PACESETTER. Person or product that sets the standards for others who follow (horse racing).
PACKAGE (TO). Parts of an agreement; to bring together parts of a business strategy.
PACK IT IN (TO). Quit; close a business.
PACKAGE DEAL. An agreement including several parts.
< xml="true" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" prefix="o" namespace="">
“To entice the pros, Mr. Neville described the accommodations at Doral, the special package deals for families, and the chance to ride by helicopter to nearby < xml="true" ns="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" prefix="st1" namespace="">
PAC-MAN STRATEGY. Corporate strategy of buying up the shares of the company attempting to take over one’s company (computer games).
PAD (TO). Add to, as in a budget or an expense account.
PAINTING THE TAPE. Illegal stock market tactic where a large order is divided into many small orders to give the appearance of interest on the part of many investors.
“The action on the floor was dominated by pools, which would rig the market and paint the tape with phony trades. The public would see a stock moving and figure that something must be going on. The suckers would all rush in,…and then the pool operators would sell at a profit.” (Wall Street Journal, May 28, 1996, p. R18)
PANDORA’S BOX. An array of potential problems. In Greek mythology, Pandora, the first mortal woman, opened a box, releasing the ills of the world.
PAPER. A contract, agreement; abbreviation for COMMERCIAL PAPER.
PAR. Face value of a security.
PARADIGM SHIFT. A major change in the direction of an organization.
“Open source has created a paradigm shift in the way software is provided. In simple terms, organizations of all sizes are doing serious cost and feasibility evaluations before taking the leap to open source, and are concluding, for a variety of reasons, that the open source option is built on a solid base.” (CMA Management, Aug/Sept. 2004, p. 18)
PAR FOR THE COURSE. What would be expected, average.
“The economy probably lost more than a million jobs last month, but that would be par for the course.” (Wall Street Journal,
PARALLEL ECONOMY. Informal, unregulated economy. See also BLACK MARKET.
“Spread across the
PARKINSON’S LAW. The observation that work expands to fill the time available to do it.
PARLIAMENTARY PROCEDURE. Rules of order for running meetings based on those used in the British Parliament.
PART OF THE EQUATION. Something that must be included when considering a situation or problem.
PARTNERING. Searching for business opportunities.
“A substantial stake in the pipeline also would give
PARTY LINE. The official response or position.
PASS THE BOOK. Daily transfer responsibility for a investment bank’s current trading positions from one office to another around the world.
PAT ON THE BACK. Support; to encourage.
“The federal government's major law enforcers crowded the lectern yesterday to pat themselves on the back for indicting Ken Lay. But all the self-congratulation over the Enron founder and former CEO's perp walk couldn't conceal the sense of anticlimax.” (Wall Street Journal,
PAVE THE WAY (TO). Make easier for; provide access to.
“The bigger question is whether the vote can take place in something resembling a calm and orderly environment. If it does, that's a big boost for President Bush and his argument that the wars in
PAVLOV’S DOGS. Reference to conditioned responses; people who respond to management’s stimuli. Refers to the research of the Russian psychologist Ivan Pavlov, who conducted stimulus-response experiments with dogs.
PAYMENT IN KIND. Payment without the use of cash, instead paying with goods or services. In agriculture, a government support program where farmers are paid with crops for diverting land from production.
PAYOLA. Bribe; secret payments.
PAY ON THE LINE (TO). Pay promptly.
PAY THE PIPER/FIDDLER (TO). Pay what one owes; take the consequences. The phrase comes from the proverb “He who dances must pay the piper.”
“But he who pays the piper calls the tune, and the biggest piper-payer is the American Treasury.” (The Economist, July 17, 2004, p. 79)
PAY THROUGH THE NOSE (TO). Pay an excessive amount.
PAY TO PLAY. The use of campaign contributions to gain access, often to win municipal-bond contracts.
“That rule, known as G-37, is designed to prevent big Wall Street firms from using campaign contributions as a way of winning lucrative municipal-bond deals, a process known as pay to play.” (Wall Street Journal,
PEARL-DIVING CONTEST. A sales-force incentive program.
PECKING ORDER. Rank, seniority (social behavior of fowl).
“For every chief planner who retires, a chain reaction begins and officers further down the pecking order are bumped up a grade.” (Planning, Feb. 20, 2004, p. 14)
PEEK. A very brief look or reading.
