Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: foam at the mouth (used idiomatically: yes)
Meanwhile , the bristling bloodhounds of the sea lift the flesh along their backs , foam at the mouth dramatically , and drop their heads to sniff for tracks . To take the culprit by surprise ,
Idiom: thick and fast (used idiomatically: yes)
Outlook : High rises at the top By JASON NISSE Surveys of top pay are coming in thick and fast . Top managers enjoyed an average increase in earnings of 17.8 per cent last year , according to the latest , from Charterhouse ; like P - E Inbucon 's , its results suggest that Lord King of British Airways was , shall we say , a bit ahead of the pack . Even 17.8 per cent , however , was still more than double the growth of average earnings over that period .
Idiom: across the board (used idiomatically: no)
Revenue from turnover and income tax and from privatization had been less than expected . The new programme provided for an average increase of 3 percentage points in turnover tax , the introduction of value added tax ( VAT ) and improved tax collection in 1993 , and a temporary 10 per cent surcharge on 75 per cent of Polish imports . Expenditure cuts of 3.5 per cent across the board were proposed , along with reduced linking of pensions to inflation . After a 13-hour debate a motion to reject the programme was defeated early on Oct. 10 by 171 votes to 159 with eight abstentions . On Oct. 17 the Sejm approved Suchocka 's guidelines as presented on Oct. 9 by 166 votes to 163 with eight abstentions .
Idiom: break new ground (used idiomatically: yes)
Secondly , the very act of generating new ways of seeing and doing things is itself non - rational . The traditionalists have a point . To break totally new ground is to abandon the conventional rules . The creative act is indeed anarchic . There are no rules for that kind of process .
Idiom: state of the art (used idiomatically: yes)
Still stuck with DOS 2.1 or WordPerfect 4.2 ? David Dorn examines the mechanisms for upgrading to the latest version of your software at the least possible cost . State of the Art Stop Press The new XtraPro colour 486S/25 notebook paid a very brief visit to the PPC offices on a whistle - stop tour of the magazines . From what I could see of it , the notebook seemed well designed .
Idiom: see the light (used idiomatically: no)
In addition , particularly in hotter regions , there are animals that are active about the times of dawn and dusk when it is not too hot or cold . We are all aware to some degree of the daily rhythms of nature around us . Few people have not woken to the sounds of the dawn chorus nor seen moths drawn to artificial lights as daylight fades . Birds become quieter in the afternoon , while butterflies and other insects are more active , feeding on the opened flowers . At twilight , mosquitos and midges appear and then , as darkness falls , nocturnal creatures such as hedgehogs , owls , and bats take over .
Idiom: time will tell (used idiomatically: yes)
The homoeopath was happy to allow Owen to continue enjoying the aromatic baths and massage , but was less concerned about diet — some homoeopaths do not advocate dietary reform . This , of course , suited Owen and his parents . Only time will tell if homoeopathic treatment has been successful . Aids Karin Cutter is a naturopathic doctor practising in New South Wales , Australia .
Idiom: call the tune (used idiomatically: yes)
After the changes the consumer could see what he was buying before committing himself to leave the motorway . There was a real incentive for operators to provide a quality service which built consumer loyalty . In short , the consumer called the tune and the operators who prospered were those who best identified the needs of the consumers and met them at the right price . Privatization has achieved better ways of running the transport industries and there is today no serious movement in any of them to return to state control . A similar position can be found in many of the later privatizations of the Thatcher Government .
Idiom: by heart (used idiomatically: yes)
BECOMING A GUIDE Before you can make your Promise and become a Guide you have to do eight challenges , one from each of these sections : Enjoying the Out - of - Doors , Keeping Fit , Thinking for Yourself , Giving Service , Exploring the Arts , Becoming a Homemaker , Keeping the Guide Law and Getting to Know People . You might be asked to learn a Guide song by heart , or learn to do something that will be useful at home . THINGS TO DO If you will be moving up to Guides soon , why not try and find out about the Company you will be joining ?
