pulse

Related to pulse: pulse rate, blood pressure

(one's) finger on the pulse

A keen awareness of current trends and happenings. Sara really has her finger on the pulse of nightlife in the city, so I would ask her where you should have your birthday party.
See also: finger, on, pulse

feel the pulse of (something)

To use one's intuition to identify the current mood or feeling of a person, group, or setting. Try to feel the pulse of the crowd. If they seem bored, play some more upbeat songs.
See also: feel, of, pulse

get (someone's) pulse racing

To excite, thrill, or exhilarate someone. You could feel it in the air that the singer's performance was getting everyone's pulse racing. Her quick, sultry glances from across the room got my pulse racing.
See also: get, pulse, race

get pulses racing

To be very thrilling, exhilarating, or exciting. You could feel it in the air that the singer's performance was getting pulses racing. She has an intense, smoldering stare that gets pulses positively racing.
See also: get, pulse, race

have (one's) finger on the pulse

To be very aware of current trends and happenings in a particular place. Sara really has her finger on the pulse of nightlife in the city, so I would ask her where you should have your birthday party.
See also: finger, have, on, pulse

keep (one's) finger on the pulse (of something)

To maintain an awareness of current trends and happenings in a particular place, situation, or environment. Sara always keeps her finger on the pulse of city's nightlife, so I would ask her where you should have your birthday party. You've got to keep your finger on the pulse if you want to remain relevant in this industry.
See also: finger, keep, on, pulse

pulse through (someone or something)

To flow through something in a surge or throb, or a rhythmical series thereof. Electricity pulsed through the generator. Blood was pulsing through my temple as I tried to regain my breath.
See also: pulse, through

quicken the/(one's) pulse

To fill one with excitement, interest, or anticipation. Few things quicken the pulse like sky diving. Unfortunately, the only thing that quickened my pulse during this movie was the beginning action sequence. The rest was a bore.
See also: pulse

set (someone's) pulse racing

To excite, thrill, or exhilarate someone. You could feel it in the air that the singer's performance was setting everyone's pulse racing. Her quick, sultry glances from across the room set my pulse racing.
See also: pulse, race, set

set pulses racing

To be very thrilling, exhilarating, or exciting. You could feel it in the air that the singer's performance was setting pulses racing. She has an intense, smoldering stare that sets pulses positively racing.
See also: pulse, race, set

take (someone's or something's) pulse

1. Literally, to measure the heart rate of a person or animal in order to determine if they are alive or in good health. The doctor tried to take the poor man's pulse but declared him dead on the spot. She's taking the dog's pulse to see if he needs to go to the vet.
2. By extension, to gauge, measure, or get a sense of how well someone or something is performing, thriving, managing, coping, etc. We try to take our employees' pulse at the start of every year to see gauge the level of their morale. The analysis promises to take the economy's pulse and give clear predictions of the market's ability to grow over the next few years.
See also: pulse, take

take the pulse of (something)

To sense, determine, or judge the mood, feeling, or status of a particular group, setting, or environment. Try to take the pulse of the crowd. If they seem bored, play some more upbeat songs. We've been trying to take the pulse of voters ahead of the election, and so far it has been almost exactly split down the middle between the two candidates.
See also: of, pulse, take
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

keep one's finger on the pulse of something

Fig. to monitor the current state of something frequently. I have to keep my finger on the pulse of the city if I want to be a good reporter. It is hard to keep your finger on the pulse of Washington, D.C., but a U.S. senator must do it.
See also: finger, keep, of, on, pulse

pulse through someone or something

to flow or surge through someone or something. A jolt of electricity pulsed through Sam, causing him to jerk his hand away from the wire. They repaired the power lines and electricity began to pulse through the wires again.
See also: pulse, through

take someone's pulse

to measure the frequency of the beats of a person's pulse. I can take my own pulse. The nurse took my pulse and said I was fine.
See also: pulse, take

take the pulse of something

Fig. to sample or survey something to learn about its progress or state. Two executives came in to take the pulse of the local business unit.
See also: of, pulse, take
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

take the pulse of

Also, feel the pulse of. Try to determine the intentions or sentiments of a person or group, as in These exit polls allegedly take the pulse of the voters, but I don't believe they're very meaningful . [First half of 1600s] Also see feel out.
See also: of, pulse, take
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.

