Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: go west (used idiomatically: yes)
Those early days of Elizabeth 's reign were a strange time for England , for having lost the kingdom through the death of one wife , Philip of Spain hoped to regain it my marrying another . For the time being therefore , the Pope agreed to stay his hand against the bastard daughter of a renegade heretic . At the same time , most of the gentry — and especially the sea - going west country gentry — were staunchly Protestant , staunchly loyal to Elizabeth , and determined that she should not be lured back to Rome . So while Philip made tentative approaches to Elizabeth , families like the Raleighs , Grenvilles and Drakes put their shoulders to the door and pushed in the opposite direction . Thus , for a short interlude , the religion of the monarch could be said to be neither papist nor Protestant ; and while it was safe to admit to either persuasion , it was wise to support neither too vigorously .
Idiom: point the finger (used idiomatically: no)
Balvinder jumped up and down , punched the air , then promptly confronted the man with whom he had made the bet . The latter grudgingly handed over a stash of notes . All around the ring wallets were being slapped open and shut ; fingers were being angrily pointed . Everywhere arguments were breaking out between debtors and creditors , winners and losers . The outsider had clearly won .
Idiom: out of the blue (used idiomatically: yes)
Aromatherapy can help many disorders , but for the best results it should form part of a holistic health regime . By this I mean we should look beyond the symptoms to the cause and to the prevention of illness . It is important to remember that illness does not strike ‘ out of the blue’ even though it may seem that way at times . There are many possible causes of ill health ; heredity plays a part ( most unfairly ) but , in the main , its origin lies in our mental state , life - style and diet . Holistic aromatherapy , in common with other holistic therapies , demands a great deal of commitment from yourself .
Idiom: rock bottom (used idiomatically: yes)
Like the brick she was , Trish had kindly offered to subsidize my share of the rent until I found another job . Thanks to her I still had a roof over my head , but this economic patronage subtly altered relations between us in a way that did nothing to improve my self - respect . I had finally hit rock - bottom , down there with the bums and dossers , unable even to pay my own way in Winston Street . The only work I could find was with Clive 's main sharp - end competitor , a school offering short courses to businessmen on company accounts . They paid through the nose for ' one - to - one intensive tuition from qualified experts supported by sophisticated resources incorporating the latest technology ' .
Idiom: take the plunge (used idiomatically: yes)
reviewed by Nick Herbert Oceanic are renowned for their innovative designs and precision building . Now they 've taken a plunge into the dive computer market and the outcome is the DataMax Sport . First impressions are of a compact unit , encased in a heavy - duty rubber wrist pod , with clearly readable figures on its LCD display and one actuating button underneath the screen — at last a move away from water activated ' touch - type ' buttons . Strapping the DataMax onto one 's wrist shows up one of its few faults .
Idiom: dyed in the wool (used idiomatically: yes)
But at least I 'm staying in Bushmills , so I may be diving into a vat before the week 's out . ' But he will have to defer that pleasure for he shot a six over par 76 and must make amends in today 's even more exacting outing on the Dunluce . Stahl belongs to that dyed - in - the - wool amateur breed who follow the sun not for money but for fun . With the scratch golfer 's appreciation of a demanding test of skill , he loves Royal Portrush , and appreciates just as much the way he was greeted by the club . ' They are naturally excited about getting the championship back after 33 years , ' he said .
Idiom: few and far between (used idiomatically: yes)
To say the least , however , it is difficult to grow regular crops of fine juicy pears in local conditions . Do I hear someone comment —‘you can say that again'!’ Yes , I know of warm , sheltered south - facing walled gardens where good crops of quality pears are produced in ‘ good years’ , but such ideal sites being used for cordon , fan and espalier - trained pears are few and far between . There is no doubt that if you have a desire to test your horticultural skills in growing pears then a warm south wall is the ideal for the support of spur - pruned and carefully trained trees . I am reminded of all this by a correspondent who tells me that she has had a pear tree ‘ for about 30 years and in that time , have only once had good fruit’ .
