Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: to a T (used idiomatically: yes)
By James Roberts FASHION is a fickle world where few garments rank as real survivors . One that fits this description to a T is the T - shirt . But more than being a mainstay of fashion , the T - shirt is an enduring medium of advertising . Whether you 're plugging a designer label or political ideology , emblazoning your message across someone 's chest is a great way of getting it seen .
Idiom: on a silver platter (used idiomatically: yes)
There were shops solely devoted to hand - made chocolates , sold in boxes quilted like cushions . And in the windows of the pâtisserie , where the cakes were little works of art in their own right , I counted a dozen three - foot bottles of marrons in cognac . Next to the butcher , where the meat was arranged on silver platters and the chops dressed with paper ruffs , I saw for the first time a shop stocked exclusively with cheeses : nothing else , just cheese . There must have been five hundred varieties . I entered .
Idiom: on the rocks (used idiomatically: no)
Carolina ! Rasta ba . .Ee , Carolina you got me girl , yeah , you get up on the rock . Oh I like that song . It 's wicked !
Idiom: think twice (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Give a man a weapon and he 'll use it,’ Mr Sanderson argued . ‘ But will he if the person facing him has the same weapon ? He would certainly think twice where he would n't have done before,’ Maggie replied . ‘ The bullies must be stood up to,’ Nevil said . ‘ That 's something you learn early on .
Idiom: kicking and screaming (used idiomatically: yes)
HAPPY IN HELL —The Christians ( Island)Restrained soul - pop outing that sees the brothers Christian returning to the kind of infectious form that brought them success with ‘ Forgotten Town’ and ‘ Ideal World’ . GOOD NEWS —Carmel ( East West)Still criminally neglected in this country , brassy belter Carmel McCourt arranges yet another stormy marriage of jazz , pop , blues and gospel . NERVE SET —Brian Eno ( WEA)Following his collaboration with John Cale on Wrong Way Up and his production duties with U2 , Eno drags his ambient aesthetic kicking and screaming on to the dance floor . Books Derek Raymond 's bleak world
Idiom: when the chips are down (used idiomatically: yes)
In response to the crisis of 2007 - 2009 , governments in most industrialized countries put in place some of the most generous bailouts ever seen for large financial institutions . Of ~ course , it is not politically correct to call them bailouts – the preferred language of policymakers is “ liquidity support ” or “ systemic protection . But it amounts to essentially the same thing : when the chips were down , the most powerful governments in the world ( on paper , at ~ least ) deferred again ~ and ~ again to the needs and wishes of people who had lent money to big banks . In each instance , the logic was impeccable . For example , if the US had n’t provided essentially unconditional support to Citigroup in 2008 ( under President George ~ W .~ Bush ) and again in 2009 ( under President Barack ~ Obama ) , the resulting financial collapse would have deepened the global recession and worsened job losses around the world .
Idiom: go round in circles (used idiomatically: no)
Now my 18-month - old toddler is n't just the son and heir , he 's a walking , talking playmate . We spent last Sunday at an agriculture show and paid a fortune for various rides , candyfloss and pointing at the prize ‘ baa - baas.’ It was worth it just to see the fun he had going round in circles on a toy fire engine . But life with Thomas is n't just a merry - go - round it can be swings and roundabouts . We rarely get out at night , because keeping up with the little fella leaves us dog - tired .
Idiom: carry the can (used idiomatically: yes)
Are you all right?’ ‘ Nothing . Only I had to carry the can for it . I 'm fine.’ ‘ Where are you now ?
Idiom: take stock (used idiomatically: yes)
Implementation of the plan and evaluation are so closely intertwined that the four - section cycle is redrawn to highlight the regular to - and - fro between the first ( ‘ sustain commitment’ ) and the second ( ‘ check progress’ ) which leads to ‘ overcome problems’ and then ‘ check successes’ . The final stage of the cycle , before reporting , is ‘ taking stock’ ; a relatively low - key affair , since much of the evaluation has taken place already . Interestingly , in the list of purposes of ‘ taking stock’ . ‘ assess the extent to which the school 's aims have been furthered’ takes second place to ‘ examine the success of the implementation of the plan’ . After all , we have a similar journey to make next year and the experience can have important effects on the teachers involved — leading , in some cases perhaps , to loss of enthusiasm and morale , though more often .
Idiom: for good measure (used idiomatically: yes)
Then I asked Service to send me up some food and a large pot of coffee . I fooled around with a lamb chop for a while , but decided I was n't really very hungry after all . The coffee hit the spot , though , and I drank my way through the whole pot and threw in a couple of cigarettes for good measure . It was then six thirty and I was beginning to feel a little more alive . The immediate problem was to get to see Laura Channing .
Idiom: on the level (used idiomatically: yes)
Part of the revived demand for credit could be linked to greater job security among consumers , and a third survey out today from the Industrial Relations Services indicates that , while pay rises look set to stay low , firms are shedding fewer jobs . Meanwhile , the chief economist at the National Westminster Bank , David Kern , believes interest rates will drop by a full 1pc before the end of the year as recovery continues ' at an uneven pace ' . Infolink chairman Dr Brian Bailey said its survey on credit levels showed ' that confidence is continuing to gain momentum ' and the general trend showed rising demand for credit . The sample of 800,000 credit searches showed a 14.7pc rise in credit inquiries in the year to July for new car loans ; finance houses reported a 9.2pc increase with a 7.4pc rise in the retail sector and inquiries for home loans were up 4.3pc . Wall Street break sees Footsie drift
Idiom: turn the screw (used idiomatically: yes)
Meanwhile abuse was not restricted to the picket lines . Well - publicised abuses in the workplace became a national disgrace . ( Workers sat around playing cards because their daily quota had been met ; whole teams stood idle because only the appointed mechanic was allowed to turn a particular screw ; and so on . ) The corrective to all this — a culture that stressed hard work , honesty , respect for others and respect for oneself — was given short shrift . Indeed , there was an anti -enterprise culture .
Idiom: rank and file (used idiomatically: yes)
He gained a free hand from his ministerial colleagues to reconstruct the cabinet and called upon the Soviet to help defend the capital against ' counter - revolution ' . Bolsheviks and moderate socialists alike joined garrison troops , sailors from Kronstadt and workers ' militia ( ' Red Guard ' ) detachments in heading off the force despatched by Kornilov . Railway workers halted the troop trains , rank - and - file soldiers abandoned the expedition and Kornilov was arrested . Kerensky 's prestige was badly tarnished , the government was left in disarray , and the call for ' All Power to the Soviets ' became more popular . The moderate socialists remained opposed to the formation of a Soviet - based government , but rejected co - operation with the Kadets whom they considered implicated in the Kornilov affair .
Idiom: muddy the waters (used idiomatically: yes)
The Wolf that Ate Georgia FLORENCE – In Phaedrus 's well - known fable of the wolf and the lamb , the wolf easily could have eaten the lamb without a word , but prefers to set out his " reasons . " First , he scolds the lamb because he is muddying his drinking water ( even though the wolf was upstream ) . Then he argues that last year the lamb had called him bad names ( but the lamb was only six months old ) . The wolf then snarls that if it was not the lamb , it was his father ; after that , he immediately moves into action .
Idiom: go by the board (used idiomatically: yes)
I welcome the hon . Lady to the Opposition Front - Bench team . I remember that when she came to the House she was , like her leader , a passionate supporter of CND . Their principles have gone by the board . As for the matter that she raises , I welcome the fact that GP fund holders , and all GPs , are doing more in their own surgeries , which cuts waiting lists and speeds patient care . I regret the fact that the hon . Member for Livingston saw fit not to answer the challenge that I laid down to him , just as he has not answered any of the challenges that I have laid down to him today , and that he has also seen fit to put the hon . Lady , on her first outing today , into a rather difficult position .
