Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: night and day (used idiomatically: yes)
What reason could he possibly have for staying?’ ‘ Perhaps you do n't believe me , sir , but I know what I heard . For a week now the person — or thing — in that study has been crying night and day for some special chemical powders . My master was in the habit , when he was particularly busy with his scientific work , of writing orders on pieces of paper and leaving them on the stairs . We 've had nothing else this week , nothing except written orders and a locked door .
Idiom: make short work of (used idiomatically: yes)
All were somewhat fuddled with drink but none more than the Mayor and his party . In a few minutes it was all over . Armed with sticks and bottles and bare fists the sturdy folk of Sinkport made short work of their opponents , and Aunt Clarabel herself ended the contest by knocking Cut - throat Jake senseless with a rolling - pin . ‘ Now ! Into the jailhouse with the lot of ' em!’ she cried , and , one and all , the Mayor and his friends were bundled along to the dungeons of the Baddie 's Tower .
Idiom: an old flame (used idiomatically: yes)
She said , let me know . you might as well go to bed with a Mills and Boon . I do n't mind who knows You know I think I 'm Old flames is n't it ? It 's got a star . Look .
Idiom: add insult to injury (used idiomatically: no)
Easy , eh ? Well it would be if it was n't for the tricky traps , perplexing puzzles , tantalising time limit and crafty creatures with an appetite for raw Rufus ! To add insult to injury his faithful laser blazer has limited power , so to keep the aliens at bay he has to make every shot count . What can you say about the game that was n't said in the last caption ? Not a lot , so I 'll insult Steve instead — he 's an ugly Welsh git with an in - growing chin !
Idiom: round the clock (used idiomatically: yes)
76 pairs of red kites nested in the valleys of south - west Wales this year but only 62 young survived to maturity — eight less than last year . The kites ' breeding success was affected by a cold wet spring , accidental disturbance and the theft of eggs from six nests . Egg theft would have been far worse had it not been for round - the - clock protection from the army at the end of the season . Competition prize winners Kathryn Winkler of Dundee , your lucky number is up .
Idiom: get the nod (used idiomatically: no)
' You 've met my wife , I think , ' Herr Nordern said . ' This is my mother - in - law , my children , and my brother . ' Omi and the children got perfunctory nods from Marx but he peered intently at Bodo who , massive arms folded , was leaning against the wall . ' I know you , ' he said . ' And I know you , ' Bodo answered in a tough , unyielding voice .
Idiom: go downhill (used idiomatically: yes)
Nice afternoon for a bit of a walk but do n't you go overdoing it.’ She followed the old man with her eyes . ‘ He 's gone downhill , lately , poor old chap , but we all got to come to it . ‘ Anyway , I was saying about the Glyrms : Maurice lost his wife when she was no more'n a girl ; Matthew 's missus walked out an ' left him with three children . Then there 's Alfred — I mean , he never had what you 'd call a proper life … ’
Idiom: rub shoulders (used idiomatically: yes)
Anticipate the hose - pipe bans and make the most of a sunny border , says Nigel Colborn , by filling it with the kind of plants that thrive on heat and dust How lucky we are , in this funny old climate of ours , to be able to grow such an amazing range of plants . In the same garden ( occasionally even in the same border ) sub - Arctic species geared to withstand deep - freeze temperatures will rub shoulders quite happily with exotics which , in their native habitats , roast through the summer and seldom get rained on . Conditions for success If you have a sunny corner or a south - facing bank you could , with a little planning and the right conditions , create a micro - Mexico or a mini - Costa del Sol .
Idiom: fit the bill (used idiomatically: yes)
Ask to see the previous year 's bills so you can assess the running costs . Offers If you find a house that fits the bill , it 's time to make an offer . The price is what the seller hopes to get , and not necessarily w hat he expects . The estate agent might tell you what the seller will accept , but you can make a lower offer .
