pile (redirected from was piled)

at the bottom of the heap/pile

in a worse situation than anyone else in a group of people. Those at the bottom of the heap feel that society has failed them. The homeless are at the bottom of the pile with little hope of improving their situation.

See also: bottom, heap

pile it/them high and sell it/them cheap (mainly British)

to sell large amounts of something at cheap prices. The shops at the lower end of the clothing market have survived by piling it high and selling it cheap.

See also: cheap, high, sell, them

pile on the agony (British & Australian, informal)

to try to get sympathy from other people by making your problems seem worse than they really are. He was really piling on the agony, saying he was heart-broken and hadn't got anything left to live for. (usually in continuous tenses)

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pile up something

to increase something. Many civilians were killed — the evidence continues to pile up. The company piled up hundreds of millions of dollars of losses over the last year.

Usage notes: usually used in passive forms: Earnings began piling up from the sale of the new switches.