one of a number of fixed sums payable at any post office to a named payee: Postal orders are issued at the post office counter upon payment of the postal order amount plus charges. Note: Neither expression correlates in meaning with the phrase mail order—an order for goods to be sent by post: Mail order has grown rapidly in recent years. As warehouses are situated in low-rent areas and there is no need of a sales staff, overheads are low. pour point • pourpoint pour point—the lowest temperature at which a substance (such as oil) flows and below which it is too viscous to be poured: The average specified pour-point for lubricating oils has been lowered from 30 to about 10°F. pourpoint—(hist.) a man’s padded and quilted close-fitting garment, worn in the 14th and 15th centuries: The military pourpoint was of leather or cloth, stuffed and quilted. practicable suggestion • practical suggestion practicable suggestion—a suggestion that can be carried out, or put into practice: This is not a practicable suggestion , at least at this time, for several reasons. It is unlikely that two new positions can be established… practical suggestion —a suggestion that is useful if carried out successfully: A practical suggestion is to increase the number of training schools to meet the demand for additional teachers. Prayer Book, the • prayer book Prayer Book, the—the book of prayers used in Church of England services: Subsequent revisions of the Prayer Book have introduced into the English Matins and Evensong ele- ments foreign to the ancient Hours. prayer book —a book containing prayers: Mahzor has come to mean the festive prayer book , as distinguished from the Jewish prayer book (Siddur) used on ordinary sabbaths and on weekdays. preparatory school (UK) • preparatory school (U.S.) preparatory school (UK)—fee-paying private junior school which prepares pupils for admission to independent secondary school: Laurence attended a “preparatory school ” from the time he was 8 years old until he was 13. preparatory school (U.S.)—fee-paying private senior school which prepares pupils for admission to a university: Egger intends to spend more time with her daughters, 18 and 16, who attend preparatory school out of state. press agency • press agentry press agency—(also: news agency) an organization that pro- vides news coverage to newspapers, etc.: According to a report issued by Reuters press agency , about 600 people have been evacuated after Mount Egon on Flores island started to erupt. Note: The expression does not correlate in meaning with the phrase press agent—a person employed to arrange favorable pub- licity for a firm, public figure, etc: The development of a fine reputation as a surgeon is not built by a press agent or a web site. press agentry —the promotion of entertainment stars, politi- cians, etc. to magazines, radio, and television: When press agentry began it was much more basic and considered to be vile and base by social critics and newspaper editors. press mark • press-mark press mark —a mark left on fabric by the impress of an iron: If press marks appear on the right side of the garment, hold the fabric in the steam of a kettle to remove them. press-mark —a mark stamped on a (library) book: Seymour de Ricci shows how much can be learned from the study of press-marks by anyone concerned with the provenance of books. press someone’s buttons • press the panic button press someone’s buttons—(also: push someone’s buttons) draw a strong emotional reaction, especially anger, from a person: It is very difficult to press his buttons because he is careful not to let his emotions control him. press the panic button—(also: push the panic button) overreact to a stressful situation: I fail to understand as to why the investors have pressed the panic button at a time when a new Government has not taken over. presume on something • presume something presume on something—take undue advantage of smth.; go beyond the proper limits: Most of these publishers are happy to send out a free sample; however don’t presume on their generosity. presume something—suppose that smth. is reasonable or pos- sible: If we shouldn’t presume his guilt before the facts come out, then we shouldn’t presume his innocence, either. pretend something • pretend to something pretend something—put forward a false claim as a reason or excuse for smth.: The tobacco industry had known for some time about the harm caused by tobacco products, yet it pre - tended ignorance. pretend to something—put forward a claim to smth.: One of the most destructive institutions in our society is the one that pretends to the honor of being the most compassionate: government welfare. prevail on someone • prevail over someone prevail on someone—(also: prevail with someone) persuade a person (to do smth.): She had turned a deaf ear to the per- suasions by which they sought to prevail on her. prevail over someone—(liter.) gain victory or achieve supe- riority over a person (also: prevail against someone): The heroes of these films inevitably prevail over their villainous oppo- nents. Primate of All England • Primate of England Primate of All England—the Archbishop of Canterbury: In England both the archbishops are primates, the archbishop of Canterbury being entitled “primate of all England .” Primate of England—the Archbishop of York: The parish clerk was duly authorized by the Primate of England to mon- otone the Psalms at Matins and Evensong. Privacy Act, the • Privacy Protection Act, the Privacy Act, the—(U.S.) the 1974 statute that forbids gov- ernment to disclose information about individuals and gives individuals the right to see, make copies of, and correct inac- curacies in their files: Under a 1984 amendment to the Privacy Act , agencies may not rely on exemptions in the Privacy Act to withhold information that would otherwise be available. Privacy Protection Act, the—(U.S.) the 1980 statute that makes it unlawful to search for or seize any material intended for dissemination to the public: The actions of your office stand in disregard of the Privacy Protection Act of 1980, and your remarks ignore a bedrock principle of our democratic society—the role of a free and independent press. private eye • public eye private eye —(coll.) a private detective working for a fee: The cops don’t like private eyes much. Cf.: private eyeful —(coll.) a pretty girl or woman employed by a detective agency: Both in quality and quantity … this San Francisco private eyeful exceeded her sister sleuths. – 271 – private eye