Idiom: on the level (used idiomatically: yes)
To put the discussion into context , responsibility for providing further education in the United Kingdom is divided between three hierarchical levels , with the central government Department of Education and Science having overall responsibility , which is devolved to Local Education Authorities ( LEAs ) each accountable for the education provision in specified geographical areas . Delivery of the appropriate courses is the responsibility of specified Colleges , in accordance with the plan for the area ; prior to implementation of the ERA , each was controlled in respect of staffing levels and general mode of operation by the parent LEA . The majority of College finance is provided by central government grants , which are divided at local level into that required to provide central administrative and support services , and that used to finance the College operations , allocated on a pro-rata basis to individual establishments dependent on the level of course provision and student numbers . This forms the bulk of the College budget , which can be supplemented by income generated by additional courses provided to meet specific demands , which in effect are outside the statutory requirements . The System Models
Idiom: in light of (used idiomatically: yes)
… for an aspiring educational ideology to be able to mount a serious challenge at the national level it has to link three concepts together : the desired society , the type or types of educated individuals necessary for that society , and the educational means to fulfil these two ends . ( p. 13 ) The current state of professional development in arts education could be explored in the light of these three categories and in each one cause for concern be found . To many observers ( e.g. Davis , 1980 ; Salter and Tapper , 1981 ; Hargreaves , 1982 ; Whitty , 1985 ; Ranson , 1985 ) the ' desired society ' and ' types of education'now reflect an ideology shifting towards instrumentalism and seeking vocationally trained citizens conforming to a narrow prescription defined by the perceived economic needs of the state . However , notions which are the antithesis of this have a strong currency in the arts .
Idiom: in someone's pocket (used idiomatically: yes)
Rain said : ‘ But when you had the gun you did n't stop the fight.’ They waited a very long time for his answer . ‘ I put the gun in my pocket but I did n't go near the lounge . I took the painting and went through the cocktail bar and down the steps to the other deck and left the boat that way . It 's possible I knew subconsciously all along what I was going to do with the gun .
Idiom: for my money (used idiomatically: no)
‘ She was over the moon . She 's really in love with this guy . As you yourself so candidly pointed out , she was only marrying me for my money — and , of course , to get out of a fix.’ Suddenly it was all clear — except for one thing . Shiona frowned .
Idiom: pick someone's brain (used idiomatically: yes)
The corrective that Mr Welch has prescribed is bold enough to suggest that his second decade as chief executive could be as radical as the first . To supplement work - outs , he has come up with a global best - practices programme . GE scours the world for companies which are better than GE itself at some specific aspect of business and then asks to pick their brains . In return GE promises to share with them the knowledge it gains — in effect , to provide management - consultancy services for free . Only businesses that are direct competitors are excluded .
Idiom: fit the bill (used idiomatically: yes)
The most widely planted red grape is the Shiraz , known as Syrah in France , where it is the leading grape of the Rhône . In the early days before the new age of light table wine - making , the wine industry tended to prefer grapes that were as little bother as possible in the vineyard or winery . Shiraz fitted the bill perfectly , but because it was widely planted it was poorly regarded . Some eminent wine - makers have since nurtured it to produce distinctive wines on its own — leathery , creamy and spicy , with a soft slick of redcurrant jelly . The Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz grapes produce well - orchestrated , complex blends , combining fruit , backbone and spice .
Idiom: banana republic (used idiomatically: yes)
Enhancing Germany 's attraction as a criminal playground , hundreds of bureaucrats , local government officials and policemen have recently been exposed in a series of nationwide corruption trials . Building contracts are sold to insiders , rubbish is disposed of on payment of massive backhanders and driving licences have been sold back to convicted drink - drivers . The audacity of criminals faced with ineffective and ill - equipped police forces , not just in their East European homelands , is turning crime levels in Germany into ‘ banana republic proportions’ , lamented a federal criminal police spokesman . Border police say they can only stand by helplessly as Poles , returning home with their stolen Mercedes and BMWs , suddenly accelerate past them . Poles exported 10,000 of the 87,000 cars stolen in Germany last year to their homeland .
