Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: by the back door (used idiomatically: yes)
She held up her hand to him to say , " Wait while I see if it 's safe , " and darted back through the kitchen and into the house , listening in the big hall where suits of dull metal armour stood mutely by the heavy oak doors . But there was not a sound : it was that time in the afternoon when Mrs Prynn was down in the village , Sir Gregory and Amyas were at their books , and the ladies in their chambers . She ran back through the kitchen and down the steps into the lower scullery , but when she came out by the back door and looked across to the wall , Tristram was not be seen . She was just cursing herself for not having had the courage to go straight over to him in the first place when he appeared again , a little further down . This time she needed no further invitation .
Idiom: fly a kite (used idiomatically: no)
Oh that 's quite Before we go onto that , erm how far do you think Jane Eyre supported this idea ? I mean , she sort of flew the kite as it were with you know , if the wife was erm presumably the husband in other cases was mad beyond belief it was a good reason for casting her off . How far do you think she went along with it ? I mean , she could have been er in love with Rochester but it looks to me like a beginning of an idea , you know , that er there are circumstances in which she er
Idiom: word of mouth (used idiomatically: yes)
* they are perceived as authoritative . This personal authority can come from the holding of a traditionally authoritative role , or it can come from age , experience , personality and qualification . The views of opinion leaders are often taken very seriously by reference group members , and " word of mouth " recommendation is regarded as just about the most powerful tool of promotion ( or condemnation ) that there is . Marketers interested in the development and introduction of new products will be particularly interested in the attitude of opinion leaders to these products , for their general market acceptance can be slowed down or speeded up by the views of such people . This issue is dealt with in a later chapter .
Idiom: go from strength to strength (used idiomatically: yes)
Deaf Sports Clubs Hitherto , provision of adult deaf organisations had largely been confined to church services and other pastoral services , but in 1871 , a most important step was taken with the founding of Glasgow Deaf and Dumb Football Club , the first sports dub for the deaf in this country . Matches were played against local hearing teams , and after a promising start , the club almost folded in 1879 following a disastrous season but was re - organised , and has since gone from strength to strength , with various changes in name . The first adult sports clubs to be formed in England were Derby Deaf and Dumb Cricket and Football Club and Manchester Deaf and Dumb Sports Club , both in 1876 ( Manchester 's first sport was rugby union ) . They were followed by the Liverpool Deaf and Dumb Cricket and Football Club ( 1878 ) , Armstead Deaf and Dumb F.C.
Idiom: confirmed bachelor (used idiomatically: yes)
Peter sat up and grinned . ‘ You ca n't say that of Marc . He 's a confirmed bachelor.’ ‘ He is?’ She could n't imagine why .
Idiom: in the works (used idiomatically: no)
For example , supposing that the flow investigated becomes more complicated than might be expected because of an instability , this fact would be discovered not by a stability analysis but by the observation , in the laboratory or on the computer , that a complicated flow occurred . Numerical experiments , like laboratory experiments , must be planned with attention to the requirements of dynamical similarity ( Chapter 7 ) . In laboratory work one may find that the desired values of the non - dimensional parameters are not actually achievable . This is much less likely to be a problem in numerical work , which is therefore particularly important for studies of regimes inaccessible in the laboratory ( e.g. convection in conditions where non - Boussinesq effects — see the Appendix to Chapter 14 — are significant , perhaps in connection with an application such as solar granulation , Section 26.6 ) . However , numerical experimentation has , of course , its own problems , lack of awareness of which can easily lead to spurious conclusions .
Idiom: take a leaf out of someone's book (used idiomatically: yes)
Its basis lay in the attraction of opposites . In an argument where the central issue was social cohesion it was clearly necessary to find some means of measuring this elusive force . Here Durkheim took a leaf out of Maine 's book and decided to adopt law as an objective measure of social solidarity . This led him to compare the legal codes of archaic and modern societies in much the same manner as Maine had done . He concluded that legal processes could be divided into two contrasting types .
Idiom: from scratch (used idiomatically: yes)
The recollections of those who worked with him in the war years show a striking convergence : volunteers were won over instantly by the self - assured prophetic tone in which he discussed the war and by his knack of making them feel that they had been singled out to receive a confidence . Of course , the moral or symbolic stature that he gained from making the right choice at the outset did not guarantee de Gaulle his triumphant arrival in North Africa in mid-1943 . To exploit his stature , de Gaulle had to create an organization from scratch , fend off rivals to his legitimacy , and dodge the attempts of his " allies " ( he used quotation marks on occasion ) to remove him . He achieved success through the combination of a vigilant , resourceful , and tough " inside game " with the skilful projection of his image and view of events . Inside his own organization de Gaulle attached immediate priority to creating a centralized power structure .
Idiom: come to terms with (used idiomatically: yes)
Target date for application to join the scheme is late August with final Registration in early 1992 . After attending a two day course for ‘ Internal Quality Auditing’ run by the British Standards Institute for BS5750 , Ian McCulloch , Company Secretary has been appointed to oversee its implementation . ‘ We are , he said , at the initial stages , still coming to terms with what we need to do.’ He expects that many overall advantages will be achieved with the scheme . Currently there are sixteen carpet companies registered with BS5750 , all of which received unannounced inspections .
Idiom: move the goalposts (used idiomatically: yes)
PUNTERS LEFT AT THE POST CHARLES FAWCUS THE JOCKEY CLUB are moving the goalposts next week in an attempt to update the sport -but most punters will still be left in the dark . From Tuesday , racing 's rulers will make trainers nominate jockeys by 3.30 on the day before a race instead of 45 minutes before as is the case now . That should stop Pat Eddery or Peter Scudamore suddenly appearing on a horse instead of an obscure rider .
Idiom: green light (used idiomatically: yes)
We have two sorts of light receptors in the retina , rods and cones . Only the cones can distinguish between different wavelengths and so provide the brain with the information necessary to colour the scene . There are three kinds of cones , one sensitive mainly to blue light , one to green light , and one to yellow - green light . The fact that two of our cones are sensitive to green is thought to indicate that we once lived in tropical forests , where this area of the spectrum dominates the scene . The yellow - green cone is also sensitive to the red part of the spectrum , and so is often called the red cone .
Idiom: in the pipeline (used idiomatically: yes)
In one of the bloodiest weeks in its history , the BBC announced that it intended to cut jobs by more than 1,000 . The corporation needs to save £ 25 m ( $ 43 m ) a year . More job losses are in the pipeline . Skoolgate John Major , the prime minister , dithered before remembering how many O - levels he has ( six ) .
Idiom: have a few (used idiomatically: no)
You was drunk . When you come out of this you was absolutely drunk ! Then if you 'd lie down for a few minutes , have a few minutes’ sleep , you were right again . ‘ For the work we used to do up there we used to have all the beer we could drink . There used to be a chap told off every day to fetch us beer in two nine - quart cans .
Idiom: at death's door (used idiomatically: yes)
He was quite right . Theda had been struck by an unexpected pang of compassion for Lady Merchiston . She was a cantankersome woman , but she was literally at death 's door . She looked much older than her sixty - odd years , wasted as she was . Yet her household , instead of doing what they might to ease her last days , were not merely neglectful , but downright cruel .
Idiom: on a roll (used idiomatically: yes)
Renault Safrane V6 The R19 , Clio , Espace , A610 coupe — has Renault produced another winner with the R25 replacement ? IT ISN'T JUST THE brilliant new Twingo that says Renault is on a roll . Next year 's R21 replacement should build on the clear thinking and design flair established with the Clio and consolidate the middle markets won by the revamped R19 . And the company 's specialist products — Espace MPV and junior supercar A610 — already occupy the critical high ground in their respective niches .
Idiom: get stuck in (used idiomatically: yes)
Beeson , the England captain , scored his first victory over the world No . 9 , Zarak Jahan Khan , with one of the finest performances of his career , and then complained about the remarks he claimed his opponent had been making during the rallies . ‘ I told him that was quite unnecessary,’ Beeson said . ‘ It made me angry , and that sort of thing makes me get stuck in.’ These results caused Jonah Barrington , the former world No . 1 who has waited an age for signs of Englishmen who might become world beaters in the way that he did , to make an interesting boast . ‘ At last we are getting the reward for our hard work and we will be challenging for the world title ourselves in a couple of years,’ he said .
Idiom: not on your life (used idiomatically: yes)
' Bit rough on her . ' I watched her expertly snip off a length of trade cotton , then almost run to a shelf and move a fifty - pound sack of flour . ' Not on your life , ' chuckled Reid . ' She 's never had it so good . She 's aye the envy of every other girl on the island .
Idiom: go through the motions (used idiomatically: yes)
He was out of work . He could n't get . So er we used to go through the motions and er after about er three weeks I think it was , no , yeah , two or three weeks anyway . We were going round actually looking for work , not ve very keen but we were , we were looking for it . All in the day .
Idiom: sitting duck (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I was on my way to the train.’ ‘ They like that . You a sitting duck there.’ ‘ I could try a bus.’ ‘ What you gon na do — wait at a bus - stop ?
Idiom: bring up the rear (used idiomatically: yes)
President , I 've , er , had lots of advice from my colleagues as to how to respond to the comments of the shop stewards er , I can only respond and say thank you very much indeed for the kind things they 've said particularly , erm , specific point that 's been raised on the industry from my colleagues that are from the Midlands and East Coast the situation currently is that , er , we have decided to ballot for industrial action in E C C and the T & G have decided to ballot for industrial action in , I think its . We 've informed the employers of that decision and hopefully that will change the position . as colleagues who are involved will know is just about the only industry in the building materials sector that has n't made some kind of pay offer in this current round it 's very much bringing up the rear and we 're determined to use what industrial strength we have to change the employer 's stance otherwise we 're very concerned that the national negotiation missionary , this will be his death knell since we 'll have to resort to local pay bargaining , so the short answer is E C C er , will be balloted as far as the G M B is concerned union and , er , T & G are balloting in for industrial action to try to change the employers ' position . Thank you congress . Thank you very much , Alan .
Idiom: read between the lines (used idiomatically: yes)
He said : ‘ What is , of course , confusing is that the decision had already been taken . Then , all of a sudden , the German federation change their minds . ‘ I have read between the lines of the German decision , but I can not see any new facts to support this change of heart . To my knowledge , no new facts have come to light since the original decision.’ A senior sports administrator made the point yesterday that Krabbe 's coach , Thomas Springstein , had been ‘ notorious for his involvement in the past’ in East Germany 's drugs - ridden sports culture .
Idiom: behind the scenes (used idiomatically: yes)
Mr Clarke made a direct appeal to Norman Lamont , the Chief Secretary to the Treasury , to support his bid for between £ 1 - 2bn extra for the NHS budget next year . ‘ Norman Lamont is a good friend of the NHS and I am sure — or I think I am sure — that he will prove it,’ Mr Clarke said . Mr Lamont is engaged in a series of behind - the - scenes negotiations with the major spending ministers at the conference to reduce £ 10bn in excess bids . It is expected that the health budget for next year will be settled in the talks , but disputes over education and transport could go to an appeal to the Star Chamber of ministers chaired by Sir Geoffrey Howe . In a robust speech , which won him a standing ovation , Mr Clarke denied suggestions that Government 's plans to overhaul the NHS were a substitute for extra money for the service .
Idiom: in the bag (used idiomatically: yes)
But a check - out line is not the place for the kinds of confrontation senior management might need to have on the shop floor ! When Safeways was particularly busy ' one Friday lunchtime , Phyllis popped in for a packet of chops for her husband and herself . The check - out clerks normally pack the already neatly wrapped fresh meat for you in a plastic bag . As it happened , the chops were beginning to drip , and there was a long line of people waiting behind Phyllis . Phyllis had never seen the check - out girl before .
