NTC''''s Pocket Dictionary of Words and Phrases part 47 pdf

personnel [p# s@ "nEl] n. the peo-
ple who work for a company or
organization. (No plural.)
perspective on
something
a way of
looking at a situation and deter-
mining what is important.
perspire [p# "spaI#] iv. to sweat.
persuade [p# "swed] tv. to use
argument or discussion to cause
someone to do or think some-
thing.
persuasion [p# "swe Z@n] n.
efforts to persuade someone of
something. (No plural.)
→
be of the persuasion that
something is so
pertain to
someone or something
[p# "ten ] to have to do with
someone or something; to be rele-
vant to someone or something.
pesky ["pEs ki] adj. being a pest Q
or W; irritating; annoying; trou-
blesome. (Adv: peskily. Comp:
peskier; sup: peskiest.)
pest ["pEst] 1. n. any animal or
insect that destroys crops, spreads
disease, or enters people’s homes.

2. n. someone or something that
causes trouble; someone or some-
thing that is a nuisance.
pester ["pEs t#] tv. to bother some-
one; to annoy someone.
pet ["pEt] 1. n. an animal that is
kept in one’s home or yard as a
companion.
2. adj. [of an animal]
kept as Q. (Prenominal only.)
3. adj. special; particular; favorite.
(Prenominal only.)
4. tv. to stroke
or pat someone or some creature.
→
be the teacher’s pet
→ house pet
→
one’s
pet hate
→
one’s
pet peeve
petal ["pEt @l] n. one of the colored
sections of the blossom of a
flower.
petite [p@ "tit] 1. adj. [of a woman]
small; [of a woman] short. (From
French. Adv: petitely.)
2. adj. [of a

clothing size or range of sizes] fit-
ting women who are Q.
petition [p@ "tI S@n] 1. n. a docu-
ment signed by many people who
are demanding something from
someone.
2. tv. to request some-
thing formally of a government or
of an authority, often through the
use of Q. (The object can be a
clause with
that U.)
petroleum [p@ "tro li @m] n. oil that
is pumped from under the ground,
used to make gasoline and other
substances. (No plural.)
phantom ["fAn t@m] 1. n. a ghost;
an image or memory that is “seen”
by the mind in a dream or in a
vision, but is not real.
2. adj. like a
ghost; unreal; apparent, but not
real.
phase ["fez] 1. n. a stage in the
development of someone or some-
thing; a stage in a sequence of
events.
2. n. any of the stages of
the appearance of the moon as
seen from earth.

philosophy [fI "las @ fi] 1. n. the
science and study of the meaning
of truth, knowledge, reality, and
existence. (No plural.)
2. n. the
way one looks at life; the principles
one uses to live one’s life. (Plural
only for types and instances.)
phobia ["fob i @] n. an unreasonable
fear; a strong dread. (Also in com-
personnel
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binations, such as claustrophobia,
hydrophobia.)
phone ["fon] 1. n. a telephone.
2. tv. to call someone by Q; to
telephone someone.
phone call ["fon kOl] n. a message
or a conversation using the tele-
phone. (Shortened from
telephone
call
. Can be shortened to call.)
photo ["fo to] n. a photograph; a
snapshot; a picture made by a
camera.
photograph ["fo t@ grAf] 1. n. a
picture made by a camera; a

photo; a snapshot. (Can be short-
ened to
photo.) 2. tv. to take a pic-
ture, with a camera, of someone
or something.
photographer [f@ "ta gr@ f#] n.
someone who takes pictures with a
camera, especially for a living.
photography [f@ "ta gr@ fi] n. the
science, study, art, or act of taking
a picture with a camera. (No plu-
ral.)
phr. an abbreviation of phrase Q
and W.
phrase ["frez] 1. n. a group of
words that functions as a unit of
grammar within a sentence.
(Abbreviated phr. here.)
2. n. an
expression usually including sev-
eral words.
3. n. a series of notes
that is a part of a piece of music.
4. tv. to put communication into
words.
5. tv. to perform music,
grouping into a series the notes
that belong to E.
physical ["fIz I k@l] 1. adj. of or
about the body; of the body. (Adv:

