Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: off the shelf (used idiomatically: yes)
Much of the air freight passes through Stansted and a sorting hub at Barking handles items destined to travel to any one of 13 European countries by road . UPS is one of the biggest van operators in the U.S. It runs 60,000 vans which are built by the company . Harris reports that UPS is already following this policy in Germany , and says it could spread to the U.K. The German vans use off - the - shelf diesel engines and gearboxes . The bodies , however , are made with hardwood , aluminium sheet and glass fibre , and the vehicles are designed with ease of repair and service in mind . When the bonnet is hinged up , for example , the wings and front grille hinge with it .
Idiom: give up the ghost (used idiomatically: yes)
Of course , nuclear reactors have superbly efficient back - up systems for just such eventualities . In this instance that meant three emergency pumps . Unfortunately one was having its innards repaired at the time and another gave up the ghost after operating for all of a second . Nothing daunted , the reactor personnel managed to get an extra pump working by the space - age technique of forcing open a valve and jamming it with a steel plate , though this had the distinct disadvantage of immobilising all of the other safety systems . Come 1983 and the opening of the Sizewell Inquiry was obviously an emotional moment for Borssele , involving as it does a new sister plant just across the North sea .
Idiom: under lock and key (used idiomatically: yes)
James collected £ 58,330 with with ease after birdie - ing four of the first six holes . His majestic iron play gave him birdies at the short second and sixth and in between his putter also worked admirably to acquire birdies at the fourth and long fifth . When he stepped on to the seventh tee he was five shots clear of all challengers and the title was safely under lock and key . James added : ‘ It is still too early to start thinking about the Ryder Cup . My ambition at the moment is to make sure I qualify for this year 's Open Championship.’
Idiom: in business (used idiomatically: yes)
That will , of course , prompt cynics to ask : “ What about the other 80 % ? ” But those who have taken the oath are part of a larger turn toward ethics that has followed the recent flood of revelations of dis honesty and greed in the financial sector . Interest in business ethics courses has surged , and student activities at leading business schools are more focused than ever before on making business serve long - term social values . Business ethics has always had problems that are distinct from those of other professions , such as medicine , law , engineering , dentistry , or nursing . A member of my family recently had an eye problem , and was referred by her general practitioner to an eye surgeon .
Idiom: cut and run (used idiomatically: yes)
There are steeply progressive income taxes ( up by a third in 1990 - 91 ) , as well as property taxes that blatantly bleed companies to subsidise home - owners . No one seriously contests any more that a hostile tax climate has hurt New York 's economy . Large gaps in its commercial life — and empty buildings in many poor neighbourhoods — show where most of its manufacturers cut and ran years ago . New York used to house the head offices of scores of top companies ; they have been leaving in droves . Now the city 's service companies are squealing , even on Wall Street .
Idiom: the die is cast (used idiomatically: yes)
Oven doors flew open . James and Heinrich placed the geese , covered in their layers of goose fat , into their ovens . The die was cast . In three hours twelve roast geese would emerge succulent , rich and juicy . Would they be eaten ?
Idiom: clutch at straws (used idiomatically: yes)
And it has all happened . Has n't it ? ROS : We drift down time , clutching at straws . But what good 's a brick to a drowning man ? GUIL : Do n't give up , we ca n't be long now .
Idiom: new blood (used idiomatically: yes)
By Mike Aitken AT THE END of a week in which Eoin Jess 's splendid performance for Scotland against Malta turned the spotlight on the next generation of international footballers , Premier Division managers across the country yesterday indicated a willingness to add spice to this afternoon 's card by giving youth a fling . Celtic , whose results suggest an infusion of new blood would be no bad thing , have included Jamie McQuilken , a teenage left - back , in their squad to face Partick Thistle at Parkhead . The 17-year - old is one of several young men at Celtic Park — Eddie Gray 's son , Stuart , is another — catching the eye . Like Tom Boyd , who took advantage of a Youth Training Scheme place at Motherwell to launch a successful career , McQuilken is a YTS lad .