Idiom: for the time being (used idiomatically: yes)
We might compare : The professor is typing his own letters for the time being . Joan is growing old for the time being . If we use the criterion invoked for the characteristic activity sense of the progressive , namely that the admissibility of an adverb signals a different sense , then we would have to increase the subcategories of meaning associated with this particular aspectual form of the verb . But then where do we stop ?
Idiom: hit home (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I see an old friend.’ Adam pointed to a framed cartoon , which he had given her the previous Christmas : a startled businessman gazed at a ghost ; rising from his desk drawer , it said , ‘ I am the spirit of old notes to yourself.’ ‘ You hit home with that one.’ Miranda yawned again . ‘ What do you want?’
Idiom: go straight (used idiomatically: yes)
I 'll introduce you . But Ben … be on your best behaviour , please.’ Ben gave a slight bow , then went straight to the small washroom . He washed his face and hands , then scrubbed his nails and tidied his hair in the mirror . When he came out his mother was waiting for him .
Idiom: in the soup (used idiomatically: yes)
Reheat gently to just below boiling . Divide the mussels and prawns between the plates . Pour in the soup . Garnish with croûtons and lemon slices . DRYAD 'S SADDLE OR CULTIVATED MUSHROOMS FLAMED IN BRANDY
Idiom: run a mile (used idiomatically: no)
We asked North West Water , more as a matter of courtesy than a private arrangement , whether we could place the bolts and I do n't see that our arrangement undermines BMC policy . ’ Joss 's charity challenge Last year , at the age of 54 , the great fell-runner Joss Naylor ran from Pooley Bridge to Wasdale , only setting foot on tarmac as he crossed Kirkstone Pass and Dunmail Raise — a total distance of 47 miles with 16,200ft of ascent . He was accompanied by son-in-law Colin Dulson and was raising money for Age Concern . Joss is now offering inscribed and signed pewter tankards to the first twenty over-50s who complete the route .
Idiom: on the house (used idiomatically: yes)
I 'm I 'd like to know what it 's like running Oxford City Council when , and I 'm sure you think you 're doing an good job and many people probably do think you 're a good job , but there are lots of issues that need discussing . For instance , the housing repairs — a lot of people complain about what a shoddy job is being done about housing repairs . The rental on council houses has gone up quite considerably , people are worried about that . A lot of people wonder whether there is a traffic policy in Oxford . People know there is no tourism policy , and the number of personnel has doubled over the last years , but are we getting better services ?
Idiom: under fire (used idiomatically: yes)
Her solicitor will be with her when she is interviewed , he said . Arrested : A distraught Ms Gibson shouts to reporters after being held at the airport Television under fire for rising violence in society SOCIETY is more violent and suffering a moral vacuum — and television is playing a part in the change , two former Home Secretaries said yesterday . Kenneth Baker , who was Home Secretary from 1990 - 92 , told the BBC Radio 4 programme Today that young people faced a moral vacuum .
Idiom: curry favour (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Some guy flew out to Australia looking to sign a cool band and he got us instead!’ Legend has it that , during the obligatory pre - signing wine and dine sesh , The ‘ Weed boys insisted they share the food , as there was more on one plate than they 'd ever seen before . This would not appear to be a wimpish attempt to curry favour with the new bosses , but rather an indication of these affable dudes getting their priorities right . Together for 18 months , Tumbleweed formed when the Protons’ Lenny , his brother Jay ( bass ) and Richard ( vocals ) joined forces with Paul ( guitar ) and Steve ( drums ) from an outfit called the Unheard . Individually , the two bands had been doing OK but nothing outrageous .
Idiom: up in the air (used idiomatically: no)
To me they are too wide . Alright to me they do n't look harsh . You know they do n't sort of poke up in the air like shoulders sometimes do . Was it exciting in the shop today ? I had a chip incidentally fallen off your plate .
