photographic
adj. 1 vivid, natural, realistic, graphic, accurate, exact,
precise, faithful, detailed, lifelike, true to life: Many such
neo-realist paintings are virtually photographic. 2 cinematic,
filmic, pictorial: Uncannily, a photographic image appeared on
the Shroud under certain light.

phrase n. 1 clause, noun phrase, verb phrase, prepositional phrase,
adverbial phrase, adjectival phrase: When asked for an example
of a verb phrase, the student responded, 'Shut up'. 2
expression, word-group, collocation, locution, idiom, idiomatic
expression, collocution, proverb, motto, slogan, saying,
catch-phrase, adage, maxim, axiom, saw, colloquialism, clich‚,
platitude, commonplace, Colloq chestnut: Do you know the source
of Churchill's famous phrase, 'Blood, sweat, and tears'? 3
phraseology, phrasing, wording, language, usage, way or manner
of speaking, diction, parlance, fa‡on de parler, modus loquendi,
modus scribendi, speech habit, style, choice of words, word
choice, syntax, vocabulary: He was to 'let slip', to use
Shakespeare's phrase, 'the dogs of war'.


--v. 4 express, term, word, put, frame, formulate, couch, put
into words, put or set forth, verbalize, articulate, voice,
utter, say, write; describe, delineate: I am pondering over the
best way to phrase this example.


physical adj. bodily, corporeal, corporal, fleshly, incarnate, carnal,
mortal, earthly, natural, somatic; material, tangible, palpable,
real, actual, true, concrete, manifest, solid: Curtis doesn't
have the physical strength to lift that weight. As a chemist,
James deals with the physical, not the spiritual universe.

physician n. doctor, medical doctor, M.D., doctor of medicine, medical
practitioner, general practitioner, G.P., medical man or woman,

specialist, diplomate, Brit navy surgeon, Colloq doc, medico,
medic, US man, Slang sawbones, bones: You ought to see a
physician if the pain persists.


physique n. build, figure, body, frame, shape, bodily structure, form,
Slang chassis, US bod, built: She has the physique of an Amazon
but the disposition of a lamb.

16.4 pick...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



pick v. 1 Often, pick out. select, choose, cull, sort out,
hand-pick, single out, opt for, fix or decide upon or on, elect,
settle upon or on, screen (out), sift (out): Melanie was picked
to succeed Hubert as president. 2 pluck, gather, collect,
harvest, bring or take in, garner: Scores of extra workers were
brought in to pick apples. 3 provoke, foment, incite, start,
initiate, work or stir up: He tried to pick an argument with me
about who is taller. 4 pick at. a criticize, carp at, find
fault with, cavil (at or about), quibble (at or about), pick on,
nag (at), niggle (at), harass, pester, annoy, irritate, bother:
Stop picking at your brother! b nibble (at), peck at: We can't
get him to eat a thing, he just picks at his food. 5 pick off.
shoot (down), kill: We picked them off one by one as they
emerged from the trench. 6 pick on. bully, ride, intimidate,
abuse, browbeat, badger, harry, hector, harass, tease, taunt,
needle, torment: Robert must learn not to pick on the smaller
boys. 7 pick out. a See 1, above. b discern, distinguish,
tell apart, make out, recognize, separate, discriminate: I was
able to pick out a distant rider, approaching swiftly. From
amongst the forest sounds she picked out the song of the
nightingale. 8 pick up. a raise (up), lift (up), heft, hoist,
take up: The stone is too heavy to pick up. Please pick up that
piece of paper. b gather, collect, glean, take up: I wish you
would pick up your clothes. c tidy (up), neaten, straighten up
or out, clean (up): She refuses to continue to pick up after
him. d acquire, learn, become acquainted with; master; Colloq
get the hang of: We picked up a little Spanish on our holiday.
e acquire, find, come by, get hold of, obtain; buy, purchase,
get: Basil picked up a few bad habits in the army. Let's pick
up a bottle of wine on the way. f improve, get better, gain,
make headway, recover, perk up, rally, recoup, (make) progress,

move ahead, increase, Colloq make a comeback: Business usually
picks up before Christmas. g accelerate, speed up: The pace
picked up as they approached the finish line. h arrest,
apprehend, take into custody, Colloq pinch, collar, nab, bust,
run in, pull in, Brit nick: Two men were picked up trying to
break into the bank. i call for, give a lift or ride to,
collect, go for or US also after, go to get: I'll pick you up
at the railway station at noon. j meet, introduce oneself to,
strike up an acquaintance with, accost, make advances to: I
think she picked him up in a wine bar. k catch, come down with,
contract, get: He picked up a mystery virus in the Tropics.

--n. 9 selection, choice, option, preference: She could have
had the pick of any man in the place. Take your pick. 10
choicest, best, crŠme de la crŠme, cream: The early shoppers
had already taken the pick of the crop.

picket n. 1 stake, pale, post, peg, stanchion, upright, vertical,
palisade, paling: The walls of the fort were of strong pickets
tapered to a point at the top. 2 demonstrator, protester,
striker: The police prevented the pickets from attacking
workers who entered the factory. 3 picquet, sentinel, watchman,
guard, observer, patrol, vedette or vidette or vedette boat:
The picket reported no unusual activity.


--v. 4 enclose, shut in, wall in, fence (in), hem in, box in:
We picketed the camp for the night. 5 protest, demonstrate,
blockade: Strikers picketed the factory 24 hours a day.


picnic n. 1 garden party, fˆte champˆtre, meal alfresco, barbecue, US
clam-bake, US and Canadian cookout: The clouds had gone, and it
was a great day for a picnic. 2 child's play, Colloq pushover,
snap, cinch, piece of cake, walk-over, US and Canadian breeze,
lead-pipe cinch: Sailing home with a quartering wind - it was a
picnic all the way. 3 no picnic. difficult, arduous, torture,
torturous, agony, agonizing, painful, disagreeable,
discomfiting, misfortune, Colloq tough, tough luck, tough going,
rough, a pain in the neck, US tough sledding, Taboo slang pain
in the Brit arse or US ass: Being marooned on a desert island
for a month was no picnic, I assure you.

pictorial adj. 1 graphic, picturesque, vivid, telling, striking,
expressive, plain, explicit, clear, lucid: Many of the poet's

images are amazingly pictorial. 2 illustrated: They published
a pictorial history of biblical lands just for children.

picture n. 1 drawing, painting, representation, portrait, depiction,
artwork, illustration, sketch, photograph: Here is a picture of
our cottage in the Cotswolds. 2 image, (perfect or exact)
likeness, (carbon) copy, double, duplicate, twin, (exact)
replica, look-alike, facsimile, Colloq spitting image or spit
and image, Slang (dead) ringer: Isn't she just the picture of
her mother? 3 impression, idea, notion, understanding, image:
I think I have a pretty good picture of the situation. 4 model,
prototype, epitome, essence, embodiment, incarnation,
personification, perfect example: From her autobiography, you
might believe her to be the picture of sweet innocence. 5 put
(someone) in or into the picture. inform or advise fully, Colloq
fill (someone) in: Put me into the picture about what went on
here last night.

--v. 6 envision, envisage, visualize, imagine, fancy, conceive
of, see in the mind's eye: Picture yourself lying on a beach in
the Bahamas. 7 depict, draw, portray, paint, represent, show,
illustrate, display: In this fresco, Salome is pictured dancing
before Herod Antipas.


picturesque
adj. 1 colourful, interesting, intriguing, unusual, unique,
original, charming, idyllic, fetching, attractive, pretty,
lovely, quaint, delightful, pleasing, scenic: We came upon a
picturesque village in which all the houses were half-timbered
Tudor style with thatched roofs. 2 colourful, graphic,
realistic, vivid, striking: Bernard has written a picturesque
account of a walking trip through Bavaria.

piece n. 1 bit, morsel, scrap, chunk, hunk, sliver, lump, portion,
particle, fragment, shred, shard or sherd, remnant, quantity:
All the beggar wanted was a piece of bread. A piece of shrapnel
is still embedded in my arm. 2 wedge, slice, serving, helping,
portion: You may not have a piece of pie till you've eaten your
vegetables. 3 share, portion, fraction, part, division,
segment, section, interest, holding, percentage, proportion: It
turned out that a piece of the company had been sold without
shareholders' approval. 4 (short) story, article, essay, report,
theme, draft; poem; music, opus, (musical) number, composition,

arrangement, tune, melody, song, air, jingle, ditty; production,
play, drama, sketch, show: I read that piece about cholesterol
in yesterday's paper. He wrote a piece for the flute. Which
piece by Strindberg will you put on next? 5 man, token,
chessman, chess-piece, chequer, Brit draughtsman: Once you have
touched a piece you must move it. 6 go to pieces. fall apart,
disintegrate, crumble, shatter; be shattered, be upset, be
disturbed, have a nervous breakdown, go out of or lose control,
break down, Colloq crack up: Another earthquake and this wall
will go to pieces. At the news of his son's death, Joe simply
went to pieces. 7 in pieces. smashed, destroyed, ruined,
shattered, broken, in smithereens, smashed: The vase lay in
pieces at my feet. Though I had won the case, my life was in
pieces. 8 of a piece (with). similar, similarly constituted,
alike, of the same sort or kind or type, uniform, the same, part
and parcel (of the same thing), identical; in harmony, in
agreement, harmonious, in keeping: This book is of a piece with
the others in the same series. All his paintings are of a piece.
9 piece of cake. Colloq snap, cinch, US and Canadian lead-pipe
cinch, breeze: The French exam was a piece of cake. 10 piece
of (one's) mind. Colloq scolding, rebuke, lecture, reprimand,
tongue-lashing, chiding, rap over or on the knuckles, Colloq
hell, what for, dressing-down, US bawling-out, chewing-out: She
gave him a piece of her mind about the amount of time he spent
in the pub. 11 piece of the action. share, portion, interest,
stake, percentage, holding, quota: For œ1000 you can have a
piece of the action. 12 speak (one's) piece. have (one's) say,
express (one's) opinion, say what is on (one's) mind; vent
(one's) spleen, Colloq get a load off (one's) mind or chest:
All were given a chance to speak their piece.

--v. 13 piece together. assemble, put together, connect,
gather, compose; fix, unite, restore, mend: We pieced together
what happened from the witnesses' accounts. You'll never be
able to piece together the bits of that lamp.

piŠce de r‚sistance
n. highlight, (special or main) feature or attraction,
sp‚cialit‚ (de la maison), masterpiece, chef-d'oeuvre, Brit
speciality, US specialty: The piŠce de r‚sistance of the meal
was a magnificent gateau.

piecemeal adv. 1 piece by piece, little by little, inch by inch, bit by

bit, inchmeal, gradually, by degrees, slowly, in bits and
pieces, by fits and starts, fitfully, intermittently,
sporadically, disjointedly: The ministry insisted that the
plans should remain as one package and not be introduced
piecemeal over the next two years. 2 into fragments or shreds or
pieces: He angrily took the cheque and tore it up piecemeal.

--adj. 3 fragmentary, bit by bit, inchmeal, gradual,
disjointed, sporadic: The South-east could become one huge
traffic jam unless the Government drops its piecemeal approach
to planning.

pier n. 1 wharf, landing (stage or place), jetty, quay, floating
dock, Technically inaccurate dock: The ship is tied up at the
pier. 2 pile, piling, post, upright, column, support, buttress:
Owing to lack of maintenance, the piers supporting the building
have crumbled.

pierce v. 1 stab, puncture, penetrate, thrust or poke into, lance,
spear, spit, run through or into, skewer, impale, fix, transfix:
The arrow pierced his heart and he dropped down dead. 2 bore
into or through, penetrate, drill, perforate, riddle, punch
through, hole, tunnel into: The wall is pierced to provide
ventilation. 3 penetrate, fathom, see, understand, comprehend,,
grasp, discover, realize: His keen analytical mind allowed him
to pierce the mysteries of nature. 4 affect (keenly), touch,
move, melt, stir, rouse, pain, cut to the quick, wound, strike:
It pierced my heart to hear the child weep.


piercing adj. 1 strident, shrill, harsh, ear-splitting, ear-shattering,
high-pitched, screaming, shrieking, screeching, loud, blaring:
The piercing sound of the police siren made me sit bolt-upright
in bed. 2 probing, searching, penetrating, sharp, keen;
arresting, gripping, spellbinding, enthralling, fascinating,
entrancing: I was completely transfixed by her piercing green
eyes. 3 penetrating, icy, frosty, frigid, chilling, freezing,
cold, numbing, keen, wintry, arctic, raw, bitter, fierce,
biting, nipping, nippy: Shivering in that piercing wind I
thought I'd never be warm again. 4 stabbing, shooting,
excruciating, exquisite, acute, sharp, severe, agonizing,
fierce, intense, painful, racking: I suddenly felt a piercing
pain in my left ear.

piety n. 1 devotion, devotedness, respect, deference, dedication,
dutifulness, loyalty, affection: In filial piety he hung the
painting of his parents prominently over the mantelpiece. 2
piousness, reverence, veneration, devoutness, holiness,
godliness, pietism, devotedness, devotion, observance,
religiousness, grace, sanctity: His life of piety had marked
him out as a likely candidate for sainthood.

pileฐ n. 1 heap, mound, stack, accumulation, stockpile, mass, supply,
deposit, collection, assemblage, batch, hoard, aggregation,
congeries, conglomeration, assortment, agglomeration,
concentration, amassment: A huge pile of gravel was delivered
today for the builders. 2 money, fortune, wealth, holdings,
Colloq bundle, loot, mint, Slang packet, tidy sum, US bankroll,
roll, wad: She made her pile selling arms to terrorists. 3
Usually, piles. abundance, over-abundance, superabundance,
plenty, great deal, quantity, ocean(s), lot(s), stack(s),
plethora, Colloq oodles, ton(s), bag(s), heap(s), bundle(s): He
made piles of money in the black market. 4 See pier, 2, above.


--v. 5 Often, pile up. stack (up), heap (up), mound,
accumulate, stockpile, amass, collect, assemble, hoard,
aggregate, cumulate: Please pile the cartons in the corner. 6
pile in or into. enter, get in or into, crowd in or into, pack
in or into, flood in or into, jam in or into, crush in or into,
Colloq jump in or into: All of us piled into my car to go to
the cinema. 7 pile it on. exaggerate: Ronnie was really piling
it on about how much his new job pays. 8 pile on or onto. a
get in or into or on or onto, crowd on or onto, jump on or onto:
We piled on the train after the game. They piled onto the hay
wagon for a ride home. b attack, assault, jump on, overwhelm:
They all piled on me and I had to give up. 9 pile out. leave,
get out (of) or down (from), exit: When we arrived, we all
piled out of the bus. Hordes of people piled out of the theatre.
10 pile up. accumulate, amass, collect: The rubbish kept piling
up during the strike.

pile n. nap, shag, plush; fuzz, bristles, fleece: The feet of the
chairs have left marks in the carpet pile.


piles n.pl. haemorrhoids.

pile-up n. 1 (road) accident, smash, crash, (multiple) (rear-end)

collision, Colloq smash-up: Thirty cars were involved in that
pile-up on the motorway. 2 accumulation, heap, stack, mass,
Colloq mountain: How will you ever get through that pile-up of
work on your desk?


pilfer v. steal, rob, plunder, thieve, filch, embezzle,
misappropriate, purloin, take, walk off with, palm, Colloq
appropriate, pinch, snatch, grab, lift, borrow, Brit nick,
snaffle, US boost, Slang hook, snitch, swipe, rip off: The
auditors found that he had pilfered small sums from the company
for years.

pilgrim n. hajji or hadji or haji, Medieval history palmer; crusader:
The pilgrims visited holy places in and near Jerusalem.


pilgrimage
n. hajj or hadj, holy expedition, crusade; expedition, journey,
trek, voyage, tour, trip, excursion: Every year the entire
family made a pilgrimage to grandfather's grave.


pill n. 1 tablet, capsule, bolus, pellet, pilule; medicine,
medication, medicament, drug, pharmaceutical, remedy, cure;
cough drop, pastille, lozenge, troche: Doctor, can't you give
me some kind of pill for this headache? 2 nuisance, bore, pest,
Colloq pain (in the neck), crank, drag: I don't understand what
she sees in Leonard - he's such a pill.

pillage v. 1 plunder, raid, ravage, sack, despoil, rob, loot, ransack,
rifle, maraud, depredate, devastate, vandalize, ruin, demolish,
raze, level, strip: The Goths pillaged every community they
conquered and carried off the booty.

--n. 2 plunder, rapine, despoliation, looting, robbery, sack,
sacking, ransacking, marauding, brigandage, piracy, freebooting,
buccaneering, banditry, depredation, devastation, vandalization,
defilement, destruction, laying waste, destruction, razing,
demolition, levelling, ruin, stripping: Pirates from Tripoli
were responsible for the pillage of one coastal town after
another. 3 plunder, loot, booty, spoils: In the cave Ali Baba
found the pillage from a thousand robberies.

pillar n. 1 column, pilaster, pile, piling, pier, upright, post,
shaft, prop; atlas, caryatid: The roof is supported by a single

pillar. Lot's wife was turned into a pillar of salt. 2 mainstay,
supporter, worthy, upholder, backbone, (tower of) strength,
leader: Cummings has been a pillar of strength in our
community.


pilot n. 1 aviator, aviatrix, flier, airman, airwoman, aeronaut,
captain: The pilot announced that we would land in five
minutes. 2 steersman, helmsman, navigator, US wheelman or
wheelsman; guide, leader, cicerone, conductor: The pilot knows
his way through the shoals. A student acted as our pilot in our
tour of Oxford.

--v. 3 guide, steer, run, direct, shepherd, control, lead,
navigate, drive; fly: Only someone with local knowledge can
pilot the ship into that harbour. The chairman piloted the
company through turbulent times.

pimp n. 1 procurer, panderer or pander, White slaver, whoremonger,
Slang US hustler: The police rounded up the pimps and
prostitutes for questioning.

--v. 2 procure, pander, solicit, Slang US hustle: He was well
known as having pimped for three generations of the nobility.


pimple n. pustule, papula, boil, swelling, eruption, blackhead or
technical comedo, excrescence, Brit spot, Scots plouk or plook,
US whitehead, Old-fashioned US hickey: The old witch had a
pimple at the end of her nose.


pin n. 1 peg, dowel, bolt, thole, thole-pin, spike, rivet; Brit
drawing-pin, US push-pin: The table is held together by wooden
pins. We need some more pins for the notice-board. 2 brooch,
clip; stickpin, tie-pin, scarf-pin, US tie tack: She is wearing
the cameo pin that her mother gave her. I had George's pin made
into a brooch.

--v. 3 attach, fix, affix, fasten, secure, tack; hold, staple,
clip: Let's play 'Pin the tail on the donkey'. Pin these papers
together. 4 pin down. a force, make, compel, coerce,
constrain, press, Brit pressurize, US pressure: We must pin him
down to give his decision by tomorrow. b define, specify,
pinpoint, name, identify, determine, name, put or lay one's
finger on, home or zero in on, focus on: The doctor was unable

to pin down what is wrong with her. c confine, hold (down),
fix, immobilize, tie down, constrain: We were pinned down by
enemy fire. 5 pin on. blame, hold responsible or accountable,
point the finger at, accuse; lay at (someone's) door: They'll
never be able to pin the murder on Drayton.

pincers n.pl. pliers, nippers, tweezers: Can you get the nail out with
these pincers?


pinch v. 1 squeeze, nip, tweak, press, compress, grip, grasp: I
pinched my finger in the drawer. 2 squeeze, cramp, confine,
crush, hurt: These shoes really pinch badly. 3 steal, thieve,
rob, take, shoplift, filch, pilfer, purloin, Colloq lift, Brit
nick, US boost, Slang swipe, knock off: I think it was Andrew
who pinched my book. 4 arrest, apprehend, take into custody,
Colloq nab, run in, collar, bust, run in, Brit nick: She was
pinched for driving while under the influence. 5 pinch pennies.
scrimp, save, skimp, economize: We're pinching pennies now so
that we can afford a nice holiday later.


--n. 6 squeeze, nip, tweak, twinge: Montrose gave the girl's
cheek an affectionate pinch. 7 touch, (tiny or wee) bit,
soup‡on, jot, mite, taste, Colloq US tad, smidgen or smidgin:
Add a pinch of salt to the boiling water. 8 predicament,
emergency, crisis, difficulty, dilemma, (ticklish or delicate)
situation, complication, Colloq pickle, jam, scrape, Chiefly
Brit crunch: Sue will help me out in a pinch.

pinkฐ n. 1 in the pink. at one's best, healthy, hearty, in the best
of health, in top form, in good shape, Colloq US up: I saw Rob
the other day, and he's in the pink.

--adj. 2 rosy, rose, rose-coloured, pinkish, flesh-colour(ed),
salmon(-colour(ed)): The designer suggests pink curtains for
the bedroom.

pink v. serrate, notch, scallop; perforate, puncture, prick: Pink
the edge of the fabric to prevent fraying.


pinnacle n. top, peak, apex, acme, summit, zenith, maximum, climax,
crowning point, consummation, utmost, extreme, perfection; tip,
cap, crest, crown: Being elected chairman was the pinnacle of
Mark's career. The climbers reached the pinnacle, where they

will rest overnight.

pioneer n. 1 pathfinder, frontiersman, frontierswoman, trail-blazer,
explorer, colonist, (early) settler; ground-breaker, forerunner,
precursor, predecessor, innovator, leader, trend-setter,
pacemaker, pace-setter: The pioneers who explored and settled
the American west were daring men and women. Marconi was a
pioneer in the development of radio.


--v. 2 create, originate, invent, initiate, take the first
step, introduce, institute, actuate, trigger, set off,
inaugurate, start, begin, launch, establish, found, set up,
develop, lay the groundwork or foundation, set or put in motion,
take the lead, lead or show the way, blaze the trail, be a prime
mover, open up, Colloq kick off, get the ball rolling: Our
company has pioneered systems for automatic typesetting.

pious adj. 1 devout, religious, reverent, reverential, worshipful,
dutiful, God-fearing, godly, faithful, holy, dedicated, devoted,
spiritual, moral, good, virtuous, right-minded, saintly, holy,
angelic, seraphic, Christ-like, godlike: Francis is a pious boy
who attends church regularly. 2 hypocritical, sanctimonious,
pietistic, self-righteous, Pharisaic, mealy-mouthed, pretended,
fraudulent, goody-goody, unctuous, oily, Colloq Brit smarmy:
You are rationalizing your bad behaviour with a lot of pious
cant.

pipe n. 1 pipeline, tube, duct, hose, line, main, conduit, passage,
conveyor, channel: The pipes are inspected regularly for
corrosion. 2 briar, meerschaum, corn-cob, calabash, clay pipe,
water-pipe, hookah, narghile, chibouk or chibouque, peace-pipe
or pipe of peace or calumet, Colloq Irish briar, Brit
hubble-bubble, US bong: He slowly tamped down the tobacco in
his pipe, then lit it. 3 pan-pipe, whistle, boatswain's pipe,
tooter, horn, wind, wind instrument, woodwind, brass: They play
the pipes in the London Symphony.

--v. 4 tootle, tweet, skirl, warble, whistle, peep, cheep: One
was piping away on a flute, the other was dancing a jig. 5
transmit, deliver, channel, conduct, convey, supply: The gas is
piped directly into our homes. 6 US look at, notice, spot,
note, look at, Colloq get a load of: Pipe the guy trying to
climb up the outside of that building. 7 pipe down. become

quieter, quieten down, make less noise, hush (up), shush (up),
whisper, Colloq belt up, shut up: I wish they'd pipe down, I
can't sleep. 8 pipe up. speak (up), say, raise one's voice,
make oneself heard, offer, volunteer: Sally piped up with the
correct answer from the back of the classroom.

pipeline n. 1 pipe, tube, duct, hose, line, main, conduit, passage,
conveyor, channel: Pipelines carry gas from the North Sea
throughout Britain. Very little information was flowing through
the pipeline from Beirut. 2 in the pipeline. on the way, under
way, in the offing, ready, imminent, coming, Colloq in the
works, cooking, US in work: They said that the contract was in
the pipeline and should arrive soon.


pirate n. 1 buccaneer, sea rover, corsair, privateer, freebooter,
sea-robber, filibuster, Archaic picaroon: Captain Kidd and
Blackbeard were actual pirates who looted shipping in the
Americas in the 17th century. 2 plagiarist, plagiarizer,
infringer: Some of these pirates offer unauthorized cheap
reprints of expensive textbooks.

--v. 3 plagiarize, infringe, copy, reproduce, steal,
appropriate, poach, Colloq lift, pinch, crib: Our government
has no jurisdiction over those who pirate books in countries
with which we have no treaty.

pirouette n. 1 spin, whirl, twirl, turn, revolution, pivoting:
Antoinette did a beautiful pirouette followed by a pas de chat.


--v. 2 spin, whirl, turn (round), revolve, pivot: He was so
happy that he fairly pirouetted round the room.

pistol n. gun, handgun, revolver, automatic, Slang rod, piece,
shooting-iron, Chiefly US gat, US Saturday-night special,
heater, roscoe: In the United States, law enforcement officers
are required to carry a pistol.

piston n. plunger: The piston in a bicycle pump is worked by hand.


pitฐ n. 1 hole, excavation, shaft, cavity, mine, mine-shaft, quarry,
working, ditch, trench, trough: Pits had been dug for the
extraction of gravel. 2 pothole, hollow, depression, dent,
indentation, dimple, pock-mark: His face was disfigured by the

pits left by teenage acne. 3 abyss, chasm, well, crevasse,
crater: We found a bottomless pit that led to the centre of the
earth. 4 the pits. awful, terrible, the worst, Slang lousy:
That TV show last night was the pits. He thought that going to
school was the pits.

--v. 5 dent, pock-mark, dig, scar, hollow out, gouge: The salt
air has pitted the metal parts of my car. 6 Often, pit against.
match, oppose, set against; contrast: Shirley doesn't stand a
chance if they pit her against Maria.

pit n. stone, seed, pip: I prefer seedless grapes, the ones
without pits.


pitchฐ v. 1 toss, throw, cast, fling, hurl, heave, sling, fire,
launch, shoot, send, let fly, Cricket bowl, Colloq chuck, peg,
lob, Brit bung: He rolled the paper into a ball and pitched it
into the basket. 2 erect, raise, set or put up, position, fix,
place: We ought to pitch the tent in a level area. 3 plunge,
fall (headlong), dive, drop, plummet, (take a) nosedive: I
caught my toe on the kerb and pitched forward onto the pavement.
4 Chiefly nautical toss about, lurch, plunge, flounder, go head
over heels, go keel over truck, US pitchpole or pitchpoll: The
wind reached force ten as we pitched and rolled and yawed in the
heavy seas. 5 pitch in. contribute, cooperate, help, assist,
Colloq chip in: Everyone pitched in to make the church fair a
success. 6 pitch into. a attack, lay into, assail, lash out
at, abuse, rail against, Colloq lace into, tear into, jump down
(someone's) throat, jump on: Reggie's wife really pitched into
him about going out with other women. b attack, assault, set
upon, belabour, Colloq light into, sail into, tear into: They
pitched into each other and fought like Kilkenny cats. 7 pitch
on or upon. determine, decide on, select, pick, choose, opt for,
elect, nominate, name, Colloq light on: They pitched on Carrie
to be the best candidate for treasurer.

pitch n. tar, bitumen, asphalt: Peter patched potholes with pitch.

pitch-black
adj. black, dark, ebon(y), Stygian, inky(-black), unlit,
unlighted, pitch-dark, coal-black, jet-black; raven, sable: The
cellar was pitch-black. Her pale complexion was in stark
contrast to her pitch-black hair.


pitched adj. organized, planned, deliberate, coordinated, arranged,
systematized: The two armies fought a pitched battle on the
plain.


piteous adj. pitiable, pathetic, pitiful, plaintive, miserable,
heart-rending, poignant, distressing, grievous, heart-breaking,
mournful, sad, doleful, dolorous, tearful, lamentable,
deplorable, regrettable, rueful, woeful, moving, emotional: We
heard the piteous wailing of the mothers who had lost children
in the disaster.

pitfall n. 1 trap, pit: Pitfalls were often used in Burma for trapping
tigers. 2 danger, peril, hazard, catch, difficulty, snag: You
might well encounter pitfalls, but don't be discouraged.

pith n. 1 core, heart, kernel, nucleus, crux, gist, focus, focal
point, essence, meat, marrow, nub, point, spirit, substance,
quintessence: As usual, Randolph came immediately to the pith
of the argument. 2 weight, burden, gravamen, gravity, force,
moment, import, importance, significance, substance, depth,
matter: I have something of great pith to tell you about.

pitiable adj. See piteous, above.


pitiful adj. 1 See piteous, above. 2 small, little, insignificant,
trifling, unimportant, beggarly, sorry, mean, contemptible:
Does Hodges seriously expect us to praise him for that pitiful
contribution of his?


pittance n. mite, shoestring, Slang peanuts, chicken-feed, small
potatoes: The miserable pittance that she receives does not
even cover the necessities of life. He's trying to run that
business on a pittance.


pitted adj. eaten away, corroded, eroded, pock-marked, defaced,
marred, pierced, perforated: The chrome plating is all pitted
where the acid splashed.


pity n. 1 sympathy, commiseration, sorrow, condolence, compassion,
tenderness, Archaic ruth: I really feel pity for Betty, being
married to such a brute. 2 (crying or damned) shame, sad thing,
disgrace, misfortune, sin, sacrilege, Colloq crime: It's a pity

that no one can do anything.

--v. 3 sympathize, feel for, commiserate with, feel sorry for,
feel or have compassion or tenderness for, bleed for, weep for:
I pity any mother whose son goes off to war.

pivot n. 1 pintle, gudgeon, hinge, swivel, pin, kingpin, spindle,
fulcrum: Use this stone as a pivot for the lever to lift the
rock. 2 centre, heart, focal point, hub, nave, crux: The
finance minister regards the interest rate as the pivot on which
the economy turns.

--v. 3 rotate, revolve, turn, spin, twirl, whirl, swivel: The
flywheel pivots on a bearing that requires constant lubrication.
4 hinge, depend, hang, be contingent, revolve around, rely: The
whole deal pivots on the cooperation of the banks.

pivotal adj. critical, central, focal, crucial, significant, important,
essential, vital, pressing, urgent, radical: The attitude of
the judge is pivotal in the jury's decision.

16.5 place...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



place n. 1 location, site, position, point, spot, locus, area,
locale, scene, setting: This looks like a nice place for a
picnic. She likes to see a place for everything and everything
in its place. 2 locale, area, neighbourhood, vicinity, district,
section, part of the country, quarter, region; city, town,
village, hamlet: She comes from some place near Glasgow. 3
status, station, standing, grade, rank, position, niche, slot,
situation, estate, state, circumstance(s): Angela was just
saying how difficult it is today to find a servant who knows his
place. 4 function, role, part, purpose, duty, obligation, task,
responsibility, charge, chore, burden, concern, mission: It is
scarcely my place to remind you of your appointments with the
dentist. 5 position, job, post, berth, appointment, livelihood;
employment, occupation, Colloq billet: Is there a chance of my
earning a place in your new company? 6 home, house, flat,
apartment, room(s), quarters, lodgings, Rather formal residence,
domicile, dwelling, abode, Colloq digs or diggings, pad: Why
not stop by my place for tea on Sunday? 7 stead; lieu: As I

cannot go, would you go in place of me? 8 position, situation,
circumstances, condition: Put yourself in my place and I think
you would have done exactly the same. 9 seat, chair, position:
Kevin, please take your place at the head of the table. 10 go
places. succeed, become successful, get ahead, advance, prosper,
thrive, flourish, go up in the world, make good, strike it rich,
Colloq arrive, make a splash, US and Canadian hit pay dirt, luck
out: That boy will go places one day. 11 in place. a fitting,
suitable, appropriate, right, proper, correct, good form: I
don't think it in place for you to tell me what to do. b in
situ, in (the right or proper or correct) position, ready, all
set, set up, in order, all right, Colloq OK or okay: Is
everything in place for tonight's party? 12 out of place.
awkward, uncomfortable, unsuitable, inappropriate, wrong,
improper, misplaced: Compassion is out of place when dealing
with war criminals. 13 put (someone) in his or her or their
place. humble, mortify, bring down, embarrass, squelch, Colloq
cut down to size, take down a peg (or two): Aunt Agatha used to
put Uncle Wilfred in his place by reminding him who held the
purse-strings. 14 take place. happen, occur, go on, come about;
arise, Colloq transpire: We shall never know what took place
behind those locked doors.

--v. 15 put (out), position, situate, locate, dispose, arrange,
order, set (out), lay, deposit; station, post, spot, pinpoint,
Colloq stick, Brit bung: Place the forks on the left and the
knives on the right. They placed guards at the door of my room.
16 class, classify, sort, order, arrange, rank, group,
categorize, bracket, grade; regard, view, see, consider: She
places love of family above love of country. Critics place him
among the best writers of the century. 17 identify, put one's
finger on, recall, remember, recognize; associate: I just can't
place her for the moment. He finally placed me with those who
had ragged him at school. 18 put, set, assign, give: People
place too much importance on material things.

placement n. 1 arrangement, placing, position, distribution, array,
disposition, deployment, positioning, stationing, organization,
order, ordering, location, locating, arraying, emplacement,
emplacing: The placement of the chairs is all wrong for
tonight's meeting. 2 employment, appointment, engagement,
hiring: Placement of qualified engineers has not been a
problem.


plagiarism
n. plagiarizing, plagiary, piracy, pirating, theft, purloining,
stealing, copying, appropriating, appropriation, thievery,
usurpation, infringing, infringement, imitation, Euphemistic
borrowing, Colloq lifting, cribbing: The similarities between
the two books could only be explained by plagiarism.

plague n. 1 scourge, epidemic, pestilence, affliction, pandemic,
calamity, curse, evil, bane, blight, visitation: The
inhabitants turned a plague of locusts to advantage by eating
them. 2 irritation, annoyance, nuisance, pest, vexation, bother,
thorn in one's side or flesh, torment, torture, Colloq pain (in
the neck), headache, aggravation, Slang drag, bitch, hassle,
Taboo slang pain in the Brit arse or US ass: It's a plague
trying to find a place to park the car.

--v. 3 badger, harry, hound, pester, annoy, vex, irritate,
bother, harass, nag, nettle, exasperate, gall, annoy, irk,
torment, torture, anguish, distress, Brit chivvy or chivy or
chevy: I wish the police would stop plaguing me with questions
about Jonathan's whereabouts.

plain adj. 1 flat, smooth, even, featureless, level, plane: I'd
rather have a paper with a plain surface, not an embossed one,
for the bedroom walls. 2 clear, evident, simple, distinct,
crystal clear, lucid, vivid, transparent, apparent, obvious,
patent, self-evident, manifest, distinct, unmistakable or
unmistakeable, unequivocal, unambiguous, understandable,
intelligible, graphic, direct, in black and white: His
intentions regarding my daughter are plain enough. The plain
fact is that she despises him. 3 open, honest, straightforward,
forthright, direct, frank, candid, blunt, outspoken, ingenuous,
sincere, guileless, artless, unreserved: I want to see some
plain talk between the two of us. 4 simple, unadorned,
undecorated, unembellished, basic, austere, stark,
unostentatious, colourless, drab, bare, unvarnished, Spartan:
Don't you find the average business suit a very plain affair? 5
homely, unattractive, ordinary-looking, unlovely, ugly: Who
would believe that such a plain child could become such a
beautiful woman?

--n. 6 prairie, grassland, pasture, meadow-land, veld or veldt,

pampas, campo, llano, savannah or savanna, steppe, tundra,
champaign or campagna; heath; moor, moorland; plateau, flatland;
down, downland, Literary wold, Archaic or literary mead: The
plain stretched out before us as far as the eye could see.


plan n. 1 design, layout, blueprint, scheme, method, procedure,
system, arrangement, programme, project, formula, pattern,
Colloq script, scenario: The plan called for monthly progress
meetings. The best laid plans of mice and men gang aft agley. 2
drawing, sketch, design, layout, blueprint, chart, map, diagram,
representation: This plan shows where the furniture will be
placed.

--v. 3 lay out or down, design, arrange, devise, outline,
organize, plot, map out, delineate, develop: She has been
invited to plan the new shopping mall. 4 intend, expect,
envisage, envision, foresee, aim, contemplate, propose: Were
you planning to go to the cinema tonight?


plane n. 1 flat or level (surface): The lines meet in the same
plane. 2 aeroplane, aircraft, airliner, jet (plane): I caught
the next plane for Marrakesh.

--adj. 3 flat, even, level, smooth, plain, regular, unbroken,
uninterrupted, uniform, horizontal: We landed on the plane
surface of the glacier.

--v. 4 glide, skim, skate, skid, slip, slide: I swiftly planed
along on my sailboard.


plank n. board, timber, slab: The flooring was made up of wide
planks laid side by side.

plant n. 1 flower, vegetable, herb, bush, shrub, tree, vine, weed:
Because of all the rain, the plants are flourishing this summer.
2 factory, mill, shop, works, workshop, foundry: The new plant
in Crawley is hiring lathe operators. 3 equipment, machinery,
apparatus; gear, fixtures: The plant includes heavy cranes,
JCBs, earth movers, and bulldozers. 4 spy, (undercover or
secret) agent, informer, informant: The new assistant is a
plant, sent in by management to report on union activities.

