pound (redirected from pounding the beat)

*pound of flesh

Fig. a payment or punishment that involves suffering and sacrifice on the part of the person being punished. (*Typically: give someone ~; owe someone ~; pay someone ~; take ~.) He wants revenge. He won't be satisfied until he takes his pound of flesh.

See also: flesh

hammer something into someone and pound something into someone

hammer someone in; pound someone in Fig. to teach something to someone intensively, as if one were driving the information in by force. Her parents had hammered good manners into her head since she was a child. They hammered in good manners every day. They pounded proper behavior into the children.

See also: and, hammer

hammer something into something and pound something into something

hammer something in; pound something in Lit. to drive something into something as with a hammer. Todd hammered the spike into the beam. He hammered in the spike. He hammered it in with two hard blows.

See also: hammer

hit the books and pound the books

Inf. Fig. to study hard. I spent the weekend pounding the books. I gotta go home and hit the books. I have finals next week.

See also: book, hit

ounce of common sense is worth a pound of theory

Prov. Common sense will help you solve problems more than theory will. The psychologist had many elaborate theories about how to raise her child, but often forgot that an ounce of common sense is worth a pound of theory.

See also: common, ounce, sense, theory, worth

ounce of discretion is worth a pound of wit

Prov. Knowing when to refrain from making jokes is better than being able to make jokes all the time. Mabel makes fun of everybody, regardless of whether or not she hurts their feelings. Someone should tell her that an ounce of discretion is worth a pound of wit.

See also: discretion, ounce, wit, worth

ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure

Prov. If you put in a little effort to prevent a problem, you will not have to put in a lot of effort to solve the problem. Brush your teeth every day; that way you won't have to go to the dentist to have cavities filled. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. If you get in the habit of being careful with your new stereo, chances are you won't break it and have to have it fixed later. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

See also: cure, ounce, prevention, worth

penny-wise and pound-foolish

Prov. thrifty with small sums and foolish with large sums. (Describes someone who will go to a lot of trouble to save a little money, but overlooks large expenses to save a little money. Even in the United States, the reference is to British pounds sterling.) Sam: If we drive to six different grocery stores, we'll get the best bargains on everything we buy. Alan: But with gasoline so expensive, that's penny-wise and pound-foolish.

See also: and

pound someone's head in

Fig. to beat someone, especially about the head. Fred looked like he wanted to pound Mike's head in; he was so mad! You want me to pound in your head?

See also: head

pound something down

to hammer, flatten, or batter something. Please pound that nail down so that no one gets hurt on it. Yes, please pound down that nail!

pound something on someone or something

to hit or strike someone or something with something. Sarah pounded the vase on the robber until it broke. Betty stood pounding her shoe on the radiator, hoping the racket would magically bring heat.

pound something out 

1. Lit. to flatten something by pounding. He pounded the gold leaf out very thin. He pounded out the gold leaf.

2. Fig. to play something loudly on the piano, perhaps with difficulty or clumsily. Here, pound this one out. A little softer, please. She was pounding out a nice little tune.

3. Fig. to type something on a keyboard. I have finished writing it. Can I borrow your laptop so I can pound it out? All the reporters were pounding out stories for the next edition of the paper.

See also: out

pound something up

to break something up by pounding. Pound the crackers up into crumbs and use them to coat the chicken before you fry it. Pound up the crackers and put the crumbs in a jar.

See also: up

pound a beat

Fig. to walk a regular route. The cop pounded the same beat for years and years. Pounding a beat will wreck your feet.

See also: beat

pound along something 

1. Fig. to walk or run along something awkwardly or heavily. As the horse pounded along the street, the rider tried hard to get it to slow down. Tom pounded along the pavement, looking a bit angry.

2. Fig. to tap or hammer along something. The worker pounded along the edge of the roof, looking for rotten places. I pounded along the wall, looking for a stud to nail into.

See also: along

pound away (at someone or something)

to hammer or batter constantly on someone or something. The cops pounded away at the poor guy, and then they put him in handcuffs. The jackhammer kept pounding away at the pavement.

See also: away

pound for pound

[Usually of value, quality, strength, etc.] considering the amount of weight involved. Pound for pound, a dog fed properly is much stronger than a dog that has to fend for itself. Pound for pound, there is more food value in beef than in chicken.

pound on someone or something

to beat or hammer on someone or something. She kept pounding on him until he released her. Will you please stop pounding on that drum?

pound one's ear

Sl. to sleep. I've got to spend more time pounding my ear. She went home to pound her ear an hour or two before work.

See also: ear

pound the pavement

Fig. to walk through the streets looking for a job. I spent two months pounding the pavement after the factory I worked for dosed. Hey, Bob. You'd better get busy pounding those nails unless you want to be out pounding the pavement.

See also: pavement

Prevention is better than cure.

Prov. It is better to try to keep a bad thing from happening than it is to fix the bad thing once it has happened. (See also An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure.) If we spend more money on education, so that children learn to be responsible citizens, we won't have to spend so much money on prisons. Prevention is better than cure.

See also: better, cure, prevention

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your pound of flesh

if someone demands their pound of flesh, they make someone give them something that they owe them, although they do not need it and it will cause problems for the other person

Usage notes: This phrase comes from Shakespeare's play, The Merchant of Venice.

His boss, demanding his pound of flesh, made him come into work even though his daughter was seriously ill.

See also: flesh

be penny-wise and pound-foolish  (old-fashioned)

to be extremely careful about small amounts of money and not careful enough about larger amounts of money Saving a little bit of money on repairs can lead to long-term damage. You don't want to be penny-wise and pound-foolish, now do you?

See also: and

hit the books  (American & Australian informal)

to study I can't go out tonight. I've got to hit the books.

See also: book, hit

Prevention is better than cure.  (British & Australian) also An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. (American)

something that you say which means it is better to stop something bad happening than it is to deal with it after it has happened More advice is needed on how to stay healthy because, as we all know, prevention is better than cure.

See also: better, cure, prevention

the pink pound  (British) also the pink dollar (American)

the money that is spent by people who are homosexual (= attracted to people of their own sex) Further proof of the strength of the pink pound can be seen in Brighton, where there are numerous successful gay clubs.

See also: pink

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hit the books

to study To learn English, she not only hit the books but also practiced conversing with others every day.

See also: book, hit

penny wise and pound foolish

unwise because doing something small now would prevent much more trouble later Education budget cuts are penny wise and pound foolish – public education is an investment in our future.

See also: and, foolish, penny, wise

pound out something also pound something out

to produce something quickly and with a lot of energy I'm able to pound out at least three articles every week. He pounded out a couple of tunes on the old piano.

Usage notes: often used to suggest that something was not produced carefully or correctly

See also: out

pound the pavement

1. to look for a job Mary had children to feed, so she kept pounding the pavement until she finally landed a job at a burger restaurant.

2. to look for money or support She's been going out and pounding the pavement, raising money for research. Day after day, they pound the pavement, hoping to share a message about their religious faith.

See also: pavement