A Dictionary of Cont..

pound 384
construction survives to some extent in the
United States, where people speak of few poultry
and many poultry, as well as of much poultry.
pound (the unit of weight). Only the singular
form pound can be used to qualify a following
noun, as in a five-pound baby. We do not say a
five-pounds buby. In the United States the plural
form pounds is preferred in any other construction,
when speaking of more than one. But in
Great Britain the singular form is always used
with a number word, as in five pound of tobacco.
pound of flesh. As a term for the full amount
of something due, especially in reference to its
being exacted by the one to whom it is due, a
pound of fleslz is a cliche. The reference is to
Shylock’s insistence, in Shakespeare’s The Merchant
of Venice, on having that pound of Antonio’s
flesh which had been nominated in their
bond as a forfeit.
pour. See pore.
powers that be. As a term for those in authority
in a particular situation, the powers that be is a
cliche. It is an echo of Romans 13 : 1.
practical; practicable; possible. Practical, when
applied to persons, means sensible, realistic,
businesslike. When applied to things, it means
efficient and workable. It is contrasted to the
theoretical and the visionary. Practicable means
capable of being put into practice or of being
used (He rode north along the river, looking for
a practicable crossing). Practicable differs from
possible in that possible indicates something that
may be performed if the necessary means can
be obtained; whereas practicable indicates only
those things that may be performed by the
means at one’s disposal.
The confusion in the use of the words is often
rooted in the situations to which they are applied.
Something may be both practical and practicable
or one or the other exclusively. It may,
for example, be both practical and practicable
to drive with chains on an icy road; that is, one
can drive with them and it is sensible to do so. A
practical foreign policy may be devised by a
government, however, which is rendered impracticable
by the sudden emergence of some
emotional storm or religious fury or patriotic
excitement in the people of one of the nations
that must be dealt with.
practical; virtual. Though some English authorities
cry out against the use of practical for virtual,
which has developed on the analogy of the
accepted synonymity of practically and virtually,
American usage sanctions it. Thus one may say
It is a practical certainty and mean a virtual
certainty.
practically; virtually; almost; nearly. In the strict
sense, practically means “in effect, in practice,”
as opposed to “in theory” (Though the theory
of pacifism is persuasive, practically, pacifism
won’t do). Virtually is very close to practically,
for it means “in effect,” though not actually or
expressly so (After George III relapsed into
permanent insanity, the Prince of Wales was
virtually king).
It is not in its strict sense, however, that prac-
tically tends to be used. Rather it is employed
loosely in place of the more precise nearly or
almost where, as Sir Alan Herbert has cogently
remarked, it often means “not practically.” To
say We are practically there when you mean We
are nearly there is to abuse the word; you are
not there in effect until you are there. But you
can sav that from 1810 on the Prince of Wales
was p;actically king of England, because, although
designated Prince Regent, he was, because
of his father’s incompetence, in practice
and effect the king. Or (the example is Herbert’s)
you may say that a family is practically
extinct when its sole survivor is a childless old
man who is dying. If it were a childless old
woman, practically would be even more justified.
practice (in the sense of habit). See custom.
practice; practise. In England the noun is spelled
practice, the verb practise. In America practice
is preferred for both noun and verb, though
practise may be used for the verb.
praise. See panegyric, elegy.
preacher. When applied to one who preaches in
specific reference to his preaching, preacher is
still a word of some dignity in American usage
(Dr. Peale is one of the great preachers of our
day. As a preacher Graham combines boyish
charm with studied eloquence). But as a synonym
for pastor or minister, it is now slightly
quaint (Resolved, that . . . all licensed preachers
. . . [be exempted] from working on public roads
. . . when on their professional duties) or humorously
disparaging (A preacher went a-hunting/
Upon a Sunday morn). Its use as a part of a
name is distinctly backwoodsy (Preacher Jones
was here about the money he says you owe
him). See also pastor, parson, clergyman.
precede; proceed. Precede, which is usually transitive,
means to go before, as in place, order,
rank, importance, or time (A flash of lightning
preceded the thunder. The ambassador preceded
the other guests into the dining hall. A major
precedes a captain in the military organization).
Proceed, which is invariably intransitive, means
to move or go forward or onward, especially
after stopping (Upon receipt of these orders, you
will proceed without delay to the nearest port
of embarkation. Zf you are clear on the work so
far, let us proceed to the next step).
precedence and precedent both mean a going before,
but in different senses. Precedence means
the act or fact of preceding; priority in order,
rank, importance (A major has precedence of a
captain) ; priority in time (Yalta has precedence
of Potsdum) ; the right to precede others in ceremonies
or social formalities (The Papal Nuncio
was accorded the precedence. At state banquets
the Premier had precedence); the order to be
observed ceremonially by persons of different
ranks (As a Washington hostess she had made
a careful study of precedence). Precedent means
a preceding instance or case which may serve as
an example for or a justification in subsequent
cases (The ambassador established an admirable
precedent when he sent his children to the local
school). In law, precedent means a legal decision