--v. 5 bed (out), sow, seed, set (out), transplant: We planted

a herbaceous border along the south wall of the garden. 6
implant, establish, root, fix, ingrain, lodge, instil,
insinuate, inject, introduce, impress, imprint: Who planted the
idea in your mind that you were a gifted writer? 7 place, put,
position, station, assign, situate: Watch-towers are planted at
50-foot intervals around the prison. 8 hide, secrete, conceal:
The company has planted detectives in the store to watch out for
shoplifters.


planter n. flowerpot, cache-pot: He poured the drugged wine into a
nearby planter.

plaque n. 1 tablet, medallion, plate, panel, marker, slab, plaquette:
The plaque on the house marks it as the birthplace of Thomas
Carlyle. 2 badge, brooch, pin, patch, medallion, medal,
insignia or insigne: The plaque shows him to be a member of the
Royal Yacht Squadron. 3 prize, honour, award, trophy: At the
annual dinner, she was presented with a plaque to mark her many
years of service.


plaster v. smear, daub, bedaub, spread, coat, cover, overlay,
superimpose: The mud was plastered all over my boots. They
plastered the walls with posters.


plastic adj. 1 mouldable, shapable or shapeable, fictile, soft,
malleable, workable, ductile, flexible, soft, pliant, supple,
pliable, clayey, waxy: The clay must be worked into the desired
form while it is still plastic. 2 impressionable, receptive,
open, persuadable or persuasible, susceptible, tractable,
compliant, responsive, manageable, unformed, inexperienced: One
encounters the children at an age when their minds and
personalities are still plastic enough to be influenced. 3
artificial, synthetic, imitation, fake, counterfeit, ersatz,
paste, bogus, meretricious, sham; cheap, pinchbeck, shoddy;
Colloq phoney or US also phony, crummy, US chintzy: She was
wearing a tawdry plastic brooch.

plate n. 1 platter, dish, Archaic trencher, charger: I left the cold
mashed potato on my plate. 2 course, serving, portion, dish,
platter: I ordered their speciality, a plate of spaghetti. 3
layer, leaf, sheet, pane, panel, lamina, slab: In the
condenser, insulation separates the thin metal plates. 4
coating, coat, plating, layer, lamination: The plate on our

cutlery is wearing thin. 5 illustration, picture, print, US
cut: The book contains many beautiful colour plates of flowers.

--v. 6 cover, coat, overlay, face, laminate: All the serving
dishes were plated with gold.

plateau n. 1 tableland, upland, highland, mesa: We climbed till we
reached a grassy plateau. 2 level, lull, pause, levelling off:
At 39, Julia seemed to have reached a plateau in her career.


platform n. 1 stand, dais, stage, podium, rostrum: After the
introduction, the speaker mounted the platform. 2 policy, party
line, principle(s), tenet(s), programme, plank: The main
elements of our platform will be revealed at the party
conference.

platonic adj. non-physical, asexual, non-sexual, celibate, chaste,
dispassionate, detached, spiritual, ideal, intellectual: Some
say that their relationship has not always been purely platonic.


platoon n. company, squad, squadron, group, patrol, team, cadre, body,
formation, unit, Colloq outfit: A platoon of soldiers was
marched to the barracks in close-order drill.


platter n. serving dish, server, salver, tray, plate, dish: Waiters
walked among the guests with platters of hot hors-d'oeuvres.

plausible adj. 1 likely, believable, reasonable, credible, tenable,
conceivable, thinkable, probable, imaginable, admissible, sound,
sensible, rational, logical, acceptable, trustworthy,
presentable: The police regarded our alibi as plausible. 2
specious, deceptive, meretricious, misleading, deceitful,
casuistic, sophistical, Jesuitical, smooth, empty: He was a
cunning, plausible sort of fellow.


play v. 1 amuse oneself, frolic, frisk, cavort, gambol, caper,
sport, have fun, have a good time, enjoy oneself, disport
(oneself), carouse: Ken's mother won't let him go out and play.
2 participate (in), take part (in), join (in), be occupied (in
or with); engage in, contend in, take up, take part in, occupy
oneself in or with, undertake: He was invited for a game of
poker, but he refused to play. I understand that you play
bridge. 3 engage, contend with, compete with or against,

challenge, vie with, pit oneself against, take on, rival: The
stranger played me at snooker, and I lost three games out of
three. 4 portray, depict, perform, act or take the role or part
of, act: In the new production of Othello she plays Desdemona.
5 perform (upon or on); put on: Play 'Misty' for me. She plays
the piccolo very well. Could you play that Caruso record? 6
operate: I wish they wouldn't play their hi-fi so loud. 7
gamble, bet, wager, stake, place, put: He played his last chip
on number 14. 8 play along. a Often, play along with.
cooperate, participate, go along (with), do or play one's part,
be a party to: I agreed to play along with her charade. b
manipulate, jolly along: She played him along till he bought
her a car. 9 play around. a fool around, tease, Colloq monkey
about or around, horse around or about: Stop playing around and
get to work. b dally, flirt, be unfaithful; philander,
womanize; Colloq fool around, run around, sleep around, play the
field: She found out about his playing around and filed for
divorce. 10 play at. pretend, make believe, fake, feign,
simulate, affect: She's merely playing at enjoying skiing to
please you. 11 play ball. cooperate, agree, work together, work
hand in glove, play along: They want him to smuggle diamonds,
but he won't play ball. 12 play by ear. improvise, extemporize,
ad lib , Colloq wing it: She can't read music and just plays by
ear. With no definite plan of action, I'll just play it by ear.
13 play down. belittle, minimize, diminish, disparage, make
light of, deprecate, decry, de-emphasize: He has always played
down his role in the affair. 14 play for time. delay,
procrastinate, stall (for time), temporize, hesitate, Colloq
drag one's feet: They don't yet have the money to pay, so they
are playing for time. 15 play on or upon. use, misuse, abuse,
trade on, exploit, take advantage of, impose on: He plays on
women's affections then persuades them to give him money. 16
play the game. behave, conduct oneself, deport oneself, act: It
makes no difference whether you win or lose, it's how you play
the game. 17 play up. a stress, emphasize, underscore,
underline, accentuate, call attention to, highlight, spotlight,
dramatize, build up: Always try to play up your assets and play
down your liabilities. b act up, misbehave, give or cause
trouble, malfunction, Colloq go on the blink or US fritz, Brit
be wonky: The bloody engine started playing up again, right in
the middle of a rainstorm. 18 play up to. curry favour with,
flatter, toady to, ingratiate oneself with, butter up, truckle
to, court, Colloq soft-soap, suck up to, boot-lick, US

apple-polish, Taboo slang brown-nose: Ray is always playing up
to the teacher, trying to get a better mark. 19 play with. a
toy with, trifle with, treat cavalierly or lightly, make light
of, think nothing of, dally with, amuse oneself with: He's just
playing with her till he gets what he's after. b consider,
think about, toy with, not treat seriously: We were playing
with the idea of a winter holiday this year. c mess with,
fiddle with, toy with, fidget with: Stop playing with your
food!


--n. 20 drama, stage play, show, piece, production,
entertainment: We have tickets to a different play for every
night this week. 21 behaviour, actions, deportment, conduct,
demeanour: In the game of life, many have no regard for the
rules of fair play. The police suspect foul play. 22 amusement,
frivolity, entertainment, recreation, fun, pleasure, sport,
merrymaking, revelry, tomfoolery, Colloq horseplay, skylarking,
monkey business, Brit monkey tricks or US monkeyshines: The
time for play is past, and we must get down to serious business.
23 move, manoeuvre, action: That last play might have won you
the game. 24 flexibility, looseness, freedom, leeway, margin,
room, space, movement, motion, Colloq give: There's too much
play in this gear lever. 25 treatment, coverage, attention:
The newspapers gave Connie's new book a big play.


playboy n. man about town, rou‚, rake, debauchee, gay dog, womanizer,
Don Juan, Casanova, Lothario, Romeo, Colloq wolf, lady-killer:
He fancies himself as a playboy, but no women seem to agree.


player n. 1 contestant, participant, competitor, contender; athlete,
sportswoman, sportsman, Colloq US jock: Chess players from all
over the world came together for the championship. The referee
sent three players off. 2 actor or actress, performer,
entertainer, trouper, Thespian: The local drama group is the
Allen Arts Players. 3 gambler, better or especially US bettor,
gamester, speculator, Brit punter: J.B. is a big player in the
commodities market. 4 musician, instrumentalist, performer,
virtuoso: Gladys is one of the best tuba players in the band.


playful adj. 1 (high-)spirited, cheerful, frisky, frolicsome,
kittenish, sprightly, fun-loving, sportive, coltish,
mischievous, puckish, impish, elfish, devilish: The cat didn't
mean to scratch you, she was just being playful. 2 joking,

facetious, teasing, roguish, waggish, jesting, humorous,
tongue-in-cheek: Cleo's in a playful mood today, isn't she?

playmate n. playfellow, friend, comrade, Colloq pal, chum, US and
Canadian buddy: Some of Molly's playmates are asking if she can
come out to play.

plaything n. 1 toy, game, knick-knack, pastime: Please pick up your
playthings before supper. 2 tool, cat's-paw, dupe, pigeon,
pawn, Colloq US and Canadian fall guy: She had no use for Gerry
except as a plaything.

playwright
n. dramatist, dramaturge or dramaturgist, scriptwriter,
screenwriter, scenarist: The playwright has deftly caught the
way people talk to each other.

plea n. 1 request, entreaty, appeal, petition, supplication, suit,
cry, solicitation: Teenagers' mischievous behaviour is an
earnest plea for attention. 2 answer, defence, argument: She
entered a plea of 'not guilty' to the charge. 3 excuse, reason,
explanation, justification; pretext: His plea was that he had
not received the bill and therefore couldn't pay it.


plead v. 1 Often, plead for. request, appeal (for), cry (for), ask
(for), seek, beg (for), pray (for), supplicate (for): It was a
hot day and the children were pleading for ice-creams every half
hour. 2 Usually, plead with. request (of), entreat, appeal to,
petition, ask, apply to, implore, beseech, beg, importune,
solicit; demand: Bryan pleaded with us to let him go to the
rock concert. 3 assert, say, aver, allege, argue, maintain,
offer, put forward, declare, affirm, avow, swear: She pleaded
that she was unaware that the goods she was selling had been
stolen.


pleasant adj. 1 pleasing, pleasurable, nice, enjoyable, satisfying,
good, lovely, attractive, inviting, enjoyable, gratifying,
delightful, charming, agreeable, suitable, fitting, appropriate;
harmonious, euphonious, melodic, mellifluous; delicious,
delectable, palatable, savoury, toothsome: Travelling on the
Orient Express was a most pleasant experience. The bedroom is
decorated in a combination of pleasant colours. He simply
doesn't find sunbathing particularly pleasant. That sauce has a

very pleasant taste. 2 friendly, affable, amiable, amicable,
gregarious, companionable, sociable, engaging, attractive,
winning, open, approachable, outgoing, welcoming, hospitable,
agreeable, gracious, charming, congenial, genial, nice,
likeable, urbane, cultivated, genteel, polite, courteous,
well-mannered, suave, debonair, polished, well-bred, cultured:
Murray always has a pleasant expression on his face. He is quite
a pleasant fellow, once you get to know him. 3 fair, sunny,
clear, bright, cloudless, balmy, nice, fine: What a pleasant
day for an outing in the country!

please v. 1 delight, gratify, satisfy, suit, humour, content, cheer,
gladden, amuse, divert, interest, entertain: I cannot tell you
how much it pleases me to see you again. 2 like, prefer,
choose, desire, want, see fit, wish, will, elect, opt: She may
have her birthday party wherever she pleases.

pleased adj. happy, delighted, glad, gratified, satisfied, contented,
thrilled; Colloq tickled pink, pleased as Punch, on cloud nine,
in seventh heaven, on top of the world, walking on air, Brit
over the moon, chuffed: His pleased look comes from his having
won first prize.

pleasing adj. 1 See pleasant, 1, above. 2 See pleasant, 2, above.


pleasurable
adj. See pleasant, 1, above.

pleasure n. 1 enjoyment, happiness, delight, joy, satisfaction,
fulfilment, contentment, gratification; comfort, recreation,
amusement, entertainment, diversion: It is a pleasure to meet
you at last. Fred derives so much pleasure from tinkering with
his model railways. 2 choice, option, desire, wish, preference,
fancy, inclination, discretion: Feel free to come and go at
your pleasure.

plebeian adj. 1 proletarian, working-class, blue-collar, low-class,
lower-class, lowly, low-born, common, mean, humble, inferior,
peasant-like, Colloq non-U: What would you expect from someone
with such a plebeian background? 2 unrefined, coarse, vulgar,
ignoble, lowbrow, unpolished, uncouth, crass, brutish, gauche,
provincial, rustic, popular, commonplace, undistinguished: The
entertainment caters to the most plebeian tastes.


--n. 3 proletarian, common man or woman, commoner, man or woman
in the street, (any or every) Tom, Dick, or Harry, Brit man or
woman on the Clapham omnibus, Colloq pleb, prole: This art
exhibition is not going to mean very much to the plebeians.

plebiscite
n. popular vote or ballot, referendum, poll: The plebiscite
revealed that the people were in favour of joining the Common
Market.

pledge n. 1 promise, oath, vow, word (of honour), covenant, assurance,
guaranty, guarantee, warrant, warranty: They have our solemn
pledge that we will return within the hour. 2 bail, surety,
collateral, security, deposit, earnest (money), pawn, gage,
bond, guaranty, guarantee: They wanted something besides my
signature as a pledge for the money. 3 toast, tribute, cheer,
health: They drank a pledge to the success of the voyage.


--v. 4 swear, vow, promise, give one's word (of honour),
contract, undertake, agree, vouch, vouchsafe: I pledge
allegiance to the nation. 5 deposit, pawn, mortgage, Archaic
gage, Colloq US and Canadian hock: He pledged his gold watch to
pay for her birthday present. 6 toast, drink (to), drink
(someone's) health: Drink to me only with thine eyes And I will
pledge with mine.

plentiful adj. 1 ample, abundant, profuse, copious, lavish, plenteous,
bountiful, generous, bounteous: We found a plentiful supply of
food in the markets. 2 fertile, fruitful, productive, bumper,
luxuriant, thriving, prolific: We thanked the Lord for a
plentiful harvest.

plenty n. 1 abundance, more than enough, great deal, mass(es),
quantity or quantities, multitude(s), number(s), load(s), mess,
scores, Colloq lot(s), mountain(s), heap(s), stack(s), pile(s),
load(s), ton(s), ocean(s), oodles, US and Canadian slew(s):
There is plenty of food, so it is just as well that plenty of
people are coming. There's plenty of time before your bus
arrives. 2 plentifulness, fertility, copiousness, abundance,
plenteousness, wealth, profusion, lavishness, prodigality,
plenitude, bountifulness: It was a land of plenty, a land of
milk and honey.


pliable adj. 1 flexible, pliant, elastic, plastic, fictile, malleable,
workable, bendable, bendy, ductile, flexuous, supple; lithe,
limber: This substance remains pliable only while it is warm.
2 tractable, adaptable, flexible, pliant, compliant, persuadable
or persuasible, impressionable, susceptible, responsive,
receptive, docile, manageable, yielding: The other directors
may not be as pliable when it comes to improving employee
benefits.


plight n. condition, state, circumstances, situation, case;
difficulty, predicament, quandary, dilemma, catch-22, straits,
trouble, extremity, Colloq hole, jam, pickle, spot, scrape, fix,
bind, hot water, mess, fine kettle of fish, fine state of
affairs: As soon as Elliott's sorry plight became known, we all
rallied round to help.

plod v. 1 Often, plod along. trudge (along), tramp, slog, drag,
tread, lumber, labour, Colloq stomp, galumph: We plodded
wearily up the road carrying our heavy packs. 2 Often, plod
along or away. labour, work, drudge, toil, moil, slave (away),
grind (away or along), grub (on or along), plug (along or away),
Brit peg away (at) or along: Plodding through the compilation
of the Oxford Thesaurus, he was only halfway through the letter
P.

plotฐ n. 1 scheme, plan, intrigue, machination, cabal; conspiracy:
The plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament was uncovered at a
late stage. 2 story (line), chain of events, theme, outline,
scenario, thread, skeleton: Most operas have weak plots, but
the music can be sublime.

--v. 3 scheme, plan, intrigue, machinate, cabal, collude,
conspire, hatch, devise, design, arrange, organize, concoct,
dream up, conceive, Colloq cook up: Martin's wife had been
plotting to murder him since their wedding night. 4 draw, plan,
diagram, lay down, outline, calculate, compute, figure, chart,
map (out), find, determine, depict, show: The navigator plotted
our position as being in the Strait of Malacca.


plot n. lot, plat, patch or parcel (of land), tract, acreage, area,
Brit allotment: I have a small plot by the canal which is ideal
for growing potatoes.


plough v. 1 till, cultivate, furrow, harrow, Literary delve: They
ought to finish ploughing the south field by tomorrow. 2 drive,
plunge, push, bulldoze, lunge, dive, shove, hurtle, crash: Out
of control, a bus ploughed through the fence and into my garden.

pluck n. 1 courage, spirit, bravery, grit, boldness, intrepidity,
backbone, mettle, determination, gameness, resolve, resolution,
steadfastness, hardiness, sturdiness, stout-heartedness,
stoutness, fortitude, nerve, Colloq guts, spunk, US sand, Slang
Brit bottle, US moxie: She certainly showed pluck standing up
to the boss like that.

--v. 2 pick, remove, withdraw, draw out, extract: The children
plucked flowers in the garden and made posies. 3 snatch, grab,
yank, jerk, tear (away): She was plucked from the jaws of death
by Tarzan, who happened to be swinging by on a vine. 4 tug (at),
pull (at), catch (at), clutch (at); vellicate: An ancient crone
plucked at his sleeve as he passed.


plug n. 1 stopper, stopple, bung, cork: If you pull the plug out,
the water will run out. 2 chew, twist, quid, wad, pigtail,
cavendish: As they forbade smoking, he would take snuff or chew
a plug of tobacco. 3 publicity, mention, promotion,
recommendation, puff, blurb, PR; advertisement, Colloq advert,
hype: His book was given a plug on yesterday's evening news.

--v. 4 Often, plug up. stop (up), close (up or off), seal (off
or up), cork, stopper, bung, block, jam, stuff, clog, obstruct,
dam (up): A piece of soap has plugged the drain. 5 publicize,
mention, promote, push, advertise, puff, commend, Colloq boost,
beat the drum for: It wasn't right to plug her brother's
company in her article on double glazing. 6 See plod, 2, above.


plum n. find, catch, coup, prize, treasure; bonus, cream: Harvey's
landed a plum job as overseas buyer.

plumb n. 1 weight, (plumb-)bob, plummet, lead, sinker: The plumb
holds the string taut and exactly vertical.


--adj. 2 vertical, perpendicular, straight up and down: Make
sure the jamb is plumb before hanging the door.

--adv. 3 vertically, perpendicularly, straight up and down:
The cord doesn't hang plumb because the shelf is in the way. 4
exactly, precisely, dead, right, accurately, Colloq slap, Brit
bang, spot: The navigator checked our position and we were
plumb on course.

--v. 5 sound, fathom, measure, probe, explore, measure, gauge,
delve, penetrate: The bathyscaphe has plumbed the deeps of the
Indian Ocean. I plumb the depths of depression thinking of
starving people everywhere.

plummet v. See plunge, 1, below.

plumpฐ adj. 1 chubby, stout, fleshy, ample, full-bodied, portly,
tubby, rotund, squat, chunky, buxom, corpulent, roly-poly, fat,
obese, overweight, steatopygous, Brit podgy or US pudgy, Colloq
busty, beamy, hippy, beefy, well-upholstered: They went on a
diet because they were getting a bit plump.


--v. 2 puff up or out: When you get up, please plump up the
pillows on the sofa.

plump v. 1 drop, plummet, fall, plunge, dive, sink, collapse, flop:
I was so tired that all I could do was plump down in an armchair
and watch TV. 2 deposit, set or put (down), plunk, plop: She
plumped down the defective mixer on the counter and asked for a
refund. 3 plump for. support, choose, select, back, side with,
campaign for: Given the choice, they plumped for a film rather
than the circus.


--n. 4 drop, plunk, flop, thump, clunk, clump, thud, bump: He
dropped the book on the floor with a plump.

--adv. 5 abruptly, suddenly, directly, unhesitatingly, at once,
unexpectedly, surprisingly, without warning, (all) of a sudden,
plunk, bang: As I came out of the bank, I ran plump into a
policeman.

--adj. 6 direct, unequivocal, unmistakable or unmistakeable,
unambiguous, definite, definitive, blunt, simple, plain,
forthright, downright, straight, matter-of-fact: He asked her
to marry him and she gave him a plump 'no'.

plunder v. 1 pillage, loot, rob, ravage, ransack, rifle, despoil,
spoil, vandalize, sack, strip, maraud, devastate, desolate, lay
waste: The attacking army plundered the villages. 2 prey on or
upon, pirate, capture, seize: The buccaneers plunder the
Spanish treasure ships on the high seas.

--n. 3 pillage, looting, robbery, depredation, rapine,
despoliation, spoliation, vandalization, sack, vandalism,
vandalizing, sacking: It is said that the plunder of Rome took
no more than a fortnight. 4 booty, loot, spoils, prizes, Slang
boodle: The police displayed an Aladdin's cave of plunder
recovered from the thieves.

plunge v. 1 descend, drop, plummet, dive, pitch, nosedive, fall
(headlong): They lost their footing, and both Holmes and
Moriarty plunged into the abyss. 2 submerge, sink, immerse;
engulf, overwhelm: I plunged my hand in the icy water to
retrieve the keys. She plunged herself into her work to try to
forget him.


--n. 3 dive, nosedive, fall, pitch, plummet, drop, descent;
submersion, immersion: After the scandal his career took a
plunge from which it never recovered. Every winter they take a
plunge into the icy waters of the Serpentine. 4 gamble, wager,
bet, risk: Are you taking the plunge with an investment in
South America?

plus prep. 1 and, added to, increased by, with the addition of, with
an increment of, (coupled) with, together with: Two plus three
equals five. Your initial deposit plus accumulated interest will
make a substantial sum.

--adj. 2 added, additional, supplementary, extra: One must
take into account the plus value of the good publicity.


--n. 3 addition, bonus, extra, gain, benefit, asset, advantage,
profit, return: Improvements constitute a big plus in
evaluating the building.


plush adj. luxurious, posh, costly, (de) luxe, palatial, lavish,
rich, opulent, sumptuous, regal, elegant, Colloq ritzy, classy,
Old-fashioned swank(y): I had no idea that you lived in such
plush surroundings.


ply n. layer, leaf, thickness, fold: These seams are sewn through
two plies of fabric.


16.6 pocket...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



pocket n. 1 pouch, sack, bag, receptacle, reticule, satchel: You
should always have a clean handkerchief in your pocket. 2
cavity, pit, hollow, crater: We found water that had collected
in pockets in the surface of the rock. 3 area, island, camp,
centre, cluster, concentration: Leaders encountered pockets of
resistance to the new policies among the farmers.


--v. 4 take, appropriate, keep; filch, embezzle, steal,
purloin, thieve, pilfer, help oneself to, palm, Colloq walk off
or away with, pinch, swipe, rip off, hook, lift, snitch, Brit
nick, snaffle: While collecting for charity, Johnson was known
to have pocketed occasional contributions.

poem n. verse, lyric, rhyme or archaic rime, song, ode, rhapsody,
jingle, ditty: The anthology contains poems by politicians.


poet n. poetess, versifier, metrist, lyricist or lyrist, versemaker,
sonneteer, elegist, bard, minstrel; rhymester or rimester or
rhymer or rimer, poetaster: A widely published poet, Constance
is often invited to give readings.


poetic adj. 1 poetical, lyric(al), metrical, musical, melodic;
idyllic, elegiac, georgic, rhapsodic, epic, dithyrambic: She
bought a volume of the poetic works of John Keats. 2 artistic,
aesthetic, Parnassian, Hippocrenian, melodious: The novel
contains some poetic passages of surpassing quality.


poetry n. verse, versification, metrical composition, metrics, rhyme,
Archaic poesy: Modern poetry is often rather obscure.

po-faced adj. stern-visaged, austere, dour, disapproving, frowning,
grave, saturnine, solemn, sombre, humourless, grim, forbidding,
severe, strait-laced, uncompromising, puritanical, prim,
prudish, gruff, bluff, curmudgeonly: Despite having a po-faced
approach to his work, William has a keen sense of humour when

off duty.

poignant adj. 1 distressing, upsetting, agonizing, grievous, painful,
woeful, melancholy, blue, sad, sorrowful, tragic, disastrous,
heart-rending, heart-breaking, excruciating, bitter, pathetic,
pitiable, piteous, pitiful, miserable, moving, touching: The
biography also covers the poignant early years, spent largely in
orphanages and foster homes. 2 keen, acute, intense, incisive,
sharp, stinging, pointed, piercing, penetrating, barbed,
cutting, caustic, acid, acerbic, bitter, biting, mordant,
sarcastic, sardonic, severe: The headmaster's poignant remarks
about honesty and loyalty really hurt. 3 sincere, earnest,
heartfelt, deep, profound, dramatic, deeply felt, stirring,
moving, touching, emotional: The reunion of the little boy and
his dog was the most poignant moment in the film.

point n. 1 dot, mark, speck; (full) stop, period; decimal point: The
writing is smudged, but that looks like a point at the end of
the line. 2 tip, peak, apex, spike, spur, prong, sharp end: Be
careful of the point of that knife. 3 spot, place, stage,
position; site, station, location, locale: We have reached the
point of no return on that subject. I stopped at a few points
along the way to admire the view. 4 time, moment, instant,
juncture: At that point, we were summoned by the dinner bell.
5 focus, essence, meat, pith, quiddity, substance, heart,
nucleus, crux, nub, core, bottom, details, Colloq guts,
nitty-gritty: I wish he would stop all the palaver and get to
the point. 6 purpose, intent, intention, aim, goal, object,
objective, sense: What was the point of bringing that piece of
gossip into the discussion? 7 thrust, drift, theme, purport,
burden, import, implication, significance, signification, sense,
meaning; application, applicability, relevancy, appropriateness:
We found it difficult to see the point of the argument. 8
promontory, projection, headland, cape, peninsula: It may take
us a day to sail round the point. 9 brink, verge: We were on
the point of leaving when the guest of honour finally arrived.
10 detail, particular, item, element, nicety, aspect, facet,
matter, issue, subject, question; specifics: Some of the points
in her speech need clarification. 11 pointer, hint, suggestion,
piece of advice, tip: The golf pro at the club gave me some
good points on improving my swing. 12 thought, idea,
consideration; notion, view, plan, tactic; something: That's a
point to keep in mind if you buy another sailing-boat. 13 unit,

tally, score: She made her point and went on to win the match.
14 attribute, characteristic, feature, aspect, trait, quality,
side, property: I suppose he has his good points, too. 15
beside the point. irrelevant, inapt, inappropriate, malapropos,
incidental, immaterial, unimportant, pointless, inconsequential:
The fact that she's my sister is beside the point. 16 in point
of. in reference to, regarding, as regards, in the matter of,
concerning, with respect to: In point of date, the two events
coincide perfectly. 17 make a point of or US also make (it) a
point to. make an effort (to), put or place emphasis on, go out
of one's way (to); emphasize, single out, stress: He made a
point of apologizing to the hostess for his behaviour. She made
a special point of forgiving him. 18 to the point. relevant,
pertinent, appropriate, fitting, apropos, germane, apt,
applicable, apposite: The speech was short and to the point.

--v. 19 Often, point to. indicate, call or direct attention to:
Desir‚e pointed to the building and asked what it was. 20
direct, level, aim, train: I awoke to find her pointing a gun
at my head. 21 point out. a designate, call or direct
attention to, show, exhibit, indicate, identify: The taxi
driver pointed out all the sights as we drove along. b say,
bring up, mention, allude to, bring up, emphasize, stress, point
up, single out; allude to, call attention to, remind: I'd like
to point out that you have rarely won at bridge. She pointed out
the fallacy in his argument. 22 point up. emphasize, stress,
accentuate, underline, underscore, accent, spotlight: Such
errors point up the need to double-check everything.


point-blank
adj. 1 direct, straight, blunt, flat, straightforward, abrupt,
categorical, explicit, uncompromising, unmitigated, unalloyed,
downright, outright, to the point, straight from the shoulder,
(open and) above-board, unreserved: I asked her out to dinner
and got a point-blank refusal. 2 close, short, nearby: He was
shot at point-blank range.

--adv. 3 directly, straight (away), right away, bluntly, flat,
flatly, abruptly, categorically, unqualifiedly, explicitly,
uncompromisingly, unmitigatedly, outright,, unreservedly,
plainly, frankly, openly, candidly: He turned her down
point-blank when she offered him the job. 4 directly, straight:
He fired point-blank at the target.


pointed adj. 1 needle-shaped, sharp, acute, barbed, peaked, spiked,
spiky, Technical acuminate, cuspidate, aciform, acicular,
aciculiform, aculeous, apiculate, spiculate, serrate(d),
acuminate, mucroniform, mucronulate, mucronate(d), muricate,
hebetate: The child was poking holes in the sand with a pointed
stick. 2 incisive, piercing, cutting, sharp, pungent, keen,
penetrating, telling, trenchant, biting, unmistakable or
unmistakeable: The critic made a few pointed remarks about the
actors' reading of the lines.

pointer n. 1 indicator, rod, stick; index, sign, arrow, Typography
fist: The pointer is used to call attention to something
important. 2 tip, advice, hint, suggestion, recommendation,
piece of advice: McLeod gave me a few pointers on how to
improve the restaurant service.

pointless adj. purposeless, aimless, worthless, ineffective, meaningless,
ineffectual, futile, unproductive, fruitless, bootless, useless,
vain, senseless, absurd, silly, stupid, inane, asinine, fatuous,
preposterous, nonsensical, ridiculous, empty, hollow: After her
paper, someone rose and wasted half an hour making pointless
remarks.


point of view
n. 1 viewpoint, perspective, approach, position, angle, slant,
orientation, outlook, stance, standpoint, vantage point: From
his point of view, I can see why Fred thinks the research is a
waste of time. 2 opinion, view, belief, (way of) thinking,
principle, doctrine: Shouldn't everyone be entitled to express
a point of view?

poise n. 1 balance, equilibrium, equipoise, equiponderance, parity,
par: The chariots of the gods in even poise, obeying the rein,
glide rapidly. 2 composure, control, self-possession, aplomb,
assurance, dignity, equanimity, sang-froid, cool-headedness,
imperturbability, presence of mind, coolness, staidness,
reserve, sedateness, calmness, serenity, tranquillity, Colloq
cool: Jane's poise is remarkable, despite the heckling by the
audience.

--v. 3 balance, be balanced, hover, hang, float; make or be or
get ready, prepare: The boulder was poised on the edge of the

cliff.

poised adj. 1 composed, controlled, self-possessed, unflappable,
(self-)confident, (self-)assured, dignified, cool-headed,
imperturbable, unruffled, cool, staid, reserved, sedate, calm,
serene, tranquil, Colloq together: For a lad of eleven, Richard
is quite poised. 2 ready, standing by, waiting, prepared: Our
commando unit is poised to attack at your signal. 3 teetering,
hovering, tottering, wavering, suspended, trembling, wobbling,
balanced: In the present business climate, the company is
poised on the brink of bankruptcy.

poison n. 1 toxin, venom, bane; miasma, mephitis: The chemical plant
was found to be releasing poisons into the atmosphere. He kills
rats using poison. 2 virus, bane, cancer, canker, corrupt or
evil influence, pestilence, plague, blight: The drug barons
continue to spread their poison throughout the world.

--v. 3 defile, adulterate, infect, taint, pollute; contaminate,
debase, pervert, vitiate, subvert, warp, envenom: Chemicals
from the nearby plant have poisoned the drinking-water. Why
have you poisoned the child's mind against eating spinach? 4
murder, kill, do away with, destroy, dispatch or despatch:
Lucrezia Borgia poisoned her enemies in ingenious ways.


poisonous adj. 1 lethal, deadly, fatal, mortal, toxic, septic, virulent,
noxious or rare nocuous, venomous, malignant, pernicious,
miasmic, mephitic: Poisonous effluents were leaked into the
rivers by the chemical plant. 2 malicious, malevolent,
malignant, corruptive, vicious, baleful, evil, foul,
diabolic(al), defamatory, libellous, slanderous, dangerous,
deleterious,: They have been spreading poisonous gossip about
him again.


poke v. 1 jab, stick, prod, dig, goad, stab, thrust, push, elbow,
nudge, jog, jostle, butt, shove: Be careful not to poke someone
in the eye with your umbrella. He tells a joke, then pokes me
in the ribs to make sure I've got it. 2 punch, hit, strike, box,
cuff, smite, smack: I made a suggestive remark and she poked me
in the jaw. 3 pry, nose (about or around), stick one's nose
into, intrude, dig, probe, investigate; meddle, interfere, butt
in, tamper; Colloq snoop: I wish they would stop poking into my
affairs. 4 poke fun (at). tease, ridicule, mock, make fun of,

jeer (at), chaff, taunt, twit, make sport of, needle, Colloq
kid, rib, Brit send up, take the mickey out of: People who
don't understand something often poke fun at it. Stop poking fun
at my hat.


--n. 5 jab, prod, dig, stab, thrust, push, elbow, finger,
nudge, jog, jostle, butt, shove: Every time Rodney wants to
emphasize a point, he gives you a poke. 6 punch, hit, box, jab,
cuff, smack, blow: If anyone says anything bad about you, I'll
give him a poke in the nose.

polar adj. 1 Arctic, Antarctic, frigid, icy, glacial, freezing,
frozen, numbing, Siberian, hibernal, hyperborean, brumal,
wintry: It is positively polar in the house without the heat
turned on. 2 opposite, opposed, antithetical, contrary,
contradictory, diametric, antipodal, antagonistic, hostile:
Dante felt Good and Evil to be the two polar elements of the
Creation, on which it all turns.


poleฐ n. rod, stick, staff, spar, shaft, mast, standard, upright;
flag-pole, flagstaff, jackstaff; beanpole, hop-pole: We had to
use a long pole to get the kite down from the tree.

pole n. 1 extremity, end, limit, extreme: Their views are at
opposite poles and they cannot agree. 2 from pole to pole.
everywhere, all over, far and wide, high and low, leaving no
stone unturned, throughout the world or the length and breadth
of the land, Colloq US everyplace: He searched for her from
pole to pole. 3 poles apart. (very or completely) different,
worlds apart, at opposite extremes, at opposite ends of the
earth, at odds, irreconcilable: I'm afraid that the union and
management remain poles apart on the issue of working hours.

police n. 1 constabulary, policemen, policewomen, police officers,
Colloq boys in blue, the (long arm of the) law, the cops, the
gendarmes, Slang the coppers, the fuzz, Brit the (Old) Bill, US
the heat: There was a bit of an argument, so we called the
police.


--v. 2 patrol, guard, watch, protect: Additional officers were
assigned to police the neighbourhood. 3 enforce, regulate,
administer, oversee, control, observe, supervise, monitor: A
unit was established to police the terms of the agreement.


police officer
n. officer, policeman, policewoman, constable, Brit police
constable, PC, WPC, Chiefly US peace officer, patrolman,
patrolwoman, Colloq cop, gendarme, Brit bobby; Slang copper,
fuzz, flatfoot, Brit rozzer, Old Bill, Offensive and derogatory
pig, Historical peeler, US bull, fuzz ball: The police officers
then asked if I wouldn't mind helping with their inquiries.


policy n. approach, procedure, (game) plan, design, scheme, programme,
method, system, management, conduct, behaviour, strategy,
tactic(s), principle(s), protocol, regulation, rule, custom,
way, practice, ways and means, action: What policy should we
follow regarding interest rates?


polish v. 1 shine, brighten, burnish, buff, furbish, wax, clean,
smooth, rub, gloss: He polished up the handles so carefully
That now he is the ruler of the Queen's navy. 2 Often, polish
up. refine, improve, perfect, finish, cultivate, ameliorate,
enhance; correct, emend: If you polish up the article we might
consider it for publication. 3 polish off. a conclude, end,
terminate, finish: Ned polished off his homework in less than
an hour. b kill, slay, murder, dispatch or despatch, destroy,
dispose of, do away with, liquidate, eliminate, Slang bump off,
rub out, do in, take for a ride: Three platoons were polished
off quickly. c dispose of, put away, eat, consume, wolf (down):
In a few minutes, MacGregor had polished off the entire meal. 4
polish up. study, review, learn, Archaic con, Colloq bone up
(on), Slang Brit swot up (on): If you're going to M laga, you'd
better polish up your Spanish.