Idiom: touch and go (used idiomatically: yes)
Sarah was n't slow on the uptake this time . Her collection of outdoor treasures shot to the ground as in a single movement she leapt up and out between the trees . It was touch - and - go whether she could reach the pram before it either overturned or leapt from the rocky wall at the foot of the bank on to the road , along which traffic was speeding in both directions . She ran as she had never run before . The other girls had reached the top of the bank now , and they saw her long legs fairly leaping down the slope after the speeding pram .
Idiom: take the plunge (used idiomatically: yes)
Firstly , some members began washing the potatoes in the sea before eating them . Others followed suit until it became standard practice in the group . Then some of the younger macaques began paddling in the sea and eventually took the plunge and learned how to swim . They were imitated by their elders and again , the novel behaviour of the few became the accepted behaviour of the group . Finally , some adventurous youngsters began diving off low rocky outcroppings on the shoreline , a practice which was copied by other members of the troupe .
Idiom: pick up the pieces (used idiomatically: yes)
' I 'm Philippa , ' Philippa offered . ' Oh , ' he replied , ' I 'm Larry . ' Lee got up and picked up a piece of cross - stitch tapestry from the top of an old record - player and sat down in the rocking - chair , her back to the two young people . She gently rocked the chair to and fro as she started to work on the head of a unicorn in white embroidery cotton . ' What star sign are you ? '
Idiom: packed like sardines (used idiomatically: yes)
He 'll be the fall - guy in the first reshuffle . ' More criminals are going to prison than ever before , and the unit of resource has been significantly reduced . ' We 're packing them in like sardines . ' The National Health Service is truly safe in our hands . More beds are being used in real terms than ever before … '
Idiom: tip the scales (used idiomatically: yes)
The top ten in 2045 The world of five billion This year world population tipped the scales at five billion . It is growing at a rate of around a billion every 12 years . Every minute it grows by 150 ; every day by ‘ 0,000 ; every year by 80 million .
Idiom: tell tales (used idiomatically: no)
Evelyn Couch — the marvellous Kathy Bates of Misery fame — is a tubby chocolate - addicted housewife whose attempts at domestic bliss are largely ignored by her slob of a husband . As a result , she unhappily munches more candy bars — and that 's how wise old - timer Ninny Threadgood finds her when Evelyn visits a relative at Ninny 's retirement home . Ninny , played with strength and softness by Jessica Tandy — tells her new pal a tale of two girls who grew up together in the racist Deep South of the Thirties . Beer - swilling tomboy Idgie ( Mary Stuart Masterston ) and genteel , god - fearing Ruth ( Mary Louise Parker ) are unlikely pals who eventually open the Whistlestop Cafe . Their friendship stands the test when Ruth 's brutish estranged husband tries to kidnap her baby .
Idiom: green light (used idiomatically: yes)
Construction of research - reactor at Garching gets green light Munich .
Idiom: way to go (used idiomatically: no)
Anglia is holding its dividend total at 9.26p , and the shares added 9p to 258p . The company revealed that its £ 10 million investment in shares in Village Roadshow , an Australian - quoted leisure group , is now worth around £ 30 million . The 17.5 per cent stake represents roughly a quarter of Anglia 's market capitalisation , but David McCall , chief executive , said he believed ‘ the share price has a long way to go yet’ . Coal sale on as Hanson and Costain make up HANSON , the Anglo - American tobacco to jacuzzis conglomerate , is going ahead with its $ 200 million ( £ 134 million ) acquisition of Australian coal assets from the Costain construction group after patching up its dispute over the sale , writes Magnus Grimond .
Idiom: on the money (used idiomatically: no)
No wonder that the government and the Congress have been at loggerheads . Some of the consequences have been absurd . Early on , the Congress won the right to control Russia 's central bank , which has since kept on printing money with which to subsidize bankrupt enterprises , thereby undermining Yeltsin 's efforts to engineer economic reform . During the same period , it has voted to change the Russian constitution — itself new — on roughly 50 occasions . Who can be surprised that ordinary people do not know where they stand ?