“Many of the objects will have to travel through the museum's public spaces, offering visitors a rare and fleeting peek at seldom-seen pieces of the collection.” (Wall Street Journal,
PEERING. Internet term for the practice of not charging other Internet providers for access to each other’s systems.
PENALTY BOX. In trouble or in a position of low esteem. From ice hockey, where someone who breaks the rules is sent to the penalty box.
PEN DRIVE. Data storage device that looks like a pen, which can be connected to computer USB ports.
“These ‘pen drive’ devices are making stealthy but steady inroads onto the computing scene.” (Wall Street Journal,
PENDULUM SWING. A change of direction, attitude.
“While recent data have been upbeat, ‘the bond market has been resilient,’ and it is ‘waiting for when the pendulum swings.’" (Wall Street Journal,
PENETRATION PRICING. Marketing strategy of initially setting a low price to gain market-share with the goal of raising prices once one’s product is the established leader in the market.
“Penetration pricing is perhaps the most abused pricing strategy. It can be effective for fixed periods of time and in the right competitive situation, but many firms overuse this approach and end up creating a market situation where everyone is forced to lower prices continually, driving some competitors from the market and guaranteeing that no one realizes a good return on investment.” (Management Marketing, Summer 1998, p. 30)
PENNY-ANTE. Of little consequence or importance.
“All those $5, $10, or $20 bills may prove irresistible to dishonest employees - or lunch money bandits, as one practice administrator calls these penny-ante embezzlers.” (Medical Economics, Aug. 23, 2002, p. 45)
PENNY-PINCHER. A derogatory term for someone who is cheap or excessively focused on cutting costs.
PENNY STOCK. Stocks that sell for less than $1 per share. Penny stocks are traded over-the-counter at regional stock exchanges. The penny stock market has frequently been the subject of investigations for price manipulation.
PEOPLE PILL. Anti-takeover tactic where managers all threaten to leave if the company is purchased by outsiders.
PEP TALK. Motivational speech.
“The government's Exhibit A will presumably be a videotape of Mr. Lay's now-famous pep talk to employees in August 2001, telling them Enron was still ‘doing extremely well’ and encouraging them to hold on to their stock.” (Wall Street Journal,
PER DIEM. Expense allowance per day (Latin).
PERFORMANCE BOND. A surety bond that provides insurance against loss if one party does not fulfill their commitment.
PERK. Special benefit, privilege. (Short for perquisite.)
“The Schwab card is missing a few luxury perks that competitors offer. Smith Barney customers can trade their points for American Airlines miles, for instance, though they have to pay an annual fee for this version of the card.” (Wall Street Journal,
PERMISSION MARKETING. A marketing strategy where the marketer asks the consumer for permission to send them targeted ads based on personal data supplied by the consumer.
"A recent
PER SE. By or in itself; as such (Latin).
PER STIRPES. Legal formula for allocating the assets of an estate when the deceased did not leave a will.
PERSONA NON GRATA. A person who is not welcome (Latin).
PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION NUMBER (PIN). Secret number used to secure telephone communications or financial transactions.
PERSONAL TIME OFF. The sum of vacation time, sick leave, and personal leave allowed by a company.
PETER PRINCIPLE. Tendency of management to promote people one level above their competence. Dr. Lawrence Peter of the
“The Peter Principle may be responsible for some employees’ performance problems.” (Supervisory Management, June 1994, p. 14)
PETRODOLLARS. Surplus revenues accumulated by oil exporting countries. When OPEC* was established in the 1970s, members insisted on being paid in U.S. dollars.
PHANTOM INCOME. A tax and accounting issue in limited partnerships where tax credits taken earlier in the life of the investment result in a reportable income when otherwise there would be a loss. Tax shelters prior to 1986 often resulted in phantom income.
PHANTOM STOCK. A bonus given to corporate executives based on increases in the value of the company’s stock without actually awarding the stock to the executives.
PHILLIPS CURVE. Graph of the relationship between inflation and unemployment in an economy.
PHONE BOOTH GLUT. 1990s’ overabundance of telephone booths due to the introduction of cellular phones.
PHONY AS A THREE-DOLLAR BILL. Deceitful; con-artist.
PICK AND SHOVEL COMPANY. A company that supplies equipment to an industry.
