Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: warts and all (used idiomatically: yes)
Every few days each officer can expect to take his turn on the office duty rota which will keep him away from the field for a complete day . Every few weeks he will have to spend a weekend at home near a telephone on call to handle any emergencies which crop up in the area . The following extract from my field notes — warts and all — recording a day 's work described by the field officer concerned as ‘ typical’ of his district may help convey a picture of a pollution control officer 's job in an urban industrialized area ( rural officers are usually under less pressure of work ) . Many of the points touched on will be elaborated in subsequent analysis . The notes were taken early on in the research when I was chiefly concerned with documenting pollution control work , thus they should suggest something of the nature of the job — routine tasks as well as special problems — which an officer can encounter on a summer 's day .
Idiom: high and low (used idiomatically: yes)
' You searched for me ? ' Theda said wonderingly . ' High and low . For months . I advertised .
Idiom: play ball (used idiomatically: yes)
Harry Bradshaw , who died in December at the age of 77 , was probably as well known for the manner in which he failed to win the 1949 Open as his considerable success elsewhere . In that Championship , at Royal St . Georges , Bradshaw lost in a play - off with Bobby Locke — after driving his ball into a broken bottle earlier in the tournament . With no referee available for a ruling , he decided to play the ball where it lay in the bottle . He could only score 6 on the hole and scored 77 in that round . In the ensuing play - off , he was beaten by 12 strokes .
Idiom: get a grip (used idiomatically: yes)
stop it , get on with your work you 're gon na loose some of your break , understand erm , I have I have been round here and I 've asked everybody and you 've told me you 've got your work sheets , now get a grip of yourself , get yourself sorted out all I 'm getting is a load of racket from you lot your first language is n't English is it ?
Idiom: high and low (used idiomatically: yes)
I searched high and low for my lighter but could n't find it .
Idiom: above board (used idiomatically: yes)
Sure . But er all of the main organizations that have you know World Wide and Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth and so on and Age Concern . They all know they were all told that it 's it 's all a bit above board . But in promoting it to MPs we 've been drawing their attention to the kinds of organizations which in turn in their eyes just sort of represent that pyramid or structure of votes that . And of course when it goes through they already have our our as it were
Idiom: bite the bullet (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Occasionally , however , you have to do your job , which is to provide the company with hits . And that may sometimes involve signing someone you do n't necessarily like . But that 's part of A&R — recognising that a group are going to be huge , biting the bullet and saying , ‘ hey - ho … this is hits!'’ In the main , however , Young sees his job as finding ‘ good’ acts . Roughly translated , this means acts which have good attributes for their area of the market .
Idiom: in the long term (used idiomatically: yes)
Thank you Mr Chairman . But I think it is a point . I think if we go down not having a responsible position to our debts , repaying our debts in the long term , erm , we are going to be restricted on what we can borrow with the capital , because no government is going to , you know , my party or your party , is going to let us go on building debts , and more debts by giving us permission to borrow money and more money and more money . And it does worry me because , if we 're going to go into unitory authorities whose going to take over these debts , if we 're going to build them up ? And what you said about mortgaging a school , how can a school mortgage it 's school premises if we 've already mortgaged it , with our eighty - five million borrowing , we 've already got half the schools in this county on a mortgage anyway .
Idiom: foam at the mouth (used idiomatically: yes)
As it is , four is the least that proud rugby nation have had since the 1924 tour to South Africa . Turning to the Irish , they were reckoning on five last week and that was before they had beaten the English . Now , with just two , the more perfervid chauvinists , as you would expect , are foaming at the mouth . Tracking the selectorial spoor had left one convinced that , going into the last day of the Five Nations championship , Scotland had ten players still very much in the running . Their number did not include Derek Turnbull for all that — outside of Hawick — his spiritual home as a rugby player would surely be New Zealand .