--n. 5 gloss, shine, lustre, sheen, glaze, smoothness,
brilliance, sparkle, gleam, glow, brightness, radiance: You
cannot imagine what a fine polish she put on that old table. 6
wax, oil: The new polish really put a shine on the desk.

polished adj. 1 accomplished, adept, proficient, expert, fine,
outstanding, skilful, gifted, masterful, masterly, virtuoso,
excellent, superior, superb, superlative; flawless, faultless,
perfect, impeccable: Edna is quite a polished cellist. She gave
a polished performance. 2 refined, elegant, cultivated,
graceful, debonair, sophisticated, urbane, soign‚(e), courtly,
genteel, cultured, civilized, well-bred, well-mannered, polite:

Under her guidance, James has become a polished gentleman.

polite adj. 1 civil, respectful, well-mannered, mannerly, courteous,
deferential, diplomatic, tactful, formal, proper, cordial: We
asked our new neighbours to tea but were met with a polite
refusal. 2 See polished, 2, above.

politic adj. 1 ingenious, shrewd, crafty, canny, cunning, designing,
scheming, clever, wily, foxy, tricky, artful, Macchiavellian,
evasive, shifty, Colloq cagey: Daniel is politic enough to know
how to manoeuvre situations to his benefit. 2 tactful,
diplomatic, discreet, prudent, judicious, wise, sage, sagacious,
sensible, intelligent, percipient, discriminating, far-sighted,
expedient, perceptive: It was politic of the winner to share
the prize with those who had helped him most.

political adj. 1 governmental, civic, civil, public, state, national,
federal; administrative, bureaucratic: The movement began as an
attempt to gain political freedom. 2 partisan, factious,
factional: A coalition government was formed by the major
political parties.

politician
n. legislator, lawmaker, statesman, stateswoman; minister, Brit
Member of Parliament, MP, US public or civil servant,
administrator, official, bureaucrat, office-bearer, senator,
congressman, congresswoman, representative, assembly-man,
assembly-woman, selectman; Colloq US derogatory politico,
(political) boss or hack, machine politician, ward-heeler,
wirepuller: Some politicians have given a bad name to the art
of politics.

politics n. 1 public affairs, political science, civics, civil affairs,
government, statecraft, diplomacy, statesmanship: Hume viewed
politics as people united in society and dependent on each
other. 2 manoeuvring, manipulation, wirepulling, machination:
Office politics are such that they wouldn't dare dismiss that
department head.


poll n. 1 voting, vote, returns, tally, figures: The poll shows
that the incumbents are not as secure as they thought. 2
opinion poll, survey, canvass, census, ballot, count: A poll of
home-owners shows that most would like to own washing machines.


--v. 3 sample, survey, question, canvass, ballot, ask,
interview; count, enumerate, tally, register, record: We polled
teenagers to determine their reaction to a youth centre; those
in favour polled 73 per cent. 4 receive, get, win, register,
tally: Cavendish polled more than 60 per cent of the votes
cast.

pollute v. 1 contaminate, adulterate, befoul, foul, soil, spoil, taint,
stain, dirty, sully, blight, poison: These factories must be
prevented from continuing to pollute the atmosphere. 2 corrupt,
desecrate, profane, defile, violate: The altar was polluted
because it had been touched by a non-believer.


pollution n. contamination, adulteration, corruption, polluting, fouling,
befouling, soiling, spoiling, tainting, staining, dirtying,
sullying, blighting, poisoning, vitiation: Laws were passed to
prosecute those responsible for the pollution of the
environment.


pomp n. glory, grandeur, magnificence, splendour, show,
extravaganza, pageantry, ceremony, spectacle, brilliance,
ceremoniousness: The Chinese court's pomp and display of wealth
had never before been seen by a westerner.


pompous adj. 1 vain, vainglorious, proud, arrogant, pretentious,
ostentatious, showy, grandiose, haughty, overbearing, conceited,
egotistical, self-important, boastful, braggart, inflated,
snobbish, magisterial, imperious, pontifical, affected,
exhibitionist, Colloq uppity, highfalutin or hifalutin,
hoity-toity, high-hat, Slang snooty, snotty: Don't you despise
the pompous way Marshall struts about in that ridiculous
uniform? 2 bombastic, flowery, grandiloquent, pedantic, stuffy,
fustian, orotund, ornate, embroidered, flatulent, windy, turgid,
inflated, high-flown, euphuistic: He's always making
long-winded, pompous speeches because he loves the sound of his
own voice.

ponder v. consider, muse (over or on), brood (over or upon or on),
mull over, deliberate (over), meditate (upon or on), think (over
or on or about), weigh, ruminate (over), chew over, cogitate,
excogitate, reflect (on or over), contemplate: I shall need a
while to ponder the answer to that question. Give me a little

more time to ponder.

ponderous adj. 1 weighty, unwieldy, heavy, massive, huge, big, large,
awkward, clumsy, cumbersome or cumbrous: A ponderous juggernaut
bore down on us, completely out of control. 2 dull, tedious,
laboured, laborious, tiresome, turgid, boring, dreary,
pedestrian, stilted, windy, inflated, long-winded, wordy,
verbose, prolix, elephantine, pompous, grandiloquent, overdone:
Many students faced with textbooks written in ponderous prose
become disenchanted with learning.

pool n. 1 pond, lake, tarn, mere, lagoon; swimming-pool, leisure
pool, wading pool, Brit paddling pool, US wading pool, Formal
natatorium: We found an icy mountain pool where we went for a
swim. 2 collection, fund(s), purse, stakes, reserve(s), bank,
Colloq pot, jackpot, kitty: So far we have too little money in
the pool for an office party at Christmas. 3 syndicate, trust,
group, consortium, cartel, combine: The object of the pool was
the private regulation of market prices, which is illegal.


--v. 4 accumulate, collect, gather, combine, merge,
consolidate, amalgamate, league, bring or come or band or get
together, team (up) with: We would do better if we pooled our
resources.


poor adj. 1 needy, destitute, indigent, in want, in need, penniless,
poverty-stricken, impoverished, badly off, necessitous, poor as
a church-mouse, straitened, pinched, in reduced circumstances,
impecunious, financially embarrassed, down and out, out of
pocket, ruined, insolvent, bankrupt, Colloq broke, hard up, on
one's uppers, short, US wiped out, Brit in Queer Street, Slang
Brit skint: They were poor and didn't know where their next
meal was coming from. 2 low, bad, skimpy, meagre, scant, scanty,
inadequate, deficient, insufficient, sparse: How can a family
of five survive on such a poor salary? These days, 3 per cent
would be considered a poor return on investment. 3 barren,
unproductive, unfruitful, fruitless, infertile, sterile;
depleted, exhausted, impoverished: This is poor soil, and no
amount of cultivation is likely to make it productive. 4 bad,
awful, inadequate, unsatisfactory, unacceptable, bumbling,
inefficient, amateurish, unprofessional, inferior, second-rate,
third-rate, low-grade, shabby, shoddy, mediocre, defective,
faulty, flawed, substandard, sorry, not up to par or snuff,

slipshod, below or under par, Colloq rotten, lousy: They did a
poor job repairing my car. Her latest recital was pretty poor. 5
insignificant, slight, paltry, inconsequential, mean, modest,
trivial, trifling: They made only a poor attempt to correct the
problem. 6 unfortunate, unlucky, pathetic, luckless, pitiful,
pitiable, ill-fated, miserable, wretched, ill-starred,
star-crossed, jinxed, hapless: The poor chap lost his entire
family in the disaster. 7 bad, ill: Aunt Theresa has been in
poor health lately.


poorly adv. 1 badly, inadequately, unsatisfactorily, incompetently,
inexpertly, improperly, crudely, unprofessionally, amateurishly:
The decorators you recommended have done their work very poorly
indeed.


--adj. Colloq 2 unwell, indisposed, ailing, sick, below par,
Colloq rotten, under the weather: Charles is rather poorly, I'm
afraid.


pop v. 1 burst, explode, bang, go off: The balloon popped, making
me jump. 2 Often, pop in or out or by. visit, stop, call,
appear, Colloq drop in, Brit nip in: Guess who popped in to see
me on his way to the airport. 3 bulge, protrude, stick out, US
bug out: The little boy's eyes popped when they brought in the
birthday cake.

--n. 4 explosion, bang, report, crack: The Christmas cracker
went off with a loud pop. 5 soft drink, soda (water); cola,
Brit fizzy drink, lemonade, US soda (pop): A bottle of pop for
my daughter and a pint of bitter for me, please.

populace n. people, masses, commonalty, (general) public, commoners,
multitude, hoi polloi, crowd, throng, rabble, peasantry,
proletariat, common folk, rank and file, working class,
bourgeoisie, mob, Derogatory great unwashed, riff-raff, rabble,
canaille, ragtag and bobtail: Some MPs act on behalf of their
own constituencies rather than the populace at large.

popular adj. 1 favourite, favoured, in favour, accepted, well-received,
approved, (well-)liked, fashionable, in fashion, stylish, in
vogue, celebrated, renowned, acclaimed, famous, in demand,
sought-after, all the rage, Colloq trendy, in, hot: You would
become a millionaire overnight if you could accurately predict

the popular music of the coming year. 2 conventional, stock,
commonplace, public, normal, standard, general, universal,
average, everyday, ordinary, routine, common, habitual,
prevalent, current, prevailing, dominant, predominant,
predominating, customary: His films cater to popular tastes in
science fiction. 3 lay, non-professional, amateur,
understandable, accessible, popularized, simplified: He
presents a popular astronomy programme on TV.


popularity
n. favour, acceptance, approval, esteem, regard, repute,
reputation, vogue, trend, stylishness, renown, acclaim, fame,
celebrity, lionization, (hero-) worship, Colloq trendiness: The
immense popularity of her novels in America has made her very
rich.

popularly adv. commonly, generally, ordinarily, usually, universally,
widely, regularly, customarily, prevalently, habitually: It is
a popularly held belief among the French that their wine is the
best in the world.

populate v. colonize, settle, people, occupy; inhabit, dwell in, reside
in, live in: Shiploads of families braved the voyage to
populate the New World.


population
n. people, populace, inhabitants, residents, natives, denizens,
citizenry, citizens, folk: In those days there was no one to
look after the legal rights of the population.


populous adj. crowded, (heavily) populated, peopled, teeming, thronged,
crawling, swarming, jammed, jam-packed, packed: The populous
cities contrast with the sparsely inhabited rural areas.


poreฐ v. pore over. study, examine, scrutinize, peruse, read, go
over, Colloq con: Hamilton sits in the library, day after day,
poring over books of forgotten lore.

pore n. opening, orifice, hole, aperture, vent, perforation,
Technical spiracle, stoma: A hot bath opens the pores in the
skin.

pornographic

adj. obscene, lewd, offensive, indecent, prurient, smutty,
taboo, blue, dirty, salacious, licentious, nasty, X-rated,
Colloq porno, US raunchy: Some prudes consider anything
concerning sex to be pornographic.


pornography
n. obscenity, smut, filth, dirt, erotica, Colloq porn: The
council voted to forbid the sale of pornography within the town
precincts.


porous adj. spongy, spongelike, permeable, pervious, penetrable: The
rainwater runs through the porous rock and collects in the pools
below.


port n. harbour, haven, seaport; mooring, anchorage; refuge: We
were bound east for the port of Cardiff.

portable adj. transportable, manageable, carriable, handy, light,
lightweight, compact, pocket, pocket-sized, little, small, US
carry-on, vest-pocket, shirt-pocket: He needs a van just to
transport his portable television, portable radio, portable
hi-fi, portable typewriter, portable computer, and portable
calculator.


portentous
adj. 1 ominous, threatening, momentous, sinister, fateful,
alarming, menacing, foreboding, ill-omened, inauspicious,
unfavourable, ill-starred, ill-fated, star-crossed, lowering or
louring, gloomy, unpromising, unpropitious: Precisely at
midnight they appeared with the most portentous news. 2
extraordinary, amazing, astonishing, astounding, prodigious,
awesome, awe-inspiring, remarkable, marvellous, phenomenal,
fabulous, fantastic, mind-boggling, wondrous, miraculous: The
coronation of a British monarch is truly a portentous event.


porterฐ n. bearer, (baggage) carrier or attendant, US airports skycap,
US railways redcap: I tipped the porter to carry our bags to a
taxi.


porter n. 1 concierge, cleaner, caretaker, Chiefly US and Canadian
janitor, superintendent, Colloq US super: When we are away, the
porter keeps our mail for us. 2 door-keeper, watchman, doorman,
gatekeeper, concierge, US tiler: He went to my club, but the

porter would not let him in.

portico n. porch, veranda or verandah, gallery, colonnade, galilee: At
the front of the mansion, six corinthian pillars support a wide
portico.

portion n. 1 segment, part, section, division, subdivision, parcel,
piece, hunk, chunk, lump, wedge, slice, sliver, fraction,
fragment, bit, morsel, scrap: A portion of the masonry fell
into the street in the earthquake. 2 share, part, allotment,
quota, ration, apportionment, allowance, allocation, assignment,
percentage, measure, division, quantity: The size of an
investor's portion depends on the amount invested. 3 helping,
serving; ration, plate, platter: He complained that the
portions in nouvelle cuisine are too small.

--v. 4 Often, portion out. apportion, share out, allocate,
ration, allot, partition, assign, consign, dole out, deal (out),
parcel out, distribute, administer, dispense, disperse, divide,
split up, carve up, cut up, break up, section, Colloq divvy up:
The conquered territories were then portioned out among the
victors.

portrait n. picture, likeness, image,sketch, rendering, vignette;
representation, description, profile, thumbnail sketch,
portrayal, picturization, depiction; account, story,
characterization, study, record, file, dossier: We have the
culprit's portrait in our rogues' gallery. We need a more
accurate portrait of the kidnapper.


portray v. 1 represent, picture, show, depict, paint, render,
characterize, describe, delineate: She is portrayed wearing the
Castelli tiara. Why must I always be portrayed as the villain? 2
act or play (the part or role of), take the part or role of,
represent, pose as, impersonate: She portrays an aged crone who
regains her youth in the last act.

pose v. 1 sit, model; position, place, arrange, set (up), put:
Would you let your husband or wife pose in the nude? She posed
the model standing, looking out of the window. 2 Usually, pose
as. portray, act or play (the part or role of), take the part or
role of, represent, impersonate, be disguised as, masquerade as,
pretend or profess to be, pass (oneself off) as, pass for,

imitate, mimic; attitudinize, posture, put on airs, Colloq show
off: She posed as an art expert from Switzerland. She thinks
him a rou‚, but he's only posing. 3 set, put, ask, submit,
broach, posit, advance, present, predicate, postulate: The
interviewer posed some questions that were quite embarrassing.

--n. 4 position, attitude, posture, stance: Her profile is not
shown to best advantage in that pose. 5 affectation, act,
pretence, attitudinizing, affectedness, display, fa‡ade, show,
ostentation: His interest in art is just a pose to impress her.

poseur n. posturer, exhibitionist, pretender, impostor, masquerader,
attitudinizer; fake, faker, dissembler, fraud, Colloq show-off,
phoney or US also phony: He talks about literature, but he's a
poseur who just spouts the opinions of others.

posh adj. (de) luxe, luxurious, elegant, sumptuous, lavish, opulent,
rich, royal, regal, luxury, grand, fashionable, Colloq swank(y),
classy, ritzy, Slang snazzy: You ought to see what a posh
office my son has!

posit v. postulate, hypothesize, propound, put or set forth, put
forward, advance, propose, pose, offer, submit, predicate: If
we posit a downturn in prices next year, how does that affect
our profit forecasts?

position n. 1 posture, attitude, stance, pose; disposition, arrangement,
disposal: Once in a while, he would change his position so that
he faced the sun. With the pieces in this position the chess
game is a draw. 2 site, placement, situation, whereabouts,
placing, emplacement, location: Those bearings put his present
position about 20 miles west of C diz. 3 viewpoint, point of
view, outlook, attitude, angle, slant, stance, stand, opinion,
inclination, leaning, bent, sentiment, feeling, way of thinking:
My solicitor is pessimistic about my position in this case. 4
status, condition, state, circumstances, situation: Our
financial position vis-…-vis investment in gilt bonds has
changed. 5 class, caste, place, rank, standing, station, status,
importance: They insist on knowing the social position of the
girl's family. 6 job, occupation, situation, post, office,
function, appointment, capacity, place, role, Colloq billet,
berth, Australian possie or possy My mother's position as
managing director had nothing to do with my getting a promotion.

7 hypothesis, thesis, principle, contention, assertion,
predication, belief, proposition, postulate: His position is
based on the implications of the third law of thermodynamics.


--v. 8 put, place, situate, site, set, fix, settle, dispose,
arrange: The pointer is again positioned at zero. Position your
forces along this ridge and stay on full alert. 9 place, locate,
establish, determine, fix, localize: The scientists positioned
the seismic activity as being along the San Andreas fault.


positive adj. 1 sure, certain, definite, unequivocal, categorical,
absolute, unqualified, unambiguous, unmistakable or
unmistakeable, clear-cut, clear, explicit, express, decisive,
indisputable, indubitable, unquestionable, unquestioned,
incontestable, uncontested, undeniable, reliable, persuasive,
convincing, irrefutable: The police have positive evidence that
the men are innocent of any crime. Spending this evening with
you has been a positive delight. 2 definitive, emphatic,
decided, forceful, firm, peremptory, definite: He gave a
positive denial when asked if he had agreed to let the hostages
go. She made a positive commitment to meet me here at noon. 3
sure, certain, confident, convinced, satisfied: Are you
positive that the last train is at midnight? 4 beneficial,
favourable, complimentary, productive, useful: I heard many
positive things about the way she handled herself at the
interview. 5 overconfident, dogmatic, doctrinaire, pontifical,
opinionated, pigheaded, stubborn, obstinate, obdurate,
arbitrary, overweening, arrogant, assertive, dictatorial,
despotic, imperious, Rare thetic(al): His problem is that he is
quite positive about things that simply are not so. 6 practical,
realistic, utilitarian, productive, functional, pragmatic(al),
realistic, matter-of-fact, Colloq hard-nosed: They have taken a
positive approach to studying the economics of small businesses.
7 encouraging, supportive, constructive, reassuring,
enthusiastic, favourable, affirmative, yes, confirming: Our
plan to buy out the company has received a positive reaction
from our bankers. Asked if they would buy our product,
businessmen gave a positive response. 8 auspicious, promising,
propitious, encouraging; optimistic, favourable, cheerful,
confident; Colloq bullish, upbeat: In the long run, the picture
for home-owners looks positive. It pays to maintain a positive
outlook and not get depressed. 9 complete, utter, total,
perfect, out-and-out, consummate, unmitigated, thorough,

thoroughgoing; egregious, glaring, stark, sheer, outright,
unqualified, unequivocal: You were a positive idiot not to let
me know you needed help. All attempts at reconciliation ended
in positive disaster.


positively
adv. definitely, absolutely, unquestionably, certainly, (most)
assuredly, undeniably, undoubtedly, surely, to be sure,
emphatically, unmistakably or unmistakeably, unqualifiedly,
categorically, indisputably, beyond or without (a shadow of) a
doubt, indubitably, beyond question: The wine list at Le
MaŒtre's is positively the best in the area.

possess v. 1 be possessed or in possession of, have, own, enjoy, be
blessed or endowed with: In the 19th century, the family
possessed great wealth. 2 have, be born or gifted or endowed
with, contain, embody, embrace, include: He possesses a talent
to amuse people. Man does not possess as keen a sense of smell
as many animals. 3 dominate, control, govern, consume, take
control of, preoccupy, obsess; charm, captivate, enchant, cast a
spell over, bewitch, enthral: What possessed her to think that
I could help? He behaves as if he is possessed by the devil. 4
be possessed with or of. have, be held or influenced or
dominated by, be imbued or inspired or permeated or affected
with: She became possessed with the notion that she could sing.
Fiona believes herself the only person possessed of reason. 5
possess oneself of. acquire, achieve, get, come by, gain, come
into, win, obtain, procure, secure, take, seize, take or gain
possession of: Kevin has possessed himself of the only
comfortable bed in the place.

possessed adj. obsessed, driven, controlled, dominated, ridden,
bedevilled, consumed, haunted, pressed, maddened, crazed,
demented, frenzied, Colloq eaten up: He behaved like a man
possessed.

possession
n. 1 ownership, title, proprietorship, control, hold, tenure,
keeping, care, custody, guardianship, protection: The paintings
are now in my possession. 2 holding, territory, province,
dominion, colony, protectorate: How long will the Falkland
Islands remain a possession of the Crown? 3 possessions.
belongings, property, effects, chattels, assets, worldly goods,

things: The prison clerk placed all my possessions in an
envelope, explaining that they would be returned when I was
released. 4 take or gain possession of. seize, capture, take,
conquer, occupy, acquire, win, possess oneself of, secure,
obtain; repossess: The raiding party gained possession of the
port and surrounding area. The finance company has taken
possession of my car.

possessive
adj. 1 greedy, unyielding, selfish, ungiving, ungenerous,
stingy, niggardly, materialistic, covetous, acquisitive: He
refuses to see anyone, as he is very possessive of his time. 2
overprotective, controlling, grasping, dominating, domineering,
overbearing: Anyone with a possessive parent finds it difficult
to leave home.

possibility
n. 1 chance, odds, prospect, conceivability, feasibility,
plausibility, likelihood, admissibility: There is a possibility
of my leaving work early to meet you. What is the possibility
that he might be honest? They deny even the possibility of God's
existence. 2 Often, possibilities. opportunity, potentiality,
potential, capacity, promise: The old house has many large
rooms and offers great possibilities.


possible adj. 1 feasible, plausible, imaginable, conceivable, thinkable,
credible, tenable, reasonable, admissible: It is remotely
possible, though improbable, that she committed the crime. 2
realizable, practicable, workable, practical, doable,
achievable, attainable, reachable, accomplishable, viable,
Colloq on: In the present state of the art, a fully interactive
computer, operating in real time, is still not possible.

possibly adv. 1 maybe, perhaps, God willing, Deo volente, if possible,
Archaic or literary perchance, mayhap, peradventure: She is
possibly the best person for the job. 2 in any way, under any
circumstances, by any chance, by any means, at all: Could you
possibly help me find my contact lens? The weather forecast
couldn't possibly be correct.


postฐ n. 1 pole, stake, upright, column, pillar, pale, picket, shaft,
standard, newel, pier, pylon, pile, piling, strut, shore,
stanchion, leg, prop, stay, support, brace: A huge central post

held up the roof.

--v. 2 advertise, announce, proclaim, publish, circulate,
propagate, promulgate; put or pin or tack or stick or hang up,
affix: The notice of the meeting has been posted for all to
see.

post n. 1 assignment, appointment, position, situation, job, place,
duty, role, function, employment, work, task, chore: Clarke was
given a post as consul in some forgotten country.

--v. 2 place, put, station, assign, appoint, position, situate,
set, locate: Guards have been posted around the enclosure.


postฐ n. 1 postal service, mail; delivery; collection: I am
expecting an important letter in the post. It hasn't come in the
first post.

--v. 2 send, dispatch or despatch, transmit, Chiefly US and
Canadian mail: I posted your cheque this morning. 3 record,
enter, register, list: We post the daily receipts in this
ledger. 4 keep (someone) posted. inform, advise, brief, notify,
Colloq fill (someone) in on: Our observers have kept me posted
as to your whereabouts every step of the way.


poster n. placard, notice, bill, advertisement, announcement,
broadside, broadsheet; circular, flier: Who designed that
striking poster for the new play?


posterior adj. 1 hind, rear, back, after, hinder, rearward, Nautical aft:
The posterior legs are somewhat longer. 2 later, after, latter,
ensuing, following, succeeding, subsequent: Analysis has
yielded evidence of the posterior origin of the lava.


--n. 3 buttocks, bottom, rump, seat, derriŠre, Colloq behind,
rear, backside, tail, Colloq hinie, Slang Brit bum, Taboo slang
Brit arse, US ass, butt, Yiddish tokus or tochis or tuchis: The
term describing a person with a fat posterior is 'steatopygous'.


posterity n. descendants, successors, heirs, children, offspring, issue,
progeny: It is good that these buildings will be preserved for
posterity. Posterity will be the judge of our success.

post-haste
adv. quickly, at once, without delay, immediately, directly,
straightaway, right away, promptly, speedily, swiftly,
instantly, before one can say 'Jack Robinson', before you can
say 'knife', rapidly, at full tilt, in a wink, in a trice, in
the twinkling of an eye, Colloq pronto, chop-chop, p.d.q. (=
'pretty damned quick'), US and Canadian lickety-split, like
greased lightning: He got me the report post-haste.


post-mortem
n. 1 autopsy, necropsy: We'll know the cause of death after
the post-mortem. 2 review, analysis, Slang US Monday-morning
quarterbacking: We can do without the post-mortem on every
bridge hand.


postpone v. delay, adjourn, defer, keep in abeyance, put off or aside,
lay aside, suspend, shelve, put or keep on ice, temporize,
dally, Colloq put on the back burner, US table: We ought to
postpone further discussion till we have the facts.


postponement
n. delay, adjournment, abeyance, suspension, stay, deferment,
deferral, moratorium: There has been a postponement of the
meeting till Monday.


posture n. 1 pose, position, attitude, stance, appearance, carriage:
She stood there in a defiant posture, with arms akimbo. 2
position, condition, situation, state, disposition; arrangement,
organization, layout, array, format: The government adopted a
conciliatory posture in the matter. 3 attitude, stance,
position, feeling, sentiment, outlook, (point of) view,
viewpoint, orientation, disposition, frame of mind, mood: The
interviewer tried to determine the general's posture on
disarmament.


--v. 4 pose, attitudinize, affect, put on a show, do for
effect, Colloq show off: Despite all her posturing, we believe
her to be sincere.


pot n. 1 pan, saucepan, cauldron, cook-pot, stewpot; kettle: How
many politicians have promised the people 'a chicken in every
pot'? 2 jackpot, bank, kitty: You will have to add œ5 to the
pot to see my hand. 3 pot-belly, paunch, gut, Colloq

corporation, beer belly, spare tyre, US bay window: If he
exercised more, Patrick wouldn't have such a pot.

potent adj. 1 powerful, strong; mighty, vigorous, forceful,
formidable, authoritative, influential, Literary puissant: A
potent poison will kill those weeds. We have to reckon with an
enemy that is quite potent. 2 effective, convincing, cogent,
persuasive, compelling, efficacious, telling, sound, valid,
impressive: Their argument is potent enough to convince the
biggest sceptics.

potential adj. 1 possible, likely, implicit, implied, imminent,
developing, budding, embryonic, dormant, hidden, concealed,
covert, latent, quiescent, passive, future, unrealized,
undeveloped: We are dealing with a potential threat to our
liberty.

--n. 2 capacity, capability, possibility, aptitude, potency,
Colloq the (right) stuff, what it takes: All teenagers have
potential; the problem is to teach them to exploit it to the
best advantage.

potion n. draught, brew, beverage, drink, philtre, potation, elixir,
tonic, cup, dose, concoction, decoction: The old crone gave him
a tiny bottle containing the love potion.

pot-pourri
n. mixture, medley, miscellany, assortment, olla podrida,
smorgasbord or sm”rg†sbord, gallimaufry, salmagundi, patchwork,
collection, hotchpotch or US and Canadian hodgepodge, m‚lange or
melange, motley, pastiche or pasticcio, mishmash, jumble, mess:
What a pot-pourri of styles is represented in that art gallery!

potter v. Chiefly Brit dabble (in or with), toy with, trifle with,
fribble, fool (with or about or around), fritter (away), mess
(about or around or with), tinker (with), meddle (with), monkey
(about or around or with), fidget (with), US putter (around or
with), Colloq fiddle (about or around or with), footle (around
or about): On Sundays I like to potter about in the garden.


pottery n. earthenware, ceramics, terracotta, crockery, stoneware,
porcelain, china, delftware: Ornamented pottery has been found
in pre-Columbian digs.


pouch n. pocket, sack, bag, purse, reticule, Dialect poke: A
Highlander's pouch is called a sporran. As I was going out, I
filled my tobacco pouch.


pounce v. 1 Often, pounce on or upon. spring (on or upon), leap (at or
on), swoop down (on or upon), fall upon, jump (at or on),
strike, take by surprise or unawares, attack, ambush, Colloq
mug: As I rounded the corner, three youths pounced on me, stole
my bag, and ran off.

--n. 2 spring, leap, swoop, jump: The cat was on the mantel
shelf in a single pounce.


poundฐ v. 1 beat, batter, pelt, hammer, pummel; thump, belabour,
thrash, bludgeon, cudgel, maul, strike, Colloq lambaste, Slang
paste, clobber, work over, give (someone) the works or a
pasting: She pounded on the door till someone came. It was
satisfying to see him pound the class bully into submission. 2
crush, powder, pulverize, bray, comminute, triturate, mash,
pulp: The corn must be pounded into a fine meal before use. 3
beat, throb, hammer, pulse, pulsate, palpitate: My heart was
pounding, waiting to see if the tiger would attack. 4 pound
into. instil, din into, drill into, drub into, hammer into, beat
into: Her parents have pounded into her that she must show
respect to her elders. 5 pound out. rid, expel, clear, cleanse,
empty, purge, beat out, hammer out: The last bit of
stubbornness was pounded out of me at school. 6 beat out;
hammer out, produce: The jungle drums pounded out the message
that Tarzan was coming.

--n. 7 pounding, beat, beating, thump, thumping: The pound of
horses' hooves heralded the arrival of the cavalry.


pound n. enclosure, pen, compound, confine, yard: My car was towed
to the pound, and it cost a fortune to retrieve it.

pour v. 1 flow, run, gush, rush, flood, stream, course, spout,
discharge, spurt, spew out, cascade: Water was pouring from a
crack in the dam. 2 empty, discharge, let out: Pour the
boiling water over the tea leaves and let them steep for a few
minutes. 3 rain, teem, Colloq come down in buckets or by the
bucketful, bucket down, rain cats and dogs, US rain pitchforks:

It poured all night. 4 stream, swarm, crowd, throng, teem,
emerge, sally forth, issue (forth), go (forth): The show over,
people poured into the streets.


pout v. 1 mope, brood, sulk, make a moue, pull a long face, frown,
lour or lower, knit one's brows: Don't pout - I'll buy you an
ice-cream.

--n. 2 frown, moue, long face: Her pout was occasioned by her
father's scolding.

poverty n. 1 want, penury, indigence, insolvency, destitution,
pauperism, impecuniousness, neediness, beggary: Her childhood
was spent in poverty. 2 scarcity, scarceness, want, need, lack,
meagreness, insufficiency, shortage, dearth, paucity,
inadequacy: They criticized the poverty of talent among the
current crop of actors.

powder n. 1 dust; talc: I couldn't remember whether the jar contained
cornflour or baking powder. She dabbed her body all over with
scented powder. 2 take a (run-out) powder. run away, abscond,
escape, vanish, disappear, Slang Brit scarper, do a moonlight
flit, US take it on the lam: The cops are coming, so I'm taking
a powder.


--v. 3 pulverize, bray, grind, crush, pound, granulate,
triturate, comminute, levigate: The rocks must first be
crushed, then powdered. 4 sprinkle, besprinkle, dust, dredge,
cover, coat: Lightly powder the top of the cake with icing
sugar, and it is ready to serve.

power n. 1 Sometimes, powers. capacity, capability, ability,
potential, faculty, competency or competence, faculty,
potentiality, Colloq what it takes, US the (right) stuff, the
goods: Fishes have the power to change their buoyancy. He has
remarkable powers of observation. 2 control, dominance,
authority, mastery, rule, influence, sway, command, ascendancy,
sovereignty, dominion, weight, clout, Colloq pull, US drag: He
maintains a Svengali-like power over her. The prime minister has
the power to appoint and dismiss cabinet ministers. 3 control,
command, authority: The party might not be in power for very
long. 4 strength, might, vigour, energy, force, mightiness,
potency, forcefulness, brawn, muscle, Literary puissance: His

speech was delivered with great power and a certain wit. Has she
the power it takes to toss the caber? 5 talent, skill, ability,
faculty, gift, aptitude, genius, knack: They say that she has
the power to see into the future. 6 authority, licence, right,
authorization, privilege, warrant, prerogative: By the power
vested in me, I now declare you man and wife. It is within her
power to grant a stay of execution. 7 Often, powers. activity,
effectiveness, effect, ability, capacity, active ingredient(s):
This mushroom has hallucinogenic powers. 8 energy, momentum,
impetus, drive, force, inertia: The car rolled halfway up the
next hill under its own power. 9 (mechanical or electrical or
atomic) energy, electricity, fuel: Yesterday there was another
demonstration against the use of nuclear power. 10 powers that
be. government, administration, authorities, incumbents: It is
up to the powers that be to investigate corruption.

powerful adj. 1 potent, strong, mighty, vigorous, robust, energetic,
sturdy, stalwart, tough, resilient, dynamic: Leslie has a
powerful physique. The cities of the Hanseatic League had
powerful economies. 2 influential, strong, compelling, forceful,
potent, substantial, weighty, authoritative, effective;
important, impressive, telling, effectual, formidable,
persuasive: Powerful arguments have been brought to bear
against taking such action. She has many powerful friends. 3
strong, potent; intense, substantial, great, high: The drug is
too powerful to be taken regularly. A powerful electrical charge
was sent through the wire to test the connection.

powerless adj. 1 helpless, incapable, unable, unfit, incompetent,
ineffectual, ineffective: Without his wand, the magician was
powerless. 2 incapacitated, helpless, weak, feeble,
debilitated, crippled, paralysed, disabled: He is completely
powerless without the use of his right hand.


16.7 practicable...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



practicable
adj. doable, feasible, workable, performable, achievable,
attainable, accomplishable, possible, viable: We climbed up the
glacier as far as was practicable. At last we had a practicable
flying machine.


practical adj. 1 pragmatic, useful, usable or useable, functional,
realistic, reasonable, sound, utilitarian, applicable,
serviceable, empirical, efficient: Whether the device is
practical will depend on its cost effectiveness. 2 sensible,
reasonable, common-sense or common-sensical, everyday, ordinary,
down-to-earth, expedient, matter-of-fact, mundane,
business-like, hard-headed, judicious, Colloq hard-nosed: Put
theory aside and focus on a practical solution to the problem.
3 applied, field, hands-on, personal, everyday: She has had
practical experience in nursing the elderly.

practically
adv. 1 almost, (very) nearly, wellnigh, virtually, in effect,
just about, essentially, fundamentally, at bottom, basically,
when all is said and done, at the end of the day, to all intents
and purposes: We are practically there. I have practically
finished the ironing. 2 realistically, matter-of-factly,
clearly, simply, reasonably, rationally, sensibly: Practically,
there was nothing to be done except let the fire burn itself
out.

practice n. 1 custom, wont, habit, routine, convention, tradition, rule,
procedure, usage, mode, style, way, modus operandi, technique or
technic, Formal praxis, Colloq MO (= 'modus operandi'): She
makes a practice of swimming for an hour every day. It is our
practice to get patients out of bed as soon as possible after
surgery. 2 exercise, discipline, drill, practising, repetition,
rehearsal, training, preparation; workout, warm-up; application,
study: She needs more practice on the beginner's slope before
going down the main piste. 3 pursuit, exercise, work,
profession, career, vocation, conduct; business, office: He
genuinely enjoys the practice of law. I heard of a veterinary
practice for sale in Yorkshire. 4 in practice. practically,
actually, day-to-day, realistically, in real life: In practice
no one would ever treat an injury the way this book recommends.
5 out of practice. inexperienced, unpractised, unaccustomed,
rusty: I once played a good game of chess, but I'm out of
practice now.


practise v. 1 drill, exercise, work out, train, prepare, rehearse, run
through, repeat, study, US practice: I am practising for
Sunday's tennis tournament. She practises the piano every day.

You should practise your routine for the show. 2 carry on, make
a practice of, perform, do, act, carry out, put into practice,
US practice: She practises law. You should practise what you
preach.


practised adj. 1 accomplished, proficient, expert, skilled, experienced,
capable, adept, seasoned, able, qualified, gifted, talented,
skilful, masterful, consummate, superb, superior, US practiced:
She is a practised liar. 2 trained, rehearsed, versed,
cultivated, schooled, finished, perfected, US practiced: He
greeted them with the practised air of an veteran diplomat.

praise n. 1 acclaim, approval, approbation, applause, plaudits, kudos,
endorsement, acclamation, tribute, accolade, compliments,
commendation, encomium, eulogy, panegyric, ovation: Sheila has
received well-deserved praise for her work with paraplegic
children. Would you expect me to sing the praises of my rival? 2
honour, glorification, adoration, exaltation, devotion, homage,
worship, veneration, adulation, reverence, glory, hymn or song
of praise, paean, hosanna: The king rejoiced and said, 'Praise
be to God'.

--v. 3 acclaim, approve, laud, applaud, endorse, pay tribute
to, compliment, commend, eulogize, extol, honour, sing the
praises (of): The speaker praised Read for his many
contributions to linguistics. 4 worship, revere, reverence,
exalt, glorify, adore, pay homage to, venerate, give thanks to,
hallow: Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition.


praiseworthy
adj. commendable, laudable, admirable, creditable, worthy,
meritorious, deserving, exemplary: However praiseworthy your
motives were, you did not stop to consider the consequences.


prance v. caper, dance, gambol, skip, cavort, romp, leap, frisk, jump,
spring, bound, Dressage curvet, capriole: Ahead of the royal
coach came a dozen riders on prancing horses.

prank n. trick, (practical) joke, frolic, escapade, antic, caper,
stunt, lark, jest, jape, monkey tricks or esp. US monkeyshines,
mischief: Those schoolboy pranks we once thought hilarious now
seem quite silly.

prattle v. 1 prate, babble, blather or blether, blither, gibber,
jabber, jibber-jabber, palaver, tattle, twaddle, gabble,
chatter, patter, drivel, twitter, rattle on, go on (and on),
maunder, Brit natter, Colloq witter (on), gas, gab, spout, gush,
run (on), US run off at the mouth, Slang jaw, ya(c)k,
ya(c)kety-ya(c)k, shoot off one's mouth: Do I have to listen to
him prattle on and on about his grandchildren?