"The smart money is not just spreading bets on individual companies. Rival biotech firms are pursuing vastly different approaches to profiting from the basic research. There are, for example, the 'pick and shovel' companies, an allusion to the fact that the only people who made real money during the gold rush were those who sold supplies to the miners." ("The Gold Rush," Newsweek,
PICKET (TO). Demonstrate. Union workers form PICKET LINES.
PICKET LINE. Union protest technique, creating a line of union members which nonunion workers and customers would have to pass in order to enter or leave a business.
“The picket line, once largely honored by unionized and nonunion workers alike, appears to be losing its legs. ‘There used to be families that grew up believing that crossing a picket line is the equivalent of pushing an old lady off a curb.’” (Wall Street Journal, Jan. 17, 1996, p. A1)
PICK ONE’S BRAIN. Solicit ideas from someone.
“A good way to bring business into your firm would be to sit down with a rainmaker and pick his brain.” (Mechanical Engineering, Dec. 1998, p. 34)
PICK UP (TO). Start where one left off; a stimulant; a casual encounter.
PICKS UP. Increases.
PIECE OF CAKE. Easy.
PIECE OF THE ACTION/PIE. Part ownership; involvement in a project; some of the sales or profits.
“And it matters not just to the droves of foreign businessmen flocking there to carve out a piece of the action, or to the Chinese who are experiencing what some people compare with the ‘British industrial revolution.’" (Strategic Direction, Sept. 2004, p. 21)
PIECE RATE. Amount a worker is paid per unit when doing PIECEWORK.
PIECEWORK. To be paid based on the quantity of goods produced.
PIGEON. A person who is easily deceived. See also MARK.
PIGEONHOLE (TO). Place in a category.
“Overall, there will be a wider range of loss scenarios, and the inability to pigeon-hole hospitality units in the way one might other commercial property types, driving more insureds to the excess and surplus lines market to obtain needed coverages.” (National Underwriter, Oct. 6, 2003, p. 17)
PIGGYBACK. Intermodal transportation combining rail and truck transport.
PIGGYBACKING. Practice of one firm marketing another firm’s products; making use of existing efforts. In stock markets, when a broker buys or sells based on the actions of a client it is considered illegal piggybacking.
“The ‘piggy-backing’ of advertising programs isn't illegal because the P2P companies often bury notification in the terms-and-conditions form each user must agree to. Most computer users, however, don't wade through the legalese and never know they have these programs on their computers.” (Wall Street Journal,
PIGS. Thirty-pound blocks of aluminum or other metal; greedy people.
PILOT FISH. Junior executives who follow close behind senior management. See also BROWN-NOSER, ASS-KISSER.
“Does anyone seriously think that Tuesday's results were going to be determined by elevating Bob Jones University, breast-cancer ads, Texas cronies or any of the other marginal, mindless ‘issues’ that seem to obsess campaign advisers and the media pilot fish who swim after them?” (Wall Street Journal,
PILOT LAUNCH. Test marketing by limiting the initial distribution of a product.
“The pilot launch of the RSS-14 (Reduced Space Symbology 14-digit) bar code system is getting underway at Dayton, Ohio-based Dorothy Lane Market.” (Supermarket Business, Dec. 15, 2000, p. 57)
PINCH HIT (TO). Substitute for (baseball).
“ACD Systems' Canvas 9 Professional Edition is primarily for technical illustrators who need to design precision graphics. It can also pinch-hit as an image editor or an illustration program-plus, it can serve as a page-layout, drawing, presentation, and Web-site program.” (Macworld, Feb. 2004, p. 38)
PINK SHEETS. Daily publication of stock quotations on the NASDAQ*.
“MCI shares, trading on the over-the-counter Pink Sheets, jumped 17% Monday, when MCI announced that Leucadia had made filings with regulators seeking permission to acquire more than half of MCI's stock.” (Wall Street Journal,
PINK SLIP. Dismissal notice.
“In the wake of the September 11 attacks and the downturn of the book business, Unger said that many PCP graduates received pink slips, victimized by the ‘last hired, first fired’ syndrome.” (Publisher’s Weekly, June 7, 2004, p. 13)
PIN MONEY. A small amount of money allocated for a trip.
PIPE DREAM. Unrealistic idea or expectation.
