Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: on the ball (used idiomatically: yes)
They had always been fed a diet of worksheets which led them along step by step — now they were thinking and making decisions for themselves . I have to say that my approach to teaching mathematics has changed beyond all my expectations and I now see my pupils enquiring and searching for answers themselves . It certainly keeps the teacher on the ball when the pupils are not prepared to accept everything you say or do without questioning . Teachers have also found their pupils more able and willing to apply ‘ routine skills’ to a level exceeding previous expectations . Children have shown themselves able to take ideas further than ever before .
Idiom: ride roughshod over (used idiomatically: yes)
Disappointing as the terms were from the peasant point of view ‘ for the Imperial government to grasp the nettle of Emancipation at all was a remarkable departure . The step which for decades successive tsars had contemplated but abandoned in the face of noble opposition was taken at last . That a measure apparently so contrary to noble interests was carried through has encouraged the view that , in the hands of a determined tsar , the Russian State was able to ride roughshod over every class . From the moment Alexander II ( 1855–81 ) took power , an image was built of the ‘ Tsar Liberator’ as a resolute and liberally minded champion of progress who imposed his autocratic will over the objections of subservient nobles and bureaucrats . Yet as historians have examined the memoirs of those who knew Alexander , as they have combed through his letters , his marginal comments on state documents , and his private papers , what they have found has been uniformly disappointing .
Idiom: hammer and tongs (used idiomatically: yes)
You see . Erm oh they what else ? Erm oh there were a thousand and one things I I ca n't really erm you know they they were always they were at it hammer and tongs you know they had er s what would be called something similar to a steam hammer and you know . Did they ? To do the job , yeah .
Idiom: foot the bill (used idiomatically: yes)
I was obliged , as I was saying , to spend some uncomfortable minutes standing in the drawing room yesterday afternoon while Mr Farraday went about his bantering . I responded as usual by smiling slightly — sufficient at least to indicate that I was participating in some way with the good - humouredness with which he was carrying on — and waited to see if my employer 's permission regarding the trip would be forthcoming . As I had anticipated , he gave his kind permission after not too great a delay , and furthermore , Mr Farraday was good enough to remember and reiterate his generous offer to ‘ foot the bill for the gas’ . So then , there seems little reason why I should not undertake my motoring trip to the West Country . I would of course have to write to Miss Kenton to tell her I might be passing by ; I would also need to see to the matter of the costumes .
Idiom: add fuel to the fire (used idiomatically: yes)
The end of the Cold ~ War bequeathed our leaders with a new set of governance challenges , which promptly grew in magnitude , in large part owing to faster globalization , the consequences of the 1980s economic liberalization , and the 1990s revolution in information technology . These challenges , insufficiently addressed , soon led many to question the sustainability of liberal democracy ’s appeal at home and its universality abroad , and to probe the alleged merits of the “ Chinese model , ” best characterized as a form of authoritarian or state capitalism . The financial meltdown of 2008 , which soon metamorphosed into the deepest Western economic recession since the 1930s , added fuel to the fire , as policymakers hunkered down in a non - transparent crisis - management mode , condoning massive state intervention in the economy and socialization of private - sector losses on a previously unprecedented scale . The resulting fiscal austerity plunged many below the poverty line and accelerated economic inequality , while many private institutions , having caused the 2008 bust , recovered on the public dime . Adding insult to injury , in Greece and Italy , two of the hardest - hit countries , financial markets effectively deposed elected , if imperfect , governments .
Idiom: rise to the occasion (used idiomatically: yes)
Events in the past have included money raising occasions to erect the aforementioned facilities . These included galas , barbecues , dances , concerts , and dramatic productions , a flower festival , social events , coffee mornings , art exhibitions , and sponsored walks for St Margaret 's church . No doubt when money is required in the future Long Riston residents will rise to the occasion once more . Low Catton The tranquil village of Low Catton lies six miles east of York on the east bank of the river Derwent .
Idiom: get a grip (used idiomatically: yes)
We 've been through that . ' Mark sounds like a teacher to himself . Get a grip here . He dreads telling Martha he is going away , but he promised Babur . Martha tears at a Kleenex in her hands .
Idiom: all things being equal (used idiomatically: yes)
Another important parameter in the overlap process is definition length . To illustrate , let us consider the case of a word overlapping with two other candidates , the first of which has a long definition and the second has a short definition . All other things being equal , there will be a higher probability of a random overlap with the first candidate than with the second . As a result , some words will provide more overlaps than others purely as a result of the length of their definitions . This is particularly significant in the case of weak overlaps .