Idiom: in the long run (used idiomatically: no)
' A fair number of years . A good way to see the land without getting bow - legged doing it , or flat - footed . The river is placid here , where it becomes patient in its long run to the sea and decides to slow and look at the land it passes through . A man can learn a lot from the river . ' Bicker leaned forward to toy with his mug .
Idiom: speak volumes (used idiomatically: yes)
Rock'n'roll was born in a London office two months earlier when the first issue of the NME was ‘ put to bed’ . In February 1952,The Musical Express bade farewell to its readers with a final issue that blazed proudly on its cover ‘ Tommy Dorsey For Olympic Games’ , the accompanying story telling of how bandleader Dorsey and his orchestra had been booked to play for four hours daily at the games in Finland that summer . This story , perhaps somewhat less than scintillating to today 's thrill - seeking reader , was nevertheless hot news at the time and , moreover , speaks volumes for the then ethos of the paper ; a lightweight , trade bulletin largely concerned with the doings of big band leaders and crooners , the dominant pop music of the time . Two weeks later , the paper re - emerged as The New Musical Express , the name if not the publication that you know and love today . The paper had been relaunched by Maurice Kinn , a successful London agent and promoter who , by turning up at an agreed location on the stroke of noon with £ 1,000 pounds of borrowed cash in hand , acquired the title and promptly added the New .
Idiom: full marks (used idiomatically: no)
A number of teams deserve a special mention for their tenacity in teaching the last stages . ' The Renegades ' from Dundalk certainly held on to the very end . Full marks to Anne McArdle , Anne Connolly , Linda Sweetman , Fergal Collier and Declan Dempsey who flew the flag mightily . Also ' Belfast All Stars ' one of the ' home'teams , played some great bowling . Their team included David Fairley , Alison Douglas , Carolyn Lavery , Keith Adams and Janice Morrison .
Idiom: across the board (used idiomatically: yes)
Abbey National breaks cartel LAPR removed MIRAS introduced across the board Stock Market crash Dual tax relief abolished
Idiom: lie low (used idiomatically: yes)
She came in front beside Patrick and Jim crept into the back , where he promptly fell asleep . So he saw nothing of Budapest , where the bright lights were a contrast to darkened Bucharest . Patrick drove up the east bank of the Danube through the low - lying city of Pest , then crossed the Elizabethan bridge into Buda . Even at 2.30 a.m. there were signs of night life , but the leafy suburbs on the hills to the west were asleep . Vienna was 260 kilometres away .
Idiom: lend a hand (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ He was killed in the last war , before I was born . I was brought up by my maternal grandmother.’ ‘ Did not your father 's parents lend a hand in your upbringing?’ Celia frowned . Grandma and Grandpa Carrow had hardly impinged on her life .
Idiom: make someone's day (used idiomatically: yes)
I was still weak from my illness , and the shock was too much for me . They had to help me into the house and let me rest in a chair . They were both so pleased that I had come , by accident , to make their day perfect . I could only be glad that I had never spoken of my plan to Joe , when he was looking after me . ‘ Dear Biddy,’ I said , ‘ you have the best husband in the whole world.’
Idiom: with a view to (used idiomatically: yes)
Another criterion that works well is to continue delegating up to the point where subordinates either actually object , or begin to fail to deliver successful results . A standard technique that has stood the test of time is to analyse all paper work crossing your desk over a period of say a month . The aim is to scrutinize it with a view to stopping it coming through the door next time . You look for ways to ensure that either it can be regularly dealt with by someone else or at least that it should reach you partly or virtually completed . In your search for things to delegate promote an active discussion amongst those employees for whom you have responsibility .