Idiom: in light of (used idiomatically: yes)
Agreeing and Implementing Changes As explained in Chapter 8 , the output from the comparison stage will be an agenda for debate about areas where some improvement appears to be possible ; in practice this may comprise a list of problems that the analyst has identified for discussion with the client so that one or more can be selected for further study . The changes that will be deliberated at this point are those that are considered desirable in systems terms , and culturally feasible in light of the prevailing attitudes within the organisation . In addition , experience has shown that it is equally important to make a provisional assessment of factors such as development and staffing costs , and the technical feasibility of pursuing any proposed computer initiatives . Whether or not a formal debate is held will depend on the purpose of the examination and a number of other factors , but it is obviously necessary to seek the client 's opinion before deciding the direction that a study should take once a number of problems have been identified .
Idiom: cut and run (used idiomatically: yes)
Barama has pledged to ' work within national laws and ensure than forests and ecosystems are maintained . ' But Samling has already attracted widespread criticism for its operations in Sarawak . It is one of the largest companies in this Malaysian state , where cut - and - run logging is expected to exhaust the primary rainforest by the end of the decade . Since 1987 , Samling has been in direct , violent conflict with the native people of the Upper Baram and Upper Rajang rivers , in central Sarawak . Sarawak 's indigenous people — the various Dayak groups , including the nomadic , hunting - and - gathering Penan — have for decades fought the logging of their forest home .
Idiom: on the pull (used idiomatically: yes)
The Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford was one popular centre for this divertissement and Celia Fiennes , who chronicled her seventeenth century journeys , records that she was there in 1694 and printed her name several times . In the next century the practice petered out , though it was still occasionally revived for particularly distinguished visitors , who might expect to have their names recorded on silk or satin rather than plebeian paper . Perhaps the last feeble kick of this lust to print one 's name was the station platform and amusement arcade machine where , on inserting a penny , one was able to punch one 's name on a metal strip , which the contraption disgorged on the pull of a handle . A group of nineteenth century greeting cards and valentines , types of ephemera now a popular field of collecting . Nineteenth century ephemera , including table games , playing cards , a hieroglyphic card ( one where small pictures are substituted for a number of letters or syllables ) and ( centre ) a ‘ zoetrope’ or ‘ wheel of life’ , an early motion - picture toy .
Idiom: get a move on (used idiomatically: yes)
What do you think happened?’ ‘ How the hell do I know ? Now get a move on . We still do n't know if it 's over yet.’ ‘ Right.’
Idiom: call the shots (used idiomatically: yes)
Laughter is the same language the world over , and the sense of pride and group identity which is engendered when a group tells another about who it is and where they came from is a critical factor in the cementation of the group and fostering of indigenous skills . Lacking the ability perhaps to identify the chemical components in proper scientific vocabulary , the groups may exchange emotions , fears and hopes — and may then go on to decipher the chemical nomenclature together , if it proves to be necessary , and desirable that they do so . It is the development of this strong group cohesiveness which , almost remarkably , has allowed the YCCC to call all the shots in their campaign . They have not handed over the arguments to be articulated by lawyers and scientists even now that they have taken the city and the tannery to court in a law - suit claim for $ 31 million . The major thrust may have been carried by a dozen committed individuals , but when push has come to shove , the YCCC have been able to fill meeting halls for important confrontations , and have succeeded in getting eight places out of eleven on the City Council filled by candidates representing a broad coalition under the slogan ' It 's time for change , ' which campaigned specifically on local issues .
Idiom: bread and circuses (used idiomatically: yes)
It has the smell of glamour and the roar of a crowd ( even if this occasionally drowns out Mr Tebbit 's speeches ) . It even has hooliganism and violence and so must run football very close to being an alternative religion . So with football and politics as the bread and circuses of our decadent empire — whither religion ? That is the problem . Even the churches , in making reports about Gartcosh , teachers ' pay , inner - city deprivation or whatever , are drawn into this political debate and inevitably they feel in order to be relevant they must offer political and practical solutions .
Idiom: give something a miss (used idiomatically: yes)
' So many runners are depending on this race to qualify for the Olympics , especially the Portuguese , who have been in invincible form in half - marathons , and I would not be surprised if the winner is someone no one has heard of . ' Brace , from Bridgend , is the only one of Britain 's three - strong team for Barcelona who will be running . Paul Davies - Hale and Dave Long are giving it a miss , but Brace forecasts a good run from first reserve Paul Evans . ' I 'm both for and against the selection policy but I believe that Evans could put egg on the selectors ' faces on Sunday . ' Brace , from Bridgend , is open about his commitment to the race , calling it ' glitter of gold ' — money rather than medals — and that is why so many of the other runners want to do well .
