pipe
Related to pipe: tobacco pipe, steel pipe, glass pipe
be in the pipeline
To be in progress. Don't worry, your raise is in the pipeline for next quarter. I hear some big changes are in the pipeline.
See also: pipeline
between the pipes
In ice hockey, field hockey, or lacrosse, playing the position of goalkeeper. The word "pipes" refers to the pipe-like bars that make up the frame of the goal. It should be a great game—I hear the new goalie is a demon between the pipes. Remember, when you're between the pipes, you are the last line of defense!
See also: between, pipe
hash pipe
slang A pipe typically used for the smoking of hashish ("hash"). Do I need to use a hash pipe with this stuff?
See also: hash, pipe
lay the pipe
vulgar slang To have sexual intercourse (with someone, usually a woman). (Typically said of or by a man.) Teenage boys often have an obsessive preoccupation with laying the pipe as soon as possible, which is reinforced by peer pressure from their male friends or schoolmates.
See also: lay, pipe
lead-pipe cinch
A task that is easily, effortlessly, or certain to be accomplished. I've been running marathons for years now, so this 5K run will be a lead-pipe cinch for me. Everyone assumed her election would be a lead-pipe cinch, so it shocked the entire nation when she lost.
See also: cinch
pipe (one's) eye
dated To weep. I could not help piping my eye at the thought of my dear, sweet son being away from home for Christmas.
See also: eye, pipe
pipe (something) into (something or some place)
1. To supply something or some place with a gas or liquid using one or more pipes. A noun or pronoun can be used between "pipe" and "in." The investigation revealed that the automotive dealer had been piping nitrous oxide into its waiting rooms to relax potential customers and make them more susceptible to purchasing a car. We just need to pipe water into the house and it will be ready for us to move in.
2. To play music in something or some place through speakers. A noun or pronoun can be used between "pipe" and "in." We've found that piping music into the shelter can really help the animals relax when they arrive. I wish the foreman wouldn't pipe same crappy radio station into the building site every single day on the job.
See also: pipe
pipe away
To remove some gas or liquid (from something or some place) using one or more pipes. A noun or pronoun can be used between "pipe" and "away." We'll need to pipe away the toxic gas before we can activate the reactor. Piping groundwater away from the construction site should be our first priority.
See also: away, pipe
pipe down
To become quiet and calm; to stop being loud or boisterous. Often said as a command. OK, class, pipe down! Let's begin our lesson, shall we? We piped down when we realized he was trying to tell us something important.
See also: down, pipe
pipe dream
A dream or idea that is impossible to accomplish. Many say that achieving world peace is a pipe dream because human beings are so flawed in their logic and emotions.
See also: dream, pipe
pipe in
1. To supply something or some place with a gas or liquid using one or more pipes. A noun or pronoun can be used between "pipe" and "in." The investigation revealed that the automotive dealer had been piping in nitrous oxide to relax potential customers and make them more susceptible to purchasing a car. We just need to pipe water in and the house will be ready for us to move in.
2. To play music in something or some place through speakers. A noun or pronoun can be used between "pipe" and "in." We've found that piping in music can really help the animals relax when they arrive. I wish the foreman wouldn't pipe in the same crappy pop music every single day on the job.
See also: pipe
pipe up
To make oneself heard; to interrupt or interject. The meeting was just about over when Tom piped up and asked why we hadn't looked at the budget. I'm sorry, if you can't hear me, just raise your hand and I'll pipe up.
See also: pipe, up
put that in your pipe and smoke it
Take that decisive information or outcome and live with it! I pay your wages, and I'll say whether you can go on your break or not, so put that in your pipe and smoke it. Ha! I told you my team would win. Put that in your pipe and smoke it!
See also: and, pipe, put, smoke, that
set of pipes
1. An ability to speak or shout very loudly. She may only be a half a year old, but she's got some set of pipes on her. If she doesn't want to do something, she'll let you know about it!
2. A very good or highly developed singing voice. Wow, did you hear the set of pipes on that little boy? He sounds like a professional opera singer.
See also: of, pipe, set
smoke the peace pipe (with someone)
To reach an agreement or understanding (with someone); to resolve a dispute or stop fighting (with someone). Alludes to the calumet used by certain Native American tribes for ceremonial purposes, such as a covenant or peace treaty. In a surprise turn of events, it seems that the environmentalist group is looking to smoke the peace pipe with the largest lobbying body of the oil industry. I don't understand why there has been so much tension between you. You need to both sit down like rational adults, smoke the peace pipe together, and get on with your lives.