PISSED. Angry. The term is considered vulgar.
“It may be that Gavin is simply pissed off with the never-ending reviews of the business.” (Marketing, July 21, 2004, p. 20)
PIT. The center of activity in futures and options markets.
PITCH. High-pressured sales presentation.
“The figures have significance because the company has been trying to pitch itself as an emerging high-tech player, particularly in southern
PLAIN-VANILLA. Ordinary, without any extras.
“The company's new managers and a report prepared for prosecutors by an independent consultant contend that the Canadian deal and several other transactions were far from the plain-vanilla financings that global companies normally engage Wall Street to do.” (Wall Street Journal,
PLANKTON. A company being taken over or swallowed by a much larger one.
PLASTIC. Credit card.
“With retail card executives questioning the relevance of their plastic, retailers are approaching a crossroads. They can either surrender to 3rd-party cards or retrench and find new ways to profit from growing their cards’ share of sales.” (Credit Card Management, July 1995, p. 6)
PLAY BALL (TO). Cooperate; get started (baseball).
“Not all groups want to play ball with brands. Some denounce such collaborations.” (Marketing Week, Sept. 9, 2004, p. 41)
PLAY IT BY EAR. Improvise, to use your best judgment in situations where you have limited or no experience or information.
PLAYBOOK. Corporate plans (football).
“Princess Diaries 2," is as reassuring and soothing as a nursery story -- in fact it's straight out of the Disney playbook of the '50s.” (Wall Street Journal,
PLAY CLOSE TO THE CHEST/VEST. Keep one’s thoughts or plans secret.
“‘People like that drive you nuts,’ Mr. [Thomas Ward] says. ‘They play the most common pieces of information so close to the vest.’" (Wall Street Journal,
PLAY HARDBALL (TO). Be demanding, difficult to negotiate with (baseball).
“The book's hype prepared one for just this sort of drill sergeant's manual. ‘It's time to play hardball.’” (Wall Street Journal,
PLAY THE FLOAT (TO). Write a check today and deposit the funds to cover it tomorrow.
PLAYER. A noteworthy competitor in the market.
“The situation affected all industry players and was worse than expected.” (Wall Street Journal,
PLEAD THE FIFTH (TO). Refuse to divulge information. The Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution allows citizens not to answer questions in court when their response would incriminate themselves.
PLOW BACK (TO). Put back into.
“They argue that sending some jobs overseas more than repays the
PLUG A PRODUCT (TO). Promote.
POINT-OF-PURCHASE (POP) DISPLAY. Retailing strategy of placing impulse items near where customers make their purchases.
POINT PERSON. Person designated to take charge of a crisis situation.
POISON PILL. A financial maneuver to avoid being taken over by another company.
“The court said the fund's poison pill adhered to the 1940 act because, when triggered, ‘it allows for all shareholders, except the Acquiring Person, to exercise their rights’ and that the ‘poison pill does not change the fact that all shares are granted equal voting rights.’" (Wall Street Journal,
POLISH A TURD (TO). To edit or refine a piece of writing even though the material in the report is of little or no value. To make something which is worthless appear valuable or important. (Considered vulgar.)
POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (PAC). Group created to lobby government.
“Then there is the Prosperity Project, an effort organized by the Business Industry Political Action Committee to get business leaders to communicate more with their employees about politics.” (Wall Street Journal,
POLITICALLY CORRECT (PC). Accepted terminology; espousing non-Western culture and values.
“The competition resulted, as you would have expected, in a festival of politically correct nihilism: cruise missiles vied with a wrecked red car covered in bird droppings on a gigantic scale.” (Wall Street Journal,
POLLUTION CREDIT/RIGHT. Market-based pollution control credit program, allowing firms which reduce their levels of pollution below what is required by law, to sell the difference between the maximum amount allowed and their current amount produced to other firms. The economic logic is that firms which can easily reduce pollution will do so, while those firms for whom it would be expensive to reduce pollution will purchase credits instead.
PONZI SCHEME. A fraudulent financial proposition where initial investors are promised very high rates of return; Eventually the scheme collapses. The phrase is named after Charles Ponzi, who in 1919 created the Security and Exchange Company, promising investors a 40% return. Ponzi paid off the initial investors with funds of later investors. Auditors eventually revealed the scheme, and Ponzi went to jail. He later sold real estate in
“More Charges Filed in Alleged Ponzi Case Federal prosecutors file additional charges against Martin A. Armstrong, the jailed former financial adviser they have accused of orchestrating a $3 billion ‘Ponzi’ scheme.” (Wall Street Journal,
POOH-POOH (TO). Reject or be critical of.