Idiom: stand the test of time (used idiomatically: yes)
You do n't want a yellow car You do n't want front wheel drive Have n't stood the test of time . What you want 's an Escort Maybe red or black
Idiom: have a heart (used idiomatically: yes)
The other was in his heart . That was the problem , Reg smiled grimly . His son had a heart , the stupid , randy little bastard , and what good were brains and charm if you had a heart ? Butler stubbed out his cigar in an ashtray and reached for a telephone on the table beside him . ‘ Jack?’
Idiom: in light of (used idiomatically: yes)
This proposition may have a useful application in limiting some of the more pedantic rules of interpretation , but it does not exclude the application of a presumption or certain common - sense principles . Although Re Sigsworth was only the decision of a puisne judge it has been approved by the Court of Appeal and extended to other statutes raising a similar question . One can therefore say that the courts retain the power to read statutes in the light of general principles , the only question being whether the particular court will be able to find or invent a general principle that will enable it to give a sensible effect to the statute . Much will depend on the legal knowledge and ingenuity of counsel and the court , as well as on the readiness of the court to take a liberal view . A liberal interpretation to prevent the statute operating upon a casus male inclusus may sometimes be comparatively easy , as it was in Re Sigsworth .
Idiom: on the square (used idiomatically: yes)
Today , the French was the place to be seen in . No one went there to enjoy themselves . I parked Armstrong on Soho Square and hoofed it round the corner into Dean Street , keeping an eye out for the fly - posters to see if anyone interesting was playing in the vicinity . Once in the French , I elbowed my way through the crush to the bar and ordered a lager . I did n't get any say in the matter of how big or which brand it was , but the barmaid smiled sweetly and said ' Merci ' when I paid her , because they all pretend to be French even if they are n't .
Idiom: blow a fuse (used idiomatically: no)
CUSTOMS officials had seized 170 tons of bananas , worth £ 150,000 , which were being smuggled into Portugal in foreign - registered vehicles , police in Lisbon said yesterday . Snake 's embrace blows fuses DIPLOMACY was plunged into darkness and officials were stranded in lifts after a snake coiled itself round power cables and blew all the fuses in a government conference centre in northern Tanzania . Biter bit for police attacker A MALAYSIAN was jailed for five years in the capital , Kuala Lumpur , yesterday for biting off the finger of a policeman who had prevented him stealing a motorcycle .
Idiom: close call (used idiomatically: yes)
But it did n't take long for Mansell to steal back the lead and remained in control until an early pitstop . The Williams team gave him a quick change of tyres … but not quick enough to prevent Patrase and Senna fly past into the lead . There was drama as Mansell tried to assert himself again … a close call as Senna holds the bend and Mansell slides into trouble . But typical Mansell courage and skill took him past his arch rival … and with Patrasse in the pits it was left to Mansell to claim victory … only just though on a set of well worn and blistered tyres . Next stop … the Championship .
Idiom: get to grips with (used idiomatically: yes)
An Arsenal player could be the genetically engineered bastard son of a dangerous liaison between Luke Perry and Paul Newman circa 1960 and yet he 'd still look like Pee Wee Herman in his pyjamas if he was playing away . The unfashionability of football kits is a fashionable topic but you do n't need to be able to recite the birthdays and middle names of every member of the England ' 66 squad to have an opinion . Despite intensive instruction during the World Cup , I was still unable to get to grips with offside by the time Tomorrow Belonged To Germany . But it still did n't stop me having a perfectly valid opinion on the parlous state of contemporary kits . Boys may sneer when girls freeze - frame shots of John Barnes’ backside but , let 's face it , Barnes ' bum is built for body consciousness .
Idiom: over the hill (used idiomatically: yes)
But she has no experience so I do n't know how she 'll make out.’ Ellen Hardcastle turned out to be a fourteen - year - old wisp of a girl with mousy hair and pale blue eyes . She came from ‘ over the hill’ , from the higher part of Littondale , and she was as silent as her native dale . She missed her family badly . Getting ready for bed the first night she said , ‘ I 'm glad I 'm sharing your room , Ruth .
