prune (redirected from pruning)

full of hot air and full of beans; full of bull; full of it; full of prunes

Fig. full of nonsense; talking nonsense. Oh, shut up, Mary. You're full of hot air. Don't pay any attention to Bill. He's full of beans. My English professor is full of bull. You're full of it.

See also: air, full, hot

prune something away

to cut away something unwanted or unneeded. Please prune the lower branches of the trees away. They are starting to annoy pedestrians. We pruned away the dead branches.

See also: away

prune something of something

to clear, clean, or groom something of something by pruning. Sally was out in the orchard pruning the apple trees of dead branches. They pruned the roses of their unneeded branches.

prune something off (of) something and prune something off

to cut something off something. (Of is usually retained before pronouns.) Claire pruned the dead branch off the apple tree. She pruned off the dead branch.