Idiom: stand someone in good stead (used idiomatically: yes)
There is some evidence that salt is bad and many people have cut salt intake in recent years . Smoking is out and so is too much alcohol . In fact , the healthy eating rules that apply to everyone , stand us in good stead for preventing high blood pressure and heart disease . Osteoarthritis ( sometimes called osteoarthrosis by doctors ) is another common complaint of midlife , often more troublesome for women at the menopause and afterwards . It is one of many forms of rheumatism and is thought to be the result of wear and tear on joint surfaces , particularly hips , knees and spine .
Idiom: one of those things (used idiomatically: yes)
But she was weakening . What he 'd just said reminded her of that business last night with the tape . Probably it was simply one of those things that happen , or that you think happen , when you 're smashed and half - asleep . But she kept thinking about it . She turned away from the door , stood irresolute outside the door of her own cabin .
Idiom: short shrift (used idiomatically: yes)
( 2 ) Whether the right to free speech , whether as a right at common law , or under article 10 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms ( 1953)(Cmd . 8969 ) , led to a different result in the case of a non - trading corporation which was also a public authority . The Convention was ratified by the United Kingdom on 8 March 1951 ; article 19 of the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ( 1977)(Cmnd . 6702 ) , which was ratified by the United Kingdom with effect from 20 August 1976 , is to the like effect . The judge gave short shrift to an argument based on the right to free speech , and held that it did not affect his primary conclusion as stated above . He answered the second question , which he considered as turning on the effect of section 222(1 ) of the Local Government Act 1972 , by concluding that the council had a cause of action in libel against the defendants on the basis of the pleaded statement of claim . From this judgment the defendants have appealed .
Idiom: sign of the times (used idiomatically: yes)
Owners , whose holiday brands include Sovereign , Enterprise and Falcon , had sought an alliance with German - owned Thomas Cook to cement its position in the competitive UK market , but fast - growing and highly - profitable Airtours came in with a rival bid to spark off weeks of rhetoric and activity which finally ended yesterday . ‘ We are very happy,’ Owners managing director Roger Allard said . ‘ A sign of the times ' as 20 jobs are axed at two firms A BUSINESS leader yesterday described a town 's double jobs loss blow as ‘ symptomatic of the times.’ Two Harwich - based firms , Bernard Uniforms and Mansped , are each to shed ten workers as the recession continues to hit the area .
Idiom: have a few (used idiomatically: no)
This is not a joke this is not a joke , absolutely true . And I hope that John Major and central office of the Conservative Party study it carefully since it is about party democracy and the Conservative party have a few lessons to learn in that direction . But colleagues , I , I , I turn to the regrettable series of events that Tom has er already described because a virulent form of spring fever seems to have infected the Labour Party . Three million unemployed , homelessness and poverty on a scale not known for a generation .
Idiom: throw in the towel (used idiomatically: no)
Supporting X / Open 's distributed transaction processing model , TP-920 provides interoperability between transaction processing monitors and OLTP systems whilst RD-930 — compatible with OSI and TCP / IP — provides interoperability between database servers and applications . HEWLETT - PACKARD TO BUY TEXAS INSTRUMENTS ' UNIX ARM Texas Instruments Inc finally threw in the towel on the wasting asset of its computer business , and signed a letter of intent to sell it to Hewlett - Packard Co on undisclosed terms . The part to go is the Business Systems line of Motorola Inc 68000- and Intel Corp iAPX-86-based Unix machines that are the direct successors to Texas 's old TI 980 and TI 990 minicomputer business that goes back to the early 1970s . The business is estimated to be doing about $ 200 m a year , and a key attraction for the Cupertino company is that Texas sells almost exclusively through resellers , and Hewlett - Packard sees big potential in mobilising that army to take on board its own computer products as well .
Idiom: look the other way (used idiomatically: no)
And he removed his hat and discussed for some minutes the shortcomings of his wife Rita who had been in the land - army when they met . He had first caught sight of her riding in a ploughed field beyond the barbed wire perimeter of the air base . With hindsight it would have saved a lot of heartbreak if he had looked the other way . She had been perched on the seat of a tractor with the gulls flowing behind her in a slip - stream . ‘ She looked very jaunty,’ he said .
Idiom: chuck it down (used idiomatically: no)
You be careful wo n't you ? Yeah This can be chucked , I 'll chuck it down Alright Old
Idiom: full marks (used idiomatically: yes)
Technical quality and the use of the right exposure coupled with careful composition were all considered in the beginners ' and intermediate sections of the colour slides . In some cases Mr. Powell felt that the reversal of the slide would make it more satisfying to ‘ read’ from left to right . Two slides in the beginners ' section were awarded full marks . ‘ Before Sunrise’ by Alf Churcher and ‘ Teasel’by Gerry Walters . ‘ Bevna Vista’ by Angela Algar received nine and a half marks .