Idiom: down the drain (used idiomatically: no)
They will also get a largely clean loan - book . The FDIC will keep the worst $ 5.5 billion of Bank of New England 's $ 20 billion of assets , and promises for the next three years to take back any more loans that go bad . In sum : heads Fleet / Norstar wins , tails the taxpayer loses , on top of the $ 2.5 billion ( 10 % up from the previous estimate ) that is already down the drain . Why ? The deal has precedents in the purchases in recent years of bust Texas financial institutions by BancOne and NCNB .
Idiom: out of the box (used idiomatically: yes)
It is your amendment . And all those against , please show thank you very much . Now call upon members oral questions to put their question out on the sheet circulated , the order is determined by the drawing names at random out of a box in the parlour before this meeting . The fact that mine came nine has absolutely nothing to do with it . You are reminded that members are limited to two minutes in asking their questions .
Idiom: for a song (used idiomatically: yes)
This represents a massive 2% cut on previous rates and compares with the existing average mortgage rate of 8.5% and fixed rates of between 7.2% and 7.75% . The National Association of Estate Agents is concerned about price rigging of repossessed homes . But new borrowers will not get the repossessed homes for a song . A spokesman for Bradford & Bingley said its 2,000 stock would be sold ‘ at the best possible price to give the evicted owners the best chance of clearing their debts ’ . The total UK repossession figure is now around the 70,000 mark .
Idiom: change hands (used idiomatically: yes)
Rather like running the YMCA in fact , although I 'd never thought of it like that before . It was all jolly good fun as well , of course .’ © Geoffrey Beattie Richard Holmes , sales and marketing officer at the YMCA , watches the Sheffield Development Corporation change hands . PHOTOGRAPHS : GEOFFREY BEATTIE Jimmy Boyce : tie askew Law Report . Parliament urged to think again on housing issue : .
Idiom: do the right thing (used idiomatically: yes)
No , at first it was difficult but then I had the Wilsons to help me . I enjoyed my life with them and I do n't think I could have coped in the beginning without them . When they left , however , and I made the decision to stay , I knew it might be hard for me but I knew also that I was doing the right thing . Antonietta , my new friend , finds it difficult to understand that I enjoy living alone as I do , in a strange city . She ca n't know how I value my freedom , Donald , the freedom to do what I like and take advantage of the opportunity to explore a new city , learn a new language , try my hand at a way of life I did n't know existed .
Idiom: home and dry (used idiomatically: yes)
Simon McKie Yesterday , the EC announced that Kemira and the other British fertiliser manufacturers had won their case against the Russians . Although Kemira is not completely home and dry , the EC will find it virtually impossible not to find a solution to the problems it has recognised . ‘ We understand they have found in favour of us and the other UK producers,’ said a spokesman for Kemira . Land sales may help solve problem of house repairs
Idiom: steal the show (used idiomatically: yes)
The newspaper quoted unnamed friends ruling that out as a result of new revelations in the latest edition of Andrew Morton 's book , Diana Her True Story . The prince , who returns tomorrow from a week - long trip to the Far East which has been dogged by press reports about the state of his marriage , is said to be the one who will move out . Dogs set to steal the show NEVER work with children or animals because they are notorious scene - stealers is an old acting adage . But the cast of Wallasey Operatic Society 's production of the musical Annie , to be presented from November 24 - 28 at the Floral Pavilion , New Brighton , will have no choice .
Idiom: on someone's mind (used idiomatically: yes)
Most of the guests seemed to be either journalists , politicians , or fashion designers , the three occupations most favoured by the nascent New Delhi chattering class . The different cliques stood together in their separate groups , talking shop : the ethnic collection of the new Paris - trained designer ; the likely winners in the next cabinet reshuffle ; the latest chapter in the interminable Bofors corruption scandal . Only the Sikh men seemed to have other things on their mind as , twirling their moustaches , they downed great tumblers of whisky and tried to lure the prettiest girls on to the dance floor . Around the room the chatterers were still gossiping : ‘ Acha .