Idiom: high and dry (used idiomatically: yes)
Then she turned on her heel and strode stiffly from the room . ‘ Maybe it was n't the wisest thing to have done,’ Lisa reflected to Josey over a cup of tea that evening . ‘ It leaves me high and dry as far as the debt 's concerned . Legally I still owe him that wretched money — whether or not I produce the sorts of designs he wants.’ Josey had popped round to spend a consoling hour with her while husband Charlie watched football on TV .
Idiom: lay an egg (used idiomatically: yes)
Until recently , it was not appreciated how widespread this kind of behaviour is , mainly because of the difficulty of egg - detection . It is one thing to distinguish a cuckoo 's egg from those of its host , but quite another to tell apart the eggs of two different starlings . Most of the birds that parasitise their own species lay one or more eggs in the nests of other birds , and then lay and rear a separate clutch themselves . They are not always very successful . Moorhens , for example , are rather poorly adapted to parasitising their own .
Idiom: walk of life (used idiomatically: yes)
The term ‘ merchant’ covers a wide variety : from Sceva and Ollo as hawkers to Sceva and Ollo as men of substance . In all probability the social origin of the merchants was as varied as their status and wealth , but the patrician clans of the great cities , especially Venice , came to enjoy long - term security based on a diversity of economic resources . It was an age in which all classes of society were expanding , in which men from every walk of life who enjoyed adventure and travel could find new opportunities as merchants to invest their talents at a large rate of interest . Yet whatever they did with their talents , the one thing , notoriously , which wealthy men in the Middle Ages were not permitted to do was to lend their money at interest . The Church utterly forbade the levying of interest on a loan as usury though always recognizing certain areas , such as money exchange , in which profit was acceptable .
Idiom: in living memory (used idiomatically: yes)
As things are , President de Klerk 's hasty initiatives might have solved some of our problems , but they have certainly created others — problems which may not have abated but could well have intensified come 1995 . In our poorer ‘ black’ communities the killing continues and as many people are killed every week as were killed in the recent Los Angeles riots . The country is in the depths of a recession , made worse by the worst drought in living memory . There are five million people out of work and in 1995 this figure is expected to have risen to six and a half million . Other sections of the population appear strike bound and bent on civil unrest .
Idiom: bear fruit (used idiomatically: yes)
I am the vine , you are the branches . If a man remains in me and I in him , he will bear much fruit ; apart from me you can do nothing … This is to my Father 's glory , that you bear much fruit , showing yourselves to be my disciples . I know that the members and friends that visited the church premises on our recent open day were extremely grateful to have been shown around by Ronnie and his team . CHRISTMAS CRACKER
Idiom: pound the pavement (used idiomatically: no)
There were houses with gardens on his left . He was suddenly aware of running feet behind him . He turned and saw a lithe figure in a track suit pounding the pavement towards him . The figure passed , breathing hard , and a few yards ahead turned in at one of the gates . Mark Garland concluding his evening run .
Idiom: above board (used idiomatically: yes)
Mohammed has expanded his trade into other Arab countries , notably Saudi Arabia , where business is booming for middlemen . As with most arms dealers payola — commission or bribes — is the key to his living . There would be no reason for Mohammed 's existence if every minister and ministry were above board : arms dealers are used either because deals are shady — circumventing arms embargoes for example— or to allow government officials a healthy ( illegal ) cut . ‘ There is no normal way to get into the arms trade’ , says Mohammed . ‘ It 's all based on one 's proximity to those in power.’
Idiom: win the day (used idiomatically: yes)
This type of objection is clearly an expression of a desire for additional information . The salesperson 's task is to provide it in a manner which does not antagonise the buyer and , yet , is convincing . It is a fact of human personality that the argument which is supported by the greater weight of evidence does not always win the day ; people do not like to be proved wrong . The very act of changing a supplier may be resisted because it may imply criticism of a past decision on the part of the buyer . For a salesperson to disregard the emotional aspects of dealing with objections is to court disaster .
