pec Idiom, Proverb

pay my respects

attend a ceremony or send a symbol of your respect for someone Remembrance Day allows us to pay our respects to the people who defended our country.

pecking order

from strongest to weakest, line of authority The first thing to learn about a company is the pecking order.

put things in perspective

see things as they are, see the actual size A few days after the flood, I was able to put things in perspective.

brown bag special

a woman whose face is foul but her body is attractive

peckerwood

derogatory term for a white person

expect of

anticipate期待；希望
The whole family expects great things of him．全家人对他抱以很大期望。
Parents usually expect too much of their children．父母往往都对子女寄予太多希望。

in all respects

in every case or respect在各方面
They resembled one another in all respects．他们在许多方面都彼此相似。

peck at

1． bite at with short sharp movements啄
The children watched the birds pecking at the corn．孩子们看着那些小鸟啄玉米。
2．eat very little of少量地吃；一点一点地吃
No wonder he is losing weight．He hardly eats． He just pecks at the food．难怪他瘦了。他简直吃不下东西，只吃一点点。
He pecked at his breakfast of egg and bacon．早餐时，他只吃了一点咸肉和鸡蛋。
3． strike with repeated small blows 连续轻击
The boy started perking at the keys of the piano．那男孩开始在钢琴键上乱弹一气。
4．find fault with constantly屡次找岔子
It's no good pecking at one another．互相找岔子没有好处。
Stop pecking a him．It was only a small thing after all．不要老是责备他，毕竟这只是件小事。

peculiar to

belonging only to（a particular person，place，time，etc．）为…所特有的
That way of speaking is peculiar to people in this part of the country．那种说话方式是这个国家这一地区的人所特有的。
It's a custom peculiar to the region．这是该地区所特有的风俗。

specialize in

study in detail；work or be knowledgeable in详细研究；专门从事或专长于
After he had worked as a doctor for some years，he decided to specialize in children's diseases．做了几年医生之后，他决定专门研究儿科疾病。

with respect to

concerning；with regard to至于；关于
I have something to say with respect to our business．关于我们的业务，我想说几句。
We must plan with respect to the future．我们订计划时必须考虑到未来。

when least expected

Idiom(s): when least expected

Theme: SURPRISE

when one does not expect (something).
• An old car is likely to give you trouble when least expected.
• My pencil usually breaks when least expected.

measure up to one's expectations

Idiom(s): measure up (to one's expectations)

Theme: ACHIEVEMENT

to be as good as one expects.
• This meal doesn't measure up to my expectations.
• Why doesn't it measure up?

hunt-and-peck

Idiom(s): hunt-and-peck

Theme: COMMUNICATION - KEYBOARD

a slow "system" of typing where one searches for a letter and then presses it. (From the movement used by fowls when feeding. Fixed order.)
• I never learned to type right. All I do is hunt-and-peck.
• I can't type. I just hunt-and-peck, but I get the job done—eventually.

funny peculiar

Idiom(s): funny peculiar

Theme: STRANGENESS

odd; eccentric. (Informal.)
• I didn't mean that Mrs. Peters is funny ha-ha. She's weird—funny peculiar in fact.
• His face is sort of funny—funny peculiar, that is.

expecting a child

Idiom(s): expecting (a child)

Theme: PREGNANCY

pregnant. (A euphemism.)
• Tommy's mother is expecting a child.
• Oh, I didn't know she was expecting.

Keep your pecker up

If someone tells you to keep your pecker up, they are telling you not to let your problems get on top of you and to try to be optimistic.

Meet your expectations

If something doesn't meet your expectations, it means that it wasn't as good as you had thought it was going to be; a disappointment.

What can you expect from a hog but a grunt?

(USA) This means that you can't expect people to behave in a way that is not in their character- a 'hog' is a 'pig', so an unrefined person can't be expected to behave in a refined way.

house speciality

a speciality of the restaurant: "Garlic oysters are one of their house specialities."

get a fresh perspective

to get a different point of view: "Let's ask the sales department for their opinion. The can bring us a fresh perspective."

hunt and peck|hunt|peck

n. phr., informal Picking out typewriter keys by sight, usually with one or two fingers; not memorizing the keys. Many newspaper reporters do their typing by hunt and peck.

Often used, with hyphens, as an adjective. Mr. Barr taught himself to type, and he uses the hunt-and-peck system.

in respect to|respect|with respect to

In connection with; related to, about; on. The teacher told stories about Washington and Lincoln in respect to the importance of being honest. In respect to your visit with us, we hope you can come before September. There was no shortage in respect to food.
Compare: AS TO, IN REFERENCE TO, IN RELATION TO.

pay one's respect to|pay|pay respect|respect

v. phr. To discharge one's social obligations by visiting someone or by calling them on the phone. The newly arrived people paid their respects to their various neighbors during their first couple of weeks in town.

pecking order|order|pecking

n. The way people are ranked in relation to each other (for honor, privilege, or power); status classification; hierarchy. After the president was in office several months, his staff developed a pecking order.

endangered species

endangered species
A group threatened with extinction or destruction. For example, Workers willing to put in overtime without extra pay are an endangered species, or With the new budget cuts, public television has become an endangered species. This expression, originally referring to species of plants or animals in danger of dying out, began in the 1980s to be extended to anything or anyone becoming rare.

expect

expect
see when least expected.

in respect to

in respect to
Also, with respect to. See in regard to.

in retrospect

in retrospect
Looking backward, reflecting on the past. For example, In retrospect, he regarded his move as the best thing he'd ever done. This idiom employs retrospect in the sense of “a view of the past.” [Second half of 1600s]

in specie

in specie
1) In coin, as in The balance was to be paid only in specie. [First half of 1600s]
2) In a similar manner, in kind, as in They repaid the offense in specie. [Mid-1500s] Both usages are derived from the Latin in specie, meaning “in the actual form.”

irrespective

irrespective
irrespective of
regardless of; independent of

on spec

on spec
Done on a speculative basis; with no assurance of profit. For example, We didn't design our house; the builder built it on spec. The use of spec as an abbreviation for speculation dates from the late 1700s.

pay one's respects

pay one's respects
see pay a call.

peck

peck
peck at
1) to make a pecking motion at
2) Informal to eat very little of; eat carefully or sparingly
3) Informal to criticize or find fault with constantly

prospect

prospect
in prospect
expected

respect

respect
see in regard to; pay a call; with all due respect.

respecter

respecter
respecter of persons
one whose behavior toward people is influenced by their social status, prestige, etc.

retrospect

retrospect
in retrospect
in reviewing the past

spec

spec
see on spec.

specie

specie
in specie
1) in kind
2) in coin

species

species
see endangered species.

spectacle

spectacle
make a spectacle of oneself
to behave foolishly or improperly in public

with all due respect

with all due respect
Although I think highly of you, as in With all due respect, you haven't really answered my question, or With all due respect, that account doesn't fit the facts. This phrase always precedes a polite disagreement with what a person has said or brings up a controversial point. [c. 1800]

More Idioms/Phrases

witching hour with with a vengeance with all due respect with bad grace with flying colors, pass with with half a heart