Idiom: at sea (used idiomatically: yes)
Brightness faced starvation in the wild , says trainer By Stephen Mulvey in Laspi Bay , Crimea THE NEW trainer of Brightness , the recaptured Beluga whale , said yesterday she was against keeping wild animals captive , but she supported his return to Crimea , because he could not survive at sea . Miss Alla Azovtseva , 29 , who will perform in a circus - type display with Brightness , and a second Beluga whale from the beginning of May , said : ‘ I think oceanaria and zoos should not exist , but since he is now dependent on them , it makes no sense to set him free.’ She said Brightness , who arrived back in Laspi Bay at 5 am yesterday , was lively and eating well , but very thin , after fending for himself , since he escaped from an aquarium last year .
Idiom: point the finger (used idiomatically: no)
Rebecca pushed her handkerchief into her pocket . ' Anyone could come up with a story like that once the proof has been destroyed . Especially when the finger is being pointed at them . ' She smoothed down the skirt of her linen suit , slowly crossing one long slender leg over the other . Rourke 's head turned , his gaze following the action .
Idiom: make or break (used idiomatically: yes)
We 're silently praying for the moment we can plead sunburn and hide all out mottled bits under the outsize bullfight T - shirt . After all , for most of us , a holiday just is n't a holiday without a bout of prickly heat . Accessories can make or break you . You need just the right bag to transport your Sun Protection Factor 10 — a plastic one saying ‘ Dan Air’ wo n't do . The Italians excel in discovering the one bag to die for .
Idiom: on the level (used idiomatically: no)
GUIL : You 've been here before . PLAYER : And I know which way the wind is blowing . GUIL : Operating on two levels , are we ? ! How clever ! I expect it comes naturally to you , being in the business so to speak .
Idiom: break even (used idiomatically: yes)
Yes . which are in the minutes . But of course to some degree you 've got to decide what you mean by break even in the sense that er how do you actually I mean that take the subsidy into account or not . Yeah .
Idiom: give head (used idiomatically: no)
I served a good ten - year apprenticeship under Denis Smith at York City and Sunderland . ' I am ready for the challenge and a chance to stamp my own authority on a team . ' Smith gave me my head with coaching at Bootham Crescent and Roker Park . I shared an office with Denis , so I know all about negotiating contracts . ' I am confident of my own ability .
Idiom: keep a straight face (used idiomatically: yes)
Vice - Chancellors with a high - powered escort including the Director - Gen . of the British Council are arriving here an hour or so before we leave ( i.e. c. 40 mins from now ) so I am frantically typing a brief letter of a confidential kind that I can hand over to them . Anyway , there 's not a great need for confidentiality , as the Chinese have really been extremely considerate , polite , cooperative , hospitable . The only thing is that the VIP treatment ( with ritual speeches , etc . ) sometimes gets a bit wearing and we sometimes have to keep a very straight face when the same political points are made to us over and over again by this or that party cadre when we go on official visits . It 's part of the set - up here that foreigners are treated as tremendously privileged guests , who are kept in a sort of cotton - wool cocoon such that contact with ordinary people is rather difficult . Consequently , wherever we appear in public enormous crowds of staring ( but not hostile ) faces cluster round us — even if we just stop to buy a post - card .
Idiom: tell tales (used idiomatically: yes)
Do you really think they would have believed a story like that ? This is rural England , Miss Williams , not the depths of downtown Chicago ! If I 'd told them a tale like that then they would have had me down at the station before I could blink ! ' There was no doubting the anger in his deep voice as he roared at her , and in truth , Fran could understand it . If it had n't been so awful it would have been almost comical , the thought that Luke Calder had been virtually accused of kerb - crawling !
Idiom: on the run (used idiomatically: yes)
He is thought to be armed with a handgun . The 46-year - old businessman has been missing since the bodies of his family were found at their luxury home in San Diego on Thursday . At first , police were not sure if he was also a victim or on the run from hitmen . But after a detailed examination of the house they said he was suspected of the shootings . Gail Spiro , 41 , and her children Sara , 16 , Adam , 14 , and Deana , 11 , were shot through the head as they slept in their beds .
