Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: by and large (used idiomatically: yes)
How shocking that must be . When we go home , we put the heating on . We may worry a little about how much it will cost , but we know that , by and large , we shall be able to meet the bill . That is not true of the people about whom I am talking . I see that the Under - Secretary is nodding in agreement .
Idiom: come unstuck (used idiomatically: yes)
" Sir Edmund described him as a financier of sorts . " " You could say that . He was behind that very nasty business of the Indian Ocean Bank — that was the nearest he got to coming unstuck , but the thing was so complicated with nominees in the Caribbean and nominees of other nominees in Hong Kong that he got away with it . But that sort of finance is not quite his cup of tea . He likes to deal in physical things — things he can touch . "
Idiom: in business (used idiomatically: yes)
He voiced the question . Benin reached into the van , turned the music off and ejected the cassette before answering . ' Women and drink should always be treated as chalk and cheese in this business . Fortunately one of your colleagues did n't know that . ' ' Who ? '
Idiom: walk of life (used idiomatically: yes)
She had no illusions about her physical attractions ; what drew men to her was the power of her personality . Her background made her an early starter in the love stakes . She was interested in men from every walk of life and divided her lovers into those from the streets , sailors , pimps , flings , professors and factory workers . Her sheer emotional and physical energy nevertheless took its physical toll , and at various times in her life she abused alcohol and drugs as well as notching up a significant number of car accidents of varying degrees of seriousness . ‘ You never know a guy until you have tried him in bed .
Idiom: rise from the ashes (used idiomatically: yes)
Such synchronicity is quite staggering . Not only was the chart a perfect picture of a fire with consequences way beyond structural damage , but the repetition of the Queen 's horoscope made clear that this was an event targeted at the heart of the monarchy . Pluto 's theme is transformation and his emblem the phoenix rising from the ashes . This reveals that out of the destruction a new creation can emerge . The castle will be transformed and a new monarchical order born .
Idiom: to all intents and purposes (used idiomatically: yes)
John Stork , until recently also an entirely British - owned search firm , has established a significant niche in the British headhunting business but , unlike GKR , it has concentrated less on building up a large volume of business in London and more on expanding into Europe . It now has wholly - owned offices in Paris , Amsterdam , Brussels , Frankfurt , Geneva , Stockholm and Gothenburg , is a shareholder in a well - established US firm and has associate arrangements in the USA and elsewhere , enabling it to sustain an annual growth rate of between 20 % and 30 % which is now generating annual total fees of up to £ 5 m . Although John Stork International became , to all intents and purposes , a pure search business , this was not always the case , and it still maintains other interests , including two management assessment firms , who employ several psychologists . John Stork — when in his mid-30s — became aware of headhunting when he found himself on the receiving end of a headhunter 's call for the first time ; in due course he became the successful candidