Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: go it alone (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ But all these women had better hurry along though before his looks start to fade.’ If his growing army of fans are only writing to say they like Merton 's own TV series , then they are either shy or lying . If truth be told , Merton 's solo series ( Paul Merton : The Series)was nearly as disappointing as those of the rest of the go - it - alone Whose Line- ers . In a stand - up scenario , as the crazy newsagent , Merton was on form ( although rarely at his very best ) , but put him in one of his sketches and the limitations of his acting are obvious . Merton admits his first own series was rushed and that more material needed to be written for each show .
Idiom: sit on the fence (used idiomatically: no)
He believes it would be extremely difficult for the Irish Government , having made these special exemptions , to announce that other parts of Mayo are now to be added to the list . But perhaps public agitation will , in the end , be the catalyst required to neutralise the threat . Peter Mantle thinks so , and MEG is heartened by the fact that the handful of farmers in the area who are sitting on the fence and hoping to make a fast punt out of an imminent El Dorado are outnumbered by a mass of people for whom gold holds no allure . Some are dyed - in - the - wool environmentalists , many are businesspeople with tourist interests , but many more are ordinary people . ‘ The sort who would think nothing of putting their rubbish out on the side of the road,’ as one observer noted , ‘ but who still feel very strongly indeed that there should be no goldmining here .
Idiom: look before you leap (used idiomatically: yes)
( If the proverb is not understood first time , the PP writes down the key word and then repeats the whole proverb up - to - time . ) Example : The early bird catches the worm . Your reply : ' Never be an early worm ! ' or Look before you leap . Your reply : ' He who hesitates is lost . ' or There 's many a slip ' twixt cup and lip .
Idiom: laugh like a drain (used idiomatically: yes)
Patient , kind , understanding , miracle - making angels . A Government which rewards its caring professions with nothing but penury and workhouse hours deserves , I 'm afraid , its own sickness . ' I 'll never moan about hard work again , Jacko , ' I lied as I set off to make a packed audience laugh like drains , with a face the colour of one and stomach that sounded like one . On two occasions we were called into the hospital in the wee small hours , expecting the end — but the dear old rogue had nine lives and , at seventy - nine , he seemed to be negotiating for another two . We were by then in our fourth month of living with my mother in the house and , although the cooking was vastly improved , I seemed to have bitten through my cheeks , eleven of my ten fingers and was starting to bite through Jack 's .
Idiom: hold someone's hand (used idiomatically: yes)
When they reached her she shot Paige a narrow - eyed look . ' I thought you 'd changed your mind . ' ' The interview went on longer than expected , ' Travis explained , not missing the underlying message , and casting a curious look from one to the other before holding out his hand . ' Travis McKenna , and you are Paige 's cousin . ' Her cousin shook hands with an arch smile .
Idiom: do the honours (used idiomatically: yes)
Leslie Howard revels in it all . Make no mistake , this series is a remarkable achievement . Trygg Tryggvason does him full honours with both production and engineering . If you are interested in virtuoso piano playing , you simply must own this set . [ BN ]
Idiom: call the shots (used idiomatically: yes)
Not surprisingly , the preference has been for transfers , which , until the 2008 financial crash , took the form of cross - border private - sector lending to governments and banks . Following the credit - bubble burst in 2008 , fiscal transfers replaced these private financial flows , causing budget deficits to balloon . And now , with the German government , as chief creditor , calling the shots on cross - border transfers to weaker eurozone countries , all such transfers are conditional on austerity ( that is , internal devaluation ) . Bailouts from the European ~ Stability Mechanism represent the clearest example of this , with the fiscal compact now committing signatories to tight deficit targets and structural adjustment .