Idiom: sleep like a log (used idiomatically: yes)
It 's quite comfy . Yeah , I like , I remember in it last time . Sl slept like a log ! And Ben co I mean , Ben ! I think was Jack was having me out !
Idiom: do the right thing (used idiomatically: no)
Perhaps I was wrong . Perhaps I should have told her to concentrate on school.’ ‘ You did the right thing.’ ‘ That 's not how it looks.’ I stroke her blonde hair .
Idiom: to all intents and purposes (used idiomatically: yes)
The nucleus is n't solid , it consists of other particles — what sort of particles are these ? Well , erm the nucleus is not solid , but the particles in it are much more massive than electrons . If you look at the particles inside the nucleus you have a proton , which is a positively charged particle , and it 's about two thousand times more massive than an electron , and you have also have another type of particle in there called a neutron , and a neutron is to all practical intents and purposes it 's just like a proton except that it has no charge , and so the whole mass of the atom is actually concentrated inside the nucleus . The electrons balance the forces of course , but they do n't really contribute to the mass . So what we have inside the nucleus , we have two kinds of particle , the neutron , which is uncharged , and the proton which is positively charged .
Idiom: easier said than done (used idiomatically: yes)
As with any evasion , the horse can not be expected to know that he is not supposed to do it . As riders and trainers we must explain to the horse what is acceptable and what is not . We must try to prevent him from erring in the first place ; easier said than done ! We were once sent a polo pony to get fit for the coming polo season who was terrified of his mouth . He used to be ridden in a twisted mouthpiece double bridle and yet still he was very strong .
Idiom: turn the tables (used idiomatically: yes)
They want to cancel the deal . Jackie and Jaafer insist that it stands and are prepared to take the company on in court . Is n't it nice to see a couple turning the tables on a double - glazing salesman ? Lording it at our expense By Penny Wark
Idiom: in the fast lane (used idiomatically: yes)
Whitaker ( 1979 : 229 ) records how these ' college men ' are described sardonically at police station level , as ' plastic men — who know all about how to hold a knife and fork , but nothing about how to catch villains ' . During a sojourn in Northumbria one of these ' academic high - flyers ' remained implacably ' not one of us ' , and I heard him summed up in the following terms : … bloody man is in the fast - lane ; comes off at junction 7 for a year or so here , and then he 'll be off and away at junction 8 , on to his chief 's job somewhere else … and look at him ! He 's one of them educated bastards who would n't know his arse from his elbow on a Friday night in the Bigg Market … ( From fieldnotes )
Idiom: turn the corner (used idiomatically: yes)
The BBC head of drama services , Peter Cregeen , flew to Spain yesterday afternoon to break the news . Some of the 150 cast and production crew he gathered together at a local hotel broke down and wept . The location publicity officer , Liz Kallend , looking shaken , said : ‘ Everyone thought that the show had turned the corner.’ Victim of a serial killer , Page 3 Eldorado shutdown proves all that glitters is n't golden Eldorado was named after the legendary land where wealth was easily made .
Idiom: hot air (used idiomatically: yes)
THE British Association is organising a great day in London for young scientists on Saturday , 5 March . It has planned an exciting programme of activities for its first ever BAYSDAY which it hopes will be attended by young people of secondary school age from all over the country . The organisers are planning a ‘ model hot air balloon competition’ and are asking entrants to get their entries sponsored to raise money for the development of water supplies in Third World villages . ( If things do n't improve at home the need could be closer ! ) Weather permitting , though , there is to be a full - scale balloon launch with hot air — some of it no doubt coming from a ‘ Balloon debate’ and a ‘ Question time’session .