--n. 2 prate, prating, babble, babbling, blather or blether,
blathering or blethering, gibber, gibbering, jabber, jabbering,
palaver, palavering, tattle, tattling, twaddle, chatter,
chattering, gabble, gabbling, patter, drivel, twitter,
twittering, rattling on, going on, maundering, cackle, US
jibber-jabbering, twattle, clack, Colloq gas, gab, running off
at the mouth, Slang jawing, ya(c)kety-ya(c)k: We were treated
to constant prattle about eating healthy foods. 3 jabberwocky,
gobbledegook or gobbledygook, mumbo-jumbo, rubbish, balderdash,
(stuff and) nonsense, humbug, bunkum, tommy-rot, trash, rot,
foolishness, Colloq pish and tush, hot air, flapdoodle,
rigmarole or rigamarole, bunk, piffle, moonshine, poppycock,
claptrap, bull, hogwash, swill, Brit tosh, fiddle-faddle,
boloney, Chiefly US garbage, horse feathers, Slang crap, hooey,
guff, Taboo slang bullshit, US crock (of shit): What they told
you about guaranteeing your job is just a lot of prattle.


pray v. 1 beseech, ask, call upon or on, entreat, implore, request,
appeal to, plead (with), beg (for), importune, solicit,
petition, supplicate, Rare obsecrate: I pray you to find it in
your heart to approve my work. 2 say one's prayers, offer a
prayer: We prayed for her safe return.

prayer n. 1 petition, supplication, request, entreaty, plea, suit,
appeal, Rare obsecration: Our prayers were answered, and she
returned safely. 2 devotion, praying, invocation, (divine)
service, Literary orison: Man ascends to God through prayer.

preach v. 1 deliver a sermon, evangelize, spread the Word or the
Gospel; catechize: The Most Reverend John Attwood will preach
next week at Winchester. 2 moralize, sermonize, advise,
counsel, admonish, reprimand, lecture, harangue, pontificate;
urge, inculcate, advocate: Mother used to preach to us about
being charitable. Father preached restraint in all things.

preacher n. minister, evangelist, clergyman, clergywoman, cleric,
ecclesiastic, reverend, divine, Colloq tub-thumper: He studied
for many years to become a preacher.


preamble n. introduction, foreword, prologue, preface, Formal proem,
prolegomenon, exordium: As a preamble to today's proceedings, I
should like to welcome our honoured guests.

precarious
adj. uncertain, unreliable, unsure, risky, hazardous,
unpredictable, insecure, unstable, unsteady, unsettled, shaky,
doubtful, dubious, questionable, tricky, delicate, ticklish,
sensitive, slippery, touch-and-go, (hanging) in the balance,
hanging by a thread, Damoclean, perilous, treacherous,
dangerous, difficult, problematic, Colloq chancy, Brit dodgy,
dicey, US iffy, Slang hairy: If sales continue to drop, the
company will be in precarious condition. We followed a
precarious trail down the mountainside.


precaution
n. 1 provision, preventive measure, safety measure, safeguard,
insurance, protection, cover, escape: Unfortunately, he had
failed to take any precautions against storm damage. 2
foresight, prudence, providence, forethought, caution,
cautiousness, circumspection, care, attention, watchfulness,
vigilance, alertness, wariness, chariness, apprehension,
far-sightedness, anticipation: Precaution is wiser than
hindsight.


precede v. come or go or proceed before or first, go ahead or in
advance (of), lead (the way), pave the way (for), herald, usher
in, introduce, antecede; foreshadow, antedate, predate: His
wife preceded him into the room. The Decameron preceded The
Canterbury Tales by about fifty years.


precedence
n. precedency, priority, pre-eminence, superiority, supremacy,
preference, privilege, prerogative, importance, rank, position,
primacy: Your school work must take precedence over football
practice.

precedent n. prototype, model, example, exemplar, pattern, paradigm,
yardstick, criterion, standard, lead: The French considered the

War of American Independence a precedent for their revolution.

preceding adj. foregoing, former, previous, above, prior, earlier,
above-mentioned, aforementioned, above-stated, above-named: The
defendant in the preceding action was remanded in custody for a
week.

precept n. 1 rule, guide, principle, unwritten law, canon, guideline,
dictate, code, injunction, law, commandment, instruction,
injunction, directive, prescription, mandate, charge; statute,
regulation, edict, ukase, decree, order, fiat, ordinance: The
Ten Commandments provide basic precepts of moral behaviour. 2
maxim, proverb, axiom, motto, slogan, saying, byword, aphorism,
apophthegm or apothegm: Does anyone follow the precepts set
forth in Scripture?

precinct n. 1 Usually, precincts. area, territory, region, province,
environs, purlieus, borders, bounds, confines: Does he have any
authority outside the precincts of the city? 2 sphere,
neighbourhood, zone, sector, section, quarter, district, locale:
In some US cities, the area covered by a police station is
called a precinct.

precious adj. 1 dear, dearest, costly, expensive, high-priced, valuable,
invaluable, prized, priceless, irreplaceable, Colloq pricey:
The entire cabinet was filled with precious jewels. 2 esteemed,
choice, cherished, beloved, idolized, adored, loved, valued,
prized, revered, venerated, venerable, hallowed: The church
keeps its most precious relics in a special vault. 3 precise,
exquisite, overrefined, chichi, over-nice, studied, artificial,
effete, affected, overdone, pretentious, euphuistic,
alembicated, Colloq Brit twee, Slang US cutesy: His style is
characterized by somewhat precious language.


precipice n. cliff, escarpment, bluff, crag: We looked nervously over
the edge of the precipice at the raging sea below.

precipitate
v. 1 accelerate, hasten, speed (up), advance, hurry, quicken,
expedite, bring on or about, trigger, provoke, instigate,
incite, facilitate, further, press, push forward: The rise in
interest rates precipitated many bankruptcies. 2 hurl, fling,
cast, launch, project: The force of the impact precipitated him

through the windscreen.

--adj. 3 headlong, violent, rapid, swift, quick, speedy,
meteoric, fast: A powerful counter-attack brought about the
enemy's precipitate rout. 4 sudden, abrupt, unannounced,
unexpected, unanticipated: Today's fall in share prices was as
precipitate as yesterday's rise. 5 rash, impetuous, hasty,
volatile, hotheaded, careless, reckless, incautious,
injudicious, foolhardy, impulsive, unrestrained: The selection
of a career should not be a precipitate decision.

precipitation
n. showers, drizzle, downpour, rain, rainfall, snow, snowfall,
hail, sleet: Precipitation can be expected in advance of the
low-pressure area pushing down from the north.

precipitous
adj. 1 abrupt, steep, perpendicular, sheer, bluff, acclivitous,
declivitous: I cannot see how anyone can climb up the
precipitous face of that crag. 2 See precipitate, 5, above.

pr‚cis n. outline, summary, synopsis, aper‡u, r‚sum‚, conspectus,
survey, overview, abstract, abridgement, digest, compendium,
recapitulation; table of contents: As I haven't the time to
read the entire study document, let me have a pr‚cis of it.

precise adj. 1 correct, exact, definite, well-defined, explicit,
word-for-word, verbatim, literal, letter-for-letter, literatim,
faithful, specific, unambiguous, unequivocal, strict, authentic,
perfect, true, veracious, truthful, unerring, error-free,
accurate: Errors show that medieval scribes did not always
succeed in making precise copies. 2 strict, meticulous,
scrupulous, careful, conscientious, exact, unconditional,
rigorous, rigid, puritanical, unbending, inflexible, unyielding,
demanding, severe, prim, absolute: He has been very precise
about dates and facts. Margaret is precise in insisting on
obedience to her orders. 3 fastidious, particular, finicky,
finical, fussy, meticulous, scrupulous, careful, conscientious,
nice, exacting, critical, demanding: Painting miniatures is
very precise work. 4 exact, very: This is the precise spot
where I found the body.

precisely adv. 1 exactly, just, strictly, Colloq on the nail, smack,

slap, on the nose, Brit bang on, spot on: His view is precisely
the opposite of hers. We left precisely at five o'clock. You
phoned, and that is precisely why I came. The two paintings are
not precisely the same. 2 exactly, exactingly, correctly,
rigorously, absolutely, punctiliously, minutely, carefully,
meticulously, scrupulously, conscientiously, strictly, rigidly,
inflexibly; in all respects, in every way: This judge follows
the letter of the law precisely.


precision n. 1 correctness, exactness, fidelity, faithfulness,
exactitude, preciseness, accuracy, rigour, perfection,
flawlessness, faultlessness, literalism, faithfulness,
unerringness: This copy follows the original with precision. 2
definiteness, care, nicety, meticulousness, rigorousness,
rigour, fastidiousness, punctiliousness, scrupulousness,
unambiguousness, nicety, strictness, explicitness: The
precision of the wording leaves no doubt about what the writer
intended.


preclude v. obviate, bar, prevent, stop, exclude, prohibit, shut out,
forestall, rule out, debar, check, block, obstruct, avert,
avoid, thwart, frustrate, impede, inhibit, hinder, interfere
with: To preclude misunderstanding, please repeat what you
said. They may not engage in activities that preclude them from
performing their regular duties.

precocious
adj. advanced, mature, bright, gifted, intelligent, smart,
quick: It is hard to believe that Oliver was a precocious
child.

preconceived
adj. beforehand, predisposed, prejudged, predetermined,
prejudiced, biased, anticipatory: He has many false
preconceived notions about people.

preconception
n. predisposition, prejudgement, predetermination, prejudice,
bias, presumption, presupposition, assumption, id‚e fixe,
prepossession, preconceived notion or idea: This production of
King Lear will challenge your preconceptions of the play.

precondition

n. prerequisite, stipulation, condition, essential, must, sine
qua non, imperative, requirement, proviso, provision,
qualification, necessity: The release of the prisoners is a
precondition for talks. Is great humanity a precondition of
great music, or is it just a matter of the notes?

precursor n. 1 harbinger, herald, vanguard: The glow on the eastern
horizon is the precursor of another day. 2 See predecessor, 1,
below


predatory adj. 1 predacious or predaceous, carnivorous, preying,
raptorial: Despite domestication, dogs and cats are predatory
animals. 2 rapacious, ravenous, plundering, robbing, pillaging,
marauding, despoiling, looting, piratical, vulturine,
avaricious, greedy, voracious, larcenous, thieving,
extortionate, usurious: Predatory pirates once ravaged the
Mediterranean. Keep out of the hands of predatory money-lenders,
my son.


predecessor
n. 1 forerunner, predecessor, antecedent: I could not match
the accomplishments of my predecessor in this post. 2 forebear,
forefather, ancestor, antecedent: Can you name the Tudor
predecessors of Elizabeth I?


predestination
n. destiny, future, lot, fortune, kismet, karma; doom, fate;
foreordainment, foreordination: Meeting like this must have
been predestination.


predetermined
adj. 1 fixed, prearranged, pre-established, set (up), foregone,
preplanned, pre-set: A predetermined amount of milk is
automatically poured into each cup of coffee. 2 fated, doomed,
destined, ordained, foreordained, Colloq cut and dried, Brit on
the cards, US in the cards: One gets the feeling that the
outcome was predetermined.

predicament
n. dilemma, quandary, difficulty, trial, situation, state,
condition, imbroglio, emergency, crisis, impasse, Colloq pickle,
jam, fix, pinch, scrape, spot, bind, corner, hole, mess, US box:
I was hoping that you might help me out of a very awkward

predicament.

predict v. foretell, prophesy, forecast, foresee, augur, prognosticate,
forewarn, presage, vaticinate; portend, foreshadow, foretoken,
forebode; intimate, hint, suggest: My mother predicted that
there would be moments like this. If only I could predict the
winner of the 2.30!

predictable
adj. foreseeable, foreseen, probable, likely, liable, expected,
anticipated, (reasonably) sure or certain, Colloq Brit on the
cards, US in the cards: Her angry reaction at being dismissed
was quite predictable.


prediction
n. forecast, prophecy, augury, prognosis; intimation, hint,
suggestion: The weatherman's predictions are more accurate than
one might think. The prediction that he might be released the
next day did not come true.


predominance
n. predominancy, superiority, influence, dominance,
pre-eminence, preponderance, ascendancy, precedence, power,
supremacy, hold, sway, hegemony, leadership, mastery, control,
dominion, sovereignty, transcendence or transcendency,
authority, the upper hand, the whip hand, advantage, the edge:
We must re-establish the predominance of intellectual vigour
over crass commercialism.


predominant
adj. dominant, predominating, controlling, sovereign, ruling,
pre-eminent, preponderant, ascendant, superior, supreme,
leading, paramount, main, chief, transcendant, important,
telling, influential, primary, prevailing, prevalent: England
was the predominant power in the world during the 19th century.
The phlogiston theory was once predominant among scientists.

predominate
v. Often, predominate over. dominate, control, rule, reign,
preponderate, outweigh, obtain, prevail, overshadow, get or have
the upper hand, lord it over, hold sway, overrule: Though the
American president is a Republican, the Democrats predominate in
Congress.


pre-eminence
n. 1 See predominance, above. 2 peerlessness, magnificence,
excellence, distinction, eminence, inimitability, superiority:
There is no gainsaying the pre-eminence of Shakespeare as a poet
and playwright.

pre-eminent
adj. 1 See predominant, above. 2 peerless, excellent,
distinguished, eminent, inimitable, superb, unequalled,
matchless, incomparable, outstanding, unique, unrivalled,
unsurpassed, supreme, superior: In her opinion, Craig is the
pre-eminent authority on the subject.


pre-eminently
adv. primarily, principally, by far, far and away, manifestly,
eminently, notably, conspicuously, prominently, signally,
uniquely, extraordinarily, supremely, superbly, matchlessly,
incomparably, outstandingly: There is no doubt that Nathalie is
pre-eminently qualified to direct the play.

pre-empt v. appropriate, usurp, arrogate, take over, assume, take
possession of, seize, acquire, take, possess, expropriate: All
the seats on the committee had been pre-empted by the ruling
faction.

preen v. 1 trim, clean, plume, groom: The gliding swans stopped now
and then to preen their feathers. 2 primp, dress up, titivate
or tittivate, prettify, beautify, prink, spruce up, deck (out),
Colloq doll up, Brit tart up: He made Sonia wait while he
preened himself before the mirror.

preface n. 1 introduction, foreword, prologue, preamble, Formal proem,
prolegomenon, exordium: By way of preface, I should like to say
how happy I am to be here. The preface to the book is far too
long.

--v. 2 precede, introduce, prefix, begin, open: The speaker
prefaced his acceptance speech with a tribute to his
predecessor.

prefatory adj. opening, introductory, preliminary, preparatory: Would
you like to make a few prefatory remarks introducing this

evening's speaker?

prefer v. 1 favour, like better, fancy, lean or incline towards or on
the side of, be inclined, be partial to, pick, select, opt for,
choose, single out, take a fancy to, embrace, espouse, approve,
esteem: Which flavour do you prefer, chocolate or coffee? I
should prefer to take my own car. 2 present, offer, propose,
proffer, advance, submit, tender, put forward, file, lodge,
enter: They preferred charges against the hooligans for
criminal damage.

preference
n. 1 favourite, choice, selection, desire, option, pick: My
preference is the Dover sole meuniŠre. 2 partiality,
proclivity, prejudice, favouritism, predilection, liking, fancy,
predisposition, bent, inclination, leaning: She shows a marked
preference for short men.

preferential
adj. advantageous, biased, prejudiced, favourable, privileged,
partial, better, favoured, superior: What entitles her to
preferential treatment?

pregnant adj. 1 gravid, parturient, expectant, (heavy) with child,
enceinte, Colloq expecting, in a family way, Brit preggers,
Slang having a bun in the oven, Brit in the (pudding) club, up
the spout: Her twins are only seven months old and now she's
pregnant again. 2 charged, fraught, loaded, weighty,
significant, meaningful, suggestive, eloquent, expressive,
pointed: Although she said nothing, her smile was pregnant with
meaning. 3 fruitful, teeming, fertile, fecund, rich, abounding,
replete, productive: My mind was so pregnant with ideas that I
couldn't wait to get down to work.


prehistoric
adj. 1 primordial, primal, primeval, primitive, earliest,
early, antediluvian, Noachian or Noachic, fossil, ancient: The
prehistoric remains of yet another skeleton have been found in
the peat bogs. 2 antiquated, out-dated, old-fashioned, pass‚:
My mother makes me wear these absolutely prehistoric clothes to
school.

prejudice n. 1 partiality, preconception, prejudgement, bias, leaning,

warp, twist, preconceived notion, predisposition, predilection,
jaundiced eye, jaundice: The judge showed an unfortunate
prejudice against my client. 2 bigotry, unfairness, bias,
partisanship, favouritism, cronyism, discrimination,
intolerance, inequality; racism, racialism, apartheid, Jim
Crowism, sexism, (male) chauvinism: There is still prejudice
against many minority groups in society.

--v. 3 bias, influence, warp, twist, distort, slant; colour,
jaundice, poison: Stop trying to prejudice me against the book,
and let me form my own opinion. Are you prejudiced in favour of
Anita's getting the job?

prejudiced
adj. 1 unfair, one-sided, biased, jaundiced, opinionated,
predisposed, partial, partisan, non-objective, unobjective: The
prosecution objected to him as a prejudiced witness. 2 bigoted,
intolerant, narrow-minded, closed-minded, parochial, sexist,
racist, chauvinistic: We have no room in our organization for
people who are prejudiced.

prejudicial
adj. injurious, damaging, detrimental, harmful, unfavourable,
inimical, deleterious, disadvantageous, counter-productive,
pernicious: Such an investment decision might prove prejudicial
to her financial security.

preliminary
adj. 1 advance, prior, introductory, beginning, initial,
opening, preparatory, prefatory, preceding, antecedent,
forerunning; premonitory; Formal or technical prodromal or
prodromic: The preliminary design for the swimming-pool is
ready. After some preliminary remarks, the ceremonies got under
way.


--n. 2 introduction, beginning, opening, preparation,
groundwork, prelude, precedence; overture: We insist on
rigorous training as a preliminary to working in the field. 3
prelims. Rarely, preliminaries. introduction, preface, foreword,
preamble, prologue, front matter, Formal proem, exordium,
prolegomenon, prodromus, prodrome: The manuscript is finished
and we are waiting for the prelims.

premature adj. 1 immature, undeveloped, underdeveloped, unfledged,
untimely, unready, early, unripe, green: Much premature fruit
has been blown down in the winds. 2 hasty, untimely, ill-timed,
too early, too soon, beforehand, unseasonable, overhasty,
impulsive, inopportune: The post may be slow, but still I think
September a bit premature to send Christmas cards. The discovery
that money was missing accounts for his premature departure.

prematurely
adv. 1 untimely, too soon, too early: He died prematurely at
the age of 46. 2 rashly, (over-)hastily, at half-cock,
half-cocked: She dismissed him prematurely, before he had the
time to prove himself. The gun went off prematurely, with no
chance to aim it.


premeditated
adj. planned, conscious, intentional, intended, wilful,
deliberate, studied, purposive; contrived, preplanned,
calculated, preconceived: The murder was coldly premeditated. I
admit to being wrong, and I have no premeditated excuses.

premier n. 1 prime minister, PM, head of state, chief executive,
president, chancellor: The premiers of the Commonwealth met at
Kuala Lumpur in 1989.


--adj. 2 first, prime, primary, chief, principal, head, main,
foremost, top-ranking, highest-ranking, ranking, leading, top,
pre-eminent: He is the premier expert in his field.


premiŠre n. 1 premiere, first night, opening (night), debut: The
premiŠre of A‹da was at the opening of the Suez Canal.

--v. 2 open, debut: The film will premiŠre at the Festival
Cinema tomorrow.


--adj. 3 opening, debut, first, original, initial: The
premiŠre West-End performance is scheduled for May after a
provincial tour.


premise n. 1 premiss, assumption, proposition, postulate, hypothesis,
conjecture, assertion, supposition, thesis, presupposition,
proposal, theorem, surmise, basis, ground: He started out with
the premise that time had a beginning and will have an end.


--v. 2 assume, propose, postulate, hypothesize, hypothecate,
conjecture, posit, assert, suppose, presuppose, theorize,
surmise, put or set forth, predicate, argue: If you accept what
Einstein premised in the Special Theory of Relativity, then you
accept that space is curved.

premium n. 1 bonus, extra, dividend, prize, award, reward, perquisite:
In our slimming competition, a premium will be paid for each
pound that you lose beyond five. 2 incentive, inducement,
stimulus, incitement, lure, bait, spur, goad, reward, Colloq
come-on, Slang US and Canadian freebie: Many Building Societies
offer premiums to first-time buyers. 3 value, importance,
regard, stock, store, appreciation: We place a premium on the
way our staff treat customers. 4 at a premium. a scarce, rare,
scant, scanty, sparse, hard to come by, in short supply, Colloq
scarce as hen's teeth, Chiefly Brit thin on the ground:
Proficient, literate, experienced editors are at a premium these
days. b costly, expensive, dear, high-priced, Colloq steep,
stiff: The convertible model of this car is at a premium.

premonition
n. intuition, foreboding, presentiment, forewarning, suspicion,
feeling, hunch, Colloq funny feeling, sneaking suspicion: I had
a premonition that something terribly evil was lurking in store
for me.

preoccupied
adj. 1 engrossed, lost in thought, rapt, thoughtful, pensive,
absorbed, cogitating, cogitative, meditating, musing,
reflecting, reflective, contemplative, contemplating, pondering,
brooding, ruminating, in a brown study: John is preoccupied,
thinking about the speech he has to deliver tonight. 2 vague,
offhand, far-away, absent-minded, abstracted, oblivious,
unaware, wrapped up, immersed, inattentive, distracted,
distrait, Colloq turned off, US out of it: From her preoccupied
air it was obvious that something was wrong.

preparation
n. 1 Often, preparations. a groundwork, spadework,
provision(s), foundation, preparing, measures, proceedings:
Nothing will interfere with our preparation for the royal visit.
b plans, arrangements: We are making preparations to leave

tomorrow. 2 fitness, readiness, readying, preparing, training,
education, teaching, instruction, instructing, tuition,
briefing, grooming, Colloq gearing up, prep, US prepping: The
preparation of the students was your responsibility. 3 drawing
up, draughting, planning, setting up, putting together,
organizing, organization, composing, making: How is your
preparation of the new proposal coming along? 4 work,
preparing, getting ready, study, studying, practising, practice,
Colloq cramming, Brit swotting: All my preparation for the exam
was to no avail. 5 substance, compound, concoction, mixture,
product, material, stuff, composition: This preparation is a
furniture wax, not a suntan lotion.

preparatory
adj. 1 preparative, preliminary, introductory, prefatory,
opening: After some preparatory warnings about safety, the
scuba-diving lessons began. 2 elementary, basic, essential,
fundamental, primary, rudimentary: His preparatory training
left him ill equipped to deal with such a major problem. 3
preparatory to. before, in preparation for, preceding:
Preparatory to the mission, we were briefed by MI5.

prepare v. 1 (get or make) ready, prime, arrange, (put in) order,
organize, provide for, make provision(s) for, lay the groundwork
(for), (make) fit, fit (out), equip, outfit, adapt: Have you
prepared adequately for the meeting? We prepared the house to
receive guests. 2 train, (get or make) ready, study, practise,
Colloq cram, Brit swot, get up: He is preparing to take an
exam. 3 train, educate, teach, (get or make) ready, groom,
brief, develop: Her mother is preparing her for the next
Olympics. 4 cook (up), make, do, Colloq whip up, US and
Canadian fix: I shall prepare dinner for eight o'clock. 5
manufacture, fabricate, produce, make, put out, build,
construct, assemble, put together, turn out, fashion, forge,
mould: Our company prepares components for the printing
industry. 6 brace, strengthen, steel, fortify, ready: When I
saw the doctor's face, I prepared myself for bad news. 7
process, produce, make, treat, change, modify, transform: This
fabric has been specially prepared to repel stains.


prepared adj. 1 ready, set, advance, prearranged, planned: We have six
prepared questions for the interview. 2 treated, processed,
modified, changed: Using an etching needle, incise the lines on

the prepared surface of the steel plate. 3 willing, disposed,
predisposed, able, inclined, of a mind; ready, (all) set: Are
you prepared to apologize? 4 oven-ready, microwave-ready,
microwavable, instant, convenience, ready-to-eat,
ready-to-serve, precooked, ready-made: He lives alone and
usually buys prepared dinners that just need reheating.

preparedness
n. vigilance, alertness, readiness, fitness: The armed forces
were kept in a continuous state of preparedness.

preponderance
n. 1 majority, greater part, bulk, mass, lion's share: The
preponderance of voters want a change of government. 2 weight,
influence, weightiness, superiority, supremacy, predominance,
primacy, ascendancy, sway, strength, force, power, advantage,
control, authority, hegemony, leadership, rule: Good has always
appeared to have an incontestable preponderance over evil.


prepossessing
adj. attractive, appealing, pleasing, favourable, engaging,
charming, captivating, fascinating, winsome, winning, magnetic,
alluring, bewitching, taking, fetching, inviting, good-looking,
handsome, lovely, beautiful: She is a woman of prepossessing
appearance and a delightful nature.

preposterous
adj. absurd, ridiculous, ludicrous, laughable, risible,
asinine, foolish, senseless, irrational, nonsensical, fatuous,
fatuitous, mindless, insane, crazy, crack-brained, mad, idiotic,
moronic, imbecilic, incredible, unbelievable, outrageous,
extravagant, extraordinary, extreme, exorbitant, outlandish,
outr‚, weird, bizarre, Slang barmy, nutty, screwy, batty, dotty,
wacky, loony, cuckoo, US balmy: To claim that it is all my
fault is simply preposterous!

prerequisite
adj. 1 essential, necessary, requisite, imperative,
indispensable, obligatory, required, called-for, demanded:
Naval service is a prerequisite condition for joining the club.

--n. 2 precondition, requirement, qualification, requisite,
condition, sine qua non, proviso, provision, necessity: A

thorough grounding in mathematics is a prerequisite for the
study of advanced physics.

prerogative
n. privilege, right, liberty, power, due, advantage, licence,
franchise, claim, sanction, authority, authorization: As
managing director, she exercises her prerogative to park her car
closest to the door.


prescribe v. ordain, order, direct, dictate, demand, decree, require,
enjoin, rule, set (down), stipulate, command, instruct, define,
specify, impose, lay down, exact, constrain: The doctor
prescribed rest. An independent journalist, Healey would not let
anyone prescribe what he could or could not write.


prescription
n. 1 formula, recipe, instruction, direction: The prescription
is for three tablets a day, and this dose must not be exceeded.
2 remedy, medication, medicine, drug, preparation, medicament:
That prescription had no effect at all on my headache.

prescriptive
adj. dictatorial, constrictive, didactic, restrictive,
dogmatic, authoritarian, overbearing, autocratic, imperious: As
grammar is a description of how language works, it cannot be
prescriptive.

presence n. 1 proximity, nearness, closeness, adjacency, vicinity,
Formal propinquity: The presence of a hospital near her home
made Aunt Mary feel more secure. 2 attendance, company,
companionship, society, association, existence, manifestation,
manifestness, being: The Queen honoured us by her presence at
the unveiling of the plaque. 3 poise, self-assurance, bearing,
self-possession, confidence, mien, carriage, comportment,
deportment, air, personality, aspect, aura, appearance: When
Geoffrey entered, his presence created quite a stir. 4 spirit,
wraith, spectre, shade: I had the vague but pervading sense
that a unidentifiable presence was with me in the empty room. 5
presence of mind. aplomb, sophistication, coolness,
cool-headedness, composure, imperturbability, phlegm,
sang-froid, self-possession, self-assurance, calm, equanimity,
level-headedness, quick-wittedness, alertness, Colloq cool:
With great presence of mind, Grainger walked up to the man and

took the gun from him.

presentฐ adj. 1 current, contemporary, present-day, existing, existent,
up to date, Colloq now: Do you understand the present
generation? 2 nearby, nearest, immediate, closest, adjacent,
proximate, propinquitous; close, remaining; accounted for:
Everybody has been awful to me - present company excepted. All
those present heard what she said to me.


--n. 3 at present. (right or just) now, for the time being, for
the present, today, these days, Non-Standard presently, Colloq
at this point in time: I am not ready to invest at present. 4
the present. the time being, the moment, the hour, the nonce,
this juncture, these days, our times; today, (right) now,
nowadays; Colloq this point in time: She lives for the present,
and never thinks of the consequences.

present n. 1 gift: May I open my birthday presents now? 2 donation,
offering, bounty, grant, largesse, contribution, endowment:
I'll make you a present of the painting if you like it. 3 tip,
gratuity, pourboire, baksheesh or backsheesh, bonus; alms,
hand-out, dole, aid, allowance: She gave the maŒtre d'h“tel a
present for looking after us so well.


--v. 4 introduce, acquaint with, make known: I'd like to
present my wife, Cordelia, who has been looking forward to
meeting you. 5 offer, give, stage, show, exhibit, put on (show),
mount, produce: The local players will present a new production
of Blithe Spirit tonight. 6 give (out), award, confer (on),
bestow (on), turn or hand over, grant, provide, furnish;
dispense, distribute, dole out, pass out, deal out, mete out:
They presented her with a prize for the best poem. Is it tonight
that they present the awards? 7 offer, bring (in or up),
proffer, tender, introduce, produce, submit, set or put forth,
put forward, adduce; register, file, record: The lawyer for the
defence presented evidence of his client's alibi. 8 introduce,
announce, Brit compŠre, Colloq emcee: And here, to present our
show, is the inimitable Reginald Norton!


presentable
adj. 1 fit, fitting, suitable, acceptable, satisfactory,
adequate, passable, tolerable, admissible, all right, allowable,
up to par or standard or the mark, good enough, Colloq up to

scratch, OK or okay, up to snuff: Whether that argument is
presentable in a court of law is disputable. 2 decent, proper,
polite, decorous, respectable, well-bred, well-mannered, fit to
be seen: After a bath, shave, and change of clothing he looked
quite presentable.

presentation
n. 1 giving, bestowal, offering, proffering, presenting, award,
awarding, conferral, conferring, delivery; donation: The
presentation of the prizes will be at the annual dinner. 2
appearance, image, display, visual(s), spectacle, show,
performance, demonstration, production: The text of the
proposal was fine, but the presentation could be improved. 3
debut, launch, introduction, unveiling, disclosure: We attended
the presentation of the latest electric car.

presently adv. soon, by and by, in a little while, shortly, after a short
time, in due course, after a while or a time, before long, in a
moment or a minute or a while, Archaic or literary anon, Colloq
in a jiffy, in two shakes (of a lamb's tail), Non-Standard now,
at present: The show opens presently in the West End. I shall
be with you presently.

preservation
n. 1 upkeep, maintenance, care, conservation: The preservation
of old paintings has become an art in itself. 2 keeping,
retention, retaining, perpetuation, perpetuating, continuation,
safe keeping, security, safeguarding, protection, protecting,
conservation: Several charities are dedicated to the
preservation of our heritage.

preserve v. 1 keep safe, protect, guard, take care of, care for,
safeguard, watch over, shield, shelter, defend, spare: What can
we do to preserve ourselves from this terrible pestilence? May
God preserve me, I never expected to see you again! 2 keep (up),
maintain, conserve, spare, perpetuate; continue, support,
sustain, save: We developed a technique to preserve antique
furniture. The sea preserves much of the heat it absorbs in the
summer. It is difficult to preserve one's sanity in this
madhouse. 3 conserve, put up, pickle, cure, smoke, kipper, salt,
corn, marinate, can, freeze, freeze-dry, refrigerate, dry,
dehydrate, vacuum-pack; embalm, mummify: The berries were
preserved by bottling and freezing. Some of the remains were

preserved for hundreds of years.

--n. 4 Often, preserves. conserve(s), jam, jelly, confiture,
marmalade: Susan likes thick toast with butter and preserves
for tea. 5 (game) reserve, reservation, sanctuary, Brit park:
No hunting is allowed in this preserve.

preside v. supervise, run, oversee, direct, operate, lead, head (up),
govern, rule, manage, handle, control, direct, chair,
administer, administrate, regulate, officiate: Melissa presides
over the meetings of the board.

press v. 1 subject to or exert pressure or force, force, push, impel,
thrust, bear (on), weigh on or upon, jam, cram, crush; pressure
or Brit also pressurize: The crowd was pressing against the
door. Although hard pressed at first, we eventually won. 2
squeeze, compress, depress, push: When the picture is in focus,
press this button to release the shutter. 3 squeeze, crush,
compress, mash: After harvesting, the grapes are pressed to
extract the juice. 4 iron, smooth, flatten, put through a
mangle; steam: I shall have to press my jacket before going out
to dinner. 5 clasp, embrace, hug, hold (close or tight(ly)),
take in one's arms, throw one's arms about or around, cleave to,
Archaic clip: She pressed the child to her with great
affection. 6 constrain, urge, force, pressure, compel, demand,
persuade, induce, prod, provoke, importune, beseech, ask,
request, beg, entreat: They pressed me to tell where the money
was hidden. 7 crowd, flock, gather, mill, swarm, throng,
seethe, cluster, congregate, meet, converge, huddle: The
reporters pressed round the chancellor to catch every word.

--n. 8 crowding, gathering, thronging, converging, convergence,
crowd, throng, swarm, cluster, huddle, pack, herd, host,
multitude, horde, mob, crush: When the doors opened, the huge
press of people pushed onto the train. 9 urgency, haste, hurry,
hustle, bustle, pressure, stress: The press of business
required me to postpone my trip to Paris. 10 the press. a
newspapers, the papers, Fleet Street, the fourth estate, the
media, the wire or news services, broadcasting, television,
radio: The press will have a field-day when this news gets out.
b newspaper people, newspapermen or newspaperwomen, newsmen or
newswomen, reporters, correspondents, ladies or gentlemen of the
press, journalists, commentators, paparazzi, Brit

leader-writers, US editorial writers, Colloq news-hounds, Brit
journos: The doors were opened and the press were invited in.

pressing adj. urgent, compelling, crucial, pivotal, burning, grave,
serious, major, important, vital, high-priority, critical,
portentous, momentous, profound, significant: Some pressing
matters kept me late at the office.

pressure n. 1 force, compression; weight, power, strength: The air
pressure in your tyres is low. The pressure of the water burst
the pipe. 2 compression, pressing, squeezing, compressing,
tension, stress, crushing: The pressure of a tourniquet has to
be loosened now and then. 3 affliction, oppression, press,
weight, burden, load, albatross, strain, stress, urgency,
demands, exigency or exigencies, vexation, distress, trouble(s),
adversity, difficulty or difficulties, straits, constraint(s),
problem(s): Pressure of work prevents me from taking any time
away from the office. When interest rates increase, we all feel
financial pressure. 4 influence, power, sway, constraint,
insistence, coercion, intimidation, arm-twisting; inducement,
persuasion, urging, pressing: Without more pressure from local
residents, the roadworks will not be completed in time.

--v. 5 persuade, influence; prevail upon or on, press, urge,
sway, intimidate, bring pressure to bear (on), apply pressure
(on or to), coerce, force, compel, constrain, require, demand,
make, insist upon or on, Brit pressurize, Colloq twist
(someone's) arm, lean on, turn the heat on, Slang put the screws
on or to: They pressured him to take the assignment in New
Zealand.

prestige n. status, reputation, standing, rank, stature, importance,
significance, eminence, esteem, pre-eminence, prominence,
predominance, primacy, superiority, supremacy, ascendancy,
distinction, renown, regard, fame, cachet, repute, celebrity,
glamour, stardom: To raise money, someone with prestige must be
found to serve as director of the charity.

prestigious
adj. important, significant, eminent, estimable, imposing,
impressive, pre-eminent, prominent, distinguished, august,
dignified, renowned, famous, famed, well-known, illustrious,
acclaimed, respected, celebrated, noted, notable, noteworthy,

outstanding, glorious, honoured, glamorous: She may be a
prestigious author, but she does not live at a very prestigious
address.


presumably
adv. probably, in all likelihood, (very or most) likely, in all
probability, seemingly, doubtless(ly), indubitably, no doubt,
undoubtedly, unquestionably, without a doubt, surely, certainly,
on the face of it, all things considered, all things being
equal: Presumably, you have heard the one about the colonel's
poodle.

presume v. 1 assume, take for granted, suppose, surmise, infer,
suppose, presuppose, take it, gather, understand, think,
believe, imagine, suspect, fancy, conjecture, postulate, posit,
theorize, speculate, hypothesize, hypothecate, US and Canadian
guess: For some unaccountable reason, we presumed that your
train would arrive on time. Dr Livingstone, I presume? 2 dare,
take the liberty, be so presumptuous as, make (so) bold (as),
have the audacity or effrontery, go so far as, venture: Who is
he to presume to judge others? 3 Often, presume on or upon.
encroach (on or upon), impose (on or upon), take liberties
(with), intrude (on or upon or into): I hate to presume on our
friendship, but could you lend me some money?


presumption
n. 1 arrogance, pride, effrontery, audacity, boldness,
brazenness, impudence, impertinence, insolence, temerity,
overconfidence, presumptuousness, forwardness, immodesty, Colloq
pushiness, cheek, cheekiness, nerve, gall, chutzpah, brass, Brit
brass neck: He had the presumption to ask my age. 2
assumption, supposition, presupposition, preconception, premise
or premiss, surmise, proposition, postulation; probability,
likelihood, plausibility, feasibility: The presumption of the
innocence of a person accused of a crime is established in law.
3 assumption, stand, position, inference, feeling, deduction,
conclusion, conviction, bias, guess, theory, hypothesis,
conjecture, belief, thought; suspicion: Having examined the
evidence, the pathologist's presumption was that the victim had
died of natural causes. 4 ground(s), reason, basis, evidence:
What is your presumption for thinking that you might win the
lottery?

presumptive
adj. 1 likely, reasonable, plausible, tenable, believable,
credible, conceivable, acceptable, justifiable, sensible,
rational, sound: There is strong presumptive evidence, but we
need proof. 2 inferred, presumed, assumed, supposed,
understood, predicted, predicated: As King Richard was
childless, his brother was heir presumptive to the Crown.

presumptuous
adj. arrogant, proud, prideful, audacious, bold, brazen, saucy,
impudent, impertinent, insolent, temerarious, brash,
overconfident, overweening, forward, presuming, immodest,
egotistical, Colloq pushy, cheeky, too big for one's boots, Brit
uppish: He is presumptuous enough to think he can do no wrong.


presuppose
v. See presume, 1, above.

presupposition
n. See presumption, 1, 2, above.

pretence n. 1 show, display, pretension, ostentation, airs, front,
fa‡ade, appearance, make-believe, fiction, hypocrisy, fakery,
faking, feigning, humbuggery, humbug, deception, artifice,
pretext, posturing, pretentiousness, pretending, camouflage,
cover-up: Her charming manner was all pretence, for in reality
she despised him. 2 hoax, humbug, artifice, pretext, sham, show,
pose, fa‡ade, front, cover-up, cover, cloak, veil, mask,
masquerade, disguise, guise, deception, ruse, dodge, blind,
fabrication, invention, fiction, story, fable, make-believe,
fairy tale, figment, falsification, impression: His loyalty was
a pretence under which he carried on many liaisons. 3 excuse,
pretext, pretension: They would ring for the butler on the
slightest pretence, just to impress us.


pretend v. 1 feign, profess, represent, allege, make believe, make out:
Let's pretend that we are royalty. Often, he pretends to be me.
2 try, attempt, endeavour, venture, presume, undertake: I could
not pretend to guess the number of people attending last night's
meeting. 3 make believe, act or play, play-act, fake, feign, put
on an act, dissemble, sham, sail under false colours: Is she
serious about wanting you to leave or was she just pretending?

pretended adj. so-called, alleged, asserted, reputed, professed,
ostensible, purported, so-called, imaginary, make-believe,
fictitious, fictional, sham, false, fake, feigned, bogus,
counterfeit, spurious, Colloq phoney or US also phony, pseudo,
pretend: So this is the pretended hero of yesterday's battle!

pretender n. claimant, aspirant, candidate, suitor, rival, seeker: He
was the pretender to the Scottish throne.


pretension
n. 1 Often, pretensions. claim(s), pretence(s), aspiration(s),
ambitiousness, ambition(s): He is known to have pretensions to
the chancellorship. 2 pretext, pretence, pretentiousness,
ostentation, pretending, affectation, hypocrisy: Gladys has
behaved without pretension and with great sincerity.

pretentious
adj. 1 ostentatious, showy, superficial, pompous, arrogant,
bombastic, inflated, high-flown, exaggerated, vainglorious,
fastuous, grandiose, grandiloquent, extravagant, magniloquent:
The minister's pretentious language is a bit too much to take.
2 snobbish, lofty, haughty, flaunting, Colloq high and mighty,
highfalutin or hifalutin, hoity-toity, high-hat, Slang snotty,
Brit toffee-nosed: That new couple next door are so pretentious
- they think that nobody is good enough to associate with them!

pretext n. 1 pretence, excuse, camouflage, guise, disguise, cover,
veil, cloak, colour: They carried on the surveillance under
pretext of working on the sewer. 2 ruse, red herring, cover
(story), rationale, pretence, rationalization, explanation:
What pretext did the thief use that made you let him in?

pretty adj. 1 comely, attractive, good-looking, nice-looking,
appealing, lovely, cute, mignon(ne), graceful, fair, bonny,
fetching, charming, winsome, beautiful, pulchritudinous, Colloq
easy on the eye(s): A pretty girl is like a melody. That's a
very pretty cottage. 2 tuneful, melodic, melodious, dulcet,
musical, lyrical, harmonious, catchy, mellifluous, euphonious:
He played a pretty tune on the piano.


