Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: out of the woods (used idiomatically: yes)
It was a peaceful fifteen - minute stroll through shady woods down the hill . Birds sang riotously in the thick foliage , and squirrels squawked indignantly as they passed . With one final corkscrew twist the path came out of the woods , flattened out and meandered along the edge of a lush expanse of green lawn . The path ended at the wide stone steps that led up to the main entrance of the lodge . Considering the reputation of Anpetuwi , the lodge was surprisingly unpretentious .
Idiom: in bed with (used idiomatically: yes)
Perhaps Mr Lyndon will add a chapter to his book to explain how in circumstances such as his own , which are pretty typical , he is the victim rather than his wife . Great untouchables HE insisted that the Church has never ruled that a priest should not have sex , only that he should not marry,’ says Monika ( sic ) Kocanek by way of explaining how she ended up in bed with Fr Christopher O'Neill and then found herself pregnant . This , I 'm afraid , does n't wash . Anyone brought up a Catholic will tell you the vow of celibacy is the only really lively bit of the Church 's teaching .
Idiom: hang fire (used idiomatically: yes)
The second - hand had completed its circuit but for some reason the charge had not gone through . A hung timer was what bomb disposal men feared most . It was even more volatile than a hang - fire on an artillery shell . The slightest movement , even a puff of wind , could provide the jolt to complete the electric circuit and fire the weapon . ‘ You firing a bomb ?
Idiom: get on someone's nerves (used idiomatically: yes)
No , do n't worry they just just gets on my nerves that 's all . What ? Gets on my nerves that 's all . Why ? Just does .
Idiom: rare bird (used idiomatically: yes)
All the same , Minsmere in spring , the Gwenffrwd in summer , Titchwell in autumn , Elmly in winter are full of beautiful and exciting birds and you can be sure of a superb day out . Reserves for birds — and people Our reserves include the largest privately owned nature reserve in Europe — Abernethy in Scotland , a glorious piece of mountain , moorland and native Scots pine forest with exciting and rare birds like the crested tit , capercaillie , Scottish crossbill ( the only species unique to Britain ) , golden eagle and ptarmigan . This magnificent reserve was purchased with unparalleled support from the membership , whose generous donations to the Abernethy Appeal made it all possible . In years to come , we hope to extend the forest to more than twice its present size to increase the opportunities for the unique birds and rare mammals — including red squirrels , pine martens and wild cats — which live there .
Idiom: have a ball (used idiomatically: no)
Yes that 's all very nice but Deano ai n't gon na score from 10 yards let alone 30 — the shots looked nice but he should be closer to goal . I did n't think that strach had a good game — both he and Macca had poor games mainly because White and Hodge could n't win the ball back in midfield . Strach and Macca work well when we have a ball winner in the side ( i.e Fairclough or Batts ) but they had to hang back quite alot to cover Hodge and White who were playing crap . Yep we need Wallace and Speedy back quickly ! ! ! Batts may have been set up or mis quoted something which I 'm sure the press would never intentionally do especially against a team like us who they all love .
Idiom: out of thin air (used idiomatically: yes)
The largest source of error in this calculation is the fact that the engineers have made up many of the numbers out of thin ~ air .
Idiom: in the clear (used idiomatically: yes)
That seemed to be it , as far as motives were concerned , and , even to produce that list , he 'd had to scrape the barrel a bit . And some of the people who had motives were excluded from suspicion by lack of opportunity . Lesley - Jane Decker had been on stage at the time of the shooting , so , unless she had brought in a hired killer , she seemed to be in the clear . Dottie Banks had been sitting in the auditorium , so she was exonerated , with the same proviso . The remaining four had all been backstage at the relevant time , or could have been , but the motives Charles had managed to dredge up for them did n't survive close scrutiny .
Idiom: take a back seat (used idiomatically: yes)
She was acutely aware that she had burnt her boats . That she now belonged to the man lying with her . That her family had taken a back seat in her life . But she was also aware that no matter how she felt , her family would never allow her to relegate them to second place . The fact that Terry was a policeman would be enough for Michael .