Idiom: beat about the bush (used idiomatically: yes)
Too many black for my liking.’ ‘ I take it then , that you do n't like black people?’ No point in beating about the bush . He raises an eyebrow . Whilst certain with the question , there is a concern there about being so obvious .
Idiom: do the trick (used idiomatically: yes)
I knew all about you one hour after you left my office.’ I said it to give her a little confidence . It certainly seemed to do the trick . She smiled radiantly and slipped her arm into mine . ‘ I suspect Mr. Preston , that I 've just spent the most sensible dollar of my life.’
Idiom: laughing stock (used idiomatically: yes)
The notion that won through involved stopping the American companies ' strong - arm booking tactics and reserving a space in the domestic market for British films by requiring that exhibitors and distributors handle a proportion of domestic product . The measure would compel American distributors to back British film production , ensuring a rise in the number of British films . What it would n't do was ensure good pictures , and Herbert Wilcox saw at once that such legislation would create an ‘ awkward squad’ of British films which would immediately become the laughing stock of the world.’ He argued , along with Balcon , Pearson and Woolf , that it would do nothing to achieve the FBI 's objectives . But a proposed clause in the new act to disallow for quota any film of low standard of production and entertainment value was dropped because of the difficulties involved in determining which films should be excluded .
Idiom: go with the flow (used idiomatically: yes)
Between the 4th and 15th and on or near the 27th you may face some extraordinary turns of events . Whether these are welcome or entirely unwanted you can be sure they will alter your course in some way . This is not the first time the issue of control has come up in this column but because yours is a sign that tends to resist going with the flow , all too often you meet people and circumstances that appear to block your path . There is a certain sweetness in surrender . PISCES Feb 20-Mar 20
Idiom: out of order (used idiomatically: yes)
You know , nine times out of ten you do n't even get round to take the tables and the chairs out the way , just fucking fall over them erm fucking indoor murder ball , the seat , cushion and stuff like that , its fucking well out of order piss up games oh that 's right I think we played in , I think we played , you know that British bull dog thing ? , we managed to clear all the fucking the nappy chair this and the chairs out the way , we were playing this British bull dog sort of thing and the only thing , the only , the only difference was when you got caught , got , everybody was fucking giving you a few thumps in the arm , for good measure like , and we played about four of this and every time this cocky little son of a bitch did n't get caught , he was always the last person , so we fucking said , we said , me and this other guy 's that are in our troop and that er , we said right we 'll get him , so when , when everybody sort of go for it right just after the one person in the middle , said fucking just get this guy and fucking pin him down and do something to him right , we did n't , I think we said we 'd just get him , yeah that 's a good idea , so he 's gone right go and his mate he 's fucking took off two steps and there 's eight of us fucking dived on top of him , what the fucking , he 's struggling , get off you cunt so we pinned him down and at first we was just going to de - bag him in front of the women , we 've taken his boots off and his trousers and that and shave his bollocks , yeah the whole fucking yeah , it was like an audience , all that they sort of gathered up the chairs and the tables fuck have his bollocks shaved . Well out of order , the thing is if that 'd been , if that 'd been another troop trying to do it to him , there would of been , there would of been shit Hell to pay but because he knew it was our troop , you know but erm , that 's the thing when you , nine times , about eight times out of ten you did it to another troop , but then again they did it back to you , but this time he was a right cocky son of a bitch , I mean we all liked him , but he was right cocky bastard , so he
Idiom: crocodile tears (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ It wo n't get you anywhere . There 's nothing new that women have n't tried on me at one time or another . And I 'm particularly immune to crocodile tears.’ If anything was guaranteed to dry up tears fast it was his manner . Robbie felt her anger rising .
Idiom: open someone's eyes (used idiomatically: yes)
It was after midnight . She was conscious of the silent castle rooms enclosing them , and beyond them the outer walls , and beyond those the barren miles of frozen snow . ‘ Any use to you?’ he asked , snapping open his eyes as he heard the rustle of her skirt as she changed position . She sighed . ‘ It was brilliant .
Idiom: touch wood (used idiomatically: no)
Going down.’ ‘ Not me!’ I cry , and I reach out and , lo and behold , I touch wood and I know that it 's one of the posts which hold up the catwalk . So I lock my arm round it and … ‘ No choice , James .
Idiom: keep a low profile (used idiomatically: yes)
The disorder , the whisperings , the giggles , the open contempt ! And her mother , in revenge , in reaction , brusque , tart , offhand , cutting , feared , fearing and avoided , uneasily detached , dismissively remote . Large conspicuous wooden figures , Dotty and Dolly , and beneath their knees skulked little Alix Doddridge , creeping quietly , smiling obsequiously , keeping a low profile , longing to be ordinary , longing with such passion to be unnoticed , to be accepted , to be one of the crowd , not Dotty 's Daughter , with all that that implied . Ah well , her parents were old now , and retired , and nobody thought them funny any more : indeed , it was only the intensely conventional world of a Yorkshire boarding - school that had made them seem so eccentric in the first place . They were now revealed as what they had always been , not figures of fun , not left - wing political extremists , not loony vegetarians ( though they were vegetarians ) , but harmless , mild , Labour - voting , CND - supporting , Fabian pamphlet - reading intellectuals , of a species that Alix now knew to be far from extinct .