Idiom: third time lucky (used idiomatically: yes)
Er very often Australian Aboriginal societies you meet men the corroborees at these ritual gatherings and if you 're one of the club , then in the ritual they 'll tell you , they 'll say hey , you know , you know you know you say where did you get all these kangaroos you know oh we got them over at the so and so ranges or down at the so and so water hole that 's where they all are this week , and this is very important information for man . If you 're not a member of the club and you 're not accepted the rituals and people do n't like you , they wo n't tell you and as a result you wo n't be an effective hunter , you wo n't be able to support many wives even if you wanted them and if you have wives what they needed , because if a man does n't feed his wives they , they , they all eventually get up and go , they 'll say two fingers you know , you ca n't feed us . This is one of the things I want you to se see today and this wonderful film I was gon na show today and I hope I 'll show next week , third time lucky , they actually interview the wives , the polygynous wives of of some erm erm guy in Africa , some African erm and they to them they actually ask the wives , why do you , you know why are you married to this man and they say well he feeds us , you know th that 's why we 're married to him , he gives us food and he 's apparently got five this particular man they interviewed , three of them were active and two of them were elderly , and the three active wives are quite open about the fact that this man 's a good provider and therefore they stay with him , but they , they would n't in the case of Australian Aborigines , they would n't stay if they did n't get fed and they only get fed because he 's a good hunter and to be a good hunter you need to go on good terms of men and that 's how it works . But of course it 's , it 's a very tough deal for women , I mean women in erm in a way really get the raw end of it because that to some extent they 're at the mercy of the whole system , even though they can if they absolutely have to . It 's not easy and where 's she gon na go ?
Idiom: on board (used idiomatically: yes)
Wash chopping boards , knives , other equipment and your hands after they 've been used in the preparation of raw food . Wash your hands before handling any food . Bacteria like warm , moist conditions such as those found on chopping boards and other pieces of kitchen equipment . Remove them by frequent scrubbing and careful drying . Wash dish cloths and tea towels frequently .
Idiom: state of the art (used idiomatically: yes)
All this — and a great deal more — has been put under one roof at the first Daily Telegraph Individual Homes Show , to be held at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham over Easter . No matter what you want for your home , from a high technology water system to a scrolled Edwardian radiator made from original castings , it should be there . There is a certain elegance in having a state - of - the - art , pressurised hot water tank feeding a big round shower head that could be straight out of the Savoy . The show is full of such contrasts , possibly the most striking being the demonstration of spinning crown glass , next to ultra - modern titanium low - energy glass displays . You can hire an architect or get advice on digging drains .
Idiom: lay down the law (used idiomatically: yes)
Er , what , we did n't get a discussion , what we decided was erm , because it was in negotiation Right . So I would be best to lay lay down the law straight away , what we needed , and what we did n't need . Right . Erm , we knew exac we knew what we wanted , what we got .
Idiom: pull someone's leg (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ So.’ ‘ Thank you very much indeed.’ I tried to get him to return my smile , to confess that he had been pulling my leg ; but his brooding face was drained of humour . ‘ I make two requests of you . One is that you tell no one over there that you have met me .
Idiom: come to terms with (used idiomatically: yes)
It will go on for a long time but lost it is already.’ In December 1915 , at the very time Falkenhayn was submitting his Memorandum , he was writing to his father about the possibility of a separate peace with England or Russia , ‘ if we do not want our fatherland to keep on fighting until complete exhaustion’ . At the end of April 1916 , he is reputed to have expressed to General Gallwitz his readiness to come to terms with France , and even to hand back Metz . That this playboy prince - cum - amateur - soldier should have seen the writing on the wall before the professionals hardly enhances one 's admiration of the First War military mind . And amateur he was indeed .
Idiom: beg the question (used idiomatically: no)
Transformational rules also , presumably , emerged at this time — at first , perhaps , with mainly abbreviatory effect . Later they could have wedded sentences in constructions such as causal conditionals , being both a spur to and the reflection of our ancestors ' growing conceptual mastery of the world about them . Premack 's tests ( Premack 1976 ) to establish that chimpanzees make rudimentary connections between ' states of affairs'(in order not to beg the more refined question of objectuality within them ) which to us appear closely connected by virtue of a cause and an effect , or by virtue of an implicit goal or problem and a means or stratagem , seem to the layman to support attributions to chimps of protean correlates of human categories of thought . It is not too fanciful to see a connection here with a point Ingram has made about the acquisition of linguistic transformations by children ( to dwell within the Chomskian paradigm a little longer ) . It invites one to see Haeckel 's principle at work once more , with ontogeny recapitulating phylogeny :
Idiom: on the house (used idiomatically: yes)
The bestselling book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is based on a true story of murder in the southern city of Savannah , Georgia . Hollywood turned it into a movie - making the crime 's location , a historic building known as Mercer ~ House , a major tourist attraction . For producer Roger ~ Hsu , Elaine ~ Lu has more on the house and the story that captivated the city .