Idiom: steer clear of (used idiomatically: yes)
Unless you have a healthy bank balance , you 'll probably need to arrange finance for your new garage . Extending your mortgage is the best way of doing this , but a personal loan could be a better bet for amounts below about £ 2,000 , because of the costs involved . It 's generally cheaper to steer clear of garage manufacturers ' own hire purchase schemes unless the quoted APR is unusually low . Do n't forget to contact your house insurance company , and ask them to increase the buildings cover accordingly to include the new building . Tell your car insurance company too ; with your car now garaged , they may offer a reduction in their premiums , which will partly offset the rise in your buildings insurance .
Idiom: come to grief (used idiomatically: no)
Gamesmanship apart , is there really a chance to salvage the best opportunity yet for peace in the Basque region ? Ministers were pinning their hopes on a change of wording in ETA 's latest statement . The talks came to grief after the separatists insisted that the government , or perhaps the ruling Socialist party , should publicly acknowledge that its representatives had agreed to negotiate with ETA on the Basque country 's political future . Even if true , it is an admission no democratic government could sensibly make . It would undermine the non - violent parties in the region , which together command a majority of the vote , in favour of the men and women with guns .
Idiom: go spare (used idiomatically: yes)
Kylie 's sensational striptease act predictably collected most of the headlines next morning in Britain . ‘ Oh Kylie , what will the Neighbours say ? Mrs Mangle would be mortified , Harold horrified … and Scott would go spare . TV 's girl next door does a striptease,’ they screamed . But it also symbolised the latest stage in her development .
Idiom: crystal clear (used idiomatically: yes)
Cos if you have it deep , that deep all over the fish will just swim at the bottom you 'll never see them No , these carps at , my , my cousin , they 're really weird , you go to feed them , they come to the top , oh the water stays crystal clear Does it ? Mm the water in my other pond is crystal clear , see straight down to the bottom , and another thing I want this hedge quite high cos keep the sun off my pond , if you let the sun on the pond it 'll just go green
Idiom: bear fruit (used idiomatically: yes)
It was foreign , alien , and he felt very much out of place . This was n't his world — and Madam Lundy knew that — and he knew that his chances of finding the boy and girl were very remote indeed . At least in London , Manchester , Birmingham , Glasgow or Edinburgh , he had contacts he could exploit , although , he reflected ruefully , his contacts in London had n't borne much fruit . But whatever chances he had of finding them in London , he had none in Dublin . Michael Lee had arrived in Dublin barely four hours ago — he checked his watch again — but already it felt like a lifetime .
Idiom: in business (used idiomatically: yes)
We can make a living from performing , but every dream has its price . And there 's a long , hard road to travel before you can say you 're really “ in business ” .
Idiom: siren song (used idiomatically: yes)
It promised that , by 2000 , people would be better off . None of this happened and Romanians feel betrayed . They are now prepared to heed Iliescu ’s siren song that the future can be found only by going back to the past . Are they right ?
Idiom: in the running (used idiomatically: yes)
Paul Bentley ( Coventry ) , Kenny McKinna ( Edinburgh ) and Wayne Carter ( Wolverhampton ) are rivals on this occasion . Line - up : 1 Sumner , 2 Collins , 3 , Carter , 4 Carl Stonehewer ( Belle Vue ) , 5 Peter Carr ( Sheffield ) , , 6 Neville Tatum ( Eastbourne ) , 7 Neil Evitts ( Sheffield ) , 8 Nathan Simpson ( Eastbourne . ) 9 Bentley , 10 Andy Phillips ( Poole ) , 11 Scott Robson ( Berwick ) , 12 Scott Lamb ( Berwick ) , 13 David Blackburn ( Berwick ) , 14 Paul Whittaker ( Peterborough ) , 15 McKinna , 16 David Walsh ( Berwick . ) MIDDLESBROUGH manager Lennie Lawrence last night warned that victory against Oxford United at Ayresome Park tonight is vital if they are to stay in the running for an automatic promotion spot . ‘ We can not afford another slip - up,’ he said . ‘ Without three points , it will be nearly impossible to finish in the top two .
