put the Idiom, Proverb

put the bite on someone

ask for money or favors He is always trying to put the bite on his friends to collect money for charity.

put the cart before the horse

do things in the wrong order I think that he is putting the cart before the horse by talking about fixing up the house before he even buys it.

put the finishing touches on

add the last details or trimmings Lan decorated the the cake - she put the finishing touches on it.

put the heat on

cause someone to feel pressure or stress The cops put the heat on them by asking a lot of questions.

put the kibosh on

prevent, stop The manager put the kibosh on our dental plan. He said no.

put the screws to someone

try to force someone to do or say what you want The police were putting the screws to the criminal to try and get some information.

put them up

put your hands up, stick them up "The outlaw drew his gun, saying, ""Put 'em up, folks, or I'll shoot."""

put the skids on

Idiom(s): put the skids on (sth)

Theme: FAILURE

to cause something to fail. (Slang.)
• They put the skids on the project when they refused to give us any more money.
• That's the end of our great ideal Somebody put the skids on.

put the finger on

Idiom(s): put the finger on someone AND lay the finger on someone

Theme: IDENTIFICATION

to accuse someone; to identify someone as the one who did something. (Slang.)
• Tom put the finger on John, and John is really mad.
• He'd better not lay the finger on me. I didn't do it.

put the clamps on

Idiom(s): put the clamps on (sb)

Theme: CONTROL

to restrain or restrict someone. (Slang.)
• Tom's parents put the clamps on him. They decided he was getting out of hand.
• They got mad and put on the clamps.

put the blame on

Idiom(s): put the blame on sb/sth AND lay/place the blame on sb/sth

Theme: BLAME

to blame someone or something.
• Don't put the blame on me. I didn't do it.
• We'll have to place the blame for the damage on the storm.

put the bite on

Idiom(s): put the bite on someone AND put the touch on someone

Theme: MONEY

to try to get money from someone. (Slang.)
• Tom put the bite on me for ten dollars.
• Bill put the touch on me, but I told him to drop dead.

put the arm on

Idiom(s): put the arm on sb

Theme: INFLUENCE

to apply pressure to someone. (Slang.)
• John's been putting the arm on Mary to get her to go out with him.
• John has been putting the arm on Bill to get him to cooperate.

put the touch on

put the squeeze on

Idiom(s): put the heat on (someone) AND put the screws on (someone); put the squeeze on (someone)

Theme: CONTROL

to put pressure on someone (to do something); to coerce someone.(Slang.)
• John wouldn't talk, so the police were putting the heat on him to confess.
• When they put the screws on, they can be very unpleasant.
• The police know how to put the squeeze on.

put the screws on

Put the carriage before the horse

If you put the carriage before the horse, you try to do things in the wrong order.

Put the kybosh on

To put an end to something.

Put the pedal to the metal

If you put the pedal to the metal, you go faster.

put the cat among the pigeons

cause trouble: "Don't tell her about your promotion - that will really put the cat among the pigeons."

put the bite on|bite|put|put on

v. phr., slang To ask (for money, favors, etc.) John put the bite on his friend for several tickets to the dance. Willie Mays put the bite on the Giants for a large raise.

put their heads together|head|heads|lay their head

v. phr., informal To plan or consider things together; discuss something as a group; talk it over. They put their heads together and decided on a gift. We laid our heads together and decided to have a picnic.

to put the cart before the horse|cart|cart before

n. phr., informal Things in wrong order; something backwards or mixed up.

An overused expression. Usually used with "put" but sometimes with "get" or "have". When the salesman wanted money for goods he hadn't delivered, I told him he was putting the cart before the horse. To get married first and then get a job is getting the cart before the horse.

cart before the horse, put the

cart before the horse, put the
Reverse the proper order of things or events, as in Don't put the cart before the horse and give away the punch line. This expression has been used since antiquity but was first recorded in English in 1520.

put the fear of God into

put the fear of God into
Terrify someone, as in The school counselor put the fear of God into the girls when she talked about AIDS. This phrase alludes to a time when most people had a mingled feeling of dread and reverence toward the deity. [Late 1800s]

put the lid on

put the lid on
Also, keep the lid on. Suppress, as in I don't know how but we'll have to put the lid on that rumor about her, or Let's keep the lid on our suspicions. The word lid here is used in the sense of “a cover for a container.” [Early 1900s]

put the make on

put the make on
Make sexual advances to, as in He's always putting the make on his wife's friends. This slangy expression, dating from the second half of the 1900s, uses make in the sense of “sexual overtures.”

put the skids under

put the skids under
Bring about the failure or defeat of, as in It was lack of funds that put the skids under the new senior center. The skids here are runners or rollers on which a heavy object may be moved. [Colloquial; early 1900s]

put their heads together

put their heads together
see put our heads together.

put the

arm/bite/squeeze on Slang To ask addition for money.Learn more: put

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More Idioms/Phrases

put the lid on put the make on put the skids under put their heads together put to bed put to flight put to good use put to it, be put to rights put something into operation put something into practice put something into someone's head put something on hold put something on ice put something on the long finger put something on the map put something on the street put something out of its misery put something out of your head put something over on put something right put something straight put something to bed put something to good use put something to sleep put something to the torch put something to the vote put stock in put store by (something or someone) put store in (something or someone) put straight put teeth in(to) (something) put that in your pipe and smoke it Put that in your pipe and smoke it! put the put the (old) feedbag on put the (old) nosebag on put the acid on (someone) put the acid on someone put the arm on put the arm on (one) put the arm on someone put the arm/bite on somebody put the bee on (someone) put the bite on put the bite on (one) put the bite on someone put the blame on put the blame on (someone or something) put the blocks on put the blocks on (something) put the boot in put the boot to (one) put the brakes on put the brakes on (someone or something) put the brakes on something put the cart before the horse put the cat among the pigeons put the cat amongst the pigeons put the chill on