Idiom: dyed in the wool (used idiomatically: yes)
COROLLARY RE - SIGHTS ON INTEL P5 FOR MULTI - PROCESSING WORK AFTER ACE CRASH Irvine , California - based Corollary Inc 's search for a volume multi - processing market , derailed by the Advanced Computing Environment fiasco , has led it to switch gears to pursue the P5 and NT in league with Intel Corp and Microsoft Corp. The twin moves by a company that previously described itself as an out - and - out , dyed - in - the - wool Unix bigot with great hopes for the MIPS RISC chip must leave the rest of the Unix community at least edgy despite the fact that Corollary says the bulk of its energies are still directed toward Unix . The shift will delay the productisation of Corollary 's third - generation C - bus II architecture , originally intended for 50MHz 80486 systems and now hell - bent to substitute for Intel 's anticipated 80586 or P5 instead , by two or three quarters . The redirection will probably make Corollary the only company to produce a generic P5 multiprocessor board and chipset targeted at OEMs .
Idiom: rough and ready (used idiomatically: yes)
A few sturdily independent types might save up enough cash to buy their own patch outright and farm it independently , becoming known as ‘ bonnet lairds’ . The use of resources was a piecemeal affair . Open fields without hedges or other divisions were awkwardly split up in a system known as ‘ run - rig’ between joint small tenants living in a small village or ‘ fermetoun’ , each annually allocated strips or ‘ rigs’of from a quarter to half an acre , with a rough- and ready attempt to balance the better and poorer land between the respective individuals . The ground was cropped until it was exhausted and had to be left for a few years to recuperate . On his travels through the region early in the eighteenth century , Daniel Defoe noted the disparity between its natural fertility and the inadequacy of its farming methods .
Idiom: call someone's bluff (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ If I do try and run away , then you 're going to make sure I 'm hounded by the press.’ ‘ Precisely,’ Julius agreed . ‘ I ought to call your bluff,’ she muttered . ‘ I do n't believe anyone — not even you — would carry out a threat like that.’ ‘ Believe it,’ he advised softly .
Idiom: saved by the bell (used idiomatically: yes)
Her breath caught in her throat as he stared at her and her pulse - rate accelerated . Someone tapped at the door , and a spasm flickered across his features as she released her breath in a tiny hissing sound . ' Saved by the bell , I think , ' he murmured wryly . She did need rescuing , though not for the reason he imagined . The air was charged with tension coming at her from all directions .
Idiom: fall by the wayside (used idiomatically: yes)
Here light transfer has again been employed , by way of an original glazed lightwell which was retained as ‘ a memory of the old building’ . This also acts as a natural ‘ barrier’ between pure Fitch space and tenant - occupied areas . The purchase of its own building and provision of rentable space are just two symptoms of Fitch 's long - term shrewdness , which could see the company thriving as other design consultancies , such as one - time rivals Michael Peters , fall by the wayside . Already Fitch 's new headquarters is reputedly worth the £ 13 million it cost to buy and convert . As real estate asset , working accommodation and corporate statement , Porters South can not help but boost Fitch - RS 's fortunes .
Idiom: off the mark (used idiomatically: yes)
Jim , who is divorced from Toby 's mother , married art - gallery owner Julie Schaffler 11 years ago . ‘ I first met Julie when I walked into her gallery but it took me three years to walk out with her as my wife,’ he says . ‘ Toby is obviously quicker off the mark than his dad.’ Toby , the youngest of Jim 's four children , is also doubly determined . For Jim revealed that he has married Sara twice .