Idiom: warts and all (used idiomatically: yes)
If nothing else it shows that our own irrationality is shared by others . Much that is read offers the opportunity to witness a range of emotions from a position of safety . Wolfgang Hildesheimer ( 1985 , p.201 ) , in his ' warts - and - all ' study of Mozart , suggests that music offers similar opportunities : ' Why else should we need music but for its ability to satisfy our longing for emotional experience , without our having to undergo the deep tumult at its root ' . Much that is read , from nursery rhymes and fairy stories to the young adult novel , enables one to experience ' at one remove ' a range of emotions . In reading , or being read to , one has the security of knowing that one has the ability to withdraw from the emotional situation as soon as one wishes or needs to do so .
Idiom: over your head (used idiomatically: yes)
Not , at least , of the sort who 've emerged in the time since ‘ Raw Like Sushi’ : singers like Lisa Stansfield , Betty Boo , Cathy Dennis , Kylie and Dannii — all of whom are peddling an ersatz glamour drawn from adolescent fantasies of sophistication , untouchable otherness , phoney celebrity . ‘ A lot of misery comes from being pressurised by the label of ‘ pop star’ . It does n't have to mean you run around with your collar up and a coat over your head . So I 've never based myself on any of that , because it 's really just a myth,’ says Neneh . Scrawled on a wall behind her are various titles from the ‘ Homebrew’ album : ‘ Twisted’ , ‘ Buddy X’ , ‘ Trout’ .
Idiom: at sea (used idiomatically: yes)
Her accommodation provides considerable luxury for two couples , there being excellently appointed double cabins at both ends of the yacht . The standard of joiner work throughout is good and much use has been made of laminated veneers to provide rounded corners . This both looks attractive and safe at sea . The price is £ 102,750 ex VAT . The Jeanneau family seems to have more than a little to do with the founding of a number of yacht building companies in France other than that which currently bears its name .
Idiom: one and the same (used idiomatically: yes)
It is likely that the methodological differences account for this . Opinion surveys suffer from various drawbacks , the most important of which is that they reflect opinion and not necessarily behaviour . What people say and what people do is not always one and the same thing . For this reason , econometric studies have been used to explore actual behaviour . These studies collect statistical data on a number of items considered important to the hours worked by employees who are free to vary their work effort — wage rates , family size , unearned income , type of employment , etc . , etc .
Idiom: to the bone (used idiomatically: yes)
With the dredger yes . We ca we dredged some off erm halfway to the by the near Pinmill . What happened to the bones and the teeth you you collected ? The teeth there used to be a man come down about once every three months and er where he came from I do n't know . Whether he come from this or not , but erm we were dredging the West Bank cos er the kind of ship we got there then were the big tankers and there were n't enough room for them to swing round , so we had to dredge part of the bank out to make the swinging berth and erm there we dredged a bone up about that size
Idiom: up to here (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Thank goodness she 's all right . I thought she was going to die.’ ‘ I 've had it up to here with you,’ said Thacker . The contents of his hip flask were beginning to wear off . ‘ You 're not a new girl any more , you 've been here nearly a day .
Idiom: off the beaten track (used idiomatically: yes)
Maria Harding looks at some of the great adventures for those who like to do their own thing By MARIA HARDING BRITISH visitors heading off the beaten track in the States will find the adventurous spirit of the frontiersmen alive and kicking . In a hired car , a motorhome or even on horseback , America is the place for British visitors to go it alone . The growing trend towards independent travel and demand for escapes to the Great Outdoors have prompted operators to court would - be explorers with adventurous options from high - speed , white - water rafting to camping , canoeing , mountain - climbing and ranching .
Idiom: in broad daylight (used idiomatically: yes)
The Sheriffs of Nottingham The Nottingham Pest Control branch have had a spate of vehicle thefts over recent months . Astra estates have been disappearing from the car park outside the office in broad daylight . On the most recent occasion , supervisor Melvyn Relly had his vehicle stolen within minutes of arriving at the office , and with faint hope of success , Nick Graham , surveyor , drove Melvyn out to where the last car was recovered along streets neighbouring the Nottingham office . To their surprise , a rather familiar looking vehicle passed them on the road .