Idiom: in the black (used idiomatically: no)
He noted that the Lakenvelder has a black tongue , whereas black - and - whites have pink tongues ( the same is true of other belted European cattle and also some colour - pointed animals and , oddly , Jerseys ) , and he quotes the eminent Dutch geneticist , Dr A.L. Hagedoorn , who states that the Lakenvelders are descended from the original smallish , horned Dutch milk cattle . Genetically , in the Lakenvelder black is dominant to red , entire colour is dominant to pied and belting is dominant to entire colour . BELGIUM The cattle of Belgium owe much to Dutch and British breeds , particularly the Friesian types and the Shorthorn , which were used to improve local stock and create the national Belgian breeds , the most famous of which today must be the double - muscled Belgian Blue .
Idiom: by and large (used idiomatically: yes)
Starting again Labour needs to regain its working class support as well as modernising itself The people who will suffer most as a result of the Conservative election victory are not , by and large , readers of this magazine . Nor are they , by and large , members and activists of the defeated opposition parties , media commentators , pundits , academic analysts or psephologists , all of whom have representation aplenty in these pages this week . As ever , the people who will suffer from Labour 's failure are among those who are furthest removed from the political process ; who are most likely to believe that the outcome of the election has little to do with them ; and , hence , who are least likely to be taking part in the election postmortem on why Labour lost .
Idiom: high and mighty (used idiomatically: yes)
Roy Collins WHEN the so-called elite of the Premier League find the bottle to break away and form the small , private division they wanted all along , there 's one club they wo n't be touching with a bargepole . This club are a serious inconvenience to the high and mighty through having a home in one of England 's most remote corners . So remote that a bargepole is more use to a traveller than a British Rail season ticket when the London train breaks down . Home attendances are just above 14,000 , which does n't make it a viable working venue for Stan Flashman 's considerable ticket broking expertise .
Idiom: save face (used idiomatically: yes)
People with a low tolerance for change therefore tend to fight hard to maintain the status quo , often without being able to articulate their reasons for so doing . There are other reasons for resistance to change . People sometimes resist change to save face when , for example , they think that supporting change would amount to an admission that some of their previous decisions or beliefs were wrong . People might also resist change because of peer group pressure to do so even though , off the record , they may acknowledge the changes as beneficial . Strategies for overcoming resistance to change in other people have to be appropriate to the type of resistance encountered .
Idiom: to the letter (used idiomatically: yes)
COUNTRYSIDE IS FOR ALL This month 's winning letter comes from Phil Thompson of Hampshire who wins a spanking new Lowe daysack . I write with regard to Nick Rawlins ' letter about screaming 16–18 year olds in the countryside . I teach just such a group of boys , only they come under the title ' Emotionally and Behaviourally Disturbed ' . When you take them out of their high rise environment they are highly stressed and lack confidence and self esteem .
Idiom: off the shelf (used idiomatically: yes)
Voice over The Taiwanese knife was on sale in Cheltenham . This retailer has now taken it off the shelves whilst Gloucestershire 's Trading Standards Department investigates . Meanwhile parents confronted by the sight and sound of the screaming knife have strong views about its potential as a play thing . Female speaker
Idiom: at the crossroads (used idiomatically: yes)
Brent McCafferty , 26 , was said to be poorly in hospital last night after being stabbed in the arm in an incident outside his home in Colchester Terrace , Sunderland . Driver hurt : Firemen cut a driver free from the wreckage of his car last night after a collision with a lorry at Grimston Grange crossroads , on the Bransby to Gilling East road , near Easingwold . A 23-year - old man was taken to York District Hospital but his injuries are not thought to be serious . Festival success :
Idiom: every last (used idiomatically: yes)
While those who had gone back to Braithwaite 's mill had been picked out of the crowd by wild little Oliver Rattrie , the eldest Rattrie boy — nineteen or twenty she supposed he 'd be by now— the twisted , crook - shouldered lad who had done more talking of pikes and pistols and bloody revolution than anybody else at the meetings in her back - yard . A betrayal which had secured their dismissal from Mr Ben Braithwaite himself who had branded them as troublemakers with no hope of employment anywhere in Frizingley again . Not that it had done Oliver Rattrie any good , since he 'd been caught the day after by those same Chartist women who had marched into Halifax singing the One Hundredth Psalm ; sheep no longer but howling Furies who had seized him , puny little thing that he was , and thrown him in the canal where , in his struggle to keep himself from drowning , he had lost every last shilling of the blood - money in his pockets . Unless it was true , as he 'd alleged , that the women had robbed him before tossing him in the stinking water . Perhaps they had .