Idiom: give someone the creeps (used idiomatically: yes)
And they do n't go on about his obvious flaws , like him being a doctor and having three dozen girlfriends . No , the trouble is , apparently , that Tod ca n't feel , wo n't connect , never opens up , always holds something back . What Trudy and Juanita and the rest of them are trying to say , it seems to me , is that Tod gives them the creeps . But whatever it is , whatever it is they 're saying or trying to say , it never cramps Tod 's style . He likes to make love in the deathly hour of dusk .
Idiom: in full swing (used idiomatically: yes)
The afternoon may be the best time , as the patients are resting and having visitors . Also in many hospitals there is an overlap of nursing staff in the afternoon . It is , however , unrealistic to plan a teaching session for a busy day when operations and doctors ' rounds are in full swing . The number of teaching sessions , and the time allotted to each , must be realistically planned , the demands of the ward being matched with the need to provide teaching opportunities . Once this is decided , off - duty may need to be adjusted to allow for the teaching commitment .
Idiom: on the rocks (used idiomatically: yes)
Heavy seas early in the twentieth century washed up a number of whales along Whitsand Bay . The garrison at Fort Tregantle were eventually obliged to evacuate the fort and camp along the lee side of the hill until the bodies had been removed . Some may still remember Christmas 1929 , when a whale washed ashore on rocks at Looe was cast back into the sea by the townsfolk . Undiscouraged by its lack of welcome , the corpse returned upon the next tide to Looe Island , where , cut about by the rocks , the grisly spectacle finally came to rest well to the windward of the select Hannafore part of the town . Indignation grew as the stench became increasingly nauseating and each local body in turn denied its liability for disposing of several tons of putrefying whalemeat .
Idiom: keep your head (used idiomatically: yes)
Failure to give you a fair deal in this respect is likely to expose a company to legal attack . When planned job reductions are announced , it is easy to panic , even if words of reassurance are added . When redundancies are in the air , though , you need to keep your head . Although there may be a great temptation to seek alternative employment at the earliest opportunity , you should weigh up considerations such as : 1 .
Idiom: head for the hills (used idiomatically: no)
' Where are we going ? ' she screamed . Jack knew where they were going . They were heading for Monument Hill . His mother put her hands back on the wheel but threw them off with a scream . ' It 's hot !
Idiom: in the dock (used idiomatically: yes)
The one Kelly admits was to ‘ tell the truth ’ . The other may well have had something to do with a desire to spike police interference with football . The first is hard to explain because , although Kelly may be right in asserting that the clash was one of a kind seen every week , it was still bad enough for his own organisation to have upheld a ban on the man in the dock . The second attracts some sympathy . The police and the courts should be the last resort for handling football indiscipline and we are reaching the stage where they are becoming the first .
Idiom: set the wheels in motion (used idiomatically: yes)
' Not necessarily . ' His cool , level gaze was disturbing . ' While you were following your own pursuits this morning , I set a few more wheels in motion . I doubt either can afford to stay at a hotel and I know for a fact that they 're not at any of the local hostels ; neither , I have been reliably informed , have they put in an appearance at the local ' hippie ' compound . That suggests they are staying with friends or acquaintances Svend has in the city , and that is the premise I 'm having investigated at the moment . '
Idiom: think the world of (used idiomatically: yes)
Mrs Kirkley sat back in her chair . ‘ I 'm so glad we 've had this little talk ; and it 's so nice to think that she and Annabel are friends . Annabel thinks the world of her.’ She did not go on to express the next thought in her mind : thank goodness Annabel was going away to school , and very soon the association would be closed , for its continuance would create an impossible situation . It was Aggie who now rose first from her chair and so bringing the conversation to an end by saying , ‘ Well , ma'am , I thank you for your hospitality , and also for your kindness to the child .
Idiom: in the short run (used idiomatically: yes)
It raised input costs , thereby tending to reduce profitability and intensifying the pressure on industry to raise prices ( much fixed capital could no longer be operated profitably at existing output prices ) . It also transferred , at a stroke , 1½ per cent of world purchasing power to OPEC . The recipients did not , and in the short run simply could not , spend the majority of their extra revenue . So world demand fell . These pressures were intensified by the introduction of yet more restrictive policies : monetary conditions were further tightened in most economies in the spring of 1974 .