physically [
Ik li].) 2. adj. of or
about the laws of nature; of or
about the study of physics.
3. adj.
of or about real objects; of or
about matter. (Adv: physically
[
Ik li].) 4. n. a thorough exami-
nation by a doctor. (Short for
phys-
ical examination.
)
physical examination ["fIz I k@l
Ig zAm @ "ne S@n
] n. an examina-
tion of someone’s body and health
by a doctor. (Can be shortened to
physical.)
physician [fI "zI S@n] n. a medical
doctor.
physics ["fIz Iks] n. the science and
study of the properties of and
relationships between matter and
energy. (Treated as singular.)
pianist ["pi @ nIst] n. someone who
plays the piano, especially a pro-
fessional piano player.
piano [pi "A no] n. a large musical
instrument in which small, soft

hammers connected to a keyboard
strike tuned metal strings. (Plural
ends in -s.)
pick ["pIk] 1. n. a tool that is a
heavy, pointed metal bar attached
to a handle, used for breaking
apart ice, rocks, and other objects.
2. n. a choice; a selection. (Plural
only for types and instances.)
3. tv. to choose a particular
person or thing.
4. tv. to remove
something from someplace, espe-
cially using one’s fingers or a
pointed tool.
5. tv. to gather or
harvest flowers, fruit, cotton,
peas, beans, etc.
→
have a bone to pick (with
someone
)
pick a lock to open a lock without
using a key.
pick a lock
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pick and choose to choose very
carefully from a number of possi-

bilities; to be selective.
pick at
something
to eat something
a little bit at a time, without inter-
est.
the
pick of
something
the best of
the group.
pick
someone or something
out
(for
someone or something
) to
choose someone or something to
serve as someone or something.
pick
someone or something
out (of
something
) 1. to lift or pull some-
one or something out of some-
thing.
2. to select someone or
something out of an offering of
selections.
pick

someone or something
up
1. to grasp and raise someone or
something; to lift someone or
something.
2. to collect someone
or something; to stop at a place
and gather, obtain, or secure
someone or something.
3. to
acquire someone or something.
pick
something
out to select or
choose something, such as an item
of clothing.
pick up to increase, as with busi-
ness, wind, activity, etc.
pick up (after
someone or some-
thing
) to tidy up after someone or
a group.
pick up the tab to pay the bill.
pickle ["pIk @l] 1. n. a cucumber—
whole, sliced, chopped, or in sec-
tions—that has been preserved in
salt water or vinegar.
2. tv. to pre-
serve food, especially vegetables,

in salt water or vinegar.
picnic ["pIk nIk] 1. n. a meal pre-
pared to be eaten informally out-
doors.
2. iv., irreg. to have Q.
(Past tense and past participle:
pic-
nicked
. Present participle: picnick-
ing
.) 3. adj. used for Q.
picnicked ["pIk nIkt] past tense
and past participle of
picnic.
picnicking ["pIk nIk IN] present
participle of
picnic.
picture ["pIk tS#] 1. n. a drawing, a
painting, or a photograph; an
image of someone or something.
2. n. a movie; a motion picture.
3. n. the image on a television
screen.
4. tv. to think of someone
or something; to make a mental
image of someone or something;
to imagine something.
5. tv. to
show someone or something in Q.
→

(as) pretty as a picture
→ in the picture of (good) health
→ motion picture
the picture of
something
the per-
fect example of something; an
exact image of something.
pie ["paI] 1. n. a kind of food that
has a crust of pastry or something
similar and is filled with meat,
fruit, or some sweet substance.
(The crust can be on the bottom
or on both the bottom and top.
Plural only for types and
instances.)
2. n. a single, complete,
round unit of Q.
→
(as) easy as (apple) pie
→ eat humble pie
→ have
one’s
finger in the pie
→ have
one’s
finger in too many pies
→ a piece of the pie
pie in the sky a future reward,
especially one that is not likely to

be granted.
pick and choose
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piece ["pis] 1. n. a part of some-
thing; a part broken off of or
removed from something; an
object that is put together with
other objects to make something.
2. n. an example of something,
especially of an art or craft, such
as music.
3. n. [in games such as
chess or checkers that are played
on a special board] an object that
is placed on the board and, typi-
cally, moved to different places on
the board according to the rules of
the particular game.
→
fall to pieces
→ give
someone
a piece of
one’s
mind
→ villain of the piece
a piece of the pie and a slice of
the cake a share of something.