--adv. 3 rather, quite, fairly, moderately, reasonably,
tolerably; somewhat; very, extremely, unbelievably, incredibly:
The children put on a pretty good performance, I thought. He had

become pretty fat since we last saw him.

prevail v. 1 hold sway, win (out), predominate, succeed, triumph, gain
or achieve a victory, prove superior, gain mastery or control:
It is sometimes disappointing to learn that right does not
always prevail. 2 predominate, be prevalent or widespread or
current, preponderate, dominate, be the order of the day: As
usual during Oktoberfest in Bavaria, revelry prevailed. 3
prevail on or upon. persuade, induce, influence, sway, dispose;
incline, win over, bring round, convince: We prevailed on the
guard to let us through the gate.

prevailing
adj. 1 dominant, predominant, prevalent, main, chief,
principal, common(est), usual, customary, universal: The
prevailing winds are westerlies. 2 influential, effective,
effectual, dominating, affecting, powerful, potent, forceful,
ruling, telling, main, principal: The prevailing religion there
is Buddhism.


prevalence
n. 1 prevalency, frequency, commonness, currency, universality,
ubiquitousness, ubiquity, pervasiveness, omnipresence,
extensiveness; predominance, practice, acceptance, popularity:
The prevalence of disease among the population is distressing.
2 sway, control, rule, primacy, ascendancy, mastery,
predominance: The prevalence of bushido in Japan has diminished
little since 1945.


prevalent adj. universal, catholic, common, frequent, prevailing,
current, ubiquitous, pervasive, omnipresent, general, usual,
customary, commonplace, extensive, widespread, established,
ascendant, dominant, predominant, governing, ruling: A desire
for change is prevalent throughout the country.


prevent v. anticipate, preclude, obviate, forestall, avert, avoid,
prohibit, ban, bar, forbid, interdict, taboo, enjoin, proscribe,
foil, frustrate, obstruct, debar, intercept, nip in the bud,
abort, thwart, check, block, ward or fend or stave off, baffle,
balk or baulk, (put a) stop (to), arrest, (bring to a) halt,
hinder, impede, curb, restrain, hamper, inhibit, delay, retard,
slow, mitigate, control: Some diseases can be prevented by
inoculation or vaccination. There is nothing to prevent us from

leaving. The barrier was built to prevent flooding.

prevention
n. preventing, anticipation, preclusion, obviation,
forestalling, avoidance, avoiding, prohibition, prohibiting,
ban, banning, bar, barring, forbiddance, forbidding,
interdiction, interdicting, taboo, tabooing, enjoining,
injunction, proscription, proscribing, foiling, frustration,
frustrating, obstruction, obstructing, debarment, debarring,
interception, intercepting, abortion, aborting, thwarting,
checking, check, blocking, block, warding or fending or staving
off, balk or baulk, balking or baulking, stopping, arrest,
arresting, halt, halting, hindrance, hindering, impedance,
impeding, curb, curbing, restraint, restraining, hampering,
inhibition, inhibiting, delay, delaying, retardation, retarding,
slowing, mitigation, mitigating, control, controlling: The
first item on the agenda is the prevention of cruelty to
children. As the total prevention of crime is impossible, we
must at least try to curb it.


preventive
adj. 1 preventative, preventing, hindering, impeding,
restraining, hampering, inhibitive or inhibitory, inhibiting,
restrictive: We must take preventive steps to ensure the
stability of the rate of exchange. 2 preventative, prophylactic,
precautionary, anticipatory or anticipative, protective,
counteractive: Preventive means are available to limit heart
disease.


--n. 3 preventative, hindrance, curb, inhibition, impediment,
block, barrier, obstacle, obstruction: Caffeine is one of the
most powerful preventives of sleep that exists. 4 preventative,
prophylactic, protection, shield, safeguard, prevention,
countermeasure, counteractant, counter-agent, inoculum or
inoculant, vaccine, serum, antidote, remedy: Heart specialists
have recommended an aspirin every other day as a preventive to
arterial blood clotting.

preview n. advance showing, private showing; opening, vernissage: We
saw the Picasso exhibition at a preview held for friends of the
gallery.

previous adj. 1 former, prior, past, earlier, one-time, foregoing,

sometime, erstwhile, preceding, Literary quondam, Archaic
whilom: A previous owner of the house filled in the fish-pond.
2 prior, former, foregoing, above, preceding, Formal antecedent,
anterior, aforementioned, above-mentioned, before-mentioned,
aforesaid, above-named: Please see the previous examples in the
Foreword. 3 premature, untimely, too soon or early: Isn't
putting up Christmas decorations in October being a bit
previous? 4 previous to. previously to, before, prior to,
preceding, anterior to, antecedent to: Previous to the advent
of motor cars, we had traffic jams of horse-drawn vehicles.

previously
adv. before, once, formerly, earlier, at one time, then,
beforehand, heretofore, theretofore, hitherto, thitherto, in the
past, in days gone by, in days of old, in days or time past, in
the old days, some time ago, a while ago, once upon a time,
yesterday, Literary in days of yore, in olden days or times:
The same thing had happened previously when I was in London.
Previously, people lived more relaxed lives - or so we like to
think.

prey n. 1 quarry, kill, game, objective, target: The lioness
singled out her prey from the herd of zebra. 2 victim, target,
objective; dupe, Colloq mark, Slang fall guy, pushover, Brit
mug: A public company with huge cash reserves, United Vector
seemed easy prey for a take-over bid.

--v. 3 prey on or upon. a live off, feed on or upon, eat,
consume, devour, kill, destroy, stalk, pursue, hunt, seize:
These snakes prey mostly upon other snakes. b victimize, go
after, exploit, use, take advantage of, intimidate, bully,
cheat, dupe, swindle, gull, trick, snooker, defraud, outwit,
outsmart, outfox, hoodwink, Literary cozen, Colloq rook,
bamboozle, flimflam: An unscrupulous gang is preying on the
elderly, persuading them to invest in non-existent properties. c
oppress, weigh on or upon, burden, depress, distress, strain,
vex, worry: His wretched condition preyed very much on her
mind.


price n. 1 charge, cost, expense, expenditure, outlay, payment,
amount, figure, fee; quotation, appraisal, value, valuation,
evaluation, worth: The price of this lamp is too high. What is
the price of that box? Can he afford the price of a ticket? The

current price of a London flat is out of my reach. 2 sacrifice,
toll, penalty, cost, consequence: Loss of his freedom was too
high a price for standing by his principles. 3 reward, bounty,
premium, prize, payment, bonus, honorarium, Literary guerdon:
The gunfighter had a price of œ1000 on his head. 4 without
price. See priceless, 1, below.

--v. 5 value, evaluate, rate, assay, assess, cost (out): How
would you price a piece of furniture like this chair?


priceless adj. 1 costly, dear, expensive, high-priced, valuable,
invaluable, precious, inestimable, incalculable; irreplaceable,
unique: The vaults in the Vatican contain a king's ransom in
priceless jewels. 2 hilarious, riotous, (screamingly) funny,
side-splitting, hysterical, droll, comical, amusing: The
expression on his face when he realized it was a joke was
priceless.

pricey adj. pricy, expensive, dear, costly, exorbitant, outrageous,
excessive, extortionate, Colloq steep, Brit over the odds: The
restaurant where she took him was certainly pricey, but the food
was excellent.

prick n. 1 puncture, pinhole, pinprick; hole, perforation: For the
blood test, the doctor made a tiny prick in my finger with a
needle. 2 sting, pinch, twinge, prickle, tingle, pain: The
teacher leapt from her chair the instant she felt the prick of
the tack.


--v. 3 puncture, pierce, stab, jab, punch, perforate, riddle;
lance: Using a pin, prick tiny holes in the paper to let the
steam escape. The doctor pricked a boil on my neck. 4 stab,
sting, hurt, prickle, pinch, bite, smart: The hypodermic needle
really pricked me when it went in.


prickle n. 1 spine, bristle, barb, thorn, bur, needle, tine, spike,
spur, prong: The prickles make the brambles cling to your
clothes. 2 pricking, prickliness, itch, itchiness, sting,
tingling, tingle: I felt the prickle of the rough wool against
my skin.

--v. 3 tingle, sting, itch, smart: Sloane complained that the
beard he had to grow for the pirate role made his face prickle.

4 stick, jab, prick: The child's hands had been prickled by the
chestnuts.

prickly adj. 1 bristly, thorny, brambly, spiny, barbed, briery,
spinous, spiky, Technical setaceous, setose, acanthoid,
aciculate, aculeate, muricate, spiculate: Dad's face is all
prickly when he hasn't shaved. 2 tingling, stinging, pricking,
prickling, itchy, crawly, crawling: The squeak of the chalk on
the blackboard gives me a prickly feeling. 3 touchy, irritable,
petulant, cantankerous, testy, waspish, bad-tempered, peevish,
fractious, short-tempered, curmudgeonly, Colloq cranky: Moira
gets a bit prickly if you ask her why she married Noel. 4
nettlesome, thorny, ticklish, touchy, troublesome, intricate,
complicated, complex, knotty, hard, difficult, contentious: The
prickly problem of how to pay for the university must still be
faced.

pride n. 1 honour, proudness, self-esteem, self-respect, amour
propre, dignity: It is gratifying to be able to look with pride
on one's children's achievements. 2 conceit, egotism,
self-importance, vanity, hubris, arrogance, overconfidence,
overweeningness, self-admiration, self-love, self-importance,
smugness, haughtiness, hauteur, snobbery, snobbishness, Colloq
uppitiness: Pride goeth before a fall. Her pride stems from an
exaggerated notion of her own worth. 3 boast, flower, best,
prize, pride and joy, treasure, jewel, gem: Those model railway
trains are Eustace's pride and joy.

--v. 4 Usually, pride oneself on. be proud of, take pride in,
delight in, revel in, celebrate, glory in: Irena prides herself
on having made her own way in life, without anyone's help.

priest n. priestess, clergyman or clergywoman, ecclesiastic, cleric,
churchman or churchwoman, reverend, vicar, divine, man or woman
of the cloth, man or woman of God, curate, confessor, minister
(of the Gospel), servant of God, father, mother, holy man or
woman, preacher, missionary, evangelist, abb‚, abbot or abbess,
Colloq padre: The high priest muttered some incantations over
the body of the sacrificial victim.


priestly adj. clerical, ecclesiastic, pastoral, hieratic, sacerdotal;
ministerial, canonical, missionary: She has taken her priestly
vows.


prig n. (ultra-)conservative, prude, purist, pedant, school-ma'm,
puritan, (Mrs) Grundy, Grundyite, Grundyist, precisionist,
precisian, conformist, formalist, Colloq stuffed shirt,
stick-in-the-mud, goody-goody: A terrible prig, the headmaster
forbade even the slightest hint of slang usage.

priggish adj. (ultra-)conservative, prim, demure, prudish, purist,
puristic, pedantic, school-marmish, strait-laced, hidebound,
stiff-necked, puritanical, conformist, (Mrs) Grundyish,
punctilious, formal, formalistic, strict, severe, fastidious,
fussy, particular; precious, pr‚cieux or pr‚cieuse,
niminy-piminy, over-nice, Colloq stick-in-the-mud, goody-goody,
prissy, old-maidish, stuffed-shirt, stuffy, uptight,
nit-picking, Brit twee: Victorians were less priggish in their
private behaviour than in their public image.

primarily adv. 1 principally, mainly, chiefly, especially, at bottom,
particularly, first of all, pre-eminently, basically,
essentially, fundamentally, on the whole, for the most part,
mostly, predominantly or predominately, generally: The rain in
Spain falls primarily in the plain. 2 initially, originally,
from or at the start, first (and foremost, in the first
instance, ab initio: The colonists, primarily refugees from
England, began to settle the New World in the 17th century.

primary adj. 1 first, prime, principal, chief, main, leading,
pre-eminent, cardinal, fundamental, basic, essential,
predominant, elementary, elemental, underlying: The primary
reason I want to see you is to discuss your future with the
company. The primary meaning of a word is given first. 2
earliest, first, original, initial, primitive, primeval,
primordial, embryonic, germinal, beginning, ultimate: The
primary source of life was possibly a sort of soup containing
proteins and other molecules. 3 firsthand, direct, immediate:
Bauxite is the primary source of aluminium ore. 4 elementary,
basic, rudimentary, fundamental: One of the primary lessons we
are taught is consideration for others. 5 unmixed,
unadulterated, pure, simple, rudimentary, fundamental,
principal: The primary colours in art are red, yellow, and
blue.

prime adj. 1 See primary, 1, above. 2 best, foremost, chief;

first-rate, first-class, choice, select, superior, pre-eminent,
leading, ranking, predominant, unparalleled, matchless,
peerless, noteworthy, outstanding, admirable, worthy,
exceptional, excellent, extraordinary, exceptional: She is a
prime example of the results of a modern education. Arthur is
certainly a prime candidate for the position. 3 original,
fundamental, basic, elemental, elementary: The prime cause of
scurvy is lack of fresh fruit and vegetables.


--n. 4 youth, springtime; best years, heyday, pinnacle, acme,
peak, zenith: Some people reach the prime of life at 60.

--v. 5 (make or get) ready, prepare, educate, teach, instruct,
coach, train, tutor, drill: Has Sonia been fully primed to take
over the chairmanship when Sir William steps down? 6 inform,
advise, notify, apprise, brief: Having read your book, I am
fully primed on American history.

primitive adj. 1 first, original, aboriginal, earliest, primordial,
primal, primeval or Brit also primaeval, pristine, prehistoric;
antediluvian, Noachian or Noachic, old, ancient: In its most
primitive state, life probably originated from some random
strings of molecules. The most primitive farming tools date from
some 10,000 years ago. 2 crude, rude, unrefined, raw, barbaric,
uncultured, barbarian, coarse, rough, uncivilized, savage,
uncultivated, unsophisticated, uncouth: I cannot tolerate
Nigel's primitive table manners. 3 simple, basic, simplistic,
na‹ve, childlike, unsophisticated, uncultivated, unrefined,
unpolished, rough, untutored, untaught, untrained, unschooled,
undeveloped: Gary collects paintings of the primitive school
and has one by Grandma Moses.

primp v. preen, prink, prettify, titivate or tittivate, plume, dress
up, groom, Colloq doll up, get (all) dolled up, spruce up, put
on one's best bib and tucker, Chiefly Brit tart up, get (all)
tarted up, Slang deck out, trick out or up, put on one's glad
rags, Brit fig out, US gussy up, get (all) gussied up, dude up:
She was primping before the mirror, awaiting the arrival of her
beau.


princely adj. 1 lavish, bountiful, generous, liberal, ample,
substantial, huge, enormous: They paid a princely sum for their
stately home in Surrey. 2 lavish, magnificent, splendid,

luxurious, majestic, royal, regal, sumptuous, superb, Colloq
ritzy, swank(y), posh, plush: The hotel laid on princely
accommodation for us with rooms overlooking the sea. 3 royal,
noble, regal, sovereign, of royal or noble blood or rank: Who
would have thought that our humble home would ever shelter a
princely guest?

principal adj. 1 chief, primary, prime, paramount, main, first, foremost,
ranking, pre-eminent, predominant, dominant, prevailing;
leading, starring: The principal reason I'm here is to see you.
The principal food of the people is corn. The principal role was
sung by Pavarotti. 2 important, prominent, leading, key,
cardinal: Cuba is a principal source of sugar.


--n. 3 owner, proprietor, chairman, chairwoman, chairperson,
(managing) director, head, president, chief, chief executive
officer, CEO, manager or Brit manageress, superintendent,
supervisor, Colloq boss, US (head or chief) honcho: We should
talk to the principals about buying that company. 4 dean,
director, Chiefly Brit headmaster, headmistress, master, rector,
(vice-)chancellor: His appointment as principal is for a
two-year period. 5 (working) capital, capital funds, resources,
investment, backing, (cash) reserve(s), assets; money: She is
fortunate to be able to live on the income from her investments,
without touching the principal. 6 star, lead, heroine, hero,
leading lady or man, leading role, main part; diva, premiŠre
danseuse, premier danseur, prima donna, prima ballerina: The
principal in the ballet company was a Russian.


principally
adv. chiefly, mainly, first (and foremost), primarily, above
all, in the main, mostly, for the most part, largely,
predominantly, on the whole, at bottom, in essence, essentially,
basically, fundamentally; especially, particularly: He seems to
be interested principally in money, with little regard for
anything else.

principle n. 1 truth, given, precept, tenet, fundamental, grounds, law,
rule, dictum, canon, doctrine, teaching, dogma, proposition,
(basic) assumption, postulate, axiom, maxim, truism, guide,
standard, criterion, model: The perpetual-motion machine
violates a basic principle of physics. 2 Often, principles.
philosophy, code, attitude, (point of) view, viewpoint,

sentiment, belief, credo, creed, idea, notion, ethic, sense of
right and wrong: He cynically conducts his life on the
principle, 'Do unto others before they do unto you'. I am not
sure I can condone his principles. 3 (sense of) honour,
uprightness, honesty, morality, morals, probity, integrity,
conscience: If you don't think him a man of principle, don't do
business with him. 4 in principle. on principle, in theory,
theoretically, basically, fundamentally, at bottom, in essence,
essentially, ideally: I like your plan in principle, but in
practice it cannot be accomplished that way.

principled
adj. moral, righteous, right-minded, virtuous, noble,
high-minded, ethical, honourable, proper, correct, right, just,
upright, honest, scrupulous: Michael is too highly principled
to take bribes.

print v. 1 impress, imprint, stamp, publish, issue, run off, put out;
copy; (pull a) proof: We decided to print 500 copies of the
book. You may have your name printed on the cover for an
additional amount.

--n. 2 reproduction, copy, replica, facsimile; positive,
photograph, etching, (steel or wood-)engraving, lithograph,
woodcut, linocut, silk screen, rotogravure, Trade Mark Xerox;
picture, illustration; Colloq photo, cut, pic (pl. pix): Today,
a good print of a Picasso costs more than an original did fifty
years ago. 3 text, printed matter, type, writing; language,
wording, (choice of) words, phrasing: You'd be well advised to
read the small print before signing the agreement.

prior adj. 1 former, previous, earlier, one-time, ex, erstwhile; old,
last, late, latest, Literary quondam, whilom: If you overdraw
your account without prior arrangement, you will automatically
be charged a higher rate of interest. 2 prior to. before,
previous to, previously to, till, until, preceding: Prior to
the earthquake, Valdivia was a river port.

priority n. precedence, precedency, primacy, urgency, immediacy,
predominance, pre-eminence, preference, rank, superiority,
prerogative, right, seniority, importance, weight, immediacy:
The applications for aid will be processed in order of priority.

prison n. jail or Brit also gaol, dungeon, oubliette, lock-up, penal
institution, house of correction, correctional institution,
reformatory, house of detention; confinement, detention;
Old-fashioned reform school, Military guardhouse; Brit remand
centre, detention centre, remand home, community home, Military
glasshouse, Formal CHE (= 'community home with education on the
premises'), Old-fashioned approved school; US penitentiary,
Military brig; Archaic Brit bridewell; Slang clink, can, cooler,
jug, stir, Brit quod, chokey or choky, US and Canadian pokey or
poky; US pen, calaboose, slammer, hoosegow, Old-fashioned big
house: He was released from prison last Friday after serving
six months for burglary.

prisoner n. convict, trusty; internee, detainee; Colloq jailbird or Brit
also gaolbird, lifer, Slang con, Brit (old) lag, Old-fashioned
ticket-of-leave man, US two-time or three-time loser:
Prisoners' letters were censored.

prissy adj. fussy, precious, over-nice, finicky or finical,
strait-laced, school-marmish, prim (and proper), prudish,
squeamish, fastidious, Colloq old-maidish: He is awfully prissy
about changing on the beach.

pristine adj. 1 original, primal, basic, primeval or Brit also
primaeval, primitive, primordial, earliest, first, initial: It
is impractical to try to return the world to what some regard as
its pristine purity. 2 uncorrupted, pure, unsullied, undefiled,
virginal, virgin, chaste, untouched, unspoiled, unpolluted,
untarnished, spotless, immaculate, natural: One must travel far
today to experience the pristine beauty of nature. The car was
in pristine condition.

privacy n. 1 seclusion, retirement, solitude, isolation, retreat,
sequestration, reclusiveness, reclusion, solitariness;
monasticism: Coleman very much enjoys the privacy of living
alone. 2 secrecy, secretiveness, clandestineness,
confidentiality, surreptitiousness, covertness, concealment:
Many feel that the questions on census forms invade their
privacy.


private adj. 1 (top) secret, confidential, undisclosed, hidden,
clandestine, concealed, covert, surreptitious, off the record,
not for publication, unofficial, Colloq hush-hush: I think our

relationship should be kept private for the time being. What I
am about to tell you is strictly private. 2 privileged,
restrictive, restricted, exclusive, special, reserved, personal,
inaccessible, non-public; hidden, secluded, concealed, secret,
sneaking: The house is situated on a private road. I had a
private suspicion that they would cancel their trip. 3 personal,
individual, own, intimate, particular: My private affairs are
none of your business. 4 solitary, seclusive, reclusive,
withdrawn, retiring, reticent, ungregarious, non-gregarious,
unsocial, unsociable, antisocial, reserved, uncommunicative,
hermitic(al), hermit-like, eremitic(al); sequestered, secluded,
retired: You have to bear in mind that Edmund is a very private
person.


--n. 5 private soldier, infantryman, foot-soldier, US enlisted
man, Colloq Brit Tommy, Tommy Atkins, squaddie, US GI (Joe),
Slang US grunt: Before cashiering him, they reduced him from
colonel to private. 6 in private. in secret, secretly,
privately, sub rosa, personally, confidentially, behind closed
doors, in camera, off the record, US on the q.t. or Q.T.;
clandestinely, secretively, sneakily, sneakingly,
surreptitiously, furtively, covertly, on the sly: Family
matters should be discussed only in private. They met in private
with agents of the rebel forces. 7 private parts or privates.
genitals, sexual or sex organs, genitalia. The natives wore
loincloths to cover their private parts.

privation n. need, neediness, want, deprivation, hardship, indigence,
necessity, poverty, penury, destitution, strait(s), pauperism,
beggary; distress, misery: The lower classes in Victorian
England suffered terrible privation.

privilege n. benefit, advantage, right, prerogative, concession,
allowance, indulgence, immunity, exemption, dispensation,
freedom, liberty, franchise, permission, consent, leave,
authorization, sanction, authority, licence, carte blanche: The
children were given the privilege of choosing where the family
should go on holiday.


privileged
adj. 1 favoured, advantaged, indulged, entitled, ‚lite,
special, honoured: John was one of the privileged few to be
told her private telephone number. 2 protected, exempt(ed),

immune; licensed, empowered, admitted, permitted, sanctioned,
authorized, enfranchised, chartered: This is a privileged
institution as far as the dispensation of grants is concerned. 3
powerful, ruling; wealthy, rich: He despised the privileged
class till he became wealthy enough to be a member of it. 4
confidential, secret, private, privy, inside, off the record,
not for publication, restricted, Colloq hush-hush: What I am
about to tell you is privileged information.


privy adj. 1 See privileged, 4, above. 2 privy to. aware of, in on,
on to or onto, sharing (in), cognizant of, apprised of, informed
or advised about or of, informed on, knowledgeable about, Colloq
in the know about, Slang hip to, wise to, Old-fashioned hep to:
Was the minister's wife privy to what was discussed at cabinet
meetings?

--n. 3 lavatory, (outside or outdoor) toilet, latrine,
water-closet, WC, US outhouse, Colloq chiefly Brit loo, Slang
Brit bog, US crapper, Taboo slang US shithouse: In those days,
almost every home had an outside privy, as there was no interior
plumbing.

prizeฐ n. 1 reward, award, trophy, premium; honour, accolade, Literary
guerdon: The first prize was a week's holiday in the Bahamas.
2 winnings, jackpot, purse, receipts, gain, windfall, stakes,
Colloq haul, Chiefly US take: He used his prize from winning
the lottery to buy a new car. 3 aim, goal: The prize they all
strove for was a grant to carry on lexicographic research. 4
loot, booty, spoil(s), trophy, plunder, pickings: The pirates
took the galleon as their prize.

--adj. 5 choice, excellent, (prize)winning, best, champion,
outstanding, select, superior, superlative, first-rate: This
dairy owns a prize herd of Guernseys.


prize v. value, treasure, esteem, cherish, appreciate, rate highly,
hold dear: I prize your friendship above all things.

probability
n. likelihood, likeliness, odds, expectation, chance(s),
(distinct) possibility, presumption: There is a high
probability that it will rain.

probable adj. (most) likely, apt, (quite) possible, presumed, plausible,
undoubted, indubitable, apparent, unquestionable, evident,
ostensible, odds-on, feasible, believable, credible: The
probable cause of the flooding was a blockage in the drains. It
is probable that most medieval churches had paintings round the
walls.

probably adv. (very) likely, in all likelihood, in all probability,
undoubtedly, doubtlessly, indubitably, unquestionably,
presumably, quite, all things considered, to all intents and
purposes, possibly, perhaps, Colloq as likely as not, quite:
She is probably the best tennis player in the world at the
moment.


probe v. 1 explore, examine, scrutinize, investigate, search (into),
look into, go into, study, dig into, delve into, poke about or
around, Colloq poke into: They probed his background thoroughly
but found nothing unusual. 2 poke, prod, explore, examine;
plumb, dig: Snipe use their long bills to probe for worms in
soft mud.

--n. 3 investigation, examination, exploration, scrutiny,
search, study, inquiry or enquiry, inquest: There will be a
governmental probe into the mismanagement of the department.


probity n. integrity, uprightness, honesty, morality, rectitude,
virtue, goodness, decency, righteousness, right-mindedness,
sincerity, trustworthiness, honour, equity, justness, justice,
fairness: Lord Chancellors have consistently been men of
unquestioned probity.

problem n. 1 difficulty, trouble, question, dilemma, quandary,
predicament, complication, hornet's nest, imbroglio, mess,
muddle, stew, Colloq can of worms, fine kettle of fish, (pretty)
pickle, Brit facer: The Chancellor must constantly deal with
the problems of the country's economy. 2 puzzle, conundrum,
poser, riddle, question, enigma, puzzler, Colloq mind-boggler,
hard or tough nut to crack: The problem is how to get the yolk
out without breaking the shell.


--adj. 3 unruly, unmanageable, intractable, uncontrollable,
difficult, ungovernable, refractory, incorrigible, obstreperous,
delinquent, maladjusted, disturbed, emotionally upset: He

teaches at a school where most of the students are problem
children.

problematic
adj. problematical, difficult, uncertain, questionable,
questioned, doubtful, doubted, debatable, disputable, disputed,
unsettled, moot, undecided, controversial, tricky, touchy,
sensitive, Colloq hairy, iffy: The value of treating colds with
massive doses of vitamin C is problematic.


procedure n. way, conduct, course, action, course of action, method,
methodology, mode, form, system, approach, strategy, plan (of
action), scheme, modus operandi, operation, policy, ways and
means; routine, tradition, practice, custom, wont, standard
operating procedure, Colloq MO (= 'modus operandi'), SOP (=
'standard operating procedure'), Chiefly Brit drill: What
procedure will you follow to regain the stolen property? The
procedure in ballroom dancing has always been for the man to
lead.


proceed v. 1 Sometimes, proceed with. go or move (on or ahead or
forward), advance, continue, progress, carry on, get or move
along, get going or moving or under way, start, pass on, make
progress or headway, push or press on or onward(s), forge ahead;
resume, renew, go on with, pick up (where one left off):
Proceed to the T-junction, then turn left. If the membership
committee has finished, let us proceed to the report of the
finance committee. After the break, the performance will
proceed. 2 Often, proceed from or out of. result from, arise
(from), come (from), stem from, spring from, develop (from),
issue (from or forth), derive from, be derived (from), descend
from, emerge (from), grow (from or out of), originate (in or
from or with), begin (with), start (with or from): The
outcropping proceeds from glaciation and erosion. They say that
more than half of a person's happiness proceeds from hope.

--n. 3 proceeds. profit(s), gain, yield; income, receipts,
return(s), gate, box office, US take: The proceeds from the
charity auction were better than ever this year.


proceeding
n. 1 measure, act, (course of) action, move, step, undertaking,
deed, procedure, process, operation, transaction, manoeuvre,

feat, accomplishment: Grace Darling's rescue of the shipwrecked
men was truly a heroic proceeding. 2 proceedings. a
transactions, report(s), minutes, record(s), annals, affairs,
dealings, business, account(s), archives, Formal acta: The
proceedings of the Society are published annually. b events,
goings-on, doings; celebration(s); performance(s): The
proceedings were briefly interrupted while the hecklers were
ejected from the hall.


process n. 1 procedure, proceeding, operation, system, method,
approach, technique; course of action: I am sure you understand
how the process works. What process do they use to make paper
out of wood? 2 activity, function, development: The process of
photosynthesis is the means by which plants synthesize
carbohydrates.

--v. 3 treat, prepare, (make or get) ready, change, modify,
transform, convert, alter: This is the room where the
ingredients are processed before mixing. 4 handle, take care
of, organize, deal with, manage; dispose of, answer, manipulate:
After the earthquake the insurance companies processed thousands
of claims.

procession
n. 1 parade, march, cavalcade, motorcade, cortege or cortŠge,
column, line, file, train, march past: A strange procession of
thousands of beggars silently wound its way through the city. 2
succession, cycle, sequence, string, train, chain, series,
course, run, progression, cavalcade: He began to recount the
procession of events that led up to the murder.

proclaim v. 1 announce, advertise, circulate, declare, broadcast,
pronounce, make known, bruit (about), trumpet, publish,
promulgate, herald; profess, protest, enunciate, articulate:
Edgar was proclaimed king. She proclaimed her innocence. 2
brand, accuse of being, stigmatize as, pronounce, rule, decree,
characterize, report: She found herself proclaimed a traitor.

proclamation
n. 1 announcement, advertisement, declaration, publication,
promulgation, statement, manifesto, pronunciamento,
notification, notice: A proclamation was issued granting
amnesty to all political prisoners. 2 proclaiming, announcing,

advertising, declaring, broadcasting, publishing, promulgating,
heralding, making known, bruiting about: The proclamation of
his appointment as Chancellor came at a bad time.


procrastinate
v. 1 temporize, act evasively, play for time, dally, delay,
stall; postpone, defer, put off or aside, shelve, US table: I
wish he would stop procrastinating and say what he plans to do.
2 hesitate, pause, waver, vacillate, be undecided, equivocate,
tergiversate, shilly-shally: Helen procrastinates every time
she is faced with making a decision.

procure v. 1 obtain, acquire, get, come by, secure, get or lay one's
hands on, get (a) hold of, gain, win, come into, pick up, find,
appropriate, requisition; buy, purchase: I have been trying to
procure early editions of Defoe's works. 2 accomplish, bring
about, effect, cause, produce: Using every resource available
to her, she finally procured his release.


procurer n. pander or panderer, pimp, White slaver, flesh-pedlar or US
also flesh-peddler or flesh-pedler, Archaic whoremaster, bawd;
madam, procuress: He became a procurer for the wealthy men in
the village.


prod v. 1 jab, dig, poke, nudge, elbow: Every time the comedian
said something risqu‚, Aunt Flora would giggle and prod me in
the ribs. 2 spur, urge, impel, egg on, push, thrust, prompt,
rouse, stir, incite, move, motivate, actuate, activate, provoke,
encourage, stimulate: My uncle keeps prodding me to continue
with my studies. 3 incite, goad, needle, irritate, irk, annoy,
pester, harass, hector, badger, plague, nag, hound, carp at,
cavil; henpeck: My parents are constantly prodding me to go out
and get a job.


--n. 4 jab, dig, poke, nudge, elbow, push: I was quite black
and blue from those prods I was getting from Aunt Flora. 5 goad,
spur; needle, rowel: These days electrified cattle prods are
available. 6 stimulus, push, prompt, reminder, signal, cue:
Calvin needed that prod to make him finally go home after the
party.

prodigal adj. 1 wasteful, extravagant, spendthrift, lavish, excessive,
profligate, squandering, immoderate, intemperate, wanton,

improvident, reckless: If the government were less prodigal, it
would be possible to have a balanced budget. 2 generous,
bountiful, copious, profuse, bounteous, lavish, liberal,
luxuriant, sumptuous, abundant, abounding, rich, plentiful,
plenteous, superabundant, thriving, swarming, teeming: He was
prodigal of both compliments and criticism.

--n. 3 wastrel, spendthrift, profligate, squanderer, waster,
big spender: That prodigal went through his inheritance in less
than a year.

prodigality
n. 1 wastefulness, waste, extravagance, excess, excessiveness,
immoderation, intemperateness, wantonness, recklessness,
profligacy, improvidence, dissipation, squandering: Surely his
contemporaries must have condemned Shah Jehan's prodigality in
building the Taj Mahal. 2 lavishness, profuseness, luxury,
luxuriousness, luxuriance, abundance, plenty, bounty,
bountifulness, bounteousness, copiousness, profusion,
profuseness, sumptuousness, richness, plentifulness,
plenteousness, superabundance, exuberance: The prodigality of
Nature is unbounded.

prodigious
adj. 1 vast, immeasurable, colossal, enormous, huge, giant,
gigantic, immense, mammoth, monumental, tremendous, stupendous,
titanic, Brobdingnagian, gargantuan, Herculean, cyclopean,
leviathan, monstrous, extensive, Colloq US ginormous, humongous:
There is a prodigious amount of water vapour contained in a
cloudy sky. You may accuse her of being a workaholic, but
consider the prodigious amount she gets done in a day. 2
amazing, astonishing, astounding, startling, extraordinary,
exceptional, marvellous, wonderful, wondrous, fabulous,
miraculous, phenomenal, spectacular, fantastic, sensational,
unusual, staggering, striking, dumbfounding or dumfounding,
remarkable, noteworthy, notable, Colloq flabbergasting,
mind-boggling, mind-blowing: In those days, running a mile in
four minutes was considered a prodigious feat.


prodigy n. 1 (child or girl or boy) genius, wonder child, Wunderkind,
mastermind, talent, intellect, intellectual or mental giant,
wizard, virtuoso, Colloq brain, Einstein, whiz-kid or whizz-kid,
whiz or whizz, walking dictionary or encyclopedia or

encyclopaedia: She was a prodigy at the age of six and went on
to become a great concert performer. 2 wonder, marvel,
phenomenon, sensation, miracle: Some regarded the painting Nude
Descending a Staircase a prodigy of cubist art.


produce v. 1 make, develop, turn out, put or bring out, manufacture,
fabricate, generate, create; construct, assemble, put together,
compose; mould, cast; extrude: This machine is capable of
producing 10,000 units an hour. 2 yield, give rise to, cause,
bring up, bring forth, spark, initiate, occasion, bring about,
prompt, evoke, start, create, generate, beget, originate: He
was unprepared for the laughter produced by his slip of the
tongue. 3 generate, beget, create, put out or forth, breed,
propagate, bear, give birth to, hatch, grow: See how the plant
is producing buds at these nodes? 4 bring forward or in or out,
introduce, present, offer, show, exhibit, display, stage, put
on, mount: She was the first to produce Japanese Noh drama in
the west. 5 disclose, reveal, bring to light, show, display,
draw: When I refused to give him the money, he produced a gun.
6 supply, furnish, provide, deliver, distribute: They are
accused of continuing to produce fluorocarbons despite the
government ban.