Idiom: in the short run (used idiomatically: yes)
The ensuing loss of competitiveness manifested itself in large and growing current - account deficits and slowing growth . The final nail in the coffin was the appreciation of the euro between 2002 and 2008 . So , even if Greece and other PIIGS had the political resolve to reduce massively their large fiscal deficits – and that is a big if , given the political resistance to spending cuts and tax increases – fiscal contraction may , at ~ least in the short run , make the current recession worse as higher taxes and lower spending reduce aggregate demand . If GDP falls , achieving a certain deficit and debt target ( as a share of GDP ) becomes impossible . This , indeed , was the debt death trap that engulfed Argentina between 1998 and 2001 .
Idiom: hard cheese (used idiomatically: yes)
THE SAFEST CORNED BEEF : As long as it 's not infected with botulism ( which is pretty rare ) , corned beef is sterile from the tin and so it 's unusual to find high bug counts . CHEESE AND TOMATO : Hard cheese is n't moist enough to encourage bugs to grow , and tomatoes are rarely contaminated from their greenhouses . TUNA : Tinned tuna , as long as it goes straight into the sandwich after opening , is virtually bug-free . Tinned sardines are similar .
Idiom: run the gauntlet (used idiomatically: yes)
Dug-outs at some grounds have become chambers of horror , with visiting soccer bosses the sitting duck targets for verbal and , sometimes , physical abuse . The demand for action comes in a week when John Bond has been advised to stay away from his former club , Burnley , for Shrewsbury 's FA Cup tie this afternoon because of fears of reprisals from angry Turf Moor fans . Aston Villa manager Ron Atkinson could also run the gauntlet of hostility at Hillsborough today when he goes back to the club he left under acrimonious circumstances two seasons ago . Crowd violence towards players is another area of concern after the FA ordered a replay of the Cup tie between Peterborough and Kingstonian when the visitors ' keeper was knocked out by a coin thrown from behind his goal . Now the Managers ' Association have been invited to outline the problems at a meeting of the FA 's crowd control committee in February .
Idiom: turn the tables (used idiomatically: yes)
A crab missing a few legs may have enough running power left to survive , but a crab that is completely legless might as well be dead . Some crabs employ an aggressive form of autotomy . Instead of waiting for the predator to attack them , they use their powerful claws to turn the tables . They grab hold of the killer 's flesh , clamp tight and then cast off the claw . This has been observed when otters have been hunting crabs .
Idiom: have it both ways (used idiomatically: yes)
Nigel was not amused . He countered by leaving other articles around on pre - menstrual tension . She could n't have it both ways . There were better quotes he could underline here . There were incredible stories of battered , scratched husbands who sounded remarkably like himself .
Idiom: grease the wheels (used idiomatically: yes)
But the bright side for the chancellor is that there should be higher bank profits to tax , especially if interest rates fall . The TESSAs ( tax - exempt special savings accounts ) he introduced will allow banks to raise more , cheap retail deposits . Two measures should do a good deal to grease the wheels of the City 's securities business . By exempting pension funds and unit trusts from income tax on trading profits from futures and options dealings , he has managed to clear up an uncertainty that has kept many investing institutions shy of London 's derivatives markets . The line that the Inland Revenue has hitherto drawn between investment and trading has been exasperatingly unclear .
Idiom: hit home (used idiomatically: yes)
Where are these 5 000 empty beds they claim should be lost ? That is not to say that I disagree with Sir Bernard 's suggestion that the primary health - care system needs to be radically overhauled . I am frankly surprised that this home truth has n't hit home before : vast areas of London do n't have adequate GP cover . A single GP working alone , for example , covers Soho , and this is why many clients choose to use the accident and emergency department of University College Hospital and Barts as their primary point of contact with the health - care professions . Primary care is important for Londoners , both now and in the future .
Idiom: in the red (used idiomatically: yes)
To her , language seemed to be nothing more than a means of discovering the price of butter or exchanging views about the weather . Lip - reading skills were of little use because her vocabulary had almost died of starvation . Limited interests led to fewer social contacts ( one can not go on and on talking about nothing ) , and there was no doubt that her aural memory - bank was well in the red . I was a student when I met Miss B , but I have never forgotten her . The experience made me realize that there is more to speechreading/ lip - reading than meets the eye .