piece
something
together to fit
something together; to assemble
the pieces of something, such as a
puzzle or something puzzling, and
make sense of it.
piecrust ["paI kr@st] n. a piece of
pastry found on the bottom and
often the top of a pie.
pier ["pIr] n. a dock; a structure like
a bridge that extends into the
water from the shore, supported
by posts or columns.
pierce ["pIrs] tv. to make a hole
through someone or something; to
cause something to go through
something else.
a
piercing scream a very loud and
shrill scream.
pig ["pIg] 1. n. a farm animal with
short legs and a curled tail, raised
for food, especially bacon, ham,
and pork. (Thought of as greedy
and messy.)
2. n. someone who
eats a lot of food. (Figurative on
Q.)
3. n. someone who is dirty or

messy. (Figurative on Q.)
→
guinea pig
→ serve as a guinea pig
pigeon ["pIdZ @n] n. a bird, com-
monly found in cities, with short
legs and a heavy body, whose head
bobs as it walks.
pigment ["pIg m@nt] n. a substance
that causes paint, skin, dye, or
plant tissue to have a certain color.
(Plural only for types and
instances.)
pile ["paIl] 1. n. a mound, stack, or
heap of something, such as cloth-
ing, leaves, dirt.
2. n. a beam of
wood or steel that is driven into
the ground to support a building,
bridge, or other structure.
3. tv. to
place or form things or matter into
a shape like Q.
pile in(to
something
) to climb into
something in a disorderly fashion.
pile off (
something
) to get down

off something; to climb down off
something.
pile on((to)
someone or some-
thing
) to make a heap of people on
someone or something.
pile out (of
something
) to climb
out of something, such as a car.
pile
someone
in(to
something
) to
bunch people into something in a
disorderly fashion.
pile
something
up to make some-
thing into a heap.
pile up
1.
to gather or accumulate.
2. [for a number of vehicles] to
crash together.
pilgrim ["pIl grIm] 1. n. someone
who travels, especially to a holy
place, as a religious act.

2. n. one
pilgrim
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of the settlers of Plymouth Colony
in 1620. (Capitalized.)
pill ["pIl] n. a small, formed mass
containing vitamins, medicine, or
some other drug that is swallowed.
pillar ["pIl #] n. a column; a strong
upright structure used to support
something or as decoration.
→
from pillar to post
a pillar of strength and a pillar
of support someone or some-
thing that provides support as a
pillar does.
a
pillar of support Go to a pillar
of strength.
pillow ["pIl o] n. a cloth bag filled
with feathers or a similar soft
material, typically used to support
one’s head while sleeping, or for
decoration.
pillowcase ["pIl o kes] n. a fabric
cover for a pillow.
pilot ["paI l@t] 1. n. someone who

flies a plane; someone who guides
a boat along a channel.
2. tv. to fly
an airplane; to guide a boat
through a channel.
3. adj. experi-
mental; serving as a test.
pilot
someone or something
through (
something
) to guide or
steer someone or something
through something, especially
through a waterway.
pilot
something
in(to
something
)
to steer or guide something into
something. (Usually refers to
steering a ship.)
pilot
something
out (of
something
)
to steer or guide something out of
something. (Usually refers to

steering a ship.)
pimple ["pIm p@l] n. a small, round
infection on the skin.
→
get goose pimples
pin ["pIn] 1. n. a thin, stiff, pointed
wire occurring in a variety of
forms, such as with a flat top, a
plastic end, a safety cover on the
end, etc. (The simple Q is also
called a straight pin.)
2. n. a piece
of jewelry that is attached to cloth-
ing with a variety of Q.
3. tv. to
attach something to something
else with some variety of Q.
4. tv.
to press someone or something
against something.
→
on pins and needles
→ so quiet you could hear a pin
drop
→ so still you could hear a pin
drop
pin
someone
down (on
something