--n. 7 vegetables, fruit, Chiefly Brit greengrocery: The
produce is delivered to the markets from the farms at the crack
of dawn.

producer n. 1 maker, manufacturer, fabricator, processor, creator;
grower, farmer: That company is the largest producer of
microchips in the world. 2 (in Britain) director, auteur,
impresario, regisseur; (in US and Canada) entrepreneur,
(business or financial) manager, organizer, impresario: He was
a producer of TV soap operas.


product n. 1 result, consequence, output, outcome, issue, effect,
fallout, yield, upshot; spin-off, offshoot, by-product: It is
evident that this work is the product of much thought. One
product of her interest in literature is a new publishing
company. 2 artefact or US artifact, good(s), produce, commodity,
output, merchandise, offering, work: It doesn't matter how good
the product is if nobody knows about it.

production

n. 1 producing, manufacture, manufacturing, making,
fabrication, preparation, origination, creation, output, putting
out, development; formation, forming, forging, shaping,
moulding, casting, assembly, building, construction: Our
business is the production of insulating materials. 2 product,
(end) result, work, effort, handiwork, output, opus, oeuvre:
These paintings are clearly productions of a fertile
imagination. 3 (in Britain) artistry, direction, staging; (in
US and Canada) display, presentation, staging, mise en scŠne,
setting: Both the acting and the production were superb. 4
drama, play, (stage or television or radio) show, performance;
film, motion or moving picture, movie: Our repertory company is
putting on a production of Othello next week.


productive
adj. 1 fruitful, fertile, rich, fecund, plentiful, plenteous,
abundant, bountiful, bounteous, prolific, dynamic: Owing to a
perfect balance of rain and sunshine, the earth has proved
productive this year. 2 imaginative, creative, inventive,
resourceful, generative, ingenious, fertile, vigorous: Her
latest science-fiction trilogy is certainly evidence of a highly
productive mind. 3 profitable, remunerative, rewarding,
valuable, worthwhile: Years ago he made an investment in
computer shares that has turned out to be very productive.
Discussing sales strategy is not as productive as getting out
there and selling.

profane adj. 1 irreverent, sacrilegious, blasphemous, idolatrous,
irreligious, infidel, heathen, unbelieving, disbelieving, pagan,
atheist(ic), impious, godless, ungodly, sinful, wicked,
iniquitous, contemptuous, disrespectful: The faithful attacked
anyone who was seen to perform a profane act. 2 unsanctified,
unholy, unconsecrated, defiled, impure, unclean, unhallowed,
non-religious, non-sacred, unsacred; lay, non-clerical, secular,
temporal; Judaism tref or treif or treifa, non-kosher: The
missionaries persuaded them to abandon their profane rites and
practices. 3 bad, dirty, filthy, smutty, foul, foul-mouthed,
obscene, vulgar, coarse, uncouth, low, taboo, blasphemous,
bawdy, ribald, scurrilous, off colour, immodest, improper,
naughty, indecent, unprintable, unmentionable, indecorous,
indelicate, common; abusive, vituperative, venomous,
thersitical, Literary Fescennine, Colloq blue: The boy was sent
home from school for using profane language.


--v. 4 debase, contaminate, pollute, taint, vitiate, degrade,
defile, desecrate, violate, pervert, corrupt: They swore
undying retribution against those who had profaned their temple.


profanity n. blasphemy, obscenity, cursing, curse-word(s), swearing,
swear-word(s), foul or bad or dirty or vulgar or coarse or
filthy or smutty or taboo language, four-letter word(s),
billingsgate: The film was held to be unfit for broadcasting as
it contained so much obscenity and profanity.

profess v. 1 assert, claim, aver, asseverate, state, affirm, confirm,
confess, declare, say, hold, maintain, present, offer, proffer,
tender, set forth, put forward, pronounce, enounce, enunciate,
announce, utter, vow, avow: He professed himself satisfied with
the judge's decision. 2 pretend, lay claim, make a pretence,
purport, act as if, simulate: They professed to be legitimate
businessmen, but I was always suspicious.


professed adj. 1 pretended, ostensible, apparent, alleged, purported,
so-called, would-be, self-styled, soi-disant(e): He was a
professed wine 'expert' but the bottle he recommended turned out
to be awful. 2 confessed, avowed, sworn, admitted, acknowledged,
confirmed, certified, declared: What do you do when a professed
friend betrays you?

profession
n. 1 occupation, calling, work, field, vocation, employment,
m‚tier, trade, business, craft, line, sphere, speciality or US
specialty, job, position, post, situation, Slang racket: I know
that she's a doctor, but what is her husband's profession? 2
confession, affirmation, statement, avowal, assertion,
asseveration, declaration, acknowledgement, testimony, averment,
admission, announcement: I was uncertain whether to believe his
professions of love.

professional
adj. 1 trained, educated, practised, veteran, experienced,
seasoned, able, skilled, skilful, gifted, talented, qualified,
knowledgeable, licensed, official, expert, masterful, masterly,
master, efficient, adept, proficient, competent, polished,
finished: He is a professional ambulance driver who has to work
as a plumber to make ends meet. 2 excellent, proficient,

efficient, skilful, masterly, thorough, prompt, conscientious,
authoritative, businesslike: She did a very professional job of
repairing my car.


--n. 3 master, expert, maestro, virtuoso, past master or
mistress, specialist, authority, Colloq wizard, pro, whiz or
whizz, US maven or mavin, Brit dab hand: You can always tell
when the work has been done by a professional.


proficiency
n. facility, skill, talent, adeptness, expertise, expertness,
skilfulness, aptitude, capability, ability, dexterity,
capability, competence or competency, ingenuity, knack, savoir
faire, Colloq know-how: The proficiency he displayed as a
racing-car driver was second to none.

proficient
adj. skilful, skilled, talented, adept, gifted, expert,
experienced, practised, au fait, veteran, well-versed, (highly)
trained, professional, qualified, capable, able, accomplished,
dexterous, competent, knowledgeable, top-notch, first-rate,
Colloq ace, crack, whiz-bang or whizz-bang, Brit wizard: She is
an extremely proficient surgeon.


profile n. 1 outline, silhouette, contour, side-view: His aquiline
nose shows up prominently in this profile. 2 biography,
(biographical or thumbnail or character) sketch, life, portrait,
vignette: That profile of Allen in a well-known magazine did
not do him justice. 3 analysis, study, survey, examination;
graph, diagram, chart, list, statistics: The profile of the
average newspaper reader revealed some interesting anomalies.

--v. 4 describe, draw, sketch, limn: The editor phoned to say
that they want to profile you in the Gazette's Sunday colour
supplement.

profit n. 1 Often, profits. gross or net profit, net or Brit also
nett, return(s), gain, yield, revenue, proceeds, bottom line,
surplus, excess, US take, Slang gravy, US vigorish: The profits
are down in the third quarter owing to the higher interest rate.
2 advantage, avail, good, benefit, welfare, gain, value,
interest, use, usefulness, Archaic or literary behoof: Let me
recommend a book that you will find of some profit.


--v. 3 advance, further, be of profit to, benefit, promote,
aid, help, be advantageous or of advantage, serve, avail,
improve: A few lessons from the club professional could profit
your golf game. 4 Often, profit from. take advantage of, use,
turn to advantage or account, exploit, utilize, make (good) use
of, make capital (out) of, capitalize on, maximize, make the
most of, Slang cash in on: I hope you profit from the
experience. 5 clear, realize, earn, gain, Colloq make a
killing, clean up, rake it in, make a bundle or a packet:
Ernestine profited to the tune of œ100,000 on the sale of her
house.

profitable
adj. 1 beneficial, productive, lucrative, fruitful,
(well-)paying, well-paid, worthwhile, effective, cost-effective,
gainful, remunerative, money-making, rewarding: I had never
thought of being a pavement artist as a profitable enterprise.
Playing professional golf can be very profitable - if you win
tournaments. 2 beneficial, helpful, useful, utilitarian,
valuable, worthwhile, advantageous, productive, rewarding: She
gave me a lot of good advice that I found profitable in my
professional life.


profiteer n. 1 racketeer, exploiter, extortionist, blackmarketeer: The
profiteers turned to selling sugar at exorbitant prices.

--v. 2 overcharge, fleece, exploit, milk, make the most of;
extort; US gouge: The arms dealers are profiteering by selling
banned mat‚riel to the guerrillas.

profligacy
n. 1 debauchery, vice, immorality, sin, sinfulness, wickedness,
evil, dissipation, dissoluteness, degeneracy, licentiousness,
depravity, corruption, promiscuity, lechery, lasciviousness,
lewdness, indecency, perversion, carnality, libertinism,
wantonness, unrestraint, eroticism, sybaritism, voluptuousness,
sensuality: Soho's reputation for profligacy is now much less
deserved. 2 prodigality, extravagance, excess, waste,
wastefulness, recklessness, exorbitance, lavishness,
improvidence, squandering: The profligacy of the French court
at the end of the 17th century was remarkable.

profligate
adj. 1 debauched, vice-ridden, immoral, unprincipled, sinful,
shameless, evil, iniquitous, wicked, dissipative, dissolute,
degenerate, loose, licentious, depraved, corrupt, promiscuous,
lecherous, lascivious, lewd, indecent, perverted, carnal,
libertine, wanton, unrestrained, erotic, sybaritic, voluptuous,
sensual, wild, abandoned: The duke suddenly gave up his
profligate life and became a monk. 2 extravagant, prodigal,
wasteful, reckless, squandering, improvident, spendthrift,
immoderate, excessive: As the family fortunes waned, my aunt
had to curb her profligate ways.

--n. 3 debauchee, sinner, degenerate, pervert, sodomite,
reprobate, rake, rakehell, libertine, lecher, whoremonger, rou‚,
wanton, sybarite, voluptuary, sensualist: With the restraints
removed, the profligate abandoned himself to every excess
imaginable. 4 prodigal, spendthrift, wastrel, waster,
squanderer: Such are the extravagances indulged in by the
profligates who never learnt the value of money.


profound adj. 1 deep, unfathomable, abstruse, recondite, arcane,
esoteric, intricate, knotty, involved, tricky, inscrutable,
indecipherable, cabbalistic, incomprehensible, obscure, subtle,
occult, secret, cryptic, puzzling, enigmatic, mystifying,
mysterious: Some aspects of the theory of thought are even too
profound for many specialists. 2 learned, scholarly,
intellectual, erudite, discerning, astute, sagacious, sage,
wise, penetrating, sharp, keen, insightful, analytical,
knowledgeable, informed, well-informed, well-read: Russell was
one of the most profound thinkers of his day. 3 deep, great,
intense, sincere; heartfelt, keen, acute, utter, extreme,
overpowering, overwhelming: He gave a profound sigh and fell
asleep at once. It is with profound regret that I must tender my
resignation. 4 utter, complete, total, perfect, absolute,
thorough, thoroughgoing, out-and-out, downright, consummate;
awful, terrible: Her casual attitude stems from her profound
lack of awareness of how important the work is. I was
immediately struck by the profound silence in the house.
Profound changes are under way.


profoundly
adv. very, extremely, deeply, greatly, keenly, acutely,
intensely, sincerely; terribly, awfully: We are profoundly

sorry to have been so much trouble to you.

profundity
n. 1 depth, profoundness, abstruseness, reconditeness,
arcaneness, intricacy, subtlety, complexity, complicatedness,
difficulty, inscrutability, involvement, involvedness;
indecipherability, incomprehensibility, incomprehensibleness,
obscurity: I wouldn't claim to have fully grasped the
profundity of his ideas. 2 erudition, discernment, scholarship,
scholarliness, sagacity, wisdom, sharpness, keenness,
astuteness, acumen, insightfulness, knowledgeableness,
knowledgeability: I was amazed by the profundity of the
argument of one so young.


profuse adj. 1 abundant, ample, plentiful, copious, unstinting,
unsparing, ungrudging: My profuse apologies if I have offended
you in any way. 2 extravagant, lavish, bountiful, bounteous,
prolific, luxuriant, abundant, exuberant, superabundant, lush,
thick, teeming, overflowing, bursting, thriving, productive,
fruitful, rich: From the seventh year onwards, the trees
yielded profuse crops of pears and plums. 3 excessive, copious,
considerable, prolific, liberal, lavish, free, abundant, ample:
This stage of the fever is accompanied by profuse sweating. 4
generous, abundant, plentiful, copious, unsparing, unselfish,
unstinting, exuberant, magnanimous, liberal: The audience was
profuse in its applause and cries of 'Bravo!' and 'Encore!'

profusion n. profuseness, quantity, abundance, plenty, plentifulness,
plenteousness, bounty, copiousness, superabundance; mass, host,
hoard, number, multitude, lot, mountain, load, mess, stack,
pile, heap, agglomeration, conglomeration, accumulation, wealth,
glut, surplus, oversupply, surfeit, plethora, superfluity,
Formal nimiety: Ivy grew in profusion over the front of the
house. We had never seen such a profusion of bric-…-brac as they
had collected.

progenitor
n. 1 progenitrix, ancestor, forefather, forebear: They
regarded the snake god as the progenitor of the human race. 2
predecessor, forerunner, precursor, antecedent, foregoer,
source, originator; origin, original, prototype, archetype,
pattern, guide: The ancient philosophers were progenitors of
many modern ideas. Some regard da Vinci's designs as the

progenitors of some of today's machines.

progeny n. offspring, children, descendants, issue, young, posterity,
heirs, scions, successors, sons and daughters, Colloq kids,
spawn, fry, US sprouts: He dreamed that his progeny might have
a freer, healthier life than his.

prognosis n. forecast, forecasting, prediction, prophecy,
prognostication, projection: The doctor has recorded his
prognosis for the course of the disease.

prognosticate
v. 1 predict, foretell, prophesy, forecast, presage, divine,
forebode: Those prophets of doom are always prognosticating
disaster. 2 betoken, augur, herald, foreshadow, foretoken,
announce, harbinger, signal, portend: The freshening breeze
from the east prognosticates some rainy periods ahead.

programme n. 1 schedule, plan, scheme, agenda, order of the day, routine,
protocol, slate, list, listing, description, outline, abstract,
pr‚cis, calendar, menu, bill of fare, curriculum, syllabus,
synopsis, summary, prospectus: The programme shows the sequence
of events. You cannot tell what is being offered without a
programme. 2 performance, production, show, presentation, (radio
or television) play, telecast, broadcast, recital, concert:
Television programmes seem to cater to lower levels of taste and
intelligence every year. 3 proceedings, events, affairs,
activities: The programme includes an hour of exercise before
breakfast every day.


--v. 4 organize, arrange, prearrange, plan, lay out, map (out),
design, formulate, set (up), schedule, book, US slate: The solo
pianist is programmed to follow the chamber orchestra.


progress n. 1 (forward) movement, going forward, progression, advance,
headway, advancement: Progress through the dense underbrush was
very slow. 2 advancement, advance, promotion, improvement,
betterment, elevation, rise, development, furtherance: Her
progress in the company might have been impeded by the fact that
she was a woman. 3 advancement, course, development, growth,
expansion, increase, evolution, maturation, ripening, burgeoning
or bourgeoning, amplification, enlargement, spread, extension,
broadening, promotion, furtherance, advance, encouragement: Our

publishing credo is that every book must contribute to the
progress of culture or knowledge. 4 in progress. under way,
ongoing, going on, happening, occurring, taking place, at work,
in operation, being done, proceeding, Colloq in the works: Some
of the plans for reorganization are already in progress.

--v. 5 advance, move or go (forwards or onwards), proceed,
continue, go or forge ahead, go or move along, make (one's) way,
make headway, travel, go or push or press on: Throughout the
19th century wagon trains of pioneers progressed across the
prairies to settle the American West. I haven't progressed far
enough in my reading to say whether I like the book or not. 6
advance, improve, get well, get better, develop, grow, expand,
increase, evolve, mature, ripen, burgeon or bourgeon, amplify,
enlarge, spread, extend, broaden, rise, move up, upgrade:
Sarah's condition progressed to the point where she could get
out of bed. Christmas sales of the new toy are progressing
nicely. In only ten years, Michael progressed to a directorship
in the company.


progression
n. 1 movement forward or forward movement, advance,
advancement, (making or gaining) headway, progress, ascension,
rise, elevation: This mode of progression requires enormous
effort. It was interesting to watch her progression through the
corridors of power. 2 progress, development, advance,
advancement, spread, spreading, extension, extending,
broadening, enlargement, headway, intensification, rise: It
seemed impossible to halt the progression of the disease. 3
order, sequence, succession, train, chain, concatenation,
course, flow: The report traces the progression of events
leading up to the war.

progressive
adj. 1 advancing, continuing, developing, increasing, growing,
ongoing, continuous, step by step, gradual: The doctors noted
the progressive deterioration in his condition. With the onset
of spring, we shall see progressive improvement in the weather.
2 reformist, revisionist, liberal, radical, revolutionary,
avant-garde, advanced, dynamic: Carrie was soon regarded as one
of the more progressive thinkers of her day.

--n. 3 reformist, reformer, revisionist, liberal, leftist,

left-winger: Once a conservative, he did a complete volte-face
after the war and became a progressive.

prohibit v. 1 bar, ban, forbid, disallow, interdict, outlaw, taboo,
debar, proscribe: Fishing without a permit is prohibited. 2
prevent, stop, preclude, rule out, obstruct, block, impede,
hinder, hamper, inhibit, frustrate, foil, thwart, restrain,
check: A turnstile prohibits entry through the exit doors.


prohibition
n. 1 forbiddance, barring, bar, banning, ban, disallowance,
disallowing, interdiction, interdicting, outlawing, outlawry,
taboo, debarment, debarring, proscription, proscribing: Did the
members vote for the prohibition of smoking on club premises? 2
bar, interdict, injunction, debarment, embargo, proscription,
ban: Imposition of an excessively high tariff on imported
computer components has amounted to the prohibition of their use
in this country.


prohibitive
adj. 1 discouraging, suppressive, repressive, restrictive,
prohibitory, inhibitory, restraining: Prohibitive legislation
has forced capital out of some profitable areas and into others
less productive. 2 excessive, exorbitant, outrageous, dear,
high, outlandish, abusive, extortionate, insupportable,
criminal: The prices of new designer dresses are prohibitive.

project n. 1 proposal, plan, scheme, design, layout: The project for
housing low-income families had to be modified to allow for car
parking. 2 activity, enterprise, programme, undertaking,
venture, assignment, commitment, obligation, contract,
engagement; occupation, job, work: What project will you move
on to when you complete this one?


--v. 3 plan, scheme, prepare, devise, conjure up, concoct,
think up, contemplate, contrive, invent, work up or out,
propose, present, outline, design, draft, draw up, delineate,
describe, put forth or forward, Colloq cook up: In his theory,
he projects a quite different causal relationship. 4 cast,
hurl, fling, throw, toss, launch, propel, discharge; shoot,
transmit; Colloq chuck, lob: A body projected into space will
keep on travelling unless it strikes something. This device
projects stereoscopic pictures on a screen. 5 jut out, stick

out, protrude, stand out, bulge (out), extend (out), poke out,
beetle (out), overhang: The cornice projects a full six feet
over the street. 6 estimate, reckon, calculate, predict,
forecast: The economists projected a decline in inflation over
the coming months.

projectile
n. missile, shell, bullet, rocket: Projectiles rained down on
the enemy gun emplacement.


projection
n. 1 protrusion, protuberance, bulge, extension, overhang,
ledge, flange; ridge, eminence, prominence, spur, crag,
outcropping: The safety line caught on a projection of the
building, and the man was saved. That projection off to the
north is covered with ice all year long. 2 proposal, outlining,
mapping, mapping out, presenting, presentation: The projection
of the plan for the new development must be effective for the
council to accept it. 3 plan, scheme, blueprint, programme,
design, proposal, outline, diagram, map, representation,
planning: The council has approved the projection for the
development of the waterfront. 4 estimate, prognostication,
forecast, prediction, calculation, reckoning: These sales
projections for next year are quite optimistic.


proliferate
v. grow, increase, burgeon or bourgeon, multiply, mushroom,
snowball; breed, reproduce: Fast-food restaurants are
proliferating everywhere. Failure to disinfect the wound allows
germs to proliferate.

proliferation
n. growth, increase, burgeoning or bourgeoning, expansion,
spread, escalation, build-up, rise: Some attribute the increase
in violent crime to the proliferation of hand-guns.

prolific adj. 1 fertile, fecund, productive, fruitful, abundant,
copious, bountiful, bounteous, profuse, plentiful, plenteous,
lush, rich, rife: The more perilous its natural survival, the
more prolific a species is likely to be. 2 productive, creative,
fertile: He is a prolific author, and has more than 200 novels
to his credit.

prolong v. extend, lengthen, elongate, stretch (out), draw or drag out,
drag (on), keep up, string out, protract: Not wishing to
prolong the agony, we left after the first act. Aunt Caroline
prolonged her visit by yet another week.


promenade n. 1 walk, parade, esplanade, boulevard: We strolled along the
promenade as far as the pier. 2 walk, stroll, saunter, ramble,
turn, constitutional, airing, turn: After a brief promenade
round the garden, she returned to the house.


--v. 3 walk, stroll, saunter, amble, ramble, parade,
perambulate, take a walk or stroll: Every Sunday, regardless of
the weather, he promenades for an hour in the park. 4 flaunt,
show (off), display, parade, strut: Why he promenaded that
awful person before all his friends is beyond me!

prominence
n. 1 celebrity, eminence, fame, distinction, notability,
reputation, pre-eminence, standing, position, rank, prestige,
renown, repute, importance, weight, influence, account, name,
consequence: They are a family of considerable prominence in
the county. She rose to prominence as an actress just last year.
2 hill, hillock, rise, hummock, outcrop, outcropping, spur, tor,
crag, arˆte, spine, ridge, peak, mount, pinnacle; headland,
point, promontory: We planted our flag on the prominence and
constructed a small cairn. 3 protuberance, projection,
protrusion, growth, excrescence, swelling, tumefaction,
tumescence, extrusion, outshoot, outgrowth, spur, bulge: If
that prominence on your elbow doesn't disappear in a day or so,
I should see a doctor.

prominent adj. 1 conspicuous, obvious, evident, recognizable, pronounced,
discernible, distinguishable, identifiable, noticeable,
remarkable, noteworthy, eye-catching, striking, outstanding,
chief, main, principal, significant, important; apparent,
unmistakable or unmistakeable, patent, glaring, salient,
flagrant, egregious: The most prominent peak in the region is
Annapurna. Some of the prominent shortcomings of the plan can be
rectified easily. 2 eminent, pre-eminent, distinguished,
notable, noteworthy, noted, leading, foremost, first,
outstanding, eminent, well-known, famed, illustrious, famous,
celebrated, renowned, acclaimed, honoured, honourable,
respected, well-thought-of, prestigious, reputable, creditable:

A prominent politician is to be invited to cut the ribbon
opening the new bridge. 3 protuberant, protruding, protrusive,
projecting, jutting (out); excrescent, bulging, raised,
elevated: She has a rather prominent chin. There is one
prominent spot on the tabletop that needs more sanding.

promiscuous
adj. 1 indiscriminate, undiscriminating, unselective,
non-selective, non-discriminatory, unconscientious, heedless,
haphazard, indifferent, uncaring, uncritical, unfussy,
unfastidious, disregardful, neglectful, negligent, slipshod,
slovenly, irresponsible, careless, cursory, perfunctory,
unthinking, thoughtless, unconsidered: The promiscuous massacre
of civilians caused an international outcry. 2 lax, loose,
unchaste, wanton, wild, uninhibited, unrestrained, ungoverned,
uncontrolled, unbridled, uncurbed, immoderate, abandoned,
amoral, immoral, indecent, libertine, licentious, dissipated,
dissolute, depraved, profligate, debauched, fast; unfaithful,
faithless, dishonourable: Nothing you say could persuade me to
condone your promiscuous behaviour. 3 mixed, miscellaneous,
heterogeneous, random, intermixed, jumbled, disorderly,
disordered, confused, chaotic, motley, intermixed, intermingled,
scrambled, unorganized, disorganized, unsystematic,
unsystematized, helter-skelter, higgledy-piggledy, hotchpotch or
US also hodgepodge: There is a somewhat promiscuous collection
of books in his library that well reflects the eclecticism of
his tastes.

promise n. 1 assurance, (solemn) word (of honour), pledge, vow, oath,
undertaking, engagement, bond, commitment, guaranty, guarantee,
warranty; agreement, contract, covenant, compact: You have my
promise that the book will be completed by the deadline. She
broke her promise to marry him. Unlike a contract, a promise
does not imply a mutual commitment. 2 expectation, potential,
capability; likelihood, probability: This first novel shows a
lot of promise. There is little promise that compensation will
be paid to the victims by the government.

--v. 3 assure, give one's word (of honour), pledge, swear, vow,
take an oath, undertake, engage, commit oneself, guarantee or
guaranty, warrant, cross one's heart (and hope to die): Harold
promised to do what cannot be done. We were promised a free ride
on the roundabout. She promises she will repay the loan

promptly. Make him pay for the damage as he promised. 4 give
indication of, hint at, suggest, foretell, augur, indicate, show
signs of, be in store for, look like, seem or appear likely or
probable, Brit be on the cards, US be in the cards, Literary bid
fair, betoken, bespeak: Though the economic situation promised
to improve, many were disappointed that it took so long.

promising adj. hopeful, encouraging, favourable, auspicious, positive,
rosy, optimistic, propitious, cheering, full of promise,
reassuring, heartening: I see a promising future for you as a
dancer.

promote v. 1 help, further, encourage, assist, advance, support,
forward, back, sanction, abet, aid, boost, foster, patronize,
nurture, develop, inspirit, strengthen, stimulate, inspire:
Their continual bickering did little to promote domestic
harmony. The sale of portable appliances has done much to
promote the battery business. 2 advance, move up, raise,
upgrade, elevate, exalt, Colloq kick upstairs: He is to be
promoted to floor manager next month. 3 recommend, endorse,
sponsor, support, espouse, commend, advocate, advance, champion,
talk up, speak for, side with, present, call attention to: She
is promoting the cause of ecology in her campaign. 4 advertise,
publicize, push, sell, Colloq beat the drum for, plug, Slang
hype, Chiefly US ballyhoo: They are promoting the new
chewing-gum by giving out free samples in Trafalgar Square.

promotion n. 1 furtherance, advancement, advance, encouragement, support,
backing, sanction, sanctioning, abetting, aiding, helping,
assisting, boosting, fostering, nurturing, cultivation,
development, developing, improvement, improving, inspiration,
inspiriting, strengthening, stimulation, stimulating: The
Society exists for the promotion of learning in a number of
subjects. 2 advancement, advance, upgrading, upgrade, rise,
elevation, preferment, exaltation: He was envied for his
promotion to the highest ranking post in the department. 3
promoting, recommendation, presentation, espousal, commendation,
advocacy, championing: I am grateful for your promotion of my
name for the job. 4 advertising, publicity, public relations,
propaganda, selling, hard or soft sell, fanfare, plugging,
Colloq puffery, Slang (media) hype, Chiefly US ballyhoo,
hoop-la: The manufacturer spent millions on the promotion of
the new cola. 5 advertisement, advertising, circular, brochure,

handbill, bill, hand-out, leaflet, poster, affiche, placard,
publicity, space, (publicity) release, hoarding, US and Canadian
flier or flyer, billboard, broadside, Colloq US puff piece, poop
sheet: The promotions for the new detergent use the celebrity
endorsement technique.

prompt adj. 1 quick, ready, immediate, instantaneous, unhesitating,
rapid, fast, swift, speedy, punctual, timely, on time, instant,
summary, brisk, alacritous: No matter what the question, Gemma
gave a prompt response. 2 alert, eager, ready, quick,
expeditious, ready and willing, disposed, predisposed,
unhesitating, keen, avid: Slow to praise, Alan was always
prompt to criticize.


--v. 3 urge, egg (on), prod, nudge, spur, exhort, incite,
induce, impel, provoke, rouse, arouse, encourage, work or stir
or fire up, move, motivate, cause, influence, put (someone) up
to (something), coax, persuade, cajole, prevail upon or on, talk
(someone) into (something): If he hadn't prompted her, she
never would have apologized. 4 cue, remind, feed lines (to),
help: She never could remember her lines and needed to be
prompted. 5 bring about, inspire, occasion, give rise to,
elicit, evoke, provoke, call forth, stimulate, awaken: The
mention of hostages prompted a question about what was being
done to gain their release.

--n. 6 reminder, cue, hint, stimulus: He always needs a prompt
to remind him to send his mother flowers on her birthday.


promptly adv. quickly, at once, straightaway or straight away, directly,
right away, immediately, without delay or hesitation,
unhesitatingly, swiftly, speedily, readily, instantly,
instantaneously, punctually, expeditiously, with celerity, with
alacrity, Colloq US and Canadian momentarily: If this bill is
not paid promptly, we shall have to discontinue your credit
arrangements.

prone adj. 1 face down or downwards or chiefly US downward,
prostrate, lying down, reclining, recumbent, horizontal,
procumbent, Formal or technical decumbent, accumbent: She was
lying prone, resting between push-ups. 2 inclined, apt, likely,
liable, disposed, predisposed, of a mind, subject, given,
tending, leaning: They are prone to petty squabbles.


pronounce v. 1 declare, utter, say, voice, express, articulate,
enunciate, vocalize, put into words: He pronounced a curse on
the family. Try to pronounce it one syllable at a time. 2
declare, affirm, proclaim, announce, decree, judge, aver, state,
asseverate, assert, say to be: I now pronounce you man and
wife. The doctor pronounced mother to be out of danger. 3
announce, proclaim, promulgate, publicize, publish, deliver,
broadcast, make known, let (something) be known, put out or
forth, set forth; pass: The judge will pronounce sentence
tomorrow.

pronounced
adj. 1 definite, clear, plain, well-defined, decided,
conspicuous, noticeable, recognizable, identifiable, obvious,
striking, prominent, notable, distinct, unmistakable or
unmistakeable, marked, strong: There was a pronounced odour of
bitter almonds in the room. Sophie spoke with a pronounced lisp.
2 definite, distinct, unequivocal, unambiguous, specific,
unqualified, undisguised, downright, outright, out-and-out,
decided, complete, total, unmitigated, strong, utter, unalloyed,
unmixed, clear, clear-cut, unmistakable or unmistakeable: A
pronounced prejudice against fuzzy thinking emerges from his
writings.


pronouncement
n. 1 statement, assertion, observation, comment, opinion,
announcement, proclamation, pronunciamento, manifesto,
declaration, avowal, affirmation, asseveration, averment,
promulgation: Occasionally he would issue a pronouncement on
the sad state of English usage. 2 judgement, decree, edict,
proclamation, dictum, command, ukase, (papal) bull, imperative,
order, ordinance: The authorities made several official
pronouncements regarding travel restrictions.


pronunciation
n. enunciation, articulation, elocution, diction, speech,
speech pattern, manner of speaking, delivery, accent,
accentuation, intonation, inflection, modulation: Standard
pronunciations of English are so diverse that it is sometimes
difficult for one native speaker to understand another. Rock
singers seem always to imitate a Texan pronunciation.

proof n. 1 evidence, verification, corroboration, confirmation,
validation, authentication, ratification, substantiation;
documentation, document, facts, data, certification, testimony,
Colloq ammunition: Is there any proof that she was with you?
The prosecution claims to have enough proof of his guilt to
convict him of embezzlement. 2 test, trial, measure, standard,
touchstone, criterion: Do you intend to put his loyalty to the
proof? The proof of the pudding is in the eating.


--adj. 3 impervious, impenetrable, able to withstand or resist,
protective, strong, tough, impregnable, resistant, tempered:
They maintain that this armour is proof against a nine-inch
shell.


prop v. 1 Often, prop up. support, brace, hold (up), buttress, stay,
bolster, uphold, bear, sustain, shore up, keep up: A longer
post is needed to prop up this end of the roof. 2 lean, stand,
rest: Do you mind if I prop my crutches against the desk while
I sit down?


--n. 3 support, brace, truss, stay, buttress, mainstay,
upright, vertical, shore: Can you use this broomstick as a prop
to support the shelf temporarily?


propaganda
n. 1 agitprop, disinformation, Newspeak, rumours, lies: The
state-controlled media spread propaganda about minorities to
foster nationalism. 2 advertising, promotion, publicity, public
relations, puff, fanfare, Colloq puffery, ballyhoo, Slang hype,
US hoop-la, whoop-de-do or whoop-de-doo: All that propaganda
was merely to launch a new washing-powder!

propagate v. 1 breed, generate, reproduce, multiply, proliferate,
deliver, bring forth, bear, procreate: Biologists are studying
ways of making the species propagate at a faster rate. 2
multiply, increase, spread, grow, develop: These plants
propagate very rapidly. 3 publicize, promote, disseminate,
dispense, distribute, spread, publish, broadcast, circulate,
make known, transmit, disperse, propagandize, proclaim,
promulgate, bruit about, noise abroad, herald: The purpose of
the organization is to propagate information about the state of
the environment.

propel v. drive, impel, move, actuate, set in motion, get moving,
move, push, thrust, force, send, launch, start: Each galley was
propelled by huge oars. The capsule is propelled by a rocket.
Job opportunities propelled her to move to Bristol.


proper adj. 1 right, appropriate, apropos, apt, suitable, fit,
fitting, befitting, becoming, suited, apposite, de rigueur,
comme il faut, adapted, Literary meet: Is this the proper time
to ask for a salary increase? 2 correct, accurate, exact,
right, precise, orthodox, formal, expected, normal, usual,
accepted, established, Old-fashioned Brit tickety-boo: Some
insist that the only proper way to pronounce 'controversy' is
with the stress on the first syllable. 3 decorous, dignified,
genteel, fitting, right, de rigueur, appropriate, becoming,
suitable, decent, seemly, due, correct, apt, comme il faut,
conformist; gentlemanly, ladylike, polite, refined, punctilious,
respectable: Jeans are not proper attire for dinner at La
Hacienda. Do you call that proper behaviour for the president of
a learned society? 4 fitting, suitable, correct, right,
satisfactory, good, sensible: The kitchen is a proper place for
the dishwasher, not the garage. Proper nutrition is very
important. 5 complete, perfect, utter, thorough, thoroughgoing,
out-and-out, unmitigated: He felt a proper fool for having
locked his keys inside his car. 6 own, individual, separate,
distinct, correct, specific, special, particular, respective;
characteristic, distinctive, peculiar, singular, unique: When
you have finished, return each book to its proper place.

--quasi-adv. 7 strictly speaking or so-called, in the
strict(est) or narrow(est) sense, only, solely, alone, on (its
or someone's) own: Does the deed refer only to the house proper
or are the outbuildings also included?

properly adv. 1 appropriately, fittingly, correctly, well, becomingly,
suitably, politely, decently, decorously, nicely: If you cannot
behave properly I shall have to ask you to leave. 2 duly,
appropriately, well, suitably, rightly, correctly, aptly: Are
they properly equipped for the rescue mission?


property n. 1 possessions, belongings, effects, gear, paraphernalia,
chattels: All his worldly property fitted into the small
Gladstone bag he carried everywhere. 2 assets, means, resources,
holdings, capital (goods), fortune, riches, estate, worth: We

look on all our shares, personal belongings, and real estate as
part of our property. 3 land, acreage, realty, real estate or
property: That property on the high street was recently sold to
developers. 4 characteristic, attribute, quality, feature,
trait, mark, hallmark, idiosyncrasy, peculiarity, oddity, quirk,
Formal haecceity, quiddity: A property of iodine is that it
changes directly from a solid to a vapour - and vice versa -
without first liquefying.


prophecy n. 1 forecasting, foretelling, prediction, fortune-telling,
divination, soothsaying, augury, prognostication,
crystal-gazing, Formal vaticination: The prophecy of future
events lies outside the realm of science. 2 prediction,
forecast, prognosis, revelation: Her prophecy warned of ice
storms that would ravage the earth.

prophesy v. 1 predict, foretell, forecast, forewarn, prognosticate,
vaticinate: His father prophesied that he would come to no good
if he quit college. 2 augur, foretell (of), presage, foreshadow,
portend, bode, harbinger, herald, promise, vaticinate: The
early disappearance of the swallows prophesies a long, cold
winter.

prophet n. prophetess, oracle, forecaster, seer, soothsayer,
clairvoyant, prognosticator, fortune-teller, augur, diviner,
witch, warlock, sibyl, haruspex, vaticinator; (of doom)
Cassandra: Statistically, the weather prophets have a fair
record of accuracy.


prophetic adj. predictive, prognostic, divinatory, oracular, inspired,
prescient, sibylline, Literary fatidic, vatic: His warnings of
a drought proved to be prophetic.

propitiatory
adj. 1 conciliatory, pacifying, appeasing, expiatory,
placative, propitiative, pacificatory, placatory: He said that
he was truly sorry and held out a propitiatory hand. 2
deferential, ingratiating, obliging, obeisant, acquiescent,
compliant, tractable: He was most propitiatory in his treatment
of his stepchildren.

propitious
adj. advantageous, timely, well-timed, opportune, lucky,

fortunate, happy, providential, favourable, bright, encouraging,
auspicious, promising, rosy: It was not a propitious moment to
ask her to marry him,.


proponent n. proposer, promoter, supporter, upholder, backer, subscriber,
patron, espouser, adherent, enthusiast, champion, friend,
partisan, defender, advocate, exponent, pleader, apologist,
spokesman, spokeswoman, spokesperson: Ashley is a staunch
proponent of the literacy movement.


proportion
n. 1 ratio, (comparative) relation, relationship, comparison:
The proportion of men to women on the course is three to one.
The demand is out of all proportion to the supply. 2 balance,
agreement, concord, harmony, suitableness, symmetry, congruity,
correspondence, correlation, arrangement, distribution: The
beauty of the building is at once apparent in the elegant
proportion of its parts. 3 portion, division, share, part,
percentage, quota, allotment, ration, Colloq cut: Water covers
a large proportion of the surface. 4 proportions. size,
magnitude, dimensions, measurements, extent; volume, capacity,
mass, bulk, area, expanse, scope, range, degree: The dragon
suddenly assumed gigantic proportions.


