[pull one’s teeth]{v. phr.} To take power away from; make powerless.•/The general pulled the teeth of the rebel army by blocking its ammunitionsupply line./ •/The student government council was so irresponsible thatthe principal pulled its teeth./

[pull one’s weight]{v. phr.} To do your full share of work; do yourpart. •/In a small shop, it is important that each man pull his weight./•/When Mother was sick in the hospital, Father said each child must pull hisown weight./ Compare: WORTH ONE’S SALT.

[pullout]{n.} An evacuation. •/The pullout of the American militaryproceeded on schedule./

[pull out]{v. phr.} 1. To withdraw; leave unceremoniously. •/Thedefeated army hastily pulled out of the occupied territories./ 2. To leave(said about trains). •/The train pulled out of Grand Central Station just asthe foreign students got there./ 3. To remove by order; evacuate.•/Napoleon pulled his beaten troops out of Russia./

[pull out of a hat]{v. phr.}, {informal} To get as if by magic;invent; imagine. •/When the introduction to a dictionary tells you how manyhours went into its making, these figures were not pulled out of a hat./•/Let’s see you pull an excuse out of your hat./

[pull over]{v.} To drive to the side of the road and stop. •/Thepoliceman told the speeder to pull over./ •/Everyone pulled over to let theambulance pass./

[pull rank]{v. phr.}, {slang}, {informal} To assert one’ssuperior position or authority on a person of lower rank as in exacting aprivilege or a favor. •/How come you always get the night duty? — PhineasLeman pulled rank on me./

[pull something on one]{v. phr.} To perpetrate something prejudicial;deceive. •/Larry pulled a very dirty trick on Ann when, after going with herfor three years, he suddenly married another girl./

[pull strings] or [pull wires] {v. phr.}, {informal} Tosecretly use influence and power, especially with people in charge or inimportant jobs to do or get something; make use of friends to gain your wishes.•/If you want to see the governor, Mr. Root can pull strings for you./•/Jack pulled wires and got us a room at the crowded hotel./ — [wire-puller] {n.} •/Bill got a ticket for speeding, but his fatheris a wire-puller and got it fixed./ — [wire-pulling] {n.} •/Ittook some wire-pulling to get the mayor to come to the party./

[pull the plug on]{v. phr.}, {slang} To expose (someone’s) secretactivities. •/The citizens' committee pulled the plug on the mayor, and helost his election./

[pull the rug out from under]{v. phr.}, {informal} To withdrawsupport unexpectedly from; to spoil the plans of. •/Bill thought he would beelected, but his friends pulled the rug out from under him and voted forVin./ •/We were planning a vacation, but the baby’s illness pulled the rugout from under us./

[pull the wool over one’s eyes]{v. phr.}, {informal} To foolsomeone into thinking well of you; deceive. •/The businessman had pulled thewool over his partner’s eyes about their financial position./ •/Bob triedto pull the wool over his teacher’s eyes, but she was too smart for him./

[pull through]{v.} 1. To help through; bring safely through adifficulty or sudden trouble; save. •/A generous loan showed the bank’s faithin Father and pulled him through the business trouble./ 2. To recover from anillness or misfortune; conquer a disaster; escape death or failure. •/By anear-miracle, he pulled through after the smashup./

[pull together]{v.} To join your efforts with those of others; work ona task together; cooperate. •/Many men must pull together if a large businessis to succeed./ •/Tim was a good football captain because he always got histeammates to pull together./

[pull up]{v.} 1. To check the forward motion of; halt; stop. •/Hepulled up his horse at the gate./ 2. To tell (someone) to stop doingsomething; say (someone) is doing wrong and must stop; scold. •/Jim talkedrudely to Mother, and Father pulled him up./ •/Ann said in her report thatAmerica was discovered in 1634, and the teacher pulled her up./ 3. To stopmoving forward; halt. •/The car slowed down and pulled up at the curb./ 4.To come even with; move up beside. •/The other boat pulled up alongsideus./

[pull up one’s socks]{v. phr.} To try to do better, either in terms ofone’s behavior or at a task one is performing. •/I’ll have to pull up mysocks if I am going to finish my work today./

[pull up short]{v. phr.} To suddenly stop. •/He pulled up short inhis red car at the corner when he saw a pregnant lady crossing./ •/WhenMark saw that he was hurting Jill’s feelings, he pulled up short and started totalk about something entirely different./

[pull up stakes]{v. phr.}, {informal} To leave the place where youhave been living. •/We are going to pull up stakes and move to California./•/The Jones family pulled up stakes three times in two years./

[pull wires] See: PULL STRINGS.

[punch] See: BEAT TO THE PUNCH, PACK A PUNCH, PULL ONE’S PUNCHES, TAKE APUNCH AT.

[punch-drunk]{adj.} 1. Dazed or become dulled in the mind from beinghit in the head. •/He was a punch-drunk boxer who made his living shiningshoes./ 2. In a foggy state of mind; groggy. •/Mary was so thrilled atwinning the contest she acted punch-drunk./ •/Mark was punch-drunk for afew minutes after he fell off his bicycle./

[puppy love] also [calf love] {n.}, {informal} The first loveof very young people. •/When John and Mary began going around together injunior high school, their parents said it was just puppy love./

[pure and simple]{adj.} Simply stated; basic. — Follows the noun itmodifies and is used for emphasis. •/The problem, pure and simple, is findinga baby-sitter./ •/The question, pure and simple, is whether you willsupport me./ Compare: BOIL DOWN(3).

[purpose] See: AT CROSS PURPOSES, ON PURPOSE, TO ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES.

[purse] See: LINE ONE’S POCKETS also LINE ONE’S PURSE.

[purse strings]{n.} Care or control of money. •/Dad holds the pursestrings in our family./ •/The treasurer refused to let go of the club’spurse strings./

[push around]{v.}, {informal} To be bossy with; bully. •/Don’ttry to push me around!/ •/Paul is always pushing the smaller childrenaround./

[push off] or [shove off] {v.} 1. To push a boat away from theshore. •/Before Tom could reach the boat, Jake had shoved off./ 2.{slang} To start; leave. •/We were ready to push off at ten o’clock, buthad to wait for Jill./ •/Jim was planning to stay at the beach all day, butwhen the crowds arrived he shoved off./

[push on]{v. phr.} To press forward; proceed forward laboriously.•/The exhausted mountain climbers pushed on, despite the rough weather, asthe peak was already in sight./

[push one’s luck] See: PRESS ONE’S LUCK.

[pushover]{n.} 1. Something easy to accomplish or overcome. •/ForHoward steering a boat is a pushover as he was raised on a tropical island./2. A person easily seduced. •/It is rumored that she is a pushover when shehas a bit to drink./