)
and nail
someone
down (on
something
) to demand and receive
a firm answer from someone to
some question.
pin
something
up to raise some-
thing and hold it up with pins.
pinch ["pIntS] 1. n. an act of
squeezing a fold of skin, usually
causing pain.
2. n. a small amount
of something, such as a spice, that
can be held between one’s first fin-
ger and one’s thumb.
3. tv. to
squeeze or hold something, such
as a fold of flesh, between two sur-
faces.
→
feel the pinch
→ in a pinch
→ take
something
with a pinch of
salt

pinch
something
back to pinch off
a bit of the top of a plant so it will
branch and grow more strongly.
pill
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pine ["paIn] 1. n. a kind of tree that
has long, thin, sharp needles for
leaves.
2. n. wood from Q. (Plural
only for types and instances.)
3. adj. made from W; composed
of W.
pine for
someone or something
to
suffer because one does not have
or has lost someone or something.
pineapple ["paIn Ap @l] 1. n. a
large, juicy tropical fruit that is
yellow on the inside and has a very
rough skin.
2. n. the edible part of
Q. (No plural.)
3. adj. made from
W; containing or flavored with W.
pink ["pINk] 1. n. the color of red

mixed with white; a light, pale red.
(Plural only for types and
instances.)
2. the adj. use of Q.
(Comp: pinker; sup: pinkest.)
→
in the pink (of condition)
pins and needles a tingling feel-
ing in some part of one’s body.
(Compare this with
on pins and
needles
.)
pint ["paInt] 1. n. a unit of liquid
measure, equal to half a quart or
¹⁄₈ of a gallon or 16 fluid ounces.
2. n. a unit of dry measure, equal
to half a quart or ¹⁄₆₄ of a bushel.
3. the adj. use of Q or W.
pioneer [paI @ "nIr] 1. n. someone
who is one of the first of a partic-
ular group of people to settle a
new area. (From the point of view
of the particular group.)
2. n.
someone who is one of the first to
investigate an area of science that
has never been examined; some-
one who is one of the first people
to do something, preparing the

way for other people to do the
same.
3. tv. to prepare the way for
other people to do something; to
help develop something for other
people.
pipe ["paIp] 1. n. a hollow tube that
is used to carry a fluid from one
place to another.
2. n. a tube con-
nected to a small bowl, used to
smoke tobacco.
pipe dream a wish or an idea that
is impossible to achieve or carry
out. (From the dreams or visions
induced by the smoking of an
opium pipe.)
pipe up (with
something
) to inter-
ject a comment; to interrupt with
a comment.
piping hot [of food] extremely hot.
pique
someone’s
curiosity and
pique
someone’s
interest to
arouse interest; to arouse curiosity.

pique
someone’s
interest Go to
pique
someone’s
curiosity.
pirate ["paI r@t] 1. n. someone who
robs ships at sea.
2. tv. to steal or
capture something, especially
while at sea.
3. tv. to take some-
thing; to use something when one
does not have the right to use it.
(Figurative on W.)
4. tv. to dupli-
cate and sell copies of books,
records, videos, and software
without the permission of the
original publisher. (Figurative on
W.)
piss ["pIs] 1. iv. to urinate. (Poten-
tially offensive. The topic and the
word are not heard in polite com-
pany. Use with caution.)
2. n.
urine. (Offensive as with Q.)
pissed off ["pIst "Of] adj. angry.
(Not often heard in polite com-
pany, but its use is increasing.)

pissed off
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pistol ["pIs t@l] n. a small gun that
can be held and shot with one
hand.
piston ["pIs t@n] n. a solid cylinder
that is moved up and down inside
a tube by some force, such as that
found in an engine.
pit ["pIt] 1. n. a large hole in the
ground.
2. n. a large, hard seed at
the center of some kinds of fruit.
3. tv. to remove W from fruit.
pit
someone or something
against
someone or something
to place
someone or something in compe-
tition with someone or something
else.
pitch ["pItS] 1. tv. to toss something
toward someone or something.
2. tv. [in baseball] to toss or throw
a ball toward the batter.
3. tv. to
toss or throw someone or some-

thing.
4. iv. [in baseball] to throw
a baseball toward a batter.
5. iv.
[for a ship] to plunge up and
down; [for the front of a ship] to
rise and fall in rough water.
6. n.
[in baseball] the movement of the
ball from the pitcher toward the
batter or the throw that moves the
ball toward the batter.
7. n. slope;
the amount that something is
slanted. (Plural only for types and
instances.)
8. n. the measure of
the highness or lowness of a
sound. (Plural only for types and
instances.)
9. n. the standard
number of vibrations each second
that makes a certain tone; the
standard musical sound for a given
note.
10. n. tar.
pitch a tent to erect a tent at a
campsite.
pitch black very black; as black as
pitch (tar).

pitch camp to set up or arrange a
campsite.
pitch in (and help) to get busy
and help with something.
pitch in (and help) (with
some-
thing
) to join in and help someone
with something.
pitch
someone
a curve Go to
throw
someone
a curve.
pitch
someone or something
out
((of)
something
) to throw some-
one or something out of some-
thing or someplace.
pitch-dark very dark; as dark as
pitch (tar).
pitcher ["pItS #] 1. n. the baseball
player who pitches the baseball
toward the other team’s players
who then may strike it with the
bat.

