pave the way
To make preparation; make easy.
Aviation paved the way for space travel.
A good education paves the way to success.
pay the piper
pay the fiddler
To suffer the results of being foolish; pay or suffer because of your foolish acts or wasting money.
(From the proverb "He who dances must pay the piper (or the fiddler).")
(From the proverb "He who dances must pay the piper (or the fiddler).")
Bob had spent all his money and got into debt, so now he must pay the piper.
Fred had a fight, broke a window, and quarreled with his counselor so now he must pay the fiddler.
pay through the nose
To pay at a very high rate; pay too much.
He had wanted experience, but this job seemed like paying through the nose for it.
There was a shortage of cars; if you found one for sale, you had to pay through the nose.
perish the thought
Let us not even think of it; may it never come true. Used as an exclamation.
If John fails the college entrance exam - perish the thought - he will go back to high school for one more year.
Perish the thought that Mary should have cancer.
pick a lock
pick the lock
To burglarize; open illegally; open a lock without the regular key.
The robber got into the house by picking the lock.
pick the brains of
pick the brains about
To get ideas or information about a particular subject by asking an expert.
If you have time, I'd like to pick your brains about home computers.
pick up the tab
To pay the bill in a restaurant; be the one who underwrites financially what others are doing.
Платить по счету, брать все расходы на себя.
"I am always the one who picks up the tab," Charlie complained bitterly. "Others get away with being freeloaders."
In the old days, the man would pick up the tab, but nowadays nobody is quite sure.
Раньше мужчина всегда платил по счету, но сегодня в этом никто не может быть уверен.
The advertising manager is flying to Puerto Rico for a conference, and her firm is picking up the tab.
The government picked up the tab for the visiting dignitary. It paid for all of the lodging and meals, as well as transportation, during his stay.
pie in the sky
An unrealistic wish or hope.
Our trip to Hawaii is still only a pie in the sky.