press into service
To make someone perform a task or duty, especially one they are not prepared or willing to do; to make something serve a function, especially one it was not designed or intended for.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“We pressed the old chair into service as a desk.”
“When the main projector broke, we pressed a laptop into service to show the presentation.”
“Lacking sufficient professional staff, the commander pressed the untrained volunteers into service to help defend the city walls.”
- 01
hot off the presses
Freshly printed, minted, written, or created.
- 02
lip service
Promising but empty talk; words without action or intention.
- 03
press on
To persist, to continue to advance.
- 04
press the flesh
To shake hands and socialize, especially in a political gathering.
- 05
press the panic button
To start to panic.
- 06
pressed for time
in a hurry, without spare time.
- 07
stop press
Used to grab attention, implying importance, news-worthiness, etc.
- 08
stop the presses
An exclamation used to introduce especially new, important, surprising, or recent developments.
Last updated August 10, 2026