See also: peace, pipe, smoke
stick that in your pipe and smoke it
slang Take that decisive information or outcome and live with it! I pay your wages, and I'll say whether you can go on your break or not, so stick that in your pipe and smoke it. Ha! I told you my team would win. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it!
See also: and, pipe, smoke, stick, that
take the gas pipe
euphemism To kill oneself. A reference to the practice of putting one's head in an oven without a pilot light and turning the gas on, resulting in asphyxiation. I only found out recently that Tom's dad died many years ago by taking the gas pipe. I was at such a low point in my life that I was ready to take the gas pipe, but thankfully a good friend helped me out of my terrible depression.
See also: gas, pipe, take
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
lead-pipe cinch
Fig. something very easy to do; something entirely certain to happen. I knew it was a lead-pie cinch that I would be selected to head the publication committee.
See also: cinch
pipe down
to become quiet; to cease making noise; to shut up. (Especially as a rude command.) Pipe down! I'm trying to sleep. Come on! Pipe down and get back to work!
See also: down, pipe
pipe dream
Fig. a wish or an idea that is impossible to achieve or carry out. (From the dreams or visions induced by the smoking of an opium pipe.) Going to the West Indies is a pipe dream. We'll never have enough money. Your hopes of winning a lot of money are just a silly pipe dream.
See also: dream, pipe
pipe something away
to conduct a liquid or a gas away through a pipe. We will have to pipe the excess water away. They piped away the water.
See also: away, pipe
pipe something (from some place) (to some place)
to conduct a liquid or a gas from one place to another place through a pipe. One oil company wanted to pipe oil all the way from northern Alaska to a southern port on the Pacific. The company pipes gas from the storage tanks in the middle of the state.
pipe something into some place
and pipe something in1. Lit. to conduct a liquid or a gas into some place through a pipe. An excellent delivery system piped oxygen into every hospital room. They piped in oxygen to every room. They piped it in.
2. Fig. to bring music or other sound into a place over wires. They piped music into the stairways and elevators. The elevators were nice except that the management had piped in music.
See also: pipe, place
pipe up (with something)
Fig. to interject a comment; to interrupt with a comment. Nick piped up with an interesting thought. You can always count on Alice to pipe up.
See also: pipe, up
Put that in your pipe and smoke it!
Fig. Inf. See how you like that!; It is final, and you have to live with it. Well, I'm not going to do what you want, so put that in your pipe and smoke it! I'm sick of you, and I'm leaving. Put that in your pipe and smoke it!
See also: and, pipe, put, smoke, that
set of pipes
Fig. a very loud voice; a good singing voice. She has a nice set of pipes. With a set of pipes like that, she's a winner.
See also: of, pipe, set
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
lead-pipe cinch
A certainty, an assured success. For example, "An engagement ain't always a lead-pipe cinch" (O. Henry, The Sphinx Apple, 1907). This colloquial expression is of disputed origin. It may allude to the cinch that tightly holds a horse's saddle in place, which can make it easier for the rider to succeed in a race; or it may allude to a cinch in plumbing, in which a lead pipe is fastened with a band of steel to another pipe or a fixture, making a very secure joint. [Late 1800s]
See also: cinch
pipe down
Stop talking, be quiet, as in I wish you children would pipe down. This idiom is also used as an imperative, as in Pipe down! We want to listen to the opera. It comes from the navy, where the signal for all hands to turn in was sometimes sounded on a whistle or pipe. By 1900 it had been transferred to more general use.
See also: down, pipe
pipe dream
A fantastic notion or vain hope, as in I'd love to have one home in the mountains and another at the seashore, but that's just a pipe dream . Alluding to the fantasies induced by smoking an opium pipe, this term has been used more loosely since the late 1800s.
See also: dream, pipe
pipe up
Speak up, as in Finally she piped up, "I think I've got the winning ticket," or Pipe up if you want more pancakes. This term originally referred to a high, piping tone. [Mid-1800s]
See also: pipe, up
put that in your pipe and smoke it
Take that information and give it some thought, as in I'm quitting at the end of the week-put that in your pipe and smoke it. This term alludes to the thoughtful appearance of many pipe smokers. [Colloquial; early 1800s]
See also: and, pipe, put, smoke, that
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
a pipe dream
If you describe something that someone wants to do or happen as a pipe dream, you mean that it is not realistic and will probably not happen. Oh, Toddy, it's a pipe dream. The banks won't lend you that sort of money. He said the figures showed that a third runway at the airport remained a pipe dream. Note: This expression refers to the sort of idea that someone is likely to have when they are smoking a drug in a pipe.
