A dictionary of Confusable Phrases: More Than 10,000 Idioms and Collocations

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.