Idiom: green light (used idiomatically: yes)
By the end of September , all twenty - three plants were lying idle , the management 's offer of talks on productivity deals being abruptly rejected . Moss Evans , the new Transport Workers ' Union leader , made no effort to rein in his members ' demands , while the Ford company itself , worried by loss of profits , was in no mood for a prolonged fight . After two months , a settlement of 17 per cent was agreed , but the green light had been given for others to follow on . There followed a 22 per cent pay rise for the firemen , a 14 per cent deal for the bakers , and no less than 30 per cent , in two stages admittedly , for heating and ventilation engineers . It was in the Transport Workers , above all , that the main battle was taking place , with the Ford dispute leading to another threatened strike by British Oxygen workers , and finally a conclusive dispute amongst the drivers of long - distance lorries and oil tankers .
Idiom: on the carpet (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Yes , he was frightfully rude . Well , perhaps I asked for it in a way,’ Felicity admitted reluctantly . ‘ My lipstick fell out of my bag , you see , and he trod on it —not on the carpet , thank heaven!— so he picked up the mangled remains and asked if he could get me another . My dear , he was holding it exactly as if it had been a squashed blackbeetle , and I knew he 'd been criticizing me all evening . So I said , ‘ You do n't approve of it , do you?’
Idiom: pick holes (used idiomatically: yes)
Oh , the blancmange of a conductress bites and wrenches pieces of nail from her fingertips and is well schooled in this art , making them like embryonic heads of pre - life . A crumbly chunk of derelict stone topples off somewhere or other into the roadway , stopping the bus and not before time either , cos it allows a man to rattle down the stairs and nearly reach the gutter before a partly digested steak pie and beery gravy is offered to the land from whence it originated . But there are no workmen available to dig and pick the necessary hole through the bus platform , tar mac , gas pipes and hard core to allow this ecological flow so the matter rests on the bus platform — and keep fit classes are hastily arranged with coughed shouts from Madam Sweaty Pie to enable the older of the canned bus company to leap this obstruction whenever they wish to dismount . Dogs , of course , have done their street work and further matters have yet to be overcome !
Idiom: off the mark (used idiomatically: yes)
We could set up a Follets here . We should see the secondhand market as an opportunity , not a threat , or it will become a threat.’ Quick off the mark : first place in the 1993 Golden Parcel academic hotline awards went to Butterworth Law , with an average delivery time of 1.63 days . From left were Peter Marshall of Pitman Publishing ( third , 1.71 days ) ; Wendy Edge of International Thomson ( who came a close second with 1.68 days , and appeared to be very much the people 's choice ) ; Colin Marshall of Leicester University Bookshop ( who was responsible for collating the results and who collected the award on behalf of the absent Butterworth Law ) ; and Derek Hall of Addison - Wesley ( fourth , 1.72 days ) . Thomas Nelson , which was not represented , came 5th with 1.73 days .
Idiom: beg the question (used idiomatically: yes)
Given such ambiguity , perhaps the notion of the inner city should be dropped altogether from academic analysis . After all , flawed basic concepts should not form the starting point for rigorous analytical investigation . Yet such cynicism begs important questions and detaches objective academic research from the common sense categories of everyday language in a suspiciously elitist manner . It is not as though academic social science has yet found a language that can address these problems that is not contentious . All academic paradigms , from the Chicago school onwards , that have tried to capture theoretically the essence of ' the city ' have come to grief ( Saunders , 1981 ) and so the concepts that are used to describe and analyse the nature of contemporary urban life may be necessarily flawed .
Idiom: in the black (used idiomatically: yes)
And so did you . I did the kisses . I could tell you did the kisses it 's in black . And you wrote to mummy . It 's very good .
Idiom: crash and burn (used idiomatically: yes)
smooth talker though is n't he ? Did he ? What , so he 's not very forward or er I think Charlie 's worried that erm , you know , does n't wanna crash and burn . There 's really loads of in France , is this like this in every school or just here ? Yeah .
Idiom: no man's land (used idiomatically: no)
I had got to the beach , but I still had to find the dinghy — and Joanna . I had left the dinghy drawn up on the shingle , with her painter tied to her small Danforth anchor , hooked into the beach . It was near enough to high water when I landed , which meant that the dinghy would be roughly at the tide - limit , in that no - man 's land of weed and wrack brought in by the tide , and left to mark high water . I should be able to find that , even in the dark , and if I followed it I should stumble over the painter , or the dinghy herself . But which way to go ?