Idiom: hit the mark (used idiomatically: yes)
Yet every now and again a student emerges who shows exceptional talent and it is quite natural that a drama school will make sure that his / her ability is given a good stretch in public with a major role , perhaps playing Hamlet or Hedda Gabler . Some students , there is no denying , are more charismatic and powerful on stage than others — and it is always very difficult for the system to be absolutely fair . However , one thing worth mentioning at this point is that the larger parts are not always a guarantee of an agent 's interest — quite often big roles will attract attention , but a student who has been very well cast in a smaller role may hit the mark just as effectively . Many drama schools regard musical productions as a main attraction , and shows such as Cabaret , Guys and Dolls and Chicago often get presented very well , with good choreography and musical direction which supports the cast very well . The ability to sing and dance has become increasingly important in the profession nowadays , and there are few actors who do n't possess some musical and dance skills .
Idiom: lay a finger on (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ An ' do n't let me catch yer layin ' another finger on ' er,’ she said , pointing at me . ‘ I 'll ' ave the law on yer.’ ‘ Let me tell yow if you ever lay a finger on her yerself , I 'll ' ave the authorities on yer,’ Mrs Smith was not to be bested . ‘ And do n't yow take them clothes away from her either,’ she concluded , just as Mum saw her chance and slammed the door shut , leaving me standing there with Mrs Smith , Nellie and the neighbours . ‘ Come on you two,’ she said to us .
Idiom: to the hilt (used idiomatically: yes)
Her short curly pelt , and the thick folded lips of her pudenda , were moist and slippery . And then she was most cruelly penetrated . An impatient , callous thrust which ended in her impalement to the hilt . She howled in simulated anguish , and groaned her lament . ‘ There , you Norwegian slut .
Idiom: up to here (used idiomatically: yes)
I 'd just say ‘ Same Auld Story I canny be bothered deciphering it — I 'm up to here with Amore ! The whole Valentine 's Day Thing is trivial and commercial , A cue for unleashing clichés and candyheart motifs to which I
Idiom: follow suit (used idiomatically: yes)
Contractual Accountability In principle , the first of the LEA 's stated intentions has certainly been fulfilled . At the time when the survey was conducted , the vast majority of Oxfordshire 's schools had already reported the results of a whole school review to their governors and to the LEA , and the rest were about to follow suit . Beyond this fulfilment of the letter of the scheme , however , lie questions about how thorough were these reviews , how competent were the reviewers , how comprehensive was the reporting . The vast majority of Oxfordshire 's teachers claim that they were involved or very involved in their school 's review , an equally large majority ( four - fifths ) feel competent to carry out a review and that theirs was thorough or very thorough .
Idiom: down and out (used idiomatically: yes)
This extreme role can be used to try to understand extreme situations . John Howard Griffin made himself up to look like a negro and passed himself off as one in the southern USA for his book Black Like Me . Tony Wilkinson dressed up as a down - and - out in London and lived like a tramp for several weeks as part of a television enquiry into London 's dossers , published in book form as Down and Out . Both men took , grave risks in the roles they adopted and could well have been attacked had their disguises been broken by the people they lived with . Interestingly neither of these two people were sociologists , though sociologists have carried out participant studies amongst homosexuals and criminal gangs .
Idiom: in the bag (used idiomatically: yes)
She added : ‘ The players thought Mr Carter had bought the jackets . They were very embarrassed . ‘ When he refused to pay I asked all 16 lads to put the jackets in my bag , and left . I 'm very upset . I 've never been treated like this before . ’
Idiom: in the running (used idiomatically: no)
The anticipated products of the research are materials for those running schools to analyse the effectiveness of their organisation and management and find ways in which practice could be improved . There will also be two books and a series of training courses for head teachers and others with managerial responsibilities in schools . The research findings will provide practical assistance for teachers in the running of schools . Award Title : Flexible manpower resourcing : a study of the Aberdeen local labour market
Idiom: in the long term (used idiomatically: yes)
Management of Service ~ Agreements General and customer - specific service agreements The Service Management System supports you in the specification of service contracts that are valid in the long term , and also in the processing of short - term service agreements in the form of service orders or customer orders .
Idiom: hold someone's hand (used idiomatically: yes)
FitzAlan looked down at her . His face was shuttered now , stern and remote , his light eyes cool and expressionless . He still held her hand . ‘ I 'm taking you to Ashby Chase.’ ‘ What?’