POOL OF APPLICANTS. Potential employees.
POOL TOGETHER (TO). Combine.
“Regulators responded by proposing that insurers pool together more policyholders to produce smaller, across-the-board rate increases if necessary, and phase in any large increases over two to three years.” (Wall Street Journal, June 23, 1999, p. F1)
POOR-MOUTH (TO). Deny one’s wealth.
POP-UP, POP-UNDER. Internet ads that appear when closing a Web page or site.
“Talk about irony. Software. firm Blazing Logic is using pop-up ads–those small ad windows that appear in separate browsers as people surf the Web-to sell software to help eliminate pop-up ads.” (DM News,
PORTAL. A web site that acts as a gateway to information services on the Internet by providing search directories.
PORK BARREL. Government spending designed to favor a politician’s constituents.
“Boondoggle (‘an extravagant and useless project’) has long since entered the American vernacular, as has pork barrel (programs meant ‘to ingratiate legislators with their constituents’).” (Wall Street Journal,
PORTABILITY. The ability to take employee benefits, particularly retirement accounts from one job to another.
PORTFOLIO. A collection of securities.
PORTFOLIO INVESTMENT. Purchasing stock in a number of companies.
POSITION. A company’s financial condition; an investor’s interest in a venture.
POSITION SQUARING. Option, currency, commodity or stock market action of reversing the previously held position, buying back options sold or selling back options previously purchased.
“In the prevailing currency markets, fundamentals have taken a temporary back seat to technical trading signals and ‘position squaring’.” (Review & Focus, EverBank World Market report,
POSITIVE CASH FLOW. More cash produced than used.
POSTAL PRICING. Pricing telephone calls the same regardless of distance, like postal (mail) rates.
POTHOLES. Problems; obstacles.
“Concerns have risen that the economic expansion hit a pothole in June as payroll-job growth slowed, and retail sales softened.” (Wall Street Journal,
POUND OF FLESH. An exorbitant demand or payment. In Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, SHYLOCK demands a pound of flesh as payment for his loan to Antonio.
POWER HITTERS. Strong, forceful individuals (baseball).
POWERHOUSE. Forceful person or group.
“During the mid-1990s,
POWER LUNCH. Lunchtime business meeting between MOVERS AND SHAKERS.
“After flaming out in 1996 following a stormy 14 months as president at Walt Disney Co., Michael Ovitz is back doing deals, working the phones and taking lots of power lunches.” (Business Week, July 24, 2000, p. 42)
POWER NAP. A short, five-to-ten-minute rest. Some people have the ability to sleep for short periods of time and awaken refreshed and ready to go again.
POWER OF THE PRESS. Media’s ability to change or affect public opinion.
“She says that these organizations understand the power of the press and make armchair activists believe they can make a difference by simply hitting the send key.” (The Masthead, Autumn 2004, p. 8)
POWER PLAY. An attempt to overwhelm a competitor through a show of strength (hockey).
POWWOW. Meeting, discussion. The term comes from a Native American word for conjurer or medicine man.
“So it seems encouraging that they have now decided, as
PRAIRIE DOGGING. When anything important happens, everyone in offices with cubicles pops their head up over the cubicle.
PREFAB. Abbreviation for prefabricated: already manufactured and ready for assembly.
PREMIUM. The excess of market price over the value of the good; insurance, the payment due.
PREMIUMS. Items given away or for a reduced price when customers purchase another product. Premiums are used to motivate consumers to try a new product or brand.
PRESS THE FLESH (TO). Shake hands with everyone in a room. See also GLAD HAND.
PRESSURE-COOKER. Stressful environment.
“But she also acknowledges the office's workload and demands are a turnoff to qualified candidates. ‘It's a pressure cooker,’ she says.” (Wall Street Journal,
PRICES TUMBLING. Prices going down rapidly.
“A day after
PRICE WAR. Competitive price-cutting, often below cost, in order to gain market share or drive competitors out of business.
PRIMA DONNA. Show-off (Italian).