Idiom: song and dance (used idiomatically: yes)
The 150th anniversary of the birth of the Reverend Doctor Thomas Bowman Stephenson , founder of the National Children 's Home , the 120th Anniversary of the NCH , and the 80th Birthday of the present Chairman of the NCH , that most beloved personality Viscount Tonypandy , have all been celebrated cleverly in order to raise money for the National Children 's home . This charity does magnificent work for children , caring for over 11,000 of them each year ; today they run 200 projects , about which I have written in previous diaries . I went to several events in 1989 , the last one of which was a delightful evening of music , song and dance , at St James 's Palace in the presence of the Duchess of York . Viscount Tonypandy was present and made a brief speech of welcome . Also present were Lord Romsey , Patron of the NCH Birthday Year , and Lady Romsey , looking beautiful in a red evening dress ; the Principal of the NCH the Reverend Michael Newman , Mr John Gray the Director of Advocacy of the NCH ; and the Chairman of the evening Mr Derek Hunt .
Idiom: in the short run (used idiomatically: no)
He said January 's figures , showing inflation rising at just 1.7 per cent a year , were excellent news and added that surveys showed the UK would have one of the fastest growing economies in Europe this year and next . Meanwhile , the Bank of England published a 45-page document outlining its view of the progress made on underlying inflation and where it is heading over the subsequent 24 months . ' In the short run , it is possible that inflation will exceed the top of the target range during calendar 1993 , but it is more likely that inflation will remain in the 3 per cent to 4 per cent range in the absence of any unexpected shocks , ' the report said . The bank gives warning that industry expectations of inflation had still not reached the level consistent with keeping price rises in the target range . ' Steady progress has been made towards achievement of the Government 's inflation objective .
Idiom: in the short run (used idiomatically: no)
‘ I am a partisan of the idea of two inter - governmental conferences , one dealing with economic and monetary union and related institutional reform by the end of 1991 , and another which deals with European political union , one or two years later or even at the same time,’ Mr Delors told MEPs in Strasbourg yesterday . ‘ I believe that if we deal with both of these subjects in one such conference we risk overloading the boat.’ Mr Delors said that in the short run MEPs should be given greater powers to hold the EC executive responsible when national governments transferred powers to Brussels — under a new European treaty for economic and monetary union . But as the Community moved towards the goal of political union the European Parliament would have to give greater co - legislating powers to the Council of Ministers . The majority of EC governments support Mr Delors in using the impulse of the moves to democracy in Eastern Europe , and the overwhelming backing for EMU shown at last weekend 's Strasbourg summit , to secure a bigger role for the parliament .
Idiom: make the grade (used idiomatically: yes)
The enclosed pamphlet continues to flatter me , explaining that since nobody ever promised me a rose garden , I went ahead and grew my own . And for this reason I should move up to the company 's Gold Card program . This , I am assured , is not merely ‘ the most comprehensive lifestyle and financial program one can apply for’(will I make the grade ? ) but is ‘ most distinctive’ for the ‘ philosophy it represents’ . And just what is that ‘ philosophy’ ? Why simply that ‘ as an accomplished individual you have more stringent and exacting expectations’(a banker 's way of saying he hopes I have more money than brains ) .
Idiom: turn the corner (used idiomatically: yes)
There was a light on in the hall , and apparently on the second floor , though that might be a landing . Nenna struggled against an impulse to rush into the fish and chip shop at the corner , the only shop in the street , and ask them if they had ever seen somebody coming out of number 42b who looked lonely , or indeed if they had ever seen anyone coming out of it at all . The figure turning the corner and walking heavily down the road could not under any circumstances have been Edward , but at least it relieved her from the suspicion that the street was uninhabited . When the heavily - treading man slowed down at number 42 , she could n't believe her luck . He had been out and was coming in , although the way he walked suggested that going out had not been a great success , and that not much awaited him at home .
Idiom: in the short run (used idiomatically: yes)
In philosophical terms the answer is probably ' Yes ' ; in practical terms ' No . ' The reason has been stated frequently by Sir John Hoskyns . In the short run , disengaging from state activity is just as difficult and time - consuming as getting into it — if not more so . Privatization , like nationalization , imposes a stiff workload and absorbs a great deal of parliamentary time . So , where is the business being done ?