Idiom: cry foul (used idiomatically: yes)
If anything , China has proven that a country can blend control , coercion , and patronage to stymie the Internet ’s politically liberalizing elements . Through discreet but tough controls , Beijing pursues a policy of wai song , nei jin – relaxed on the outside , vigilant internally . Google is now crying foul over “ a highly sophisticated and targeted attack on our corporate infrastructure originating from China . But , despite its corporate motto – “ Do n’t be evil ” – Google itself was instrumental in aiding online censorship in China , having custom - built a search engine that purges all references and Web sites that the Chinese government considers inappropriate . Now Google itself has become a victim of China ’s growing cyber prowess , in the same way that appeasement of Hitler boomeranged onto France and Britain .
Idiom: run out of steam (used idiomatically: yes)
Unless the tacit agreement of the Irish Government and both unionist and nationalist politicians was obtained , it could be another disaster . Even if such support was forthcoming , is there any surety that it would work ? To many , internment has its attractions but , put into practice , it might prove a short - term expedient that would soon run out of steam . Regrettably there are no short - cuts to ending Ulster 's agony . Leaving the helm
Idiom: go hand in hand (used idiomatically: yes)
The original site at Baghill Green is now a housing development , but a plaque by the front gate of one of the new houses commemorates the site and inauguration of the fairs , which are now held across the road . At the Dissolution of the Monasteries , Nostell Priory was granted to Dr Leigh and the fair held by the canons at their church at Woodkirk , otherwise known as West Ardsley , became known as Lee Gap Fair . Fairs and fights seem always to go hand in hand . The Wakefield Court Rolls for 1315 describe three complaints brought against John de Heton , who seems to have run amok , assaulting a man and a woman and overturning a stall , causing the owner damages and injuries totalling a loss of forty shillings . In 1656 the inhabitants of West Ardsley petitioned the justices of the West Riding , requesting the fair to be abolished as it was a nuisance and Wakefield Market now met their needs .
Idiom: hack it (used idiomatically: no)
We 're also off to the West Ham game on We d 8th , but Leeds tickets are limited to Sunderland - attenders — AGAIN ! If any Sunderland - attenders are n't going to go and would consider purchasing on behalf ( of one or more ) of us , please get in touch . It 's that or hacking it with the hammers . Gav From :
Idiom: all the rage (used idiomatically: yes)
The evening ended , predictably enough , with police intervention and Kinky Machine 's tour manager having his collar felt rather severely . CAST YOUR minds back , readers , to the Reading Festival . Yes , we know it 's only a dim and distant memory now , but , hey , nostalgia 's all the rage , is n't it ? Here we see sensible ROY BOULTER and MAD KEITH from THE FARM arguing with MARK from EMF about who 's the most unfashionable . ‘ Gerraway , la !
Idiom: on the ball (used idiomatically: yes)
We had to get him telling his story as soon as possible . Preferably to a tough - minded clinical psychiatrist . He turned on the balls of his feet and spread his arms wide . He was keen to tell everyone the Great News about my dad coming back to life to expose Christianity . With a man of Quigley 's energy and commitment behind him , I decided , it would not be long before Norman had a cult all of his own in south - west London .
Idiom: Bob's your uncle (used idiomatically: yes)
We met on the beach early next morning before it got too hot . Places are a little easier to describe than people . You can say : the sea was like blue glass , the sand like fine powder , and Bob 's your uncle . We ran into the warm waves like little children , and swam and did duck dives and looked at the strangely corrugated sand under the water , and kept an eye open for jellyfish and pointed shells and silver fishes in the groves of coral that cropped up here and there along the sea bed . Anne was a good swimmer .
Idiom: beg the question (used idiomatically: yes)
In other areas too , it seems that the case for Woodchester as the final pavement of a sequence of elaborations " cuts with a double - edged blade " : at the beginning of the sequence , for example , it is difficult to understand how a twenty - five year long period of development had no other local influence . It seems that the case for elaboration , and thus for the Withington - Barton Farm - Woodchester order of development , must stand or fall on the implications of the stylistic inter - relationships of the pavements themselves . There is insufficient evidence to include the Newton St. Loe pavement within this group ; it begs the question , therefore , to describe it as the example upon which subsequent pavements were based . In turn , this seriously questions the position of the Withington mosaic as a mosaic of the late - third century ( other mosaics in the area of Withington , e.g. Chedworth , Spoonley Wood , Whittington Court and Stonesfield , are almost certainly well into the fourth century ) , and precursory to that at Barton Farm . A different principle of development — indeed , a reversal of the principle of increasing elaboration — seems more probable .