2. n. a tall container with a
handle, used for serving liquids.
3. n. the contents of W.
pity ["pIt i] 1. n. a feeling of sorrow
caused by seeing or learning about
the suffering of other people; sym-
pathy. (No plural.)
2. tv. to be
sorry for someone or something;
to feel Q for someone or some-
thing.
pizza ["pit s@] n. a food made of a
baked disk of dough covered with
spicy tomato sauce, cheese, and
perhaps other foods. (Plural only
for types and instances.)
place ["ples] 1. n. a position in
space; a location; a certain area.
2. n. a house or apartment; a loca-
tion where one lives.
3. n. a posi-
tion in relation to other positions
in a numbered series.
4. tv. to put
pistol
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something in a certain position; to
put something on a certain sur-

face.
5. tv. to remember when and
where one has met someone or
something in the past.
→
between a rock and a hard place
→ fall in(to) place
→ feel out of place
→ in the right place at the right
time
→ in the wrong place at the wrong
time
→ not
one’s
place
→ someplace
place an order to submit an order.
place of business a place where
business is done; a factory or
office.
plague ["pleg] n. a disease that kills
people and is quickly spread. (No
plural. Treated as singular.)
plague
someone
with
something
["pleg ] to annoy someone with
repeated questions, problems, etc.
plaid ["plAd] 1. n. a design of

stripes that cross each other at
right angles.
2. the adj. use of Q.
plain ["plen] 1. n. a flat area of
land; a prairie. (Often plural with
the same meaning, but not count-
able.)
2. adj. obvious; easy to see
or understand. (Adv: plainly.
Comp: plainer; sup: plainest.)
3. adj. simple; not complex; not
decorated. (Adv: plainly. Comp:
plainer; sup: plainest.)
4. adj. not
attractive; average looking. (Adv:
plainly. Comp: plainer; sup:
plainest.)
5. adv. simply; clearly;
obviously. (Colloquial.)
→
(as) plain as day
→ (as) plain as the nose on
one’s
face
plaintiff ["plen tIf] n. someone who
sues someone else; someone who
brings a lawsuit against someone
else; someone who charges a
defendant with doing wrong.
plan ["plAn] 1. n. the ideas for a

future action or event; a detailed
schedule for doing something.
2. n. a program or structure that
provides a benefit to workers.
3. tv. to make Q for an event.
4. iv. to arrange [something] in
advance.
plan
something
out to make thor-
ough plans for something.
plan to
do something
to make a
plan for doing something in the
future; to mean to do something.
plane ["plen] 1. n. a flat surface.
2. n. an airplane. 3. n. a tool
equipped with a blade that is
scraped over wood to make it flat
or smooth.
4. tv. to make some-
thing flat or smooth by using E.
→
jet plane
plane
something
down to smooth
something down with a
plane E.

planet ["plAn It] n. a huge sphere of
matter that circles a single star in a
permanent orbit.
plank ["plANk] 1. n. a board; a long,
thin, narrow, flat piece of wood.
2. n. an issue or policy that a polit-
ical party officially supports. (A
figurative Q in the party
platform
E.)
plans n. a set of drawings of a
house or building before it is built,
used to help someone build the
building. (Treated as plural.)
plant ["plAnt] 1. n. a stationary liv-
ing thing that makes its own food
plant
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using sunlight and material from
the soil or other substance that
supports it.
2. n. a factory. 3. tv. to
put a seed or a small Q in the
ground so that it will grow; to
place [the seeds or young Q of] a
crop into the soil.
4. tv. to place
someone or something firmly in