Idiom: make tracks (used idiomatically: no)
Was A. afarensis a crude biped and still dependent on the trees 3 to 3–5 million years ago , or had man 's ancestors well and truly learnt to walk , possibly more than three million years before ? If the former case is true A afarensis could be the ' missing link ' between apes and humans . Tuttle said that if the four bipedal tracks at Laetoli three were made by hominids ; the other he suggested was made by a bear . Of the two most discernible hominid trails , one was made by a creature 112–129 cm tall while the height of the other was 130–149 cm . The great toe often left a deep impression similar to the final toeing - off by humans before swinging their foot .
Idiom: out of your mind (used idiomatically: no)
He grinned as he tossed his jacket on to a chair . ‘ I live here , cara . Or have you managed to put that unpleasant throught out of your mind?’ Caroline got to her feet . ‘ You said you 'd be gone a week , perhaps longer.’
Idiom: up a tree (used idiomatically: yes)
Looking up , it had seemed no height at all . Looking down corrected the illusion , so instead he applied his mind to the business in hand . If there had been a man up the tree on the night of Mary Connon 's death — and a conversation with Kathy Grogan earlier that morning had convinced him , though her interpretation of the written word might be naively literal , there was nothing wrong with her senses , then that man could have been there for only one of three purposes . Unless he was a bird - watcher , he told himself . Joke .
Idiom: in the bag (used idiomatically: yes)
Most unfortunate , had been in action only a couple of hours . Well , that 's the way it goes , Piper , ’ and in the same breath , ‘ look in that canvas bag on the back seat and help yourself to what you want . ’ I looked in the bag , it was full of fish . ‘ Yes , Piper , fish , freshly caught , or should I say blown out of the water ! ’ It appeared that the officer had been admiring the fish swimming about in the water of the Orne when a Royal Marine Commando asked him if he would like some for his supper .
Idiom: bounce off the walls (used idiomatically: no)
She was glad not to have to hurt his feelings by spurning any deliberate advances . ‘ My thanks , sir,’ Isabel murmured , turning to walk with him . The noise of conversation from the hall below bounced off the walls around them . It seemed louder , more raucous than usual , and she sighed at the prospect of another evening spent listening to the same arguments and bitter reproaches . The boy keeping pace beside her must have heard the sigh ; he glanced at her , his expression concerned .
Idiom: wipe the floor with (used idiomatically: yes)
He was , genuinely , a great man , a leader , he had so much size . Put half a dozen hell - raisers in a room with him and he would be their chief in ten minutes . Have your best conversationalists around to tea or dinner and Richard would wipe the floor with them . And there was so much danger about him — on stage and off stage — it was intoxicating . We all went after girls : Richard always got them .
Idiom: on a roll (used idiomatically: yes)
Isaac avoided execution by promising the king a 10,000 mark fine , and in 1213 was transferred from Bristol to the Tower of London . But he may not have been released from the Tower until 1217 , when his remaining bonds were returned to him and he and the rest of the Jews of Norwich were given letters of royal protection . In his last years he featured in a number of important legal cases , and also became the subject of a famous caricature drawn on a tallage roll of 1233 . A rumour of his death circulated in 1230 , but he did not in fact die until late 1235 or 1236 . Isaac had two sons , Moses ( born before 1200 ) and Samuel ( born before 1204 ) , and a sister Margalita , who was active on her own account in 1201 .