Idiom: word of mouth (used idiomatically: yes)
An obvious method is to advertise but be careful that you aim the right kind Of advertising in the right direction , otherwise it is money badly spent . The Billy Graham organisation used to estimate that only ten per cent of their crowds came as a direct result of advertising and , generally speaking , I find that by itself it is the least cost - effective way of marketing events ; the most effective being personal invitation . Most significant things , from marriages to murders , happen between people who know each other well , so the best way to reach people is by word of mouth in the right places . Start with the stalwarts of the organisation and let the message fan out from there , snowballing as it goes along . All the advertising in the world will not draw people to your event if they believe they 're going to be there alone .
Idiom: with a vengeance (used idiomatically: yes)
On her other flank , would the USSR ever say of China what Germany once said of Russia : today I can afford to go to war , tomorrow I may not have that luxury ? It may well be that she considers China to be as much of a long - term complication for the West as for herself : too capricious to make a dependable ally for NATO , too ambitious to fit into America 's design for the Pacific , too shrewd to challenge vital Soviet interests . But if she faced a China intractably hostile , staunchly pro - American and modernising with a vengeance , would the USSR become more amenable or would she look for a means of escape ? I do not pretend to answer the question by having posed it . There is nonetheless in this mixture of internal and external anxieties something which may bode trouble .
Idiom: pull someone's leg (used idiomatically: yes)
The pirate flag . All returning submarines fly one if they 've had a good patrol.’ ‘ You 're pulling my leg!’ Did he really expect her to believe such Peter Pan Wendy nonsense . In the Royal Navy ?
Idiom: as a rule (used idiomatically: yes)
fully established daily rhythms — that is , ones like those in adults — do not develop until about five years of age . Interestingly , not all rhythms develop at the same rate . As a general rule , those with the highest internal cause ( body temperature , for example ) develop later in life than those with marked external causes ( urine flow , for instance ) . The rhythm of sleep and activity is one of the first to develop . Why this should be so will be discussed in a moment but it does enable the other observations to be accounted for by a single theory .
Idiom: come to a head (used idiomatically: yes)
Yeah , and what happened they lost the letter oh . that need n't of come to a head like that really . No . What 's the time ,
Idiom: in the pipeline (used idiomatically: yes)
The head said that he was ' highly delighted ' with the results of the appraisal and claimed that the complacency of the LEA towards the school had now been broken . As a result of the appraisal some departments had also gained material resources . For example the head of Craft , Design and Technology had received money to replace inadequate stock and an increase in capitation , whilst the head of Home Economics was in the process of gaining badly - needed equipment — although much of this was still in the ' pipeline ' at the time of the interview . Nevertheless , some teachers claimed that the appraisal had produced little in the way of changes and some had difficulty in remembering quite what the adviser had proposed at their own feedback session . Some of the changes were felt to be long overdue , such as a scale 3 second in department for English , and it was not always clear whether the appraisal had been the driving force behind a particular change or whether it had simply brought some long - standing problems to urgent attention .
Idiom: dead in the water (used idiomatically: no)
He lost 4 domestic ducks to the disease . Male speaker It 's heartbreaking to see your ducks dead in the water . Voice over Staff at Slimbridge say their 7,000 waterfowl are unlikely to be affected by the outbreak , which ca n't be passed on from bird to bird .
Idiom: on the game (used idiomatically: yes)
WALES YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU ! Club loyalties had a ruinous on the Welsh game over the past decade , says STEVE BALE . Now it 's time for the national side to take precedence . In Wales the club - v - country argument has gone on for longer even than the locust years — a constant , nagging reminder of the manifold and manifest divisions that have wrought such damage on Welsh rugby .
Idiom: full marks (used idiomatically: yes)
But you look so young ! ' ' Well , I do n't know what Monica 's said . ' Full marks to Cherry , and less than zero to me . He was pure boy - next - door . A little fluttery , but positively macho beside the Queen of the Frocks I knew so well .
Idiom: hit the road (used idiomatically: yes)
Very good friends of mine . But they would work they would never see them with dungarees . They came with a good suit on and they would go to work with a suit double breasted and then and they would work there and make a lot of money and when the next thing they would do they would hit into town and get all rigged out and then that was them from top to bottom from their hat right to their feet and then they were hitting the road then . Yes I could say that that 's true about Irishmen . Mm .