Idiom: change hands (used idiomatically: yes)
Then , quite unexpectedly , he took a clubbing right hand to the head and lost complete co - ordination . He did not react but lay back grasping the top rope . Jones mounted a quick two - fisted assault and the title changed hands in those brief , dramatic seconds . Laing was at pains to stress that at no time did he feel under pressure : ‘ It was that I 'd never been caught before and I did n't know what to do . It was the shock of it more than anything .
Idiom: down the road (used idiomatically: yes)
8 . " I sure would hate to be in heaven ! " 9 . " Going to church does n't make people any better — just look at Mrs X down the road . If you want a kindness doing , do n't ask her . " 10 .
Idiom: open the floodgates (used idiomatically: yes)
Sinners , prostitutes , and thieves can understand in a second the power of that argument . Sadly police , magistrates and MPs take a lot longer.’ He is convinced that abortion is evil and that the historic Lords ruling will open the floodgates to mercy killings and euthanasia . His campaign has led to him being held in two jails , Strangeways and Pentonville , and at least £ 2,000 in fines for public order offences which he stubbornly refuses to pay . Incarceration has been no barrier to his relentless campaign .
Idiom: one and the same (used idiomatically: yes)
CORN DOLLIES ‘ Joyrider!’ ( Midnight Music ) Does n't sound much like the Corn Dollies , who used to support The Flatmates , but I 'm assured they are one and the same . ‘ Joyrider!’ itself is fairly mundane but ‘ Slow Death’meanders pleasantly in a 4AD - ish mode with vocals uncannily reminiscent of Ian McCulloch . However , the Kool Aid Mix of ‘ Joyrider!’ is an altogether more disturbingly dancey affair punctuated by taut guitar feedback and strings similar to the shower scene in Psycho .
Idiom: off the record (used idiomatically: yes)
Arnold chased Samantha Foggo , of Newcastle , all the way and , at the 400 m mark , the Nottingham swimmer made her move . But Foggo was clearly not prepared to surrender her national No 1 position without a fight and held on bravely to finish 1.61sec ahead in 8min 53.19sec . Alex Bennett , 14 , also of Nova Centurion , shaved 0.05sec off the British junior record for the 50 m backstroke set five years ago . Her time of 31.15sec puts her in today 's final , helping her club maintain the pressure on Portsmouth Northsea , the defending champions . Leeds made a good start in defence of their men 's title when Stephen Akers won the 1500 m freestyle in 15min 37.77sec .
Idiom: hot air (used idiomatically: yes)
Hot air over Germany OBSTRUCTION and protectionism do not stalk only big companies . Small firms can be more vulnerable because trade wars can turn into costly and time - consuming dog - fights — as Don Cameron , a British manufacturer of hot - air balloons , has found . Mr Cameron 's company , Cameron Balloons , is a world leader in its field . It makes standard pear - shaped hot - air balloons for enthusiasts , and specially shaped ones for advertising or big egos — like the hot - air balloon it made for the late Malcolm Forbes in the shape of the American publisher 's French chateau .
Idiom: with a view to (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I think you know the ‘ business’ . I am to arrest you , and Mr Cameron , on charges arising from the mobbing and sundry other disturbances in this district . You will be examined in Perth , with a view to preferring formal charges . Captain Colberg — will you proceed with the prisoners , while I search these premises for evidence ? I will follow on presently , with Constable Thomson from Pitnacree.’
Idiom: to all intents and purposes (used idiomatically: yes)
It will now will be held in the front room of his home in Cherrywood Drive , Beith , on Tuesday , in the presence of the commissioner , QCs , junior counsel , solicitors and shorthand writer . His solicitor , Cameron Fyfe , said : ‘ The court recognises that Mr McTear will not survive to see his case to its completion , as this process could take several years . ‘ The commission will act to all intents and purposes like a court within Mr McTear 's front room , and this step will allow the case to continue after my client 's death.’ Mr McTear , a father of three , is suing Imperial Tobacco for £ 500,000 , for its failure to print health warnings on the cigarette packets in the 1960s . He claims he would not have started if there had been warnings .