Idiom: off the hook (used idiomatically: yes)
Now , it 's the biggest issue in the movement . It 's overshadowing the proceedings of this conference and other union conferences . It 's keeping the Labour leader awake at nights , the column inches , full of knocking copy , and letting the Tories off the hook . And we have to ask the question . Why ?
Idiom: live and let live (used idiomatically: yes)
. Yeah , yeah . You 've got ta live and let live I do n't really care . That 's true , that is true , well I 've got to get me shopping , see you then . Get some shopping done .
Idiom: come to terms with (used idiomatically: yes)
The ferret is unmuzzled . The object is to initiate the ferret to its quarry . After it has killed one or more rabbits it will have to come to terms with its duties and thereafter it is fitted with a muzzle . All my young ferrets get a similar introduction to give them the necessary experience for bigger operations within major burrow systems . For the same reason , male ferrets are introduced to the restriction of trailing a line behind them before they are given major responsibilities .
Idiom: on the square (used idiomatically: yes)
Place the Point of Order cards ( marked with Ayes and Noes ) on the large Point of Order box . WHO CAN PLAY — Up to four people can play Landslide , more if you play in teams . Choose which party you wish to represent ( Conservative , Labour , Liberal , Monster Raving Loony ) and place the playing tokens on the START square . Each player or team should take two 25 seat cards from the pile . You are now ready to start .
Idiom: pull someone's leg (used idiomatically: yes)
Sometimes I get embarrassed if I ca n't do summat on my own . Sometimes you feel a bit stupid asking someone for a hand . I look at the false leg for a bit while he pulls up his trouser leg . It 's sort of creepy looking . It do n't really look like a leg .
Idiom: head south (used idiomatically: yes)
In any case Burun thought that there was a wild streak in his daughter 's nature , and he suspected that only a mature man would be able to manage her . All the eligible mature men were married already , and it would not be fitting to contract her in a match where she was not the senior wife . They were heading south - west along the road to Kinsai . The red ball of the late afternoon sun was low on the horizon . Both Kiku and Turakina had insisted on riding and , as they galloped along the borders of the cornfields which supplied the Kha - Khan 's granaries , Turakina 's unbound hair streamed out behind her so that her whole head appeared to be on fire .
Idiom: follow in someone's footsteps (used idiomatically: yes)
Only his song could do the trick , and float the witch into a dreamless sleep , and so she tied him to a perch by a silken ribbon and put bells on his bird 's feet . Rosalba imagined Tommaso as a bird : and saw his pale green eye staring at her from a flurry of golden feathers as his vivid wings beat . Undaunted , Carmellina had followed in her true love 's footsteps ; she had put a kitchen knife into the bodice of her dress , and hitched up her skirts when she got to the foot of the cherry tree , where fallen blossoms lay from Zenaida 's struggle with her captive . She began climbing , until she too reached the sorceress Zenaida 's hideaway in the clouds . She tiptoed forward , pushing open one door .
Idiom: early bird (used idiomatically: yes)
The guide is a large format paperback , priced £ 6.99 . Sales and distribution are handled by Two Heads , , ( ) . Early bird winners Booksellers lucky in the Early Bird Draw for December are Warsash Nautical Bookshop , Southampton ; Smith 's Books , Greater Manchester ; and Ware Bookshop , Hertfordshire . John Forrester
Idiom: out of your mind (used idiomatically: yes)
Because he was n't just the same hard , tough personality that he always had been : he was now far more dangerous — certainly if her present fragile emotions were anything to go by . She had n't seen him for almost five years and yet —less than twenty - four hours later — she 'd been not only happily returning his kisses , but also moaning with pleasure at the feel of his hands on her body . You must be absolutely and totally out of your tiny mind ! she told herself fiercely , ashamed that , despite the apparent sophistication of her twenty - five years , she should have succumbed so quickly to his dark , fatal attraction . Laura was still roughly chastising herself , and attempting to ignore the hard knot of unsatisfied desire still gripping her body , when Ross came back into the room . ' Was that … was that the hospital ? ' she asked , a numbing dread about the fate of her cousin suddenly driving all else from her mind .