Idiom: plain sailing (used idiomatically: yes)
2 Loans and Finance BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONALS WANTING LOANS AND OTHER FINANCE TO ACQUIRE ASSETS , OR FOR WORKING CAPITAL , NEED THE RIGHT COMBINATION OF FLEXIBILITY , SERVICE AND INTEREST RATES . WITH BARCLAYS IT 'S PLAIN SAILING . BANKING FOR BUSINESS BARCLAYS FINDING THE MOST CONVENIENT AND COST - EFFECTIVE FORM OF FINANCE CAN HELP YOUR BUSINESS GROW WHILE MINIMISING STRAIN ON YOUR CASHFLOW AND PROFITS .
Idiom: on the dot (used idiomatically: yes)
I had arranged to go out in a crab boat to get JTR 's coastal sketches . Trawling the harbour the previous afternoon for a lift was not easy — not many boats to choose from and a distinct wariness on the part of the seamen . But a pirate with a paunch said ‘ OK- eight on the dot.’ Behind me a boat yard opened up . Men in blue overalls with newspapers sticking out of back pockets wandered in .
Idiom: to say the least (used idiomatically: yes)
These are territorial fish capable of holding their own among other larger specimens of almost any species . An aquarium of 36″ × 15″ × 12″ should be provided , and furnished with a layer of coarse ( 10 mm ) aquarium gravel , upturned flowerpots for refuges , and a piece or two of bogwood are all that is required In my experience , it is seldom worth trying to establish natural plants , as these fish , particularly the dominant males , are destructive to say the least . If you do desire greenery , it is best to use large plastic plants . It is also a good idea when keeping cichlids together , or with larger fish , to decorate the aquarium in such a way so as to set out individual territories so each fish can establish its own personal niche
Idiom: body blow (used idiomatically: yes)
As they entered the last fortnight of the share sale there was still a shade under half the £ 6.5 million to be raised . Most of the London councils had paid up by then , though some of the large sums promised by the unions were still churning their way through committees . Then , a body blow . Just two days before the share sale was due to close , the Greater Manchester Council superannuation fund failed to come up with the expected £ 250,000 . Like the GLC , it had been abolished , and its responsibilities passed to a joint organization of ten Manchester boroughs .
Idiom: go all the way (used idiomatically: no)
And found you gone . ' In those last few words , Folly could hear an anguish that matched her own . ' I got a taxi , ' she explained , remembering the odd look the driver had given her when she had confessed she had no idea where she was and wanted to go all the way to London . ' It cost me a fortune — but I did n't think I could bear to see you again . If only I 'd stayed — '
Idiom: keep your head (used idiomatically: no)
If she is training , they just arrange another time and she does n't think she is missing out . Her school is very good with time as well and she manages to get most of her work done . Keeping your head above water is half the secret in sport and young Karen Rake seems to be made of the right stuff . To be the best though and to stay at the top , you need willpower . You need a mountain of motivation
Idiom: in the works (used idiomatically: yes)
The community aspect of each specialty is also covered . A learner therefore has to adjust to many different environments as well as learning about a particular specialty . Too frequent changes in clinical work could produce a fragmented training and may put stress on the learner ; but the more varied her experience , the more able the nurse will be in solving problems . Properly planned , each allocation will provide a new sort of experience , and by making full use of her learning opportunities the student will gain in knowledge , ability and confidence . The ward is the ideal place for learning , but only if its full potential is realised .
Idiom: on the rocks (used idiomatically: yes)
He had n't heard such a beautiful sound he had n't seen such a beautiful sight . As he moved his way down on to the beach , he clumsily knocked the stones and the girls saw him and rushed to the rocks where they picked up not clothes , but sealskins which they wrapped around their bodies and then dived back into the sea . Except for one girl who ran towards the rock where Angus was leaning , not just on the rock but also on a sealskin . Please , she said that 's my skin there . Let me have it back .