Idiom: in this day and age (used idiomatically: yes)
Following the disclosure during the past 24 hours of the outbreak of legionnaire 's disease at two Liverpool hospitals , does the right hon . Gentleman accept that an essential part of a patients charter should be the right to know when such outbreaks have occurred ? Can he explain why that information was concealed for some weeks in one case ? Does he accept that another element of the patients charter in this day and age should be that hospitals are constructed in a way that shows that we have learnt the lessons of the past ? Equipment should not be installed if it is likely to give rise to legionnaire 's disease . Mr. Waldegrave
Idiom: dead men's shoes (used idiomatically: yes)
Strange how he had given that start when he had addressed him as Sir Joseph . As yet he was n't used to the title ; indeed , he was perhaps the first to have addressed him as such . Even so , it had taken some little effort on his part , for here was this relatively obscure relation who had fallen into an estate , which , although small , was of no mean value , and he had fallen into it by a series of dead men 's shoes . And that was putting it plainly . As fate had a habit of doing , it had played what he termed a rather dirty trick for although Martin and his father before him had both found the running of the estate anything but easy as far as money was concerned , this young man would be better off than either of them , for Martin had only within the last year taken out two very large policies on his life , the second when he knew he was going to be married .
Idiom: old hat (used idiomatically: yes)
" You must think of your child . " What makes her think that my child will want posters of David Bowie and John Travolta , anyway ? They 'll be old hat by then . They 're already old hat . A child .
Idiom: out of the blue (used idiomatically: yes)
We have n't got a fax in the sales office yours truly did a bit of negotiation on that this week but more of that later maybe when we have er we have n't got any A O B 's so while we 're on that subject I did just ask , out of the blue faxed across to Stansted cos she 's waiting for it Oh yeah
Idiom: follow suit (used idiomatically: yes)
The public relations function is increasingly used by a wide variety of interests . Following in the footsteps of advertising agencies who gained great riches and new respectability when many became publicly quoted companies , public relations as a business " came of age " in the early 1980s when the first consultancy went public on the Unlisted Securities Market . Since then others have followed suit . This is bringing increased respectability to public relations as a worthwhile commercial undertaking with a stability and purpose in the world of business . It must be said , however , that this emerging new image for consultancies has been helped enormously by the fact that these quoted consultancies are substantially based in financial public relations which , of course , the City of London , Merchant Banks , and business interests in general do understand and accept as a legitimate part of their world .
Idiom: bear in mind (used idiomatically: yes)
The purpose of such terms is often to comply with the terms of the client 's insurance , or to reduce the cost of obtaining insurance cover . If the client 's competitors trade on terms which minimise their liability , the client may have to do likewise in order to obtain insurance cover as cheaply as possible , and thus keep its prices competitive . The drafter should bear in mind that many of the terms included in the standard terms will not be enforced in most transactions ; their purpose may be to deter claims from trading partners , to deter litigation , or provide a basis for a negotiated settlement . Thus , while they should be drafted , so far as possible , to withstand judicial scrutiny , they will only be the subject of litigation in exceptional cases . 3 The advantages of standard terms
Idiom: come to think of it (used idiomatically: yes)
I came round to her way of thinking and handed over the Visa card . ‘ Did n't consider that for a minute , lady,’ I said , playing the part . ‘ But come to think of it , I have gone out of my … ’ She was n't listening . ‘ Or maybe you fancied your chances with her , eh?’
Idiom: round the clock (used idiomatically: yes)
Then some of the RAF ground staff were called in to dig holes all over the place , and we girls were most unpopular . This happened once while I was at Binbrook , and we were all jailed for a week — well , con fined to our quarters , really , but it amounted to the same thing . We were only allowed off the site to go to work , and this is where we shift girls scored as we worked round the clock and had to leave the camp after dark when all the day workers had to stay indoors . But it was a great nuisance , anyway , and we did not suffer in silence . It was October when I arrived at Binbrook , and as winter approached the air became bitingly cold .
Idiom: beg the question (used idiomatically: yes)
But ultimately the test is whether the buyer could fairly and reasonably refuse to accept the physical goods proffered to him on the ground that their failure to correspond with what was said about them makes them goods of a different kind from those he had agreed to buy . The key to s13 is identification . ( pp503 - 4 ) The problem with this approach is that it begs the question concerning the nature of identification in unascertained future goods . Moreover , insofar as it suggests a commercial equivalence or de minimis rule , this would seem to be at variance with Lord Atkin 's approach in Arcos Ltd v EA Ronaasen and Son . In any case , the commercial context will often require strict compliance .