Idiom: catch someone's eye (used idiomatically: yes)
Apart from adding to the pleasure of a wood , they keep down insects which might harm the trees . The Forestry Commission men even put nesting boxes in their woods to encourage birds . " Something on the ground caught his eye and he bent down and looked at a small print in the soft earth . It was broad and round and five - toed , a perfect impression . " What 's that ? "
Idiom: economical with the truth (used idiomatically: yes)
Official abandonment Officially , Carfax was abandoned on the grounds that ‘ frequencies were not available ’ . In view of the Warc footnote , this statement seems to have been economical with the truth . At the time , most observers believed that the real reason was that the BBC had been unable to persuade the newly-elected Conservative government to contribute towards the cost of setting up ( about £3million at 1977 prices ) or running a dedicated traffic service . Despite the far greater sophistication ( and cost to users ) of RDS , Carfax appears to remain the superior approach , permitting local traffic announcements to be made as soon as information is available to broadcasters .
Idiom: play it safe (used idiomatically: yes)
Barnes back JOHN BARNES continues his comeback from an Achilles injury today when he plays in a combined Liverpool - Everton side against a joint Manchester United - City team in Graeme Sharp 's testimonial at Goodison Park . Playing it safe BOXERS contesting world title bouts should be tested for AIDS , the WBC ruled yesterday . President Jose Sulaiman said : ' We know a single drop of blood can transport the virus , and there are fights in which there is a lot of blood . '
Idiom: blow someone's mind (used idiomatically: no)
Some Kuwaitis , nervous about the health scare over cellular phones , have swapped their hand - held sets for car - installed phones , Abdulla al Sabej , managing director of Mobile Telephone Systems Co told Reuter in an interview ; 7 % of Kuwaitis and 4 % of the total population of 1.3 m have cellular phones . DYNASPEK TO SHIELD CELLULAR USERS But people worried about blowing their minds with cellular radiation may not have to worry too much longer — James Plante , head of Dynaspek Inc of Westmont , Illinois says he plans to market a copper alloy shield that fixes to the antenna and protects users from radiation : ‘ I conceived this back in 1985 , but when all the media hype came out , we decided to go ahead and produce it,’ said Plante of his Cell Shield , a several - inch long semi - circular metal sheet resembling a shoe - horn ; it will be $ 30 . ATLANTIC RICHFIELD ACCUSED OF MISLEADING SIEMENS Did Siemens AG buy a pig in a poke — the German 's , ever literal , call it a cat in a sack , which of course is what a pig in a poke usually turns out to be — when it bought Atlantic Richfield Co 's Arco Solar Power subsidiary in Camarillo , California for $ 35.9 m in 1990 ?
Idiom: night and day (used idiomatically: yes)
Once aware of easy feeding — a field of turnips , for example— a rabbit will travel as much as two or three fields , crossing hedgerows , to take advantage of the situation . In winter rabbits are almost nocturnal in their feeding habits , but come summer and the shortened hours of darkness they are readily seen feeding in the evenings and at daybreak as well as at night . Immature rabbits will , in fact , feed at any time , night and day . It is those young rabbits , the timid ones afraid to venture too far from home , that are responsible for the massive damage to crops located near woods , hedges and burrows . Adults travel further and feed at random much more freely , and the damage they do is not so noticeable since it is more widespread .