Idiom: face to face (used idiomatically: yes)
I do n't believe any of it ! ROS : It does n't sound very plausible . GUIL : And even if we came face to face , what do we say ? ROS : We say — We 've arrived ! GUIL:(Kingly ) And who are you ?
Idiom: word of mouth (used idiomatically: yes)
Male cab drivers in Gloucester said running a female only business would give an unfair impression of men . Despite the latest ruling , Oxford 's women only firm is determined to carry on . Through word of mouth and demand from customers , they 've built up a sizable business with five drivers . The Equal Opportunities Commission says the Sex Discrimination Act is clear that restricting taxi cab jobs to one sex is potentially unlawful . And it says it would be better to lobby MPs and Parliament to provide funding for better and safer transport to include ALL vulnerable groups .
Idiom: point the finger (used idiomatically: yes)
Morton cut the motor . The boat floated the last few yards until it actually bumped the side of The Sandhopper . One of the crew immediately crossed to the side of the smaller boat and pointed a finger angrily at Hitch . ' What the fucking hell are you playing at ? ' he bellowed . ' You could have sunk us .
Idiom: on the warpath (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I had hoped to keep the information from you , at least till the morrow,’ he said . ‘ But it seems it is not to be , alas ! The queen - dowager , your mother , having learned of the protector 's decision to place Rivers and Vaughan under arrest — news travels fast , it seems , when the Woodvilles are on the warpath — went into sanctuary at Westminster , together with her family.’ ‘ But surely , my lord , there must be some mistake.’ ‘ Since your family has fled the palace,’ Richard of Gloucester continued evenly , ‘ I deemed it wise to install Your Grace elsewhere .
Idiom: as a rule (used idiomatically: yes)
In calculating the expenses of production of a commodity we must take account of the fact that changes in the amounts produced are likely , even when there is no new invention , to be accompanied by changes in the relative quantities of its several factors of production . For instance , when the scale of production increases , horse or steam power is likely to be substituted for manual labour ; materials are likely to be brought from a greater distance and in greater quantities , thus increasing those expenses of production which correspond to the work of carriers , middlemen and traders of all kinds . As far as the knowledge and business enterprise of the producers reach , they in each case choose those factors of production which are best for their purpose , the sum of the supply prices of those factors which are used is , as a rule , less than the sum of the supply prices of any other set of factors which could be substituted for them ; and whenever it appears to the producers that this is not the case , they will , as a rule , set to work to substitute the less expensive method . And further on we shall see how in a somewhat similar way society substitutes one undertaker for another who is less efficient in proportion to his charges . We may call this , for convenience of reference , the principle of substitution .
Idiom: drink like a fish (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Paul will join us in a minute.’ Meredith delved in her plastic bag and produced a bottle of wine and — because she had not been sure whether her hostess drank — a box of chocolates . ‘ Oh , lovely!’ said her hostess who showed every indication of drinking like a fish , grabbing the wine . ‘ And chocolates , super.’ ‘ And I brought a tin of biscuits for the children , I did n't know what else …
Idiom: off the shelf (used idiomatically: yes)
Although we acknowledge that the National Curriculum is presented in a conservative context , and probably has to be couched in conventional terms , we are conscious of its lack of a ' qualitative thrust ' , its inability to cater for all we want to offer all our students . And we are very doubtful about our ability to incorporate our ideas into a crowded programme in our ten - column curriculum with powerful constraints imposed by a heavy schedule of testing and assessment . So we have a clearly articulated philosophy , and we have a curricular model which reflects it — a model which is superior we think to any off - the - shelf models , and we have looked at Bruner , White , Bloom , and at HMI 's areas of experience , all of which lack the coherence and universality of the ' regions of application ' model . Adapting our ideas to National Curriculum requirements But to present the ' regions of application ' model as our only version of the curriculum in our prospectus would be to put us out of business .
Idiom: state of the art (used idiomatically: yes)
Business customers in eastern Germany are making ever greater use of the possibilities offered by the state - of - the - art technology .