Idiom: with a will (used idiomatically: no)
Desire and reason do not make good bed - mates , for where reason tries to control the world , desire is aware of the vastness of life , which it knows it can never control . So the desire for God grows as self - will diminishes . This desire is the longing to be freed from selfishness and sin , and to live in harmony with the will and purposes of God . Self - concern , with all its fantasies , is left behind . This experience is an echo of one of the psalms :
Idiom: go straight (used idiomatically: yes)
He went straight up to his wretched double with an air of conscious dignity and independence that showed up the difference between the two otherwise amazingly similar boys .
Idiom: watering hole (used idiomatically: yes)
The reason that they are diurnal , rather than nocturnal , hunters , is that they are the main predator . Since there are no tigers in Sri Lanka the leopards have nothing to fear from more powerful predators , either in terms of danger to themselves or having their prey stolen . On this occasion , Plage was set up over a water - hole in a clearing in the jungle , hoping that a leopard would show up to hunt or drink . After a wait of an hour or two he saw a big male stalking on the forest edge . It was plainly a hungry leopard , for it was creeping up on an unsuspecting black - naped hare , an animal that would hardly have provided more than a couple of mouthfuls .
Idiom: hot air (used idiomatically: yes)
Laurence Johnson Summerhill School , Leiston , Suffolk . Gassing game WITH all the generation of hot air in the past few weeks , one might ask what effect this will have on the ozone layer ? Roy Kilner Margate , Kent Therapy , not potty training
Idiom: set eyes on (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Let 's pray there aren't!’ Lisa muttered beneath her breath as she slammed the car door shut and switched on the engine . ‘ And let 's pray this is the last time I need ever set eyes on you!’ She was aware that he stood watching her as she set off towards the exit . She could feel the dark eyes boring into the back of her neck .
Idiom: tongue in cheek (used idiomatically: yes)
Albert Finney brings four - square authority to the part of Alfred , so much so that the audience is in danger of overlooking the subtleties of Stephen Moore 's performance as Michael — his plaintive vanity , the show of modest perplexity with which he explains that the situations in his plays just somehow turn out to have universal significance . The other outstanding performance is by Nicky Henson , who is on first - rate form as the actor who finds himself having to impersonate Alfred in Alfred 's presence . Elijah Moshinsky directs with a light touch ( though not always quite as light as it should be ) , and Saul Radomsky 's tongue - in - cheek sets are a constant source of pleasure . There is a particularly welcome parody of the current theatrical mania for sloping floors . DR JOHNSON thought that The Beggar 's Opera was written ‘ only to divert’ , without any particular moral purpose .
Idiom: state of the art (used idiomatically: yes)
This mirrors a highly successful scheme previously used by the Germans . We would give tax allowances on R&D partnerships to encourage large firms to take a minority equity stake in smaller firms where a smaller partner is primarily a research contractor . This has proved very successful in the US , locking the larger firm into what is often state - of - the - art R and providing vital , long - term finance for the smaller firm to develop its capabilities . There is of course the question of who would implement such policies . It has been suggested that a minister for science and technology is needed to take charge of this programme and argue the case for science and technology .
Idiom: get a move on (used idiomatically: yes)
So with borrowed gear , no harness and a stranger I set off . Never hard , the greatest difficulty was in avoiding the results of clumsy ice technique . If we did n't get a move on there would n't be a route left to do ! The top pitch had barely survived one day 's assault by the ice brigade . At the rake I parted with my companion and , sated for one day , returned home .
Idiom: have a ball (used idiomatically: no)
He denied that Thistle had adopted negative tactics . ' We were n't negative today . When we had the ball we made Celtic work . ' And he added ominously : ' We may well try the same tactics against some of the other bigger teams . ' Considering Thistle have the second worse defence in the Premier Division , a shut - out has to be a plus .