position. (Figurative on E.)
plaster ["plAs t#] 1. n. a mixture of
lime, water, and sand, which hard-
ens when it dries. (Plural only for
types and instances.)
2. tv. to
apply Q to something.
plastic ["plAs tIk] 1. n. an artificial
material, made from a variety of
chemicals, that can be formed into
different shapes. (Plural only for
types and instances.)
2. adj. made
of Q.
3. adj. [of something] easily
molded or shaped. (Adv: plasti-
cally [
Ik li].)
plate ["plet] 1. n. an almost flat,
round dish for holding food.
2. n.
a sheet of metal or glass.
3. n. a
metal plate that goes on the back
of a vehicle showing the license
number of the vehicle. (Short for
license plate.) 4. tv. to give one
sort of metal a thin outer layer of a
more valuable metal.
→

license plate
plateau [plA "to] 1. n. a flat area of
land that is raised up higher than
the surrounding land.
2. iv. [for a
number or a measurement] to
reach a higher level and then
remain unchanged.
→
hit a plateau
platform ["plAt form] 1. n. a flat
structure that is higher than the
area around it, especially one that
people can occupy standing or sit-
ting.
2. n. the flat surface next to a
railroad track where people get on
and off trains.
3. n. a formal state-
ment of the ideas and policies of a
political party. (See also
plank W.)
platter ["plAt #] 1. n. a large plate
used for serving food.
2. n. the
contents of Q.
play ["ple] 1. n. fun; recreation;
something that is done for fun or
amusement. (No plural.)
2. n. one

movement or action in a game or
sport.
3. n. a piece of writing that
is written as a series of lines that
people say, for performance in a
theater.
4. n. a performance of E.
5. iv. [for a sound-making device]
to operate or reproduce sounds
that have been recorded.
6. iv. to
perform on the stage or in public;
to perform.
7. iv. [for a perfor-
mance] to be performed; [for a
movie] to be shown.
8. iv. to take
one’s turn in a game; to lay down a
card in a card game.
9. iv. to per-
form [on a musical instrument as
in q].
10. iv. to have fun; to
amuse oneself; to be active in a
sport or game.
11. tv. to perform a
role in the theater or in a movie.
12. tv. to take part in a certain
game, sport, or activity; to partici-
pate in a certain game, sport, or

activity.
13. tv. to make music
with a musical instrument; to per-
form a particular piece of music
on an instrument. (E.g., to play a
song.)
14. tv. to perform on a
musical instrument. (E.g., to play
a violin.)
15. tv. [for an electronic
device] to process tapes, records,
or CDs in a way that produces the
sounds or pictures that have been
recorded.
16. tv. [for someone] to
plaster
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cause an electronic device to pro-
duce sounds and pictures as in e.
→
be child’s play
→ foul play
play a joke on
someone
to make a
joke that tricks someone.
play a trick on
someone

to do a
trick that affects someone.
play along (with
someone or
something
) 1. to play a musical
instrument with someone or a
group.
2. to pretend to cooperate
with someone or something in a
joke.
play ball (with
someone
) to coop-
erate with someone.
play both ends (against the
middle)
to scheme in a way that
pits two sides against each other
for one’s own gain.
play by ear Go to play
something
by
ear.
play cat and mouse (with
some-
one
) to capture and release some-
one over and over.
play fast and loose (with

some-
one or something
) to act carelessly,
thoughtlessly, and irresponsibly
toward someone or something.
play ignorant to pretend to be
ignorant [of something].
play innocent to pretend to be
innocent and not concerned.
play it safe to be or act safe; to do
something safely.
play
one’s
cards close to
one’s
vest Go to play
one’s
cards close to
the chest.
play
one’s
cards close to the
chest
and play
one’s
cards
close to
one’s
vest [for some-
one] to work or negotiate in a

careful and private manner.
play out to run out; to finish.
play second fiddle (to
someone
)
to be in a subordinate position to
someone.
play
someone or something
up to
emphasize someone or something;
to support or praise someone or
something.
play
something
back (to
someone
)
to play a recording to someone.
play
something
by ear 1. to be able
to play a piece of music after just
listening to it a few times, without
looking at the notes.
2. and play
by ear to play a musical instru-
ment well, without formal train-
ing.
play

something
through to play all
of something, such as a piece of
music or a record.
play (the) devil’s advocate to put
forward arguments against, or
objections to, a proposition, which
one may actually agree with,
purely to test the validity of the
proposition.
play the field to date many differ-
ent people rather than dating just
one person.
play the fool to act in a silly man-
ner in order to amuse other peo-
ple.
play to the gallery to perform in a
manner that will get the strong
approval of the audience; to per-
form in a manner that will get the
approval of the lower elements in
the audience.
play to the gallery
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