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control: Is she on the pill? (=taking the pill) | She went on the pill on her doctor's advice. → see Feature on page A8
CULTURAL NOTE The Pill The Pill is one of the most popular and EFFECTIVE forms of CONTRACEPTIVE used in the US and the UK. There are certain religions that do not allow women to go on the pill (take the pill) because they believe it is morally wrong. Many people in the US and UK, however, believe that it is acceptable to have sex for pleasure, and use the pill so that they can have sex without the risk of PREGNANCY. The Pill first became available in the 1960s, and some people connect it with the increased sexual freedom of that period of time. → see also PERMISSIVE SOCIETY
pill² v [I] AmE (of clothing) to form little balls on the surface after being worn or washed
pil-lage¹ /'pɪlɪdʒ/ n [U] old use the act of pillaging
pillage² v [I;T] old use to steal things violently from (a place taken in war); PLUNDER: The Vikings raped and pillaged all along the coast. → compare LOOT —lager n
pil-lar /'pɪlər/ n 1 a tall upright round post made usually of stone a) used as a support for a roof: the graceful pillars of the Roman Forum b) standing alone in memory of some person or event 2 [(of)] something tall, narrow, and upright: a pillar of smoke 3 [(of)] apprec an important member and active supporter: a pillar of the community/church 4 (be driven) from pillar to post (to be chased or hunted) from one place or difficulty to another → compare COLUMN
'pillar box n (in Britain) a large tube-shaped type of POSTBOX that stands in the street and is usually painted red → compare LETTERBOX, POST
,pillar of 'salt n pl. pillars of salt a rock-like upright piece of salt. In the Bible, Lot's wife is said to have become a pillar of salt after she disobeyed advice and looked back on the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.
Pillars of Hercules, the two very tall rocks on either side of the Strait of GIBRALTAR, a narrow area of sea at the western end of the Mediterranean Sea. According to ancient Greek stories, the rocks had been moved apart by HERCULES, and they were thought of as showing the limits of the known world.
pill-box /'pɪlbɒks||-bɑːks/ n 1 a small round box for holding PILLS 2 a small usually circular CONCRETE shelter with a gun inside it, built as a defence especially along a shore
pil-lion /'pɪliən/ n a seat for a second person on a motorcycle, placed behind the driver: a pillion passenger | He was riding pillion. (=on the pillion)
pil-lock /'pɪlɒk/ n BrE slang a foolish worthless person
pil-lo-ry¹ /'pɪləri/ n a wooden post with a bar at the top into which in former times the neck and wrists of wrongdoers were locked as a public punishment → compare STOCKS
pillory² v [T] 1 to attack with words, especially so as to cause to be treated with disrespect by the public: The education secretary was pilloried in the press for his ridiculous decision. 2 to punish by putting in a pillory
pil-low¹ /'pɪləʊ/ n 1 a cloth bag, usually longer than it is wide, filled with a soft substance such as feathers and used for supporting the head in bed: The children were having a marvellous pillow fight. (=hitting each other with pillows) → compare CUSHION 2 any object used for supporting the head, especially while sleeping: She used her saddlebag as a pillow. → see also PILLOW TALK
pillow² v [T+obj+adv/prep] to rest (especially one's head) on something, especially in order to go to sleep: She pillowed her head on his shoulder.
pil-low-case /'pɪləʊkeɪs/ also 'pillow slip n a baglike cloth covering for a pillow
'pillow talk n [U] infml conversation in bed between lovers
Pills·bu·ry /'pɪlzbəri||-beri/ trademark a large US food company, whose products include flour, cake mixes, breakfast products, and PIZZAS. The company's advertisements show a small CARTOON man made of DOUGH, called the Pillsbury Doughboy.
pi-lot¹ /'paɪlət/ n 1 a person who controls an aircraft or spacecraft, especially one who has been specially trained: an airline pilot 2 a person with a special knowledge of a particular stretch of water, especially the entrance to a HARBOUR, who is employed to go on board and guide ships that use it: a harbour pilot 3 a television programme which is made to see if people like it and whether they would watch such a programme regularly if it were on every week → see also AUTOMATIC PILOT, drop the pilot (DROP)
pilot² v [T] 1 to act as pilot of (an aircraft, spacecraft, or ship) → see BOAT (USAGE), DRIVE (USAGE), PLANE (USAGE) 2 [+obj+adv/prep, especially through] to help and guide; show the way: She piloted the old man through the crowd to his seat. | (fig.) The minister has piloted several useful bills through Parliament. (=made sure they came successfully through and were made into laws)
pilot³ adj [A] acting as a trial for something: We're doing a pilot survey on this product; if it sells well, we'll go into full production. | a pilot scheme
'pilot light n 1 also 'pilot ,burner a small gas flame kept burning all the time, used for lighting larger gas burners when the gas in them is turned on 2 a small electric light on a piece of electrical apparatus that shows when it is turned on
'pilot ,officer n an airforce rank → see TABLE 3
'pilot ,whale n a small WHALE with black skin
Pilt-down Man /,pɪltdaʊn 'mæn/ n [U] an early type of human being that was believed to have existed because of a set of bones that were found in Sussex, in southern England, in 1912. But in 1953, scientific tests proved that the bones were not very old and that one of them belonged to an APE. It was then realized that the bones had been put there as a trick.
Pi-ma /'piːmə/ n 1 the Pima a Native American tribe whose members live in Arizona 2 [C] a member of this tribe → see Cultural Note at NATIVE AMERICAN —Pima adj
pi-men-to /pɪ'mentəʊ/ n pl. -tos or -to [C;U] a small PEPPER often used for putting inside OLIVES
Pimms /pɪmz/ trademark a type of alcoholic drink containing GIN, whose full name is Pimms Number One Cup. Pimms is drunk with ice, LEMONADE, and small pieces of fruit, and in the UK it is connected in people's minds with fashionable summer events such as the HENLEY REGATTA or WIMBLEDON.
pimp /pɪmp/ n a man who controls and makes a profit from the activities of PROSTITUTES —pimp v [I(for)]
pim-per-nel /'pɪmpənɛl||-ər-/ n a small low-growing wild plant with flowers that are blue, white, or especially SCARLET
pim-ple /'pɪmpəl/ also spot BrE — n a small raised infected spot on the skin (especially of the face), usually containing PUS → see also GOOSEFLESH —pled adj —ply adj: pimply skin | a pimply youth
pin¹ /pɪn/ n 1 a short thin piece of metal that looks like a small nail, used for fastening together pieces of cloth, paper etc, used e.g. when making clothes → see also PINCUSHION 2 (often in comb.) a quite short thin piece of metal, pointed at one end and with a decoration at the other, used especially as a form of jewellery: a hat pin | a tie pin 3 AmE for BROOCH 4 a short piece of wood or metal used as a support, for fastening things together etc; PEG: The doctor put a steel pin in his wrist. 5 [usually pl.] BrE infml a leg: He's a bit unsteady on his pins. 6 any of the bottle-shaped objects which a player tries to knock down by rolling a ball at them in the game of BOWLING: He knocked down four pins with his first ball. 7 BrE for two pins infml without needing to be persuaded very hard: He's just stepped on my clean floor - for two pins I'd hit him! → see also DRAWING PIN, NINEPINS, PINS AND NEEDLES, ROLLING PIN, SAFETY PIN
pin² v -nn- [T+obj+adv/prep] 1 to fasten or join with a pin or pins: She pinned the front and back pieces of the dress together and tried it on for size. | He pinned the medal on the soldier's chest. 2 to keep in one position, especially by weight from above: The wrestler pinned his opponent to the