pass (redirected from passed upon)

be like ships that pass in the night

if two people are like ships that pass in the night, they meet once or twice by chance for a short time and then do not see each other again. I only met him once or twice - we were like ships that pass in the night - but I've never met anyone else like him.

See also: like, night, ship, that

come through/pass with flying colours (British & Australian, American & Australian)

to pass an examination with a very high score or to complete a difficult activity very successfully. She took her university entrance exam in December and passed with flying colours. The officer training was gruelling, but he came through with flying colours.

See also: colour, come, flying, through

make a pass at someone

to speak to or touch someone in a way that shows you would like to start a sexual relationship with them. He made a pass at her at Simon's party.

pass by on the other side (British & Australian)

to ignore a person who needs help. We cannot just pass by on the other side when we know people are suffering like this.

See also: other, side

pass muster

to be of an acceptable standard for a particular purpose. Well, how did I do in the test? Do I pass muster?

pass the baton

to give responsibility for something important to another person. Dougal resigns as head of the treasury this month, passing the baton to one of his closest associates. (often + to)

pass the buck

to blame someone or to make them responsible for a problem that you should deal with yourself. Parents often try to pass the buck to teachers when children misbehave in school. (sometimes + to) Bus companies are just passing the buck by saying their drivers are responsible for delays.

See also: buck

pass the hat around/round

to collect money from a group of people. We're passing the hat round for Simon's leaving present.

See also: around, hat, round

pass the time of day

to have a short conversation with someone about things which are not important. The old man liked to pass the time of day with his neighbours. (often + with)

See also: day, time

things have come to/reached a pretty pass

something that you say which means a situation is very bad. Things have come to a pretty pass when old people are dying of hypothermia because they can't afford to heat their homes. (often + when)

See also: come, pretty, reach, thing

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make a pass at someone

to act toward someone in a way that shows a sexual interest in them. It seems as if those boys can't think of much more than fast cars and making passes at girls.

pass along something (to someone)

to give something to someone. Reporters passed along the information as they heard it. If you don't want the book, you can pass it along to someone who does.

Usage notes: also said about something given to younger people: I wanted friends and family to be able to pass along some special memory about my father after his death. Women can also pass the gene along to their children.

See also: along

pass away

to die. Both my parents passed away fairly young, and then my brothers and I lived with our uncle.

See also: away

pass for someone/something

to appear to be someone or something else. A lot of what passes for humor these days is just anger expressed in the form of a joke. Although he's 35, he could still pass for a college student.

pass judgment on someone/something

to express a strong opinion about someone or something. Don't pass judgment on the exhibit until you've seen it for yourself.

Usage notes: the opinion is usually not likely to be changed

See also: judgment

pass muster

to be acceptable or satisfactory. The tortillas and tacos we offered for lunch today didn't pass muster with the students.

Etymology: based on the military use of the phrase pass muster (= to gather soldiers in a group to show officers they are acceptably dressed and equipped)

pass off

to happen in a particular way. The ceremony passed off without a problem, with the baby sleeping through most of it.

pass something off as something

to pretend that something is different from what it really is. Mother would never try to pass off supermarket cookies as homemade, would she? The senator passed his impolite language off as “the way we talk where I come from.”

pass yourself off as someone

to pretend that you are someone else. Maurice is trying to pass himself off as a journalist to get admitted to the press conference.

pass something on (to someone)

to give something to someone. Companies almost always pass any increase in costs on to consumers. She had passed on some false information, but I'm sure she thought it was true.

Usage notes: often said about something given to younger people: I think it's wonderful that you have passed your interest in music on to your children.

pass out

to become unconscious. A few people passed out from the heat.

pass over someone/something

to ignore someone or something. Thirty attorneys were passed over for promotion by the department.

See also: over

pass the buck

to make someone else responsible for something. Bus companies say their drivers are causing delays, but they are just passing the buck again.

See also: buck

pass the hat

to ask a group of people to give money. Our group has tried passing the hat, and they've had auctions and done various things to raise funds.

Usage notes: usually said about money that is given to help pay for something or to reward someone

Etymology: based on the literal meaning of passing a hat (= asking people to put money in a hat that is handed from one person to another)

See also: hat

pass the smell test

to be morally acceptable. Robinson's removal as an independent investigator doesn't pass the smell test, and many believe it was done for political reasons.

Usage notes: often used in negative sentences, as in the example

See also: smell, test

pass the time

to do something to keep busy while waiting. While she was home with a broken leg, she passed the time reading, listening to music, and writing letters.

See also: time

pass the time of day (with someone)

to talk in a friendly way with someone. She often stopped to pass the time of day with her neighbors.

See also: day, time

pass the torch (to someone)

to give responsibility to someone. The president of the company announced his retirement, saying it was time to pass the torch to someone younger.

See also: torch

pass up something

to fail to take advantage of an opportunity. Phillips could never pass up a chance to tell you how much he hated lawyers. When they invited her to perform, I told her she shouldn't pass it up.