PRIMA FACIE. On first appearance (Latin).
PRIME. Prime rate. The rate charged by banks to their highest-quality borrowers for short-term, uncollateralized loans.
PRIVATIZATION. The selling-off by government of nationalized industries; contracting privately for services previously done by government employees.
“The privatization of Telstra --
PROACTIVE. Taking a position in advance rather than reacting.
“Seagate Chief Financial Officer Charles Pope says the company didn't undercut rivals to win market share as it re-entered the laptop market, but he says it was surprised by ‘proactive, reflexive’ price- cutting by others.” (Wall Street Journal,
PROBLEM CHILD. A low-market-share product in a fast-growing market.
PRO BONO. For the (public) good (Latin), i.e., without charge. Most state law associations require lawyers to do some work pro bono annually.
PRODUCER PRICE INDEX (PPI). The PPI measures inflation at the wholesale level. Changes in the PPI usually precede changes in inflation at the consumer level.
PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE (PLC). Stages a product goes through in the marketplace, including introduction, growth, maturity, and decline. PLC was once used exclusively among marketers, but in the 1990s it is used by accountants and finance managers concerned with whether a product will remain marketable long enough to be profitable.
PRO FORMA. As a matter of form (Latin). New companies often issue pro forma, estimated income and expenditure statements.
PRO RATA. According to shares (Latin); a percentage based on past performance.
PROGRAM TRADING. Pre-programmed computer orders to buy or sell shares of stock as prices of stocks or indices change. The New York Stock Exchange defines program trading as any trade valued at $1 million dollars or more involving 15 or more stocks. Program trading sometimes accounts for as much as 40 percent of daily volume on the NYSE.
“Program trades in which firms buy or sell dozens of different stocks in one blast, often to keep pace with a major index, have long elicited muttering from smaller investors.” (Wall Street Journal,
PROGRESSIVE TAX. A tax whose percentage increases as income increases.
PROMO. Promotion.
“McDonald's global chief marketing officer Larry Light's ad/promo/product revitalization by summer's end had spurred 16 consecutive months of same-store sales growth.” (Brandweek,
PROOF OF/IN THE PUDDING. Whether something really works will be based on the actual performance or results.
PROS AND CONS. Advantages and disadvantages.
“Six community bank presidents bashed out HR issues relating to communications, the pros and cons of a ‘family’ atmosphere, employee burnout, and training.” (American Bankers Association.
PROSPECT. A potential customer.
“While eager investors have driven up Google's stock 55% since its August initial public offering, many analysts believe that to cement its long-term prospects Google should get into the browser business.” (Business Week, Oct. 11, 2004, p. 54)
PROTECTION MONEY. Bribe; money paid to avoid problems with authorities or criminals.
“Enron bathed the Beltway in money because the Members demanded every penny. Like every corporate donor in
PROXY. Agreement allowing another person to represent one’s interests.
PRUDENT-MAN RULE.
PUBLIC DOMAIN. Something that is no longer protected by patent or copyright and can be used by anyone.
PSYCHIC INCOME. Non-monetary value or satisfaction from a work activity.
P-TO-P. Peer to peer.
PUBLIC DOMAIN. Available to all citizens. In the
PUBLIC EYE (IN THE). Visible, widely publicized.
“Doing so serves to keep tort reform in the public eye.” (Business Insurance, Sept. 13, 2004, p. 8)
PUBLICITY STUNT. An outrageous act designed to get media coverage.
“One marketer sees it as an "incongruous" link amounting to a PR and publicity stunt.” (Marketing Week, June 24, 2004, p. 28)
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT (PSA). Free advertising time for socially important messages. As part of their licensing requirements, radio and television stations in the
“Mr. Stipe announced. During his set, Mr. Springsteen issued a short ‘public service announcement’ in favor of Mr. Kerry.” (Wall Street Journal,
PUFF PIECE. HYPE; extravagant praise, often in flowery newspaper stories.
“Before the act, ‘offering circulars’ were often nothing more than puff pieces issued by unscrupulous promoters employing high-pressure sales tactics, said Joel Seligman, dean of
PULL IN (TO). Bring in, as in people or money. See also DRAW.
“Chambers is confident that lineup changes will help pull in the young, upmarket viewers advertisers fall over themselves to reach.” (Campaign, Sept. 10, 2004, p. 13)
PULL OFF (TO). Succeed.