Idiom: chapter and verse (used idiomatically: yes)
I read summaries of the Health and Safety at Work etc . Act and went on to other employment and trade union legislation . I absorbed chapter and verse of nationally - negotiated settlements . Then I began on custom and practice — a fascinating subject , because so much depends on precedent rather than formal agreements . Put simply , if it becomes the custom or the practice of a group of workers to do a job in a certain way and management makes no objection , then that method of working can be cited as a precedent in disputes .
Idiom: act of God (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ God meeting us no longer as ‘ Thou’ , but also disguised in the ‘ It’ ; so in the last resort my question is how we are to find the ‘ Thou’ in this ‘ It,’(i.e . , fate ) . In other words how does fate become providence.’ Both in peace and in war death came to man in every guise of terror , so that insurance companies declined to provide against acts of God or the King s enemies , as if these formed a single category . Men were appalled by the sudden onset , which allowed no time for the deathbed repentance so dear to the hearts of pious Victorians . Providence , in its benevolent aspect , was a power to foresee what dangers might be averted or , if that were not granted , how one might prepare to meet one 's Maker .
Idiom: on the nose (used idiomatically: yes)
My brother had a hamster when we were kids . I did n't much like it , mice and such like have always given me the creeps , but I did feel sorry for it being shut up . Once it had this raw patch on its nose and I went with Davey when he took it to the vet . ' Oh , nothing to worry about , ' said the vet , ' It 's just where his little nose rubs on the bars of his cage when he bites them . Most of them do it , he must have been at it quite a bit .
Idiom: with a view to (used idiomatically: yes)
The Pension Alpenrose is only one minute from the lakeside , beautifully furnished and decorated with Hans ' own carvings . The Stollinger family , who speak excellent English take great pride in their friendly and spotlessly clean pension . The Alpenrose has recently been refurbished and now ha a comfortable TV lounge , and a cosy breakfast room with views to the fields and mountains at the back of the house . Limited parking is available . All the bedrooms are simply but pleasantly furnished .
Idiom: take a bow (used idiomatically: no)
Dimitri juggles up to 5 footballs , while gymnast Tatiana dances around him . The tension between the two is released at the end when she presses his head down to take his bow .
Idiom: take it on the chin (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ This —attraction ? ’ Again he shook his head . ‘ That 's the whole point — regardless , Miss Everett , that both you and I know that you 're never going to marry him anyway , Travis , who cares deeply for his family,’ as you do , Leith could well have inserted , ‘ is only going to take it on the chin and let you go , by learning that the person you do love is a member of his family , who loves you in return.’ ‘ You , in fact!’ ‘ Precisely.’
Idiom: up to here (used idiomatically: no)
It 's a great big bag . Mind this took about well it 's innit Cos mine 's only half way cos the tiles are up to here look Yeah . and then it 's the bath .
Idiom: break someone's heart (used idiomatically: yes)
It 's nothing serious . But my suit 's a total write - off . It 'll break my tailor 's heart . ' ' At least you 're alright . Any news on the assassin and his accomplice ? '
Idiom: out of thin air (used idiomatically: yes)
Since the contributors to the literature on the new classical macroeconomics rarely take the trouble to furnish a fully articulated theory of the firm in which cost shocks are given equal prominence with demand shocks , one is entitled to take what they have to say on short - run supply responses with a large fistful of salt . In the author 's view the Lucas supply function comprises an arbitrarily concocted mishmash of conjectures and suppositions . Hypotheses seem to be effortlessly improvised out of thin air , the resulting theory giving the distinct impression of being a rather facile extemporisation . New classical macroeconomics and business cycles : unemployment as a leisure activity Why does the measured unemployment rate vary so greatly over time ?