See also: dream, pipe
put that in your pipe and smoke it
You say put that in your pipe and smoke it to tell someone that they must accept what you have said, even if they do not like it. As for rules, the only person who makes rules in this house is me. So she can put that in her pipe and smoke it.
See also: and, pipe, put, smoke, that
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.
pipe your eye
weep. datedSee also: eye, pipe
put that in your pipe and smoke it
used to indicate that someone should accept what has been said, even if it is unwelcome. informal 1947 W. Somerset Maugham Creatures of Circumstance I'm engaged to her, so put that in your pipe and smoke it.
See also: and, pipe, put, smoke, that
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
a ˈpipe dream
a hope, belief, plan, etc. that will probably never come true: She’s got this pipe dream about being a pop star.This expression refers to smoking the drug opium, which makes you sleep and gives you powerful dreams.See also: dream, pipe
put ˈthat in your pipe and smoke it
(informal) used after telling somebody an unpleasant fact or truth, to say that they should accept it: I’m not giving you any more money to spend on that car. So put that in your pipe and smoke it!See also: and, pipe, put, smoke, that
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
pipe down
v. Slang
To stop talking; become quiet: Pipe down—I'm trying to sleep!
See also: down, pipe
pipe up
v.
To join a conversation with an opinion, especially unexpectedly: You should have piped up if you didn't agree with us.
See also: pipe, up
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
hash pipe
n. a small pipe for smoking cannabis. (Drugs.) John kept a hash pipe on the shelf just for show.
See also: hash, pipe
pipe
n. an easy course in school. I don’t want a full load of pipes. I want to learn something.
pipe down
in. to become quiet; to cease making noise; to shut up. (Especially as a rude command.) Pipe down! I’m trying to sleep.
See also: down, pipe
Put that in your pipe and smoke it!
exclam. Take that!; See how you like that! You are the one who made the error, and we all know it. Put that in your pipe and smoke it!
See also: and, pipe, put, smoke, that
set of pipes
n. a very loud voice; a singing voice. With a set of pipes like that, she’s a winner.
See also: of, pipe, set
take the pipe
1. and take the gas pipe tv. to commit suicide. (Originally by inhaling gas.) The kid was dropping everything in sight and finally took the pipe.
2. tv. to fail to perform under pressure; to cave in. (From sense 1) Don’t take the pipe, man. Stick in there!
See also: pipe, take
take the gas pipe
verbSee take the pipe
See also: gas, pipe, take
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions
lead-pipe cinch
An absolute certainty; an easy success. Unlike the meaning of this cliché, the etymology is uncertain. It originated in America in the late nineteenth century and may refer to (l) the cinch that holds a horse’s saddle in place, which, if well fastened, makes it easier for the rider to win a race; or (2), more likely, to plumbing, where a lead pipe is fastened with a steel band to another pipe or fixture, making for a very secure joint. O. Henry used the term in a short story published in 1907 (The Sphinx Apple): “An engagement ain’t always a lead-pipe cinch.”
See also: cinch
pipe down, (to)
(To) be quiet. This term comes from the navy, where the boatswain’s signal for “All hands turn in” was sometimes made on a whistle or pipe. By 1900 Dialect Notes included a definition (“to stop talking”). Laurence Stallings and Maxwell Anderson used both forms, “Pipe down!” and “to pipe down,” in their play What Price Glory? (1926).
See also: pipe
put that in your pipe and smoke it
Take that and think about it; digest that if you can. This term alludes to the frequent appearance of pipe smokers as thoughtful and/or contemplative. The term has been current since the early nineteenth century. R. H. Barham used it in The Lay of St. Odille (1840): “For this you’ve my word, and I never yet broke it. So put that in your pipe, my Lord Otto, and smoke it.”
See also: and, pipe, put, smoke, that
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer
- be in the pipeline
- in the pipeline
- pipeline
- DAPL
- she'll be apples
- start from where you are
- don't give (something) another thought
- not give (something) another thought
- not give it another thought
- not to worry