Glossary beginning with P
- Pack ice
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Any area of sea ice that isn't attached to the shoreline or another land mass.
- Pamphlets
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Printed, unbound sheets of paper; often with news or political content.
- Panopticon
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A special type of prison, designed by English philosopher Jeremy Bentham, that allows a person to monitor all prisoners without being seen.
- Paratroops
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Soldiers who have been trained to parachute into enemy territory, usually also very skilled fighters. Also called paratroopers.
- Persuasive language
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Speech or writing that tries to influence and persuade its audience of a particular point of view.
- Phrenological analysis
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A popular 19th century 'science' which believed the bumps on people's heads could be used to descibe their personality.
- Piety
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Strict observance of Christian rules of behaviour.
- Plagiarism
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Deliberately using someone else's ideas without their permission or acknowledging the source.
- Plebiscite
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Similar to a referendum, a plebiscite polls the public's opinion on government policy but unlike a referendum, the government of the day is not bound to implement the result.
- Portmanteau
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A word made from combining two other words.
- Posthumous
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Something which happens after a person's death.
- Prohibition
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The policy of banning the sale of alcohol. In reality many 'sly grog' sellers and coffee tents ignored this law.
- Propaganda
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Biased reports or information designed to exert influence over a particular group, usually playing on fear or prejudice.
- Protection racket
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When people are forced to pay money to criminals who threaten them with violence
- Protons
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tiny particles inside an atom