Idiom: in the pipeline (used idiomatically: yes)
On the whole the meeting 's a good idea , but it 's all so late . Voice over Changes for the better may be in the pipeline but it 's clearly going to take some work to convince the sceptics . Good evening . ANNE DAWSON
Idiom: see stars (used idiomatically: yes)
The earth is trying to move on a straight line through space - time , but the curvature of space - time produced by the mass of the sun causes it to go in a circle around the sun . Similarly , light tries to travel in a straight line , but the curvature of space - time near the sun causes the light from distant stars to be bent if it passes near the sun . Normally , one is not able to see stars in the sky that are in almost the same direction as the sun . During an eclipse , however , when most of the sun 's light is blocked off by the moon , one can observe the light from those stars . Einstein produced his general theory of relativity during the First World War , when conditions were not suitable for scientific observations , but immediately after the war a British expedition observed the eclipse of 1919 and confirmed the predictions of general relativity : Space - time is not flat , but is curved by the matter and energy in it .
Idiom: on the back burner (used idiomatically: yes)
The new measures are aimed at curbing unofficial action , which last year accounted for 40 per cent of the days lost through strikes . They are likely to be included in a new employment Bill , alongside measures to make all secondary action unlawful and abolish the pre - entry closed shop . The Government has shied away from forcing unions to discipline members who take part in unofficial action , and has put proposals to curb strikes in essential services on the back burner . The moves to stem wildcat stoppages , condemned by unions and the Labour Party and the independent Industrial Society — are thought to be the first time ministers have sought to legislate against the individual . Changes to current restrictions on selective sackings and rehiring form a key plank of planned legislation .
Idiom: in the hole (used idiomatically: no)
‘ For God 's sake — ‘ He left it with a woman in Germany.’ After a time , Agnes said thoughtfully : ‘ That boy 's no fool , keeping a nice big ace in the hole in case Six wo n't play ball . No fool at all.’ ‘ His mother abandoned him before he could crawl,’ Maxim said .
Idiom: claim to fame (used idiomatically: yes)
More enjoyable is the pure Chardonnay sparkling wine from the Haut - Poitou co - opérative , close to Poitiers , and named Diane de Poitiers , with some light creamy and lemony fruit . An unusual choice of sparkler comes from The Wine Society with a Vin de Bugey made from an original mixture of Jacquère and Molette — two grape varieties peculiar to Savoie and Bugey — as well as Chardonnay and Aligoté . Bugey is one of those lost corners of France , a hilly region to the north - east of Lyon , around the town of Bellay , whose only claim to fame is that it is the birthplace of the French gastronome , Brillat - Savarin . Cava is the Spanish term used to describe sparkling wine made by the champagne method . The usual source of cava is north - eastern Spain , where the customary grape varieties are the rather neutral - flavoured ones such as Parellada , Macabeo and Xarel - lo .
Idiom: follow in someone's footsteps (used idiomatically: yes)
Ooh it 's a big quiz , one of I 'll Following in my Dad 's footsteps . Daddy spent all day and scribbling . Yeah everyone 's got ta play
Idiom: in the soup (used idiomatically: no)
Yes , I think that is true . I mean the view that astronomers and most scientists and people who are interested in astronomy had was that there might be a few molecules in space , probably not very many , but if there were they would be very , very simple , probably one or two atoms , perhaps things like water , perhaps things like ammonia , and things like methane — molecules with a large amount of hydrogen attached to them and in fact a thermodynamically staple species . Now what has happened in the last decade or so , through the advent of radioastronomy , is that we 've discovered that there are vast clouds of molecules between the stars and they 're just chock a block with very intriguing molecules , many of which are just the sort of things we would expect to be in the prebiotic soup . What do you mean by prebiotic ? Prebiotic means erm a system whereby biological processes have not actually started , but would contain many of the basic building blocks for a biological system .
Idiom: make the grade (used idiomatically: yes)
Angus ‘ Jock’ McDougall ( 56 ) is currently the only Polish player on Athletico 's books . Ever since he was a young lad , ‘ Jock’ has harboured ambitions of playing professional soccer . Unfortunately , he has never made the grade and after knocking on the door of inter - pub midweek leagues without success , has at last found his niche at Athletico where this season he will team up with YTS trainees Adie Smith and Phil Meek . Finally , Steve Gillery is with us again . Signed two seasons ago from Dunwick Pressed Steel Reserves where he was unable to sustain a second team place , he has found his perfect football niche here at Whaddon .