--v. 5 adjust, modify, change, modulate, poise, balance, shape,
fit, match, conform, equate: The punishment should be
proportioned to the crime.

proportional
adj. proportionate, proportioned, comparable, analogous,
analogical, relative, related, correlated, balanced,
symmetrical, corresponding, compatible, harmonious, consistent,
commensurate, in accordance with: The zeal with which their
ideals are defended is directly proportional to the fierceness
with which they are attacked.

proposal n. 1 offer, presentation, bid, tender, proposition,
recommendation, suggestion, Literary proffer: Her proposal was
to provide the funding if we would do the work. 2 plan, scheme,
outline, draft, design, layout; programme, proposition, project:
The proposal for the new civic centre was rejected as too
expensive.

propose v. 1 offer, tender, proffer; present, introduce, submit,
advance, set forth, put forward, propound, bid, recommend,
suggest, come up with, call attention to, broach, Brit table:
Management proposed a wage increase of five per cent. The
architect proposed that we consider an addition to the north
wing. 2 offer, mean, intend, plan, expect, aim: We propose to
make a start on the decorating once we have had our lunch. 3
nominate, name, put forward or forth, suggest, introduce,
submit, put up: His boss proposed him for membership of the
golf club.

proposition
n. 1 See proposal, 1, above. 2 See proposal, 2, above.


--v. 3 accost, solicit, make an indecent or sexual advance or
proposal or overture, Colloq make a pass at: She said she had
been propositioned by him, but we never learnt if she accepted
or not.


propound v. put or set forth or forward, propose, offer, proffer,
suggest, postulate: It was she who first propounded the idea of
a unified country.

proprietor
n. 1 proprietress, owner, landowner, landlady, landlord,
landholder, title-holder, deed-holder, property owner: He is
the proprietor of a large house in Chiswick. 2 owner, partner,
landlord, restaurateur, innkeeper, hotel-keeper, hotelier,
licensee, manager, Brit publican: The proprietor greeted us
warmly and showed us to our rooms.

propriety n. 1 correctness, properness, conformity, suitableness,
appropriateness, suitability, aptness, fitness, seemliness,
decorum; advisability, wisdom: I questioned the propriety of
concealing this information from shareholders. 2 protocol, good
or proper form, punctilio, etiquette, politeness, courtesy,
politesse, refinement, sedateness, dignity, modesty, decorum,
decency, breeding, respectability, gentility, grace,
mannerliness: He always behaved with the utmost propriety in
the presence of his aunt. 3 the proprieties. the social graces,
the amenities, the civilities, formality or the formalities,
social convention or the social conventions, social procedure or
codes, accepted practice, tradition, ceremony, ritual: He only

observes the proprieties when he wants to make a good
impression.

propulsion
n. drive, impulse, impetus, thrust, power, driving or
propelling or propulsive force, pressure, momentum, push:
Enormous propulsion is required to lift the space shuttle into
orbit.


prosaic adj. dull, banal, overdone, tedious, clich‚d, commonplace,
stereotyped, pedestrian, flat, stereotypical, hackneyed, stock,
routine, everyday, ordinary, common, workaday, mediocre,
undistinguished, bland, characterless, homely, plain, trite,
stale, threadbare, tired, lifeless, dead, dry, jejune, boring,
tiresome, unimaginative, unpoetic, unromantic, uninspiring,
uninspired, insipid, uninteresting, humdrum, monotonous,
Literary ennuyant, Colloq ho-hum, run-of-the-mill, mouldy: She
found the law too prosaic and trained to become a jockey.


prose n. (expository) writing, text, language: It came as a great
revelation to learn that he had been speaking prose all his
life.

prosecute v. 1 arraign, indict, charge, put on or bring to trial, try,
take to court, sue, bring suit or action against, accuse, Brit
put in the dock: She threatened to prosecute him for slander.
2 pursue, follow up or through, see or carry through, persist,
go on with: Will the same policy will be prosecuted in other
countries? 3 carry on or out, perform, do, exercise, conduct,
follow, engage in, practise, continue: The government needs
popular support if it is to continue to prosecute the war
successfully.

prospect n. 1 view, scene, panorama, landscape, seascape, outlook,
vista, sight, spectacle, perspective, aspect: The sitting-room
window offered a splendid prospect of the sea and cliffs below.
2 anticipation, contemplation, outlook, promise, plan, design,
intention, expectancy, expectation, thought, likelihood: The
prospect of spending the Christmas holidays with your family is
quite daunting. 3 Often, prospects. future, outlook, chance(s),
hope(s), possibility or possibilities, likelihood, opportunity
or opportunities: The prospects for her advancement are
excellent. 4 in prospect. in sight or view, in the offing, on

the horizon, in store, in the wind, projected, in store, likely,
probable, possible, Brit on the cards, on the table, US in the
cards: As a doctor, he has a number of opportunities in
prospect.


--v. 5 Often, prospect for. explore, search (for), look (for):
In 1896, his grandfather went to the Klondike to prospect for
gold.


prospective
adj. anticipated, expected, awaited, looked-for, future,
forthcoming, coming, approaching, imminent, nearing, pending,
impending, destined, potential, incipient: Jane's prospective
wedding had excited the entire family.


prospectus
n. announcement, plan, scheme, programme, outline, conspectus,
description: According to the prospectus for the fund, the
minimum investment is œ1000.


prosper v. flourish, thrive, succeed, fare well, progress, get ahead,
grow, develop; profit, gain, become wealthy, grow rich, make
one's fortune, make good, Colloq make it, make one's pile: With
hard work, thrift, and perseverance, MacIntosh prospered and was
soon able to buy the house he wanted.

prosperity
n. success, (good) fortune, wealth, riches, affluence, money,
luxury, plenty, prosperousness, opulence, bounty, Colloq life of
Riley: The basis of the family's prosperity was huge land
holdings in Australia.

prosperous
adj. 1 rich, wealthy, moneyed or monied, affluent, well-to-do,
well off, Colloq well-heeled, loaded, flush, in the money,
rolling in it or wealth or money, in clover, on Easy Street,
Slang stinking rich: Anyone who owns six houses and four yachts
must be prosperous. 2 successful, thriving, flourishing,
booming, prospering: Frank owns a prosperous chain of video
shops.

prostitute
n. 1 whore, call-girl, streetwalker, strumpet, trollop, harlot,

lady of the night or US also evening, fallen or loose woman,
demi-mondaine, cocotte, fille de joie, painted woman, woman of
ill repute, camp-follower, Archaic catamite, Literary hetaera or
hetaira, courtesan or courtezan, Brit rent-boy, toy boy, US boy
toy, Archaic bawd, quean, trull, cotquean, Colloq tart, hustler,
Slang pro, moll, Brit brass, hooker, US bimbo, working girl,
chippy or chippie, roundheels: There was a terrible scandal
when the MP was found to have consorted with prostitutes.


--v. 2 Often, prostitute oneself. degrade, demean, lower,
cheapen, debase, profane, defile, desecrate, pervert, abuse,
misuse, devalue, Colloq sell out: To ward off starvation, he
prostituted his talent by drawing comic strips.


prostitution
n. 1 whoredom, harlotry, the oldest profession, Mrs Warren's
profession, streetwalking, vice: They argued strongly against
the legalization of prostitution, saying that it would lead to a
decline in public morals. 2 degradation, debasement,
profanation, defilement, desecration, misuse, abuse,
devaluation, lowering, perversion, corruption: Don't you regard
pornography as a prostitution of the principle of freedom of
expression?


prostrate v. 1 Usually, prostrate oneself. lie down, kowtow, bow (down),
bow and scrape, grovel, kneel, fall to or on one's knees,
truckle, crawl, cringe, submit, abase oneself: The captives
were forced to prostrate themselves before the emperor. 2
overwhelm, overcome, overpower, crush, lay or bring low,
paralyse, fell, bowl over, floor, bring down, humble, make
helpless, ruin; exhaust, fatigue, weary, wear down or out, tire
(out): They were prostrated by grief at the loss of their son.
Having been prostrated for months by glandular fever, she
finally recovered and returned to work.


--adj. 3 prone, horizontal, lying down, laid low, stretched
out, procumbent, recumbent, Formal or technical accumbent,
decumbent: The prostrate bodies of the worshippers in their
multicoloured garb resembled a huge patchwork quilt. 4
overwhelmed, overcome, overpowered, crushed, brought or laid
low, paralysed, felled, bowled over, brought down, humbled,
helpless, ruined, brought to one's knees, powerless, impotent,
defenceless, disarmed, Colloq floored: She was prostrate at the

news of the car crash. After the long war, the countries were
struggling to revitalize their prostrate economies. 5 exhausted,
drained, fatigued, spent, worn out, wearied, weary, tired (out),
dead tired, dog-tired, played out, Colloq fagged out, knocked
out, all in, beat, bushed, US wiped out, Slang shagged out, US
and Canadian pooped (out): We were prostrate after the long
climb.

prostration
n. 1 genuflection or Brit also genuflexion, kowtowing, kowtow,
kneeling, bowing, bow, salaaming, salaam, submission:
Prostration before a superior was a mark of honour. 2
servility, veneration, worship, humiliation, respect, adulation,
deference, obeisance, homage: Their silence betokened the
profound prostration they felt before her superior intellect. 3
despair, misery, desolation, desperation, dejection, depression,
despondency, wretchedness, unhappiness, grief, woe, woefulness:
Years of poverty created in him a spiritual prostration from
which he never recovered. 4 weariness, exhaustion, weakness,
debility, feebleness, enervation, lassitude, paralysis,
collapse, breakdown: The diagnosis was nervous prostration and
the treatment was bed rest for a week or more.

protagonist
n. 1 hero, heroine, anti-hero, anti-heroine, principal, leading
character; lead, leading role, title role: Mother was always
the protagonist in our little domestic dramas. 2 leader,
supporter, advocate, backer, prime mover, moving spirit,
champion, mainstay, standard-bearer, exponent: He is considered
the chief protagonist of reformist policies in the party.

protean adj. variable, ever-changing, multiform, variable, mutable,
changeable, labile, polymorphous or polymorphic, kaleidoscopic:
The magic ring gave him protean powers to appear now as an
eagle, now as a serpent.

protect v. 1 defend, guard, safeguard, keep safe, shield, cover,
screen: Company rules require the wearing of safety goggles to
protect the eyes when operating any machine. 2 care for,
preserve, keep, shelter, watch over, safeguard, take care of,
conserve, take under one's wing, foster, nurture, tend, mind:
The best way of protecting wildlife is to conserve natural
habitats.


protection
n. 1 defence, screen, shield, barrier, guard, safeguard,
immunity, bulwark, buffer, shelter, refuge, haven, sanctuary,
security, safe keeping, safety, preservation: They have not yet
developed any protection from the common cold. How can we offer
these fledglings protection against predators? 2 care,
guardianship, aegis, custody, charge, safe keeping, patronage,
sponsorship, keeping: Even under the protection of the
government, elephants continue to be slaughtered. 3 extortion,
blackmail, protection money: If we refuse to pay protection,
they say that they will bomb the restaurant.

protective
adj. defensive, jealous, vigilant, watchful, heedful, careful,
possessive; preservative, shielding, sheltering, safeguarding:
She is fiercely protective of her independence and will not
accept help. Many animals rely on protective colouring as a
defence against predators.


protector n. protectress, defender, benefactor, benefactress, patron,
patroness, guardian (angel), champion, knight in shining armour,
paladin, bodyguard, Slang Brit minder: She came to regard him
as her friend and protector.


prot‚g‚ n. prot‚g‚e, ward, charge, dependant; discovery, student,
pupil: He became her prot‚g‚ and she has taught him everything
he knows.


protest n. 1 objection, opposition, complaint, grumble, grievance,
dissent, disapproval, protestation, exception, disagreement,
demur or demurral, demurrer, disclaimer, denial, scruple,
compunction, qualm, Colloq gripe, grouse, squawk, US kick, Slang
beef, bitch: The Home Office has received many protests about
the treatment of prisoners. 2 under protest. unwillingly,
reluctantly, involuntarily: I paid the fine under protest.

--v. 3 object, oppose, complain, grumble, dissent, disapprove,
take exception, take issue with, disagree, demur, disclaim,
deny, scruple, Colloq gripe, grouse, squawk, Brit kick
(against), US kick, Slang beef, bitch: Bank employees protested
at being expected to work on Saturday mornings. 4 assert,
confirm, declare, aver, asseverate, affirm, announce, profess,

insist on, avow, avouch: The convicted man went to the gallows
protesting his innocence.

protocol n. 1 rule(s) or code(s) or standard(s) of behaviour or conduct,
convention(s), custom(s), diplomacy, formality, formalities,
form, etiquette, politesse, manners, practice, usage, authority:
According to protocol, the lady stands at the right of the
gentleman. Which protocol are you following, the British or the
French? 2 treaty, pact, compact, covenant, agreement, concordat;
memorandum, minute, note, draft, outline: The original protocol
must be checked before the ministers attach their signatures.

prototype n. 1 model, archetype, first, original, pattern, exemplar,
precedent, mould: Many improvements were made as a result of
tests on the original prototype. 2 example, instance,
illustration, sample, norm, paragon, epitome, model, standard,
analogue, referent, metaphor: Mrs Grundy is a common prototype
for narrow-mindedness and prudishness.


protracted
adj. long, long-drawn-out, interminable, prolonged, over-long,
never-ending, extended, stretched out, marathon, endless,
everlasting, long-winded: The protracted union negotiations
delayed the start of the work by six months.


protrude v. stick out, jut (out), project, extend, poke out, stand out,
thrust out or forward, start (from), exsert, Rare extrude;
bulge, balloon, bag (out), belly (out); (of the eyes) pop,
goggle, Colloq US bug (out): Only the very tops of the plants
protruded from the snow.

protrusion
n. projection, protuberance, prominence, swelling, excrescence,
tumescence, bump, lump, knob, bulge; (condition of the eyes)
Technical exophthalmic goitre: I can feel the slight protrusion
of the nail-heads above the smooth surface.

protuberant
adj. protrusive, protruding, bulging, gibbous, jutting,
bulbous, swelling, swollen, turgid, tumescent, distended, tumid,
extrusive, excrescent, extruding, projecting, beetling,
overhanging, prominent: She has large brown eyes that are a
little protuberant.


proud adj. 1 Often, proud of. pleased (with), satisfied (with),
contented (with), glad (about), happy (with or about), delighted
(with or about), elated (with or about); honoured, gratified:
He is very proud of his children and what they have achieved. I
am proud to be your friend. 2 conceited, boastful,
self-satisfied, narcissistic, self-important, egotistical, vain,
vainglorious, prideful, self-centred, complacent, snobbish,
haughty, supercilious, smug, arrogant, cocky, cocksure,
boastful, braggart, Colloq high and mighty, snooty, stuck-up,
Slang snotty, Brit toffee-nosed: She's far too proud to have
anything to do with the likes of us. 3 lofty, dignified,
lordly, noble, great, respected, honoured, honourable,
important, glorious, august, illustrious, estimable, creditable,
eminent, prominent, distinguished, reputable, worthy, notable,
noted, noteworthy: His will always be a proud name in British
military history. 4 stately, majestic, magnificent, splendid,
grand: Proud Edinburgh earned the sobriquet, 'Athens of the
north'.


prove v. 1 verify, authenticate, confirm, make good, corroborate,
demonstrate, show, validate, establish, substantiate, certify,
affirm; support, sustain, back (up), uphold: Prove that he lied
under oath, and we shall have him for perjury. If you cannot
prove her guilt, she must be presumed innocent. 2 try, test,
examine, check, analyse, assay: Division can easily be proved
by multiplication, and vice versa. The proving ground for
military vehicles is off limits to the public. Come live with
me and be my love, And we shall all the pleasures prove. 3 turn
out, be found, be shown, be established, end up; develop,
result: The child proved to be his long-lost grandson. 4 show,
evince, demonstrate: He proved his love many times over during
their fifty years of marriage.


provender n. 1 provisions, food, supplies, victuals, rations, foodstuffs,
groceries, eatables, edibles, comestibles, aliment, nourishment,
sustenance, Colloq grub, eats: The armies relied for their
provender on farms they passed on the march. 2 fodder, forage,
feed, hay, silage, corn, grain: Provender for the livestock was
running low because of the long winter.

proverb n. saying, maxim, aphorism, saw, adage, apophthegm or apothegm,
axiom, moral, moralism, homily, dictum, gnome, epigram,

commonplace, platitude, truism, clich‚, bromide: According to
the old proverb, 'A fool and his money are soon parted'.

proverbial
adj. 1 axiomatic, aphoristic, epigrammatic, apophthegmatic or
apothegmatic, homiletic, moralistic; acknowledged, well-known,
accepted, time-honoured, traditional: The language is full of
proverbial sayings reflecting popular wisdom. 2 typical,
archetypal, exemplary: The humanitarianism of Albert Schweitzer
is proverbial.

provide v. 1 supply, furnish, equip, outfit, fix up (with) provision,
contribute, accommodate, purvey, cater, stock (up), victual,
provender: After providing us with a map and a compass, they
sent us off across the moor. 2 produce, yield, afford, lend,
give, present, offer, accord: The fertile land provided food in
plentiful abundance. During those bleak years, the radio
provided us not only with news but also entertainment. 3
stipulate, lay down, require, demand, specify, state: The lease
provided that the rent be reviewed every five years. 4 provide
for. look after, care for, support, take care of, take under
one's wing, minister to, attend (to): The bequest ensured that
his widow would be amply provided for. 5 provide for or
against. arrange for, prepare for, anticipate, forearm, make or
get ready for, plan for, take precautions, take measures: It
would seem that you have provided for any eventuality.

providence
n. 1 foresight, forethought, preparation, anticipation,
readiness, far-sightedness, caution, precaution, discretion,
prudence, care; thrift, frugality, husbandry, thriftiness,
conservation, economy: Because of the providence of our
founders, we were able to weather severe financial set backs. 2
Usually, (divine) Providence. protection, care, concern,
beneficence, direction, control, divine intervention, guidance;
destiny, fate, lot, fortune, karma, kismet: Providence is
always on the side of those who help themselves.

provident adj. 1 cautious, wary, discreet, canny, prudent, careful,
vigilant, prepared, far-sighted, thoughtful, wise, shrewd,
sagacious, sage, judicious: In the fable, the grasshopper
learns from the ant what it means to be provident. 2 frugal,
economic(al), thrifty, prudent: Because he is not a provident

man, he will always be poor.

providential
adj. fortunate, lucky, blessed, felicitous, happy, opportune,
timely: It is providential that we left the house just before
the earthquake.

providing conj. Sometimes, providing that. provided (that), on (the)
condition (that), if (only), only if, as long as, in the event
(that), with the proviso (that), in case, with the understanding
(that): Simon is always ready to go out to dinner, providing
someone else pays for it.

province n. 1 territory, state, zone, region, quarter, area, district,
domain, dependency or US also dependancy, division, section,
district: Quebec is one of the administrative provinces of
Canada. 2 country, territory, region, dominion, realm, strand,
tract: During the war, those who escaped fled to distant
provinces. 3 sphere or area (of responsibility),
responsibility, bailiwick, concern, function, charge, business,
field; Colloq thing, headache, worry: The payroll falls within
the province of my department. 4 provinces. outlying districts,
countryside, hinterland(s), Chiefly US exurbia, Slang US and
Canadian boondocks, boonies, hicksville: Once a year, people
flock into London from the provinces to do their Christmas
shopping.

provincial
adj. 1 local, regional: Provincial administration is the
responsibility of the sheriff. 2 uncultured, uncultivated,
unsophisticated, limited, uninformed, na‹ve, innocent,
ingenuous, unpolished, unrefined, homespun, rustic, rude,
country, parochial, insular, narrow-minded, boorish, loutish,
cloddish, awkward, ungraceful, oafish, backwood(s), Brit parish
pump, US small-town, Colloq US and Canadian hick, hick-town:
These paintings are unlikely to appeal to provincial tastes.

--n. 3 rustic, country cousin, (country) bumpkin, yokel, US and
Canadian out-of-towner, hick, hayseed: One could tell they were
provincials by the cut of their clothes.

provincialism
n. 1 dialectalism, localism, regionalism; idiom, patois,

dialect: His northern speech is peppered with provincialisms
unfamiliar to those who live in the south. 2 narrow-mindedness,
insularity, parochialism, narrowness, benightedness;
unsophisticatedness, simplicity, lack of awareness, na‹vety,
ingenuousness, innocence, inexperience: Their provincialism
made them suspicious of city people. There was something
charming about the provincialism of this rough man from the
outback.


provision n. 1 providing, supplying, furnishing; catering, victualling,
provisioning, purveyance, purveying, furnishing, equipping,
fitting out, outfitting, accoutrement, equipment: The school is
responsible for the provision of textbooks. The provision of a
cruise ship of that size requires days. 2 stipulation, proviso,
condition, restriction, qualification, clause, term, exception,
demand, requirement, prerequisite, Colloq catch, string, US
hooker: This provision of the contract calls for a penalty for
each day's delay beyond the guaranteed completion date. 3
preparation, prearrangement, arrangement, measures, steps: They
had failed to make provision for so many customers and soon ran
out of food. 4 Usually, provisions. supplies, stores, stockpile,
stock(s), quantity; food, foodstuffs, eatables, edibles,
drinkables, potables, victuals, viands, comestibles, rations,
groceries, provender, staples: We had enough provisions to last
a year.

--v. 5 stockpile, stock, supply, victual, cater, purvey: They
provisioned the expedition for a three-month period.


provisional
adj. 1 temporary, interim, provisionary, transitional, stopgap,
Colloq pro tem: The provisional government was expected to be
in place for less than a month. 2 conditional, contingent,
provisory, qualified, stipulatory, provisionary, probationary:
The appointment is provisional and will be reviewed in six
months.

proviso n. See provision, 2. above.


provocation
n. 1 grounds, reason, cause, justification, instigation,
initiation, incitement, stimulus, incentive, motivation, motive,
inducement: What was the provocation for that unpleasant

outburst? 2 insult, offence, taunt, irritation: After a series
of provocations, the final straw was his remark about my mother.

provocative
adj. 1 inviting, alluring, tempting, charming, tantalizing,
teasing, intriguing, fascinating, seductive, stimulating,
voluptuous, sensual, sensuous, suggestive, erotic, arousing,
exciting, entrancing, irresistible, bewitching, Colloq sexy:
The council found the film too provocative to be shown to
schoolchildren. 2 irritating, annoying, galling, irksome,
nettlesome, harassing, plaguing, exasperating, infuriating,
angering, incensing, maddening, enraging, vexing, vexatious,
disquieting, challenging, upsetting, distressing, disturbing,
outrageous, wounding, stinging, offensive, humiliating,
mortifying: She is given to making provocative remarks that
drive him to distraction.

provoke v. 1 stir (up), stimulate, move, motivate, push, impel, drive,
get, spur (on), egg on, goad, force, compel, prompt, rouse,
arouse, waken, awaken, enliven, animate, activate, induce,
encourage: She did her best to provoke him to start his new
novel. 2 start, incite, instigate, produce, promote, foment,
kindle, work up: Are you trying to provoke an argument? 3
irritate, annoy, irk, pester, vex, pique, anger, enrage, madden,
incense, infuriate, gall, rile, nettle, harass, hector, plague,
badger, exasperate, get on one's nerves, try one's patience,
frustrate, upset, disturb, perturb, distress, outrage, offend,
insult, affront: If he continues to provoke me I shall punch
him.


prowess n. 1 ability, skill, skilfulness, aptitude, adroitness,
dexterity, dexterousness, adeptness, facility, finesse,
expertise, mastery, genius, talent, know-how, ingenuity,
capability, proficiency: Her prowess as a sculptor is
unquestioned. 2 bravery, valour, courage, boldness, daring,
intrepidity, dauntlessness, mettle, stout-heartedness, valiance,
lion-heartedness, fearlessness, gallantry, doughtiness,
fortitude: He was famed for his prowess in single combat.


prowl v. 1 lurk, sneak, skulk, steal, slink: I thought I saw someone
prowling about in your back garden. 2 scour, scavenge, range
over, rove, roam, patrol, cruise, cover: The police continued
to prowl the waterfront looking for smugglers.


--n. 3 on the prowl. lurking or sneaking or skulking or
stealing or slinking about or around, searching, seeking,
hunting, tracking, stalking: The lioness was on the prowl for
wildebeest. After a few drinks, the boys went on the prowl for
some female companionship.

proximity n. nearness, closeness, adjacency, neighbourhood, vicinity,
vicinage, contiguity, contiguousness, propinquity: The
proximity of the airport kept housing prices relatively low.

proxy n. substitute, agent, delegate, surrogate, representative,
factor: As I was unable to attend the owners' meeting, I sent
Jane as my proxy.


prude n. prig, puritan, Mrs Grundy, Colloq goody-goody, US bluenose:
He was a bit of a prude and disapproved of anything even
slightly suggestive.


prudence n. 1 discretion, wisdom, sagacity, judgement, discrimination,
common sense, canniness, presence of mind, awareness, wariness,
care, tact, carefulness, caution, cautiousness, circumspection,
watchfulness, vigilance, heedfulness: You should proceed with
prudence in this hazardous business. 2 planning, preparation,
preparedness, foresightedness, forethought, foresight,
providence, precaution, far-sightedness; economy, husbandry,
thrift, (good or careful) management: Owing to the prudence of
her investments, Clara had accumulated a substantial nest egg.


prudent adj. 1 careful, cautious, discreet, discerning, wise, sage,
sagacious, politic, judicious, discriminating, sensible,
reasonable, canny, shrewd, cautious, circumspect, watchful,
vigilant, heedful, wary, attentive, alert, guarded: James had
always found it prudent to listen to others before speaking his
mind. 2 provident, thrifty, economic(al), frugal, prudential:
Father favours prudent, conservative management of the family
business.

prudery n. prudishness, priggishness, puritanicalness, puritanism,
squeamishness, Grundyism, primness, stuffiness, old-maidishness,
precisianism: She said that censorship was the result of
prudery rather than concern for moral welfare.

prudish adj. priggish, puritanical, old-maidish, prissy, prim, fussy,
squeamish, strait-laced, stiff, rigid, over-nice, over-modest,
over-coy, proper, demure, decorous, formal: Victorian society
was both prudish and prurient.


prune v. clip, cut back, lop, dock, pare (down), trim: If you prune
fruit trees, they bear more abundantly. We have to prune the
entertainment budget.


prurient adj. 1 libidinous, lecherous, lascivious, lewd, lubricious or
lubricous, salacious, lustful, concupiscent, licentious, carnal,
debauched, rakehell, sensual, randy, voluptuous, loose, goatish,
ruttish, Literary Cyprian, Paphian, Archaic lickerish or
liquorish, Slang horny, hot: The press takes a prurient
interest in the private lives of famous people. 2 dirty, lewd,
filthy, pornographic, smutty, obscene, foul, scurrilous, vile,
indecent, gross, lurid, blue, bawdy, ribald, titillating,
suggestive, coarse, vulgar, low, crude, Literary Fescennine:
The police raid uncovered a store of prurient literature, films,
and videos.

pry v. 1 investigate, ferret about, examine, peer, peek, be
inquisitive, inquire or enquire: They pried into her past but
found nothing revealing. 2 intrude, meddle, interfere, Colloq
poke or stick one's nose in or into, snoop, be nosy, nose about
or around, poke about or around: They have no right to pry into
my private affairs.

16.8 pseudonym...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



pseudonym n. nom de plume, nom de guerre, alias, pen-name, stage name,
incognito: 'George Eliot' was the pseudonym of Mary Ann Evans.


psyche n. soul, spirit, mind, ‚lan vital, divine spark, life-force,
anima, self, subconscious, unconscious, personality, (essential)
nature, inner man or woman or person, Philosophy pneuma: To
Homer, the psyche was more like an alter ego, or conscience.


psychic adj. 1 psychical, mental, spiritual, psychologic(al),
subjective, psychogenic, cognitive, metaphysic(al),
intellectual, cerebral; philosophic(al): The psychic effect of

losing a loved one can have physical repercussions. 2
psychical, extrasensory, supernatural, occult, magical,
telepathic, telekinetic, preternatural, spiritualistic,
unearthly, extramundane, supermundane: Many psychic phenomena
have never been satisfactorily explained.

--n. 3 medium, spiritualist, clairvoyant, mind-reader,
telepathist, seer, seeress, crystal-gazer, soothsayer,
astrologer, fortune-teller, prophet, prophetess, sibyl: We were
disturbed to learn that our political leaders consulted
psychics.

psychological
adj. mental, intellectual, cerebral, cognitive, psychic(al),
spiritual, subjective, subconscious, unconscious, subliminal,
psychogenic; philosophic(al): He has plenty of money, so there
must be psychological reasons for his stealing.

psychology
n. (mental) make-up, constitution, attitude, behaviour, thought
processes, thinking, psyche, nature, feeling(s), emotion(s),
rationale, reasoning: I cannot understand the psychology of
fascism.


psychotic adj. 1 mad, insane, psychopathic, deranged, demented, lunatic,
paranoiac or paranoid, abnormal, unbalanced, (mentally) ill or
esp. US sick, disturbed, non compos mentis, of unsound mind,
exceptional, certifiable, daft, unhinged, raving, Slang crazy,
nuts, nutty, loony or looney or luny, off one's rocker or
trolley or chump or head, cracked, crack-brained, mental, out to
lunch, batty, bats, having bats in one's belfry, having a screw
loose, not all there, touched (in the head), bonkers: The
doctors diagnosed him as psychotic and insisted he be
hospitalized.


--n. 2 madman, madwoman, maniac, psychopath, lunatic, paranoid
or paranoiac, schizophrenic, bedlamite, Slang nut, nutter,
screwball, crackpot, crazy, loony or looney or luny, schizo, US
kook: How many psychotics do you think are wandering about
loose?

16.9 pub...
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-



pub n. public house, alehouse, tavern, inn, bar, cocktail lounge,
saloon, taproom, hostelry, Brit saloon or lounge bar, US
bar-room, Colloq Brit local, Slang boozer, watering-hole, joint,
dive, Chiefly Brit gin-palace, US barrelhouse, gin-mill,
honky-tonk: We went down to the pub for a pint and a game of
darts.


puberty n. pubescence, sexual maturity, adolescence, juvenescence,
teens; nubility: The anxiety of parents for the health of an
infant is as nothing compared with their concerns when their
child reaches puberty.


public adj. 1 communal, community, common, general, collective,
universal, catholic, popular, worldwide: One need only compare
early and new films to see how public taste has changed. 2
civil, civic, social, societal, community, communal: Although
they may seem restrictive, these laws are for the public good. 3
accessible, open, free, unrestricted, non-exclusive, communal,
community, available: He does much of his research in the
public library. 4 open, manifest, exposed, overt, projected,
plain, obvious, apparent, patent, clear, clear-cut,
acknowledged, known, admitted, visible, viewable, conspicuous:
Her public image is quite different from her private persona. 5
visible, viewable, conspicuous, unconcealed, unshrouded,
flagrant, blatant: Has Alfie made a public spectacle of himself
again? 6 well-known, prominent, eminent, celebrated, famous,
renowned, noted, notable, influential, illustrious; notorious,
disreputable, infamous: Invite a well-known public figure to
open the exhibition if you can. 7 make public. See publish.

--n. 8 community, people (at large or in general), citizenry,
citizens, nation, populace, population, society, masses,
multitude, hoi polloi, bourgeoisie, plebeians, proletariat, rank
and file, middle class, third estate, commonalty, voters, man or
woman in the street, Brit admass, US John Q. Public, Mr or Mrs
Average, Colloq (any or every) Tom, Dick, and Harry: The public
has responded generously to the charity appeal. 9 clientele or
Brit also clientage, customers, custom, patrons, followers,
supporters, buyers, consumers, purchasers, following, business,
trade: How can you expect to attract the public without
advertising? 10 sector, segment, special-interest group,

portion: The commuting public will no longer tolerate these
excessive train delays. 11 in public. publicly, openly, in the
open, Colloq out of the closet: Jarvis has finally confessed in
public what we long suspected privately.


publication
n. 1 dissemination, promulgation, publicizing, publishing,
proclamation, issuance, reporting, announcement, advertisement,
advertising, pronouncement, airing, putting out, revelation,
declaration, appearance: The publication of the news about the
sale of the company was no surprise to us. 2 book, booklet,
pamphlet, brochure, leaflet, broadside or broadsheet, flier or
flyer, handbill, hand-out; periodical, magazine, journal,
newsletter, newspaper, paper, broadsheet, tabloid; annual,
semi-annual, quarterly, bimonthly, monthly, semi-monthly,
fortnightly, biweekly, weekly, hebdomadal or hebdomedary,
semi-weekly, daily: He buys every publication he can find
dealing with model railways.


publicize v. promote, advertise, give publicity to, Colloq beat the drum
for, plug, puff, US push, Slang hype: They once hired an
elephant to publicize a huge department-store sale.

publish v. make public, put out, broadcast, spread (about or around),
advertise, make known, let (something) be known, announce,
publicize, report, proclaim, promulgate, bruit about, reveal,
divulge, disclose, break the news (about), Colloq leak: The
minister resigned the day the news of the scandal was published.


pucker v. 1 gather, draw together, compress, purse, crinkle, ruck,
shirr, ruffle, corrugate, furrow, wrinkle, crease, screw up,
tighten, contract, squeeze: Pucker up your mouth and give me a
kiss. The shirring is done by puckering up the fabric and
stitching it through with decorative thread.


--n. 2 gather, tuck, pleat, pleating, shirr, shirring, ruffle,
ruck, ruche, ruckle, wrinkle, wrinkling, fold, crinkle,
crinkling: The curtains have some puckers that need ironing.


puerile adj. childish, immature, babyish, infantile, juvenile, silly,
asinine, foolish, trivial, ridiculous, irresponsible, shallow,
inconsequential, insignificant, US sophomoric: Stop that
puerile horseplay and settle down.


puff n. 1 blow, breath, wind, whiff, draught, gust, blast, huff: A
slight puff through the open window stirred the curtains. 2
draught, draw, pull, Colloq drag: She took a puff from her
cigarette and blew the smoke in his face. 3 advertisement,
praise, mention, word, item, review, notice, publicity, puffery,
Colloq plug, blurb, Slang hype: The late editions of the papers
carry puffs for your new restaurant.