“Microsoft can pull this off because stations' playlists are matters of public record.” (Forbes,
PULL PUNCHES (TO). Hold back, (boxing).
“Isaak Karaev, Multex.com's chairman, chief executive and president, still says his company can knock Thomson Financial off its perch. ‘e don't ever pull punches,’says Mr. Karaev, who co-founded Multex.com.” (Wall Street Journal,
PULL STRINGS (TO). Use one’s influence.
PULL THE PLUG (TO). Terminate something.
“The government-sponsored Industrial Revitalization Corp. of
PULL THE RUG FROM UNDER (TO). Undermine; suddenly cease support for.
“Companies keen to encourage trust in e-commerce, especially those, like Ebay, trying to promote radically new forms of trade, cannot expect consumers to trust them if they suddenly pull the rug from under their feet.” (Marketing Week, March 27, 2003, p. 30)
PULL THE STRING(S) (TO). Track a problem to resolution; manage, control.
“To win a chunk of the Google business, Goldman, the nation's premier investment bank, unleashed its CEO, Hank Paulson, to pull some strings.” (Newsweek, May 10, 2004, p. 42)
PULL THE WOOL OVER SOMEONE’S EYES (TO). Deceive.
PUNCH IN/PUNCH THE CLOCK (TO). Report for work; punch a time card at a factory.
“Interest in pinkies among employees of the dinner-house group stems from Left Coast Restaurants' requirement that they use a fingerprint scanner device to punch in and out on a virtual time clock in the company's Menusoft Systems Digital Dining point-of-sale system.” (National Restaurant News, Sept. l 3, 2004, p. 76)
PUNT (TO). Give up (football).
PURE PLAY. Investment in a company that is in only one market or industry; a company that only sells over the Internet.
PURGE AND MERGE (TO). See MERGE AND PURGE.
PUSH COMES TO SHOVE (WHEN). A hostile situation.
“Reality #1: For all the enlightened talk of teamwork, when push comes to shove, people often look out for themselves and try to blame others for their failures.” (Business Week, Feb. 2, 2004, p. 41)
PUSH MONEY. Payments paid directly to retail salespeople by manufacturers for selling the manufacturer’s product.
PUSH THE ENVELOPE (TO). Always trying to do better (aeronautical engineering).
“We then need to reach out to the team at CBS, the team at MTV, the team at Spike, and have a conversation with them about, how do we push the envelope?” (Wall Street Journal, Sept. 15, 2004, p. 1)
PUSH UPSTAIRS (TO). Promote someone out of the way.
PUT A DAMPER ON (TO). Discourage.
“Of course, the Justice Department's intervention in Oracle's bid for PeopleSoft put a damper on Oracle's plans - for now.” (Barron’s, July, 26, 2004, p. T3)
PUT EVERYTHING ON THE LINE (TO). Risk everything on the business.
PUT IT IN THE ROUND FILE (TO). Throw it away.
PUT IT ON THE BOARD ( YOU CAN). It is accurate, without a doubt.
PUT IT ON THE MAP (TO). To make known or important.
PUT ON THE SPOT (TO). Challenge or pressure someone openly.
PUT OUT TO PASTURE (TO). Pressure someone to retire.
PUT THE MEAT ON THE TABLE (TO). Discuss the important parts of a business negotiation.
PUT THE SCOTCH TO IT. To cancel or stop something.
PUT THE SQUEEZE ON (TO). Put under pressure.
“
PUT UP OR SHUT UP (TO). Become part of the team or keep quiet; prove what you say is true.
“In addition, 1995 will be the year that vendors have to ‘put up or shut up.’ Instead of issuing yet another round of future oriented press releases, vendors must demonstrate successful implementations of large-scale management solutions in customer environments.” (Computer World, Jan. 16, 1995, p. 56)
PUT YOURSELF IN YOUR PARTNER’S SHOES (TO). Try to understand the other person.
PYRAMID. An unethical or illegal financial scheme. See also PONZI SCHEME.
“Its longtime sales model, which relies on independent sales representatives selling door to door and deriving income from their recruits' sales, was declared illegal five years ago by a Chinese government directive that lumped direct sellers like Amway with illegal pyramid schemes.” (Wall Street Journal,