From pillar to post

From pillar to post
Pillar Pil"lar, n. [OE. pilerF. pilier, LL. pilare, pilarium, pilarius, fr. L. pila a pillar. See {Pile} a heap.] 1. The general and popular term for a firm, upright, insulated support for a superstructure; a pier, column, or post; also, a column or shaft not supporting a superstructure, as one erected for a monument or an ornament. [1913 Webster]

Jacob set a pillar upon her grave. --Gen. xxxv. 20. [1913 Webster]

The place . . . vast and proud, Supported by a hundred pillars stood. --Dryden. [1913 Webster]

2. Figuratively, that which resembles such a pillar in appearance, character, or office; a supporter or mainstay; as, the Pillars of Hercules; a pillar of the state. ``You are a well-deserving pillar.'' --Shak. [1913 Webster]

By day a cloud, by night a pillar of fire. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

3. (R. C. Ch.) A portable ornamental column, formerly carried before a cardinal, as emblematic of his support to the church. [Obs.] --Skelton. [1913 Webster]

4. (Man.) The center of the volta, ring, or manege ground, around which a horse turns. [1913 Webster]

{From pillar to post}, hither and thither; to and fro; from one place or predicament to another; backward and forward. [Colloq.]

{Pillar saint}. See {Stylite}.

{Pillars of the fauces}. See {Fauces}, 1. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • from pillar to post — {adv. phr.} From one place to another many times. * /Sarah s father changed jobs several times a year, and the family was moved from pillar to post./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • from pillar to post — {adv. phr.} From one place to another many times. * /Sarah s father changed jobs several times a year, and the family was moved from pillar to post./ …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • From pillar to post — Post Post, n. [AS., fr. L. postis, akin to ponere, positum, to place. See {Position}, and cf. 4th {Post}.] 1. A piece of timber, metal, or other solid substance, fixed, or to be fixed, firmly in an upright position, especially when intended as a… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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  • from pillar to post — ► from pillar to post from one place to another in an unsatisfactory manner. Main Entry: ↑pillar …   English terms dictionary

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  • from pillar to post — adverb from one place or situation to another (Freq. 1) we were driven from pillar to post • Syn: ↑hither and thither * * * phrasal : from one place or one situation to another : hither and thither the libr …   Useful english dictionary

  • from pillar to post — British & Australian if someone goes from pillar to post, they are forced to keep moving from one place to another. After his mother died, Billy was passed from pillar to post and ended up in a children s home …   New idioms dictionary

  • from\ pillar\ to\ post — adv. phr. From one place to another many times. Sarah s father changed jobs several times a year, and the family was moved from pillar to post …   Словарь американских идиом

  • from pillar to post —    If something is going from pillar to post, it is moving around in a meaningless way, from one disaster to another.   (Dorking School Dictionary) …   English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

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