ply

ply (one) with (something)

To give one something (especially in large quantities) in order to coax them into providing some benefit in return. We plied Tom with alcohol to get him to reveal the dark secrets of his business. These documents make it clear that the lobbyists plied the senator with lavish trips.
See also: ply

ply (one's) trade

To go about one's normal business or employment. Despite the dominance of big supermarket chains, local vendors still ply their trade along the pedestrian area as they have done for decades.
See also: ply, trade

ply between

To traverse or sail between (two places) frequently and regularly. There's a ferry that plies between the island and the mainland twice a week. We have a line of cargo ships that ply between America and Japan several times a month.
See also: between, ply

ply for business

To seek out or try to engage new customers. Said especially of taxi services. Primarily heard in UK. The city council has introduced new measures to crack down on the number of taxis allowed to stop outside of pubs and theatres plying for business.
See also: business, ply

ply for hire

To seek out or try to engage new customers. Said especially of taxi services. Primarily heard in UK. The city council has introduced new measures to crack down on the number of taxis allowed to stop outside of pubs and theatres plying for hire.
See also: hire, ply

ply for trade

To seek out or try to engage new customers. Said especially of taxi services. Primarily heard in UK. The city council has introduced new measures to crack down on the number of taxis allowed to stop outside of pubs and theatres plying for trade.
See also: ply, trade
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

ply between (something and something else)

to travel between things or places regularly or constantly. There are a number of small craft that ply between Santerem and Manaus on a regular basis. Our little ship was unable to ply the entire distance between the two islands.
See also: between, ply

ply (someone with something else)

to try to supply or give something to someone. (Implies an attempt to influence or fawn upon someone.) We plied the mayor with gifts and favors, but it got us nowhere. Don't try to ply the police officer with gifts. That is considered a bribe.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

ply for ˈhire/ˈtrade/ˈbusiness

(British English) look for customers, passengers, etc. in order to do business: There are plenty of taxis plying for hire outside the theatre.
See also: business, hire, ply, trade

ply your ˈtrade

(written) do your work or business: This is the restaurant where he plied his trade as a cook.
See also: ply, trade
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

ply with

v.
To give someone substantial amounts of something, such as drinks or other favors, especially to encourage cooperation or to manipulate: She plied the spy with wine, hoping that he would reveal his true identity.
See also: ply
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • plied
  • ply (one) with (something)
  • ply with
  • talk (one) out of (something)
  • talk out of
  • talk out of doing
  • lift the veil (on something)
  • lay bare (something)
  • lay something bare
  • tip (one's) hand
References in periodicals archive
CD and R acquired Ply Gem in April 2018 and concurrently merged it with Atrium Windows and Doors, a manufacturer of residential windows and doors.
NCI Building Systems Closes All-Stock Merger with Ply Gem
If the length of the code string that represents the ply orientations is L, every code in the code string represents one ply with a particular ply orientation or "Intron" ("Intron" means no ply).
Design Optimization of Composite Laminated Tube Based on Improved Niching Evolutionary Algorithm
A primary focus for the project was to develop a solution that could handle a great variety of prepreg ply geometries, not only the ply geometries used for demonstrations.
Low-cost automation for prepreg handling - Two cases from the aerospace industry
A set of small images are conjoined to create a complete image of the ply.
Automated in-process inspection system for AFP machines
From the captured images it can be observed that three ply specimen paper shows higher structure density and minimal porosity characteristic compared to two and one ply.
Low density fibrous material surface light reflectance analysis
Each piece of lumber was first surfaced with a planer and then cut into a 102-mm-wide by 19-mm-thick by 2.44-m-long ply. Each of the 90 plies was measured for width, thickness, length, weight, moisture content, and acoustic properties, in the same manner as the treated wood plies.
Recycling of pentachlorophenol-treated southern pine utility poles. Part II: Mechanical and delamination properties of laminated beams
Later, Ply Gem will list the shares on the New York bourse under the PGEM symbol, the company added, without disclosing details on the pricing and the stock size.
JP Morgan, Goldman, Cr Suisse, UBS, Deutsche to underwrite US Ply Gem's IPO
Because these systems are only one ply (as their name suggests), you're sacrificing the security of a redundant system.
Why single-ply? A closer look at non-asphalt-based single-ply roof systems reveals the benefits, costs, and application methods
The beauty of 2 ply labels is that they stick easily to existing packaging without causing any beastly graphic design problems.
Burall 2 ply labels peel and reveal a wild side
It gives the mat a natural 'step.'" One of his favorite combinations is an eight-ply as a top mat, a six-ply as a middle mat, a 1/4-inch foam-core spacer and an eight- or six ply as the bottom mat.
Go deep with thick matboards: today's thicker matboards inspire new techniques and offer an added dimension of design possibilities
One of the best examples of where this trend is going is Ply Mart, a 34-year-old, privately held building supplier based in Norcross, Ga.
E-commerce gets real: online relationships between builders and suppliers are finally catching up with the rest of the world. Here's how it's working for one company
Most of the industry subscribes to the American Society for Testing and Materials' standard, which is based on the number of yarns in the warp direction and filing direction, regardless of ply. Recent introductions by Sferra Bros., Melange Home and other imported sheets are disregarding the old way of counting.
NEW MATH IN THREAD COUNTS DOESN'T ADD UP FOR THE MILLS
Input consists of ply material properties, material strengths, ply fiber orientation and stacking sequence, mechanical loads and/or strains, and temperature and moisture loads.
COMPOSITE PLATE ANALYSIS
The flagship product is Plylok supreme, a plied belt with fabric ratings of 125, 150, 200, 250 and 300 lb/in ply.
Georgia Duck
The grain of the individual panels, which in this kind of ply usually seems coarse, acquires dignity and wonder when it is seen on such a scale.
Timber top