Idiom: play ball (used idiomatically: no)
Tom decided not to play dodge ball because he was n't feeling well .
Idiom: out of the box (used idiomatically: yes)
The jigsaw wo n't fit in the suitcase . It 's back in its box now , but it 's still pretty big — so I have to stick it in with the dirty washing . I hope all the bits do n't fall out of the box . ‘ Is this yours?’ he says , holding up my new hat that Marie bought me . ‘ Yes , sir.’
Idiom: up in the air (used idiomatically: yes)
The rock - rock - rock - rock - rocket The marvellous Rosedale Rocket We 're up in the air and our school 's down there No more sums to do , teachers left behind Space is all around us , what will we find ?
Idiom: have an eye for (used idiomatically: no)
The roof lifted off after Clive Snow , 35 , lit a gas fire in his top - floor flat in Bristol . SINKING soap Eldorado , desperate to improve its dismal TV ratings , is to launch a fightback with a shock new weapon — AIDS . Handsome Costa hunk Jesse Birdsall , who has only had eyes for the girls up to now , is about to become a bi - sexual victim of the killer virus . Insiders say he will get AIDS after having a gay affair with toyboy Dieter . SPIELBERG TRAPPED IN HURRICANE
Idiom: turn a blind eye (used idiomatically: yes)
Police refused to intervene as protesters attempted to drive their cars to the point on the Atlantic coast where conservationists yearly attempt to count the birds before the hunters move in for the kill . Pelted with rotten eggs and faced with armed threats , the protesters eventually turned back . For years , the authorities have turned a blind eye to the slaughter , maintaining that it was a quaint custom which would eventually die out . This is proving not to be the case , as feelings run increasingly high over what is evolving into a conflict of classes — between pro - hunting locals and what they feel is a wealthy Parisian clique . Guardian 21 May
Idiom: under the table (used idiomatically: yes)
They sat there , silent and hopeless . He 's just a vegetable now , thought Jack . His mind slipped back to the carvings under the chess table . The worm will turn , he said to himself silently . Jamie Shepherd had said that .
Idiom: party animal (used idiomatically: yes)
Two good - looking good - time boyz from England , working in Germany . Require contacts from stunning chicks who want to meet and maybe we can do some scratching and pecking together Pictures guarantee a party . From two party loving animals . CALLING ALL ALIENS , WEIRDOS AND THE LIKE . I need someone to perk up my life a little with interesting banter about anything except maths !
Idiom: ring a bell (used idiomatically: yes)
I often find it between the lines . And there were some things about Mr Levy that I found very odd when I read your book . That he very rarely said he loved you rang a warning bell , as did the fact that you appeared to think he spent his time alone if he was n't with you . You painted a picture of such a red-hot lover , too , that the idea that he was content with snatched secret nights made me suspicious . If a reader had asked you if she should reveal all in a frank autobiography I think you 'd have advised her not to .
Idiom: round the bend (used idiomatically: yes)
A village street of houses and cottages , a garage , a grocer , but not a single antique shop . The green an isosceles triangle without a tree to it , but trees around the pub , the same kind as in Adam 's pine wood , Rufus supposed , or very like , which the licensee or the brewery had probably thought its name required . There was the inevitable council estate , the houses painted pale green , blue , pink , as in some child 's drawing , and then , round a bend in the lane where you might have expected open fields , half a dozen houses of 1950s or ' 60s provenance , lavishly appointed , glamorously gardened , with big garages and big cars outside them . ' Hampstead Garden Suburb comes to Suffolk , ' Adam had said . Later on they had seen the coypu man 's van parked on the front driveway of one of those houses .
Idiom: full marks (used idiomatically: no)
‘ Before Sunrise’ by Alf Churcher and ‘ Teasel’by Gerry Walters . ‘ Bevna Vista’ by Angela Algar received nine and a half marks . Eighteen slides were entered in the intermediate section and full marks were awarded to ‘ Wreck off the Cornish Coast’ by Elaine Dicker and ‘ Skylight’by Ray Algar . ‘ Kykko Bell 's’ by Mike Powell was awarded nine and a half marks . Parents have a go !