Idiom: run the gamut (used idiomatically: no)
As a matter of interest , the printer 's pagination in one place runs 65 , 66 , 76 , 68 , 69 , 70 — reinforcing the statement that signatures should be relied on rather than page numbers when it is important to be completely sure . I have given here only a superficial account of the business of signatures but sufficient , I hope , to indicate something of their history , use and worth . Those who delight in complexities and wish to pursue the matter further will find a number of adequate textbooks and sources of information which will be pointed out with fiendish delight by any qualified librarian , since he has had to run the whole gamut in preparing for his examinations . There is one ancillary , but useful , method of checking completeness , which is by the ' catchwords ' , not often used today , but formerly courteously provided at the lower right - hand corner of each page of a book , below the last line . This is the same as the first word on the next page .
Idiom: on ice (used idiomatically: yes)
With a total population estimated at 15–30 million , crabeaters are almost certainly the world 's most numerous seals ( Laws , 1984 ) ; their wide dispersal on pack ice protects them from human depredations . Leopard seals , which feed on krill , fish , squid , young seals of other species ( notably crabeaters ) , and penguins and other birds , also occupy the outer edge of the pack ice , but range widely from the cool temperate islands to Antarctica . Weddell seals , which feed mainly on fish and squid , breed mainly on fast ice close to the shore of Antarctica and fringe islands , and spread to the pack ice in late summer . Breeding groups of over 2000 have recently been found among the shelf ice of the Weddell Sea ( Hempel and Stonehouse , 1987 ) ; a small breeding population occurs on South Georgia . Southern species of fur seals are island breeders ( Figure 5.15 ) .
Idiom: rub shoulders (used idiomatically: yes)
In 1889 , Queen Victoria granted Birmingham the status of a city in recognition of its commercial importance , and the municipal enterprise which swept away terrible slums , creating great thoroughfares , and made Birmingham ‘ the best governed city in the world ’ under Joseph Chamberlain . The grand Victorian and Edwardian architecture of this period still gives the civic centre of Birmingham its character . The great Council House of 1879 and the neo-Classical Town Hall rub shoulders with the bold and modern . Birmingham is still famed for its vision and enterprise building the National Exhibition Centre ( NEC ) , the International Convention Centre ( ICC ) , the beautiful new open space outside it — Centenary Square — and the National Indoor Arena ( NIA ) for sport . The canal network put Birmingham at the centre of Britain 's transport system in the 1780's , and these lovely waterways still provide green corridors through the city , where people can walk , row or cruise on traditional style narrowboats .
Idiom: on the ball (used idiomatically: yes)
It has been a superb opportunity to compare the varied football cultures . The good news is that the phlegmatic , orderly and systematic British attitude to defending the goal still makes us a match for the best . The bad news is that , when it comes to confidence on the ball , we are way behind . So many of our players are highly skilled , spontaneous passers . As space has diminished , our capacity to think ahead has expanded ; but it is when we are given time on the ball , and space to move , that our limitations are exposed .
Idiom: off the wall (used idiomatically: yes)
Concentrating on maintaining a foothold on rocks worn smooth by winter torrents , I put up a startled grouse that exploded into flight . The sudden shock and noise of whirring wings broke the stillness and left our pulses racing . From around the next bend in the stream its ' go - back , go - back , go - back ' call echoed off the rock walls . In fading winter light that seemed wise advice and we retraced our steps to the gentler landscape of Teesdale itself . PHIL GATES
Idiom: down the drain (used idiomatically: yes)
Blocked drains Once you have found the blockage ( see opposite ) , you will need a drain clearing set ( this can be hired ) consisting of rods which are screwed together with a choice of accessories to fit on the end . These include plungers , wormscrews ( for boring into a blockage and pulling it out ) , and scrapers for removing sludge and silt and either pushing it down the drain or pulling it back into the inspection chamber on which you are working . You select which device you want , put it on the end of the drain rods and push them down the drain or the rodding point . Finding the hole in a blocked inspection chamber is not always easy : the way to do it is to find the bottom channel and to push the rod along this until it goes down the drain .