--v. 4 blow, breathe, huff, pant, gasp, wheeze: Victor came
huffing and puffing up to the finishing line. 5 draw, pull (at
or on), inhale, suck, smoke, Colloq drag: Holmes was puffing
silently on his pipe. 6 Usually, puff up or out. inflate,
distend, bloat, swell (up or out), stretch, balloon, expand,
pump up, enlarge: Calvin swaggered in, all puffed up with pride
about his new job. 7 publicize, advertise, promote, push,
trumpet, ballyhoo, extol, commend, praise, Colloq plug, beat the
drum (for): He has been shamelessly puffing his book on every
radio and TV show.


pugilism n. boxing, prizefighting; the manly art of self-defence,
fisticuffs; Colloq the boxing or fight game: His career in
pugilism came to an abrupt end in the second minute of the third
round.


pugilist n. boxer, prizefighter, fighter, contender, contestant,
battler, combatant, Colloq bruiser, scrapper, champ, Slang
slugger, pug: The pugilists came out of their corners and at
once started jabbing away at each other.


pugnacious
adj. aggressive, belligerent, combative, quarrelsome,
bellicose, antagonistic, argumentative, hostile, litigious,
contentious, disputatious, disagreeable, fractious, petulant,
testy, irascible, hot-tempered, choleric, unfriendly,
curmudgeonly, irritable, short-tempered: The Gothic tribes were
very pugnacious, always ready to fight with little or no
provocation.


pukka adj. 1 pukkah or pucka, well done or made, properly or
perfectly done, first class: That was a pukka meal. 2 pukkah
or pucka, genuine, good, authentic, reliable, honourable, fair,
right, proper, thorough, out-and-out: They always referred to

him as 'pukka sahib'.

puling adj. whining, wailing, querulous, whimpering, snivelling,
weeping, caterwauling: The third-class carriage was filled with
chickens, pigs, and puling infants.

pull v. 1 draw, haul, drag, lug, tow, trail: Do you think the car
is strong enough to pull that load? 2 tug, jerk, yank, wrench,
pluck: He suddenly pulled on the door and it opened. 3
Sometimes, pull out or up. pluck (out), withdraw, extract,
uproot, pick (up or out), snatch out or up, tear or rip out or
up, cull, select, draw out, take out, remove: We pulled out all
the weeds and threw them on the compost heap. He has a
collection of jokes pulled from his speeches. 4 Often, pull
apart. tear or rip (up or apart), rend, pull asunder, wrench
(apart), stretch, strain: This fabric is so weak it pulled
apart as soon as I touched it. I think I pulled a muscle in my
calf. 5 Often, pull in. attract, draw, lure, entice, allure,
catch, captivate, fascinate, capture: We need something besides
the 'Sale' sign to pull the customers into the shop. 6 pull
apart. pull to pieces or shreds, criticize, attack, pick or take
apart or to pieces, flay, run down, Colloq put down, pan, knock,
devastate, destroy, slate, Slang slam: The critics really
pulled apart her new play. 7 pull away. withdraw, draw or drive
or go or move away; outrun, outpace, draw ahead of: She pulled
away abruptly when he touched her hand. The green car is pulling
away from the others. 8 pull back. a withdraw, draw back, back
off or away, recoil, shrink (away or back) from, shy, flinch
(from), jump, start: The burglar pulled back when he saw the
ferocious dog. b withdraw, (beat a) retreat, take flight, flee,
turn tail, drop or fall back, back out: We cheered when we saw
the enemy troops pulling back. 9 pull down. a demolish, raze,
level, destroy, wreck: It takes only hours to pull down a house
that it has taken generations to build. b draw, receive, get, be
paid, earn: He pulls down much more at his new job. c lower,
debase, diminish, reduce, degrade, dishonour, disgrace,
discredit, humiliate: When his fortunes declined, he pulled
down all his friends with him. 10 pull for. hope or pray for, be
enthusiastic for, be supportive of, support, campaign for, cheer
for, encourage, boost, US root for: We are all pulling for you
to win. 11 pull in. a drive up, arrive, come, draw up or in,
reach: The train finally pulled in at midnight. We need petrol,
so pull in at the next filling station. b arrest, apprehend,

take into custody, Colloq pinch, nab, collar, nail, Brit nick,
Slang bust: The cops pulled him in for possession of narcotics.
12 pull off. a detach, rip or tear off, separate, wrench off or
away: When he was cashiered from the army, they pulled off all
his insignia and medals. b accomplish, do, complete, succeed,
carry out, bring off, manage, perform: Three men pulled off the
robbery in broad daylight. 13 pull oneself together. recover,
get a grip on oneself, get over it, recuperate, Colloq snap out
of it, buck up: Try to pull yourself together and stop crying.
14 pull out. a uproot, extract, withdraw: In the ensuing
scrap, someone tried to pull out his hair. Two survivors were
pulled out of the rubble. b withdraw, retreat, beat a retreat,
recede, draw back, leave, depart, go or run away or off,
evacuate, Colloq beat it, do a bunk, Brit do a moonlight flit:
The artillery unit pulled out yesterday. c leave, go, depart,
take off: When that train pulls out, I want you on it! d
withdraw, quit, abandon, resign (from), give up, relinquish:
You can still pull out of the deal if you want to. 15 pull
someone's leg. tease, chaff, rib, have on, rag, twit, poke fun
at, make fun of, hoodwink, ridicule: He said that I'd just
eaten a fly, but he was pulling my leg. 16 pull strings. use
influence or connections, US use pull, pull wires: His uncle
pulled strings to get him the job. 17 pull through. survive,
recover, improve, get better, get over (it or some affliction),
rally; live: Murphy was at death's door, but luckily he pulled
through. 18 pull up. a stop, halt, come to a standstill: We
pulled up in a lay-by for a few minutes' rest. b uproot, root
out, dig out, deracinate, eradicate: Your dog has pulled up all
the flowers in my garden. c draw even or level with, come up
to, reach: On the fifth lap, Manson pulled up to, then passed
Sabbatini.

--n. 19 draw, tug; yank, jerk: Give the bell-rope a strong,
steady pull, and try not to yank it suddenly. 20 attraction,
draw, magnetism, appeal, drawing or pulling power,
seductiveness, seduction, lure: The pull that golf has on
certain people is hard to explain. 21 influence, authority,
connections, prestige, weight, leverage, Colloq clout, muscle:
You'd better treat her nicely, for she has a lot of pull with
the boss. 22 puff, draw, inhalation, Colloq drag: He took a
long, meditative pull on his cigarette and blew some smoke
rings.

pulley n. sheave, block: The rope is run through a system of pulleys,
called a tackle, for lifting weights.

pulp n. 1 marrow, pith, heart, soft part, flesh: After removing the
seeds, add two tablespoonfuls of sugar and mix into the pulp. 2
mush, paste, mash, pap, pomace, mass, Technical triturate:
Water is added to the waste paper, which the machines then
reduce to a pulp.


--v. 3 mash, squash, pulverize, Technical levigate, triturate:
The entire print run of the book was pulped after she threatened
to sue the publishers.

--adj. 4 lurid, sensational, trashy, cheap: What he considers
great literature you would call pulp fiction.

pulsate v. beat, pulse, throb, pound, thrum, drum, thump, thud,
reverberate, hammer, palpitate, vibrate; oscillate, quiver:
Throughout the voyage, I could feel the ship's engines
pulsating.

pulse n. 1 beat, beating, throb, throbbing, pulsing, pulsating,
pulsation, pounding, thrumming, drumming, thumping, thudding,
reverberation, reverberating, hammering, palpitation,
palpitating, vibration, vibrating: The pulse of the jungle
drums became louder and faster.

--v. 2 See pulsate, above.


pulverize v. 1 powder, comminute, grind, crush, mill, granulate, crumble,
break up, bray, pound, Technical triturate, levigate: This
machine pulverizes the rock, after which the binding agents are
added. 2 devastate, destroy, demolish, crush, smash, shatter,
ruin, wreck, annihilate: The four battalions were pulverized in
the attack.

pump v. 1 send, force, deliver, push: The heart pumps blood around
the body. 2 interrogate, question, examine, cross-examine,
quiz, probe, Colloq grill, give (someone) the third degree:
They pumped her for hours, but she told them nothing about my
whereabouts. 3 pump out. pump dry or empty, empty, drain, bail
out, draw or drive or force out, siphon (out): After the flood
it took two days to pump out my basement. 4 pump up. a

inflate, blow up; dilate, swell, bloat, expand, puff out or up:
If you don't repair the tyre, pumping it up will accomplish
nothing. b excite, inspire, stimulate, animate, inspirit,
electrify, galvanize, energize, motivate, Colloq enthuse: The
coach is talking to the team, trying to pump them up before the
big game. c intensify, concentrate, emphasize, stress, increase:
We ought to pump up our promotion campaign just before
Christmas.


pun n. play on words, quip, (bon) mot, witticism, double entendre,
Literary equivoque, Technical paronomasia: Dennis made some
awful pun on 'nose' and 'knows' that nobody got.

punchฐ v. 1 hit, clip, jab, whack, thwack, knock, smack, box, pummel,
strike, cuff, Colloq clout, bop, slug, wallop, thump, lambaste,
slam, Slang sock, biff, plug, belt, lace (into), US paste:
Anyone says anything about my girl, I'll punch him in the jaw!

--n. 2 clip, jab, whack, thwack, knock, smack, box, cuff,
upper-cut, left or right, Colloq clout, bop, slug, wallop,
thump, slam, Slang sock, belt, biff, haymaker, plug, paste: The
punch knocked him down. 3 effect, impact, effectiveness, force,
forcefulness, power, vitality, gusto, vigour, life, vim, zest,
ginger, Colloq it, oomph, what it takes, Slang zing, zip: These
advertisements are pretty, but they are lacking in punch.

punch n. 1 awl, auger, bodkin, perforator; drill, brace and bit: Use
the punch to make another hole in your belt.


--v. 2 pierce, stab, puncture, perforate; bore, drill: She
uses a needle to punch a tiny hole in each end of the egg.

punctual adj. on time, timely, prompt, Colloq on the dot: Please be
punctual, as I don't fancy waiting about in the street.


punctuate v. 1 interrupt, break, intersperse; pepper, sprinkle: The
speeches were punctuated by frequent shouts from the audience.
2 accent, accentuate, underline, underscore, emphasize, stress,
mark: He punctuated each element of his argument with a sharp
rap of his pencil on the lectern.

puncture n. 1 hole, perforation, opening, leak; flat (tyre): I haven't
the tools needed to patch the puncture in the tyre. 2

perforation, perforating, holing, puncturing, piercing,
stabbing, punching: The puncture of the balloon means that we
shall have to postpone our trip.


--v. 3 perforate, hole, pierce, stab, penetrate, go through,
prick, nick, rupture: An arrow punctured the side of the tent.
4 deflate, disillusion, bring up short, discourage, humble,
dash, destroy, ruin: Any hopes I had of winning the marathon
were punctured when I tripped and fell, spraining my ankle.


pungent adj. 1 spicy, hot, sharp, strong, penetrating, aromatic,
seasoned, peppery, piquant, tangy, flavourful, tasty, sapid:
The pungent odours of devilled kidneys dominated the
dining-room. 2 sharp, biting, stinging, caustic, severe,
astringent, stern, acrid, harsh, sour, acid, tart, acrimonious,
bitter, cutting, keen, barbed, trenchant, scathing, incisive,
mordant, sarcastic: This week's Review carries a pungent
criticism of his new novel. 3 distressing, upsetting, poignant,
painful, hurtful, penetrating, piercing, stabbing, intense,
severe, acute, agonizing, oppressive, excruciating, racking,
consuming: Only when surgery eased the pressure was he relieved
of the pungent pain.

punish v. 1 penalize, chastise, castigate, discipline, chasten, scold,
rebuke, take to task, reprove, dress down, admonish, correct,
teach someone a lesson, give a lesson to, throw the book at, rap
(someone's) knuckles, slap (someone's) wrist, have or US call on
the carpet, Colloq take it out on (someone): A child's first
taste of injustice is being punished for something she did not
do. 2 imprison, jail or Brit also gaol, incarcerate, lock up;
fine, mulct, amerce; lash, flog, beat, scourge, spank, whip,
cane, birch, put across or US also turn over (one's) knee, US
paddle; pillory, crucify; tar and feather, exile, banish,
excommunicate, cashier, drum out of the corps; hang, execute,
electrocute, draw and quarter, send to the gas chamber, Colloq
put away, Slang Brit send down, US send up: They were punished
for their crimes. 3 hurt, harm, injure, damage, abuse,
maltreat, rough up, knock about or around, maul, thrash, beat,
trounce, manhandle, batter, Slang beat up: The challenger
punished the champion so badly that he could not come out for
the tenth round.

punishing adj. gruelling, hard, arduous, strenuous, laborious,

exhausting, tiring, wearying, fatiguing, wearing, taxing,
demanding, burdensome, back-breaking, torturous: Laying railway
track was the most punishing job I ever had. This punishing
schedule is beginning to tell on me.


punishment
n. 1 chastisement, chastising, castigation, castigating,
discipline, disciplining, chastening, scolding, rebuke, reproof,
dressing-down, admonishment, admonition, correction, punitive
measures: Every society must continually revise its approach to
the punishment of criminals. 2 penance, penalty, sentence,
sentencing, just deserts; imprisonment, incarceration, jailing
or Brit also gaoling; lashing, flogging, beating, whipping,
scourging, spanking, caning, birching, US paddling; exile,
banishment, excommunication, cashiering; hanging, execution,
electrocution, drawing and quartering: Her punishment is to
perform 20 hours a week of public service for a year. Stop
whimpering and take your punishment like a man. 3 injury, harm,
damage, abuse, maltreatment, mauling, beating, thrashing,
trouncing, manhandling, battering, torture: How are
professional wrestlers able to withstand so much punishment?

punitive adj. chastening, castigatory, disciplinary, retributive,
punitory, retaliatory, correctional: A punitive expedition was
sent there to quell the colonists' uprising.

punk n. 1 ruffian, hoodlum, hooligan, delinquent, tough, thug,
vandal, yahoo, barbarian, Colloq goon, mug: A couple of young
punks were standing at the bar, trying to look important.


--adj. 2 inferior, rotten, unimportant, worthless, bad, poor,
awful, Colloq lousy: I thought that the lead in the play was a
punk actor.


punt v. 1 bet, wager, stake, gamble, speculate, lay a bet or stake
or wager: Herbert spends all the grocery money punting at the
races.

--n. 2 bet, wager, stake, gamble: In roulette, Janet always
placed her punt on number 14.

punter n. 1 Brit better or US also bettor, gambler, gamester, player,
speculator, backer, wagerer, Brit punt, Colloq crap-shooter:

The punters are putting all their money on United to win the
cup. 2 fellow, chap, person, individual, man or woman in the
street; customer, client, buyer, Colloq guy, Brit bloke, geezer:
The average punter likes a beer now and then.


puny adj. 1 small, little, insignificant, petty, unimportant,
inconsequential, paltry, trivial, trifling, minor, negligible,
nugatory, of little or no account, inferior, worthless, useless,
Colloq piddling, Slang Brit not much cop: Farr's contribution
to the success of the business was really quite puny. 2 small,
little, diminutive, tiny, minute: Mattson looks so puny
alongside that sumo wrestler. 3 weak, feeble, frail, sickly,
weakly, underfed, undernourished, undersized, underdeveloped,
stunted, dwarf, midget, pygmy: You cannot expect such a puny
chap to lift such a great weight.

pup n. puppy, whelp, upstart, whippersnapper, popinjay, cub,
jackanapes, show-off, braggart: That young pup had the gall to
tell me I was too old to be running the company.


pupil n. student, learner, scholar, schoolchild, schoolgirl,
schoolboy, disciple, apprentice; beginner, novice, neophyte,
tiro or tyro, Chiefly ecclesiastical catechumen: A number of
Geoffrey's former pupils have organized a dinner to honour him.


puppet n. 1 hand puppet, finger-puppet, glove puppet, doll;
marionette, string puppet: The children built a little theatre
and put on a puppet show. 2 figurehead, cat's-paw, pawn, dupe,
tool, hireling, yes-man Colloq front (man), Slang stooge,
sucker, patsy: He is without authority and is merely a puppet
of the drug dealers. The army of occupation set up a puppet
government to rule the country.

purchase v. 1 buy, acquire, procure, obtain, get, secure, pay for: He
recently purchased a new personal computer and cannot get it to
work. Not long ago, a shilling purchased a loaf of bread. 2 win,
gain, achieve, realize, attain, obtain: His liberty was
purchased by the betrayal of his colleagues.


--n. 3 acquisition, acquiring, buying, purchasing, obtaining,
securing, procurement: The purchase of books for the university
library is the responsibility of Monica Turnbull. 4 buy,
acquisition: Tom returned from the shop carrying his purchases.

5 grip, hold, support, toe-hold, foothold, grasp; leverage,
position, advantage, edge: The climber was having trouble
getting a good purchase on the icy ledge.


pure adj. 1 unmixed, unadulterated, unalloyed, simon-pure; 24-carat
or US also 24-karat, sterling, solid; real, genuine, authentic,
flawless, faultless, perfect, natural, true, simple: We have
made every effort to keep the blood-line of these horses
completely pure. Pure gold is not used for coins or jewellery
because it is too soft. She wore a dress of the purest white. 2
uncontaminated, clear, clean, wholesome, sanitary, uninfected,
disinfected, pasteurized, sterilized, sterile, antiseptic,
unpolluted, spotless, immaculate, unsullied, unbesmirched,
unblemished, unmarred, unstained, untainted: It was refreshing
to breathe pure air again. Stringent tests ensure that the
substances are pure before they go on the market. 3 chaste,
virginal, virgin, intact, maidenly, vestal, undefiled, innocent,
guileless, virtuous, modest, moral, correct, proper, decent,
decorous, uncorrupted, blameless, sinless, impeccable: As far
as we can tell, she led a totally pure life. 4 theoretical,
hypothetical, conjectural, speculative, abstract, conceptual,
notional, philosophical, academic(al): His field is pure
science, and he cares little how the results of his work might
be applied to everyday life. 5 unalloyed, simple, unmitigated,
sheer, utter, absolute, unqualified, complete, total, perfect,
thorough, outright, downright, out-and-out, mere: Many regarded
the notion that man could ever fly as pure nonsense. Any
resemblance to a living person is pure coincidence. 6
honourable, (highly) principled, righteous, upright, honest,
straightforward, high-minded, pious, worthy, good, ethical,
virtuous, sincere, above suspicion, above reproach, like
Caesar's wife: Can anyone doubt that their motives in striving
for international peace are pure?


pure-bred adj. full-blooded, thoroughbred, pedigreed: We raise only
pure-bred Angus cattle.

purgative n. 1 laxative, cathartic, aperient, purge, physic, depurative:
The doctor prescribed a mild purgative, and she felt much better
next day.

--adj. 2 laxative, cathartic, aperient, evacuant, diuretic,
depurative; abstergent: We were totally unprepared for the

purgative effects of the spicy food.

purge v. 1 cleanse, purify, clean (out), clear, scour (out),
depurate, deterge, wash (out): The tanks must be purged before
filling them with the new fuel. 2 eject, eradicate, expel,
eliminate, get rid of, dismiss, clear out or away, sweep away or
out, oust, remove, rout out, weed out, root out; do away with,
exterminate, liquidate, kill, destroy: After the coup, the old
guard was purged from all the governmental agencies. The rebels
purged the entire council of elders. 3 clear, exonerate,
absolve, forgive, purify, pardon, exculpate: He was given every
opportunity to purge himself of the charge of contempt of court.

--n. 4 ejection, eradication, expulsion, elimination,
dismissal, clearing out or away, ousting, ouster, removal,
routing out, weeding out, rooting out, unseating;
defenestration; extermination, liquidation, killing, murder,
slaughter: The bloody purge of dissidents was carried out by
the secret police. 5 See purgative, 1, above.


purify v. 1 cleanse, clean, clarify, wash, sanitize, depurate,
decontaminate, freshen, disinfect; fumigate: The water is then
purified by passing it through sand. 2 exonerate, exculpate,
absolve, clear, redeem, shrive, lustrate, acquit, pardon,
forgive, excuse: Before the aspirants can be admitted to the
church they must be purified.

purist n. pedant, precisian, formalist, stickler, blue-stocking,
dogmatist, Pharisee, fanatic, Colloq die-hard, stuffed shirt:
Language purists are often unaware of their own grammatical and
semantic blunders.

puritan n. 1 moralist, pietist, religionist, fanatic, zealot, purist:
It seems to me that all religions have their puritans.


--adj. 2 prudish, puritanical, prim, proper, strait-laced,
ascetic, austere, moralistic, pietistic, intolerant,
disapproving, bigoted, narrow-minded, stuffy, stiff-necked,
rigid, uncompromising, hard-line, stern, severe, strict, Colloq
uptight, hard-nosed: Puritan notions about women's clothing
have often put propriety before practicality.

purity n. 1 pureness, faultlessness, correctness, flawlessness,

perfection, spotlessness, cleanness, cleanliness, clarity;
healthfulness, wholesomeness, salubrity; innocuousness,
harmlessness: The purity of the drinking-water has been
affected by the nearby chemical plant. 2 chastity, chasteness,
virginity, virtuousness, virtue, morality, propriety, honesty,
integrity, rectitude, properness, innocence, guilelessness,
decency, decorousness, modesty, blamelessness, sinlessness: We
never had any reason to doubt the purity of their character.


purpose n. 1 object, intention, intent, end, goal, ambition, objective,
target, aim, principle, point, rationale, reason; scheme, plan,
design, motive, motivation, view: What purpose was served by
her confession? If your purpose in inviting me was to insult me,
I shall leave now. I fail to understand Laura's purpose in
warning me against David. 2 resolution, firmness, determination,
persistence, drive, single-mindedness, deliberation,
deliberateness, purposefulness, steadfastness, tenacity,
doggedness, will, resolve, resoluteness, perseverance,
stubbornness: She admired the strong purpose behind his refusal
to compromise with quality. 3 use, practicality, avail, effect,
utility, usefulness, outcome, result; advantage, profit, gain,
good, benefit: To what purpose are you planning to put this
knowledge? I cannot see the purpose in pursuing this line of
questioning. 4 on purpose. a purposely, intentionally,
deliberately, wilfully, by design, consciously, knowingly,
designedly, wittingly: That was no accident: you kicked me on
purpose! b especially, specially, expressly, exactly,
precisely, specifically, in particular: He kicked me on
purpose, Mum, just to make me cry!


--v. 5 plan, intend, design, resolve, mean, aim, have in mind
or view, have a mind, propose, consider, contemplate, aspire,
long, yearn: They purpose to open an office of their own.


purposeful
adj. intentional, intended, planned, deliberate, resolved,
settled, determined, resolute, decided, confirmed, affirmed,
sure, certain, positive, definite, staunch, steadfast,
persistent, strong-willed, dogged, tenacious, pertinacious,
unfailing, unfaltering, firm, fixed: Her purposeful manner
inclines other people to defer to her.

purposeless

adj. pointless, bootless, meaningless, empty, vacuous,
senseless, aimless, rambling, discursive, wandering,
disorganized, unorganized: He made what we thought was a
purposeless trip to the branch office, but it ultimately proved
invaluable.

purse n. 1 pouch, (money-)bag, wallet, pocket, Dialect poke, Highland
dress sporran, US and Canadian (woman's) handbag, pocketbook,
bag: The money goes out so fast I think there is a hole in my
purse. 2 money, wealth, resources, funds, finances, exchequer,
treasury, capital, revenue, income, means, cash, riches; pounds,
shillings, and pence, L.S.D., dollars, shekels, Derogatory
Mammon, pelf, (filthy) lucre, US almighty dollar, Slang Brit
ready or readies, lolly, dosh, loot, dough, US and Canadian
bucks, scratch: The spread of capitalism shows that the power
of a man's purse can transcend his political idealism. 3 prize,
reward, award, present, gift: The purse for the next race will
be 5,000 guineas.


--v. 4 pucker (up), contract, wrinkle, compress, press
together: Robert pursed his lips thoughtfully.

pursue v. 1 follow, chase, go or run after, hunt (after or down or for
or up), trace, trail, track, run down, take off after, dog,
stalk, shadow, Brit chivvy or chivy or chevy, Colloq tail: The
police pursued the escaped convicts across the moor. 2 follow
(up or on with), trace, carry on with, continue, conduct, devote
or dedicate oneself to, cultivate, undertake, practise, persist
or persevere in, maintain, exercise, proceed with, adhere to,
stay with, apply oneself to, Colloq stick with: If you pursue
such a course, you are certain to land in jail. 3 aspire to,
aim for, work for or toward(s), try or strive for, purpose,
seek, search for, go in search of, quest after or for, be intent
on, be bent upon or on: Jonathan is pursuing a doctorate in
history at Oxford. 4 woo, (pay) court (to), seek the hand of,
set (one's) cap for, Formal press (one's) suit with, pay suit or
court or (one's) addresses to, Colloq set one's cap for, Slang
chase (after): Jack is pursuing Jacquelyn with matrimony in
mind.


pursuit n. 1 pursuing, chasing, following, hunting, hunt, going or
running after, tracing, trailing, tracking, running down,
dogging, stalking, shadowing, Brit chivvy or chivy or chevy,

Colloq tailing: We all joined in the pursuit of the animal. The
police set off in hot pursuit of the thieves. 2 pursuance,
striving after, seeking, searching, search, looking for: Many
think that the pursuit of wealth is the only worthwhile thing in
life. 3 work, line (of work), employment, field, area,
speciality or US and Canadian only specialty, specialization,
business, profession, trade, vocation, calling, career,
life-work, activity; hobby, pastime, avocation, interest; Slang
racket: What pursuits are open to Jack Ketch now that hanging
has been abolished?

push v. 1 thrust, shove, drive, move, set in motion, get moving,
propel; press: Push the boat away from the pier. He pushed the
door shut. 2 press, depress: Push the button if you want
anything. 3 shove, thrust, elbow, shoulder, force, jostle,
nudge: We pushed our way through the crowd. 4 urge, encourage,
press, induce, ask, persuade, get, egg on, press, prod, spur,
goad, rouse, prompt, incite, move, motivate, stimulate,
influence, impel, make, compel, force, dragoon, coerce,
constrain; badger, hound, pester, harass, plague, nag, browbeat;
beg, importune, entreat: His family is pushing him to find
work. I'll soon have the work done, but stop pushing me. 5
force, strain, overstrain, tax, overtax, burden, overburden:
You might have got away with it this time, but don't push your
luck. 6 promote, publicize, advertise, boost, propagandize,
puff, Colloq plug, Slang ballyhoo, hype: Because we have too
much stock, we are pushing suntan oil this week. 7 push about or
around. intimidate, bully, cow, domineer, tyrannize, bullyrag,
torment, force, coerce: Don't push people about if you want
them to do what you want. 8 push away. reject, deny, brush off
or aside, give (someone) the cold shoulder, rebuff, distance
oneself from: She pushes everyone away and then wonders why she
has no friends. 9 push off. a shove off, sail away or off: We
stepped into the dinghy and pushed off. b leave, depart, go
away, Colloq light out, take off, hit the road, skedaddle,
scram, make oneself scarce, Slang beat it: I have to push off
now if I'm to make that train. 10 push on or forward or along.
move onwards or onward or ahead or forward, continue, proceed,
advance, press on or onwards or onward: If we stay the night
here, we shall have to push on first thing in the morning. 11
push through. force, press, Colloq railroad: The bill was
pushed through committee without delay. 12 push (up) daisies.
be dead (and buried), be six feet under: Her husband's pushing

up daisies.

--n. 13 shove, thrust, nudge: My car needs a push to get it
started. 14 effort, energy, dynamism, drive, force, enterprise,
ambition, vigour, determination, initiative, eagerness, spirit,
enthusiasm, zeal, verve, Colloq get-up-and-go, zing, zip,
gumption, go: If he had a bit more push, he might succeed. 15
campaign, attack, assault, advance, offensive, charge,
onslaught, foray, sortie, invasion, incursion, raid, sally,
blitzkrieg, blitz, strike: The troops were massed along the
coast, ready for the big push inland. 16 the push. dismissal,
notice, Colloq marching orders, Chiefly Brit the sack, the boot,
Chiefly US and Canadian walking papers, a pink slip: He'd been
with the company for twenty years, but they still gave him the
push when sales fell.

pushover n. 1 sure thing, Colloq piece of cake, child's play, snap,
cinch, picnic, walk-over, US breeze, Slang cinch, Brit doddle,
US lead-pipe cinch: The Latin exam was a pushover. 2 Colloq
walk-over, chump, soft touch, soft or easy mark, easy prey or
game, Slang patsy, sucker, stooge, sap, Brit mug, US and
Canadian milquetoast: I spotted him at once as a pushover for
the find-the-lady con.


pushy adj. forward, (self-)assertive, forceful, aggressive,
obnoxious, arrogant, bumptious, brassy, brazen, impertinent,
insolent, pushing, presumptuous, officious, loud, showy, cocky,
brash, offensive, bold, Colloq cheeky: I hate pushy salesmen
who won't take 'No' for an answer.


pussyfoot v. 1 sneak, creep, slink, prowl, steal, tiptoe: I wish she'd
stop pussyfooting about the house. 2 beat about the bush, hem
or hum and haw, equivocate, hesitate, be evasive, evade the
issue, prevaricate, tergiversate, be noncommittal, be or sit on
the fence, blow hot and cold: Don't pussyfoot with me - just
come out and say what you really think.

put v. 1 place, position, situate, set, lay, station, stand,
deposit, rest, settle; locate: Please put all books where they
belong. 2 assign, commit, cause, set, consign, subject: I
joined the army to fight for my country, and they put me to work
peeling potatoes. 3 subject, cause to experience or undergo or
suffer, consign, send: He was put to death for his beliefs, not

his actions. 4 express, word, phrase; say, utter, write: How
did they put it? - 'We hold these truths to be self-evident,
that all men are created equal...' To put it to you straight,
shape up or ship out! Can you put that into French? 5 offer,
advance, bring forward, present, propose, submit, tender, set
before: I put it to you that you have been lying to the court
and that you did leave your house that night. 6 bet, gamble,
wager, stake, play, chance, risk, hazard: I put two pounds on
the horse to win. 7 throw, heave, toss, fling, cast, pitch,
bowl, lob, send, shy, shoot, snap, catapult: How far did you
say you can put a 10-pound shot? 8 place, assign, attribute,
lay, pin, attach, fix: They try to put the blame on me for
everything that goes wrong around here. 9 put about. broadcast,
publish, make known, publicize, announce, spread about or
around: They have been putting about some story linking the two
of us romantically. 10 put across or over. make clear, get
across, make (something or oneself) understood or
understandable, explain, spell out, convey, communicate: She is
quite adept at putting across her ideas. 11 put aside. set or
lay aside, ignore, disregard, pay no heed to, push aside, shrug
off: They put aside their differences and discovered they had
much in common. Isn't it time you put aside childish things? 12
put aside or by or away. lay aside or by, set aside; save,
store, stow or store or salt or squirrel away, lay away, cache,
bank: You ought to put a little money aside for a rainy day.
13 put away. a See 12, above. b jail or Brit also gaol,
imprison, incarcerate, Colloq send, jug, confine, commit,
institutionalize, remand, Brit send down, US send up: She wants
rapists and child molesters put away for a long, long time. c
See 16 (d), below. d consume, gorge, gormandize or US also
gourmandize: It is unbelievable how much that man can put away
at one sitting. 14 put back. return, replace, restore: He
insists that he put back all the money he took. Put the pictures
back where they belong. 15 put by. See 12, above. 16 put down.
a record, register, write down, set down, enter, list; log, note
(down), jot down, make a note or notation of: You may put me
down for a contribution of œ5. Please put down your name and
address in the box provided. b depose, put an end to, topple,
crush, overthrow, subdue, suppress, check, quash, quell: The
loyalists put down the rebellion in short order. c ascribe,
assign, attribute: The doctor put my feelings of fatigue and
listlessness down to anaemia. d kill, exterminate, destroy, put
to death, put to sleep, put away, do away with: We had to have

our cat put down, which was very upsetting for us all. e abash,
humiliate, crush, silence, mortify, lower, take down (a peg or a
notch), shame, snub, deflate, slight, reject, dismiss: Waiters
have a way of putting people down if they behave presumptuously.
f take for, reckon, account, count, categorize, regard: Don't
put Martin down as a dunce just because he acts the fool now and
then. g belittle, diminish, disparage, deprecate, depreciate,
criticize, disdain, look down on, despise, contemn: They deny
being prejudiced, but they put down everyone who isn't exactly
like them. 17 put forth. a propose, offer, set forth, advance:
Several theories have been put forth on the function of
mitochondrial DNA. b grow, produce, send out or forth, bud,
flower: When the plant puts forth suckers, they must be pinched
back. c begin, set out, set forth, start: We put forth on our
voyage with great enthusiasm. d promulgate, issue, publish,
make known, make public: The committee have not put forth any
suggestions for improving traffic flow. 18 put forward. a
propose, present, tender, nominate, name; recommend: Your name
has been put forward as chair for next year's committee. b
suggest, offer, propose, set forth, put forth, present, submit,
tender, proffer, introduce, advance, propound, air, make known,
announce: No new solutions to the problem were put forward. 19
put in. a insert, introduce: Why did you put in a reference to
your mother? b spend, devote: During the holiday season I plan
to put in a lot of time to reading. c make: So, you finally
decided to put in an appearance. 20 put in for. a apply for,
request, ask for, petition for: He has put in for a transfer
twice and has been refused both times. b seek, apply for,
pursue, file: Do you really think that Jamieson will put in for
re-election? 21 put off. a postpone, delay, defer, put back,
stay, hold off, shelve, put or set aside, Chiefly US put over,
table: Consideration of your request has been put off till
tomorrow. b dismiss, get rid of, send away, turn away;
discourage, Colloq give (someone) the brush-off, US brush off:
The manager put me off when I went in to ask about a salary
increase. c dismay, disconcert, upset, confuse, disturb,
perturb, abash, distress, Colloq throw, rattle: Curiously,
Michael didn't seem a bit put off to learn about the murder. d
repel, disgust, sicken, revolt, nauseate: That television
programme on open-heart surgery really put me off. e leave,
depart, go (off), set off: We put off tomorrow morning for
Rockall. 22 put on. a don, clothe or attire or dress (oneself)
in, get dressed in, change or slip into: We put on our best

clothes to come to your party. b assume, take on, pretend,
affect, feign, bluff, make a show of: She puts on an air of
indifference, but she really does care. c add, gain: Bill put
on quite a bit of weight when he stopped smoking. d stage,
mount, produce, present, perform: Our local repertory group is
putting on Hedda Gabler this weekend. e tease, mock, Colloq
kid, pull (someone's) leg, rib, rag, Brit have on: When he told
you that all holidays had been cancelled he was only putting you
on. 23 put out. a inconvenience, discommode, disturb,
embarrass, trouble, bother, impose upon or on, Colloq put on the
spot: Her arriving an hour early didn't put me out one bit. b
annoy, vex, irritate, anger, exasperate, irk, perturb, provoke,
Slang bug: Donald was very much put out to discover that the
appointment had gone to someone else. c snuff out, extinguish,
blow out, douse, quench, smother: We put out the fire on the
stove before it could spread. d exert, put forth, expend, use,
exercise: We put out considerable effort moving the furniture
before she decided she liked it the way it had been. e publish,
issue, broadcast, make public, circulate, spread, make known,
release: The information office put out the news that the
summit meeting had been a great success. 24 put out of (one's)
misery. release, relieve, free, deliver, rescue, save, spare:
Just tell him what they said and put him out of his misery. 25
put over. a put or get across, convey, communicate, set or put
forth, relate: I am trying to put the point over to you that I
cannot leave now. b See 21 (a), above. 26 put (one or
something) over on (someone). fool (someone), pull (someone's)
leg, deceive (someone), mislead (someone), pull the wool over
(someone's) eyes, trick (someone), hoodwink (someone): She
really put one over on me when she said she loved me. I think
that Manfred is trying to put something over on you. 27 put
through. a carry out or through, execute, (put into) effect,
bring off, accomplish, complete, finish, conclude, Colloq pull
off: If they succeed in putting through their plan, the company
will be bankrupt. b process, handle, organize, see to, follow up
on: I will personally see that your application is put through
the proper channels. c connect, hook up: I asked the operator
to put me through to the chairman himself. 28 put up. a erect,
build, construct, raise, set up, put together, fabricate: They
demolished a row of Georgian houses and put up some ugly County
offices in their place. b accommodate, lodge, board, house, take
in, quarter, Chiefly military billet: As our house is small, we
were able to put up only three people. c preserve, can; cure,

pickle: There are many foods that can be put up for later
consumption. d contribute, pledge, offer (as collateral),
stake, mortgage, post: We put up the house as security for the
loan. e contribute, give, supply, donate, ante (up), advance,
pay, invest: We put up all our savings to secure our retirement
pension. f increase, raise, boost, elevate: As soon as there
is a hint of an oil shortage, they put up the price of petrol. g
See 18 (a), above. h offer, tender, put or place on the market:
They put their house up for sale and are planning to move to the
Riviera. 29 put up to. incite, urge, goad, spur, egg on,
encourage, prompt, instigate: Was it you who put Reggie up to
playing that prank on the teacher? 30 put up with. tolerate,
abide, take, brook, stand (for), stomach, accept, resign oneself
to, bear, endure, swallow: Why do you put up with his
outrageous behaviour?

put-down n. dig, sneer, snub, disparaging or denigrating remark, slight,
offence, insult: The worst put-down was to tell her she looks
like her sister, whom she hates.


put-on n. 1 deception, hoax, trick, leg-pull, jest, (practical) joke,
prank, pretence, Colloq spoof: He was completely taken in by my
put-on about being from the Nobel prize committee. 2 take-off,
parody, satire, burlesque, caricature, act, Brit send-up, Colloq
spoof: You shouldn't be offended, it was only a put-on.

putrefy v. rot, decompose, decay, moulder, go bad, spoil, deteriorate,
go off: The battlefield was strewn with putrefying bodies.


putrid adj. rotten, rotting, decomposed, decomposing, decayed,
decaying, mouldy, mouldering, spoilt or spoiled, putrefied,
putrescent, putrefying, foul, fetid, rank, tainted, corrupt:
Only the vultures continued to hover about the putrid carcass.


put-up adj. (secretly) preconceived, prearranged, plotted,
preconcerted: If the butler had a hand in it, you know it was a
put-up job.

put-upon adj. imposed upon, inconvenienced, put out, taken advantage of,
exploited, abused: I shall be happy to help, and I don't feel
put-upon at all.

puzzle v. 1 baffle, bewilder, confuse, confound, mystify, flummox,

perplex, nonplus, stymie, stump: I am completely puzzled by
what you wrote in your last letter. 2 Usually, puzzle over.
study, ponder (over), mull over, contemplate, meditate on or
upon or over, consider, muse over or on, reflect on or over,
think about or over or on: If you puzzle over it long enough,
the problem may vanish of its own accord. 3 puzzle out. solve,
decipher, crack (the code), unravel, work out, figure out, think
through, sort out, unlock: I finally puzzled out the
inscription on this old coin. It might take a while, but I can
puzzle out the solution to this crossword.

--n. 4 enigma, problem, question, paradox, poser, mystery,
riddle, conundrum, Colloq brain-teaser: The puzzle is how the
murder was committed when the door was locked from the inside.


puzzling adj. mystifying, enigmatic(al), bewildering, baffling,
confounding, perplexing, confusing, ambiguous, contradictory,
abstruse: It is a bit puzzling to see Catherine so often in the
company of the husband she recently divorced.