have your finger on the pulse

COMMON If you have your finger on the pulse, you know all the latest information about something or understand it very well. She had her finger on the pulse of the consumer-led Eighties generation. Note: You can also say that someone keeps their finger on the pulse if they make an effort to stay aware of new developments. It's important to keep your finger on the pulse by reading all the right magazines and newspapers. Note: People sometimes say that someone has their finger on the button. Hart is a businessman with his finger on the button. Note: Someone's pulse is the speed and force with which their blood vessels expand and contract as their heart beats. A doctor might feel a patient's pulse by pressing a finger lightly against the large artery in their wrist.
See also: finger, have, on, pulse
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

have (or keep) your finger on the pulse

be aware of all the latest news or developments.
See also: finger, have, on, pulse

feel (or take) the pulse of

ascertain the general mood or opinion of.
The image here is of literally determining someone's heart rate by feeling and timing the pulsation of an artery.
1994 Daily Mirror Our new Housing Monitor…will take the pulse of the housing market to keep you informed about the value of your most precious asset—your home.
See also: feel, of, pulse
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

have/keep your finger on the ˈpulse (of something)

know all that is happening; be aware of new developments in a particular situation: Successful politicians need to keep their finger on the pulse of the voters.
A doctor takes your pulse by putting his fingers on your wrist and counting the number of times the blood beats in a minute.
See also: finger, have, keep, on, pulse
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

take the pulse of

To judge the mood or views of (a political electorate, for example): The politician was able to take the pulse of the grass-roots voters.
See also: of, pulse, take
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
See also:
  • (one's) finger on the pulse
  • have (one's) finger on the pulse
  • have your finger on the pulse
  • have/keep your finger on the pulse
  • keep (one's) finger on the pulse (of something)
  • keep finger on the pulse of
  • give somebody the finger
  • give someone the finger
  • give someone/something the finger
  • give the finger
References in periodicals archive
Consumption of protein is essential to maintain the health and vigour of people and pulses are the most important source of protein in Pakistan.
World day to enhance awareness of benefits of eating pulses
Irradiating CNT cathodes with infrared laser pulses led to pulsed field emission [10,18,26].
Electronic Pulses from Pulsed Field Emission of CNT Cathodes
The heart part generates a pulsatile flow and is comprised of reservoir 2, check valves ((4), (9)), and a pulse generating part ((1), (2), (3)).
Study on the Depth, Rate, Shape, and Strength of Pulse with Cardiovascular Simulator
Pulses are also more affordable and sustainable than animal-based sources of protein.
Pulses: power-packed plant protein: the versatile legumes can be used in soups, salsas and salads
A normal pulse is regular and strong - any abnormality, such as a slow pulse or a fast, weak pulse, is a cause for concern.
Ask Dr Miriam
Pulses aren't always the tastiest to eat and trying to get a picky eater to eat them is no easy task!
UN Declares 2016 The Year Of Pulses
The emtest LD 200N load dump generator is an example of a generator that, in addition to the basic pulse shape, can create a clipped pulse to simulate the action of a car's transient protection circuitry.
Automotive conducted disturbance testing
Subject to the terms of the merger agreement, Oaktree will provide within 30 days, USD 8.5m of new loans to Pulse, which will be converted to common stock of Pulse at the closing of the transactions, and at the closing of the transactions, an additional amount of cash equal to USD 17.0m less the principal amount of such loans, in exchange for common stock of Pulse.
Oaktree Capital Affiliates to Acquire Pulse Electronics for USD 17m
First, the procedure of the developed UWB digital pulse generator is as follows.
Design and implementation of a hybrid UWB pulse generator for automotive radar
Beyond traditional markets, pulses have steadily increased in popularity as people around the world recognise their appeal as nutritious, versatile foods that can play an essential part in healthy diets.
UN says 2016 'International Year of Pulses'
This monocycle pulse generator needs two kinds of power supply voltage.
A novel subnanosecond monocycle pulse generator for UWB radar applications
"At Styron Automotive we have combined our industry knowledge, capabilities and experience to offer our customers a great portfolio of state of the art PC/ABS solutions, the Pulse GX series," said Dagmar van Heur.
Styron launches two new solutions for automotive interiors
Basically pulse reading involves the ability and skill of the physician in being able to pick up the impulse transmitted to the arteries, particularly the radial artery, and translate the message in term of etiological and pathological factors.
Pulse analysis in Tibetan medicine
The investigators found that fortifying the samples with 1% and 2% pulse fractions gave satisfactory results, based on sensory and functional attributes, for both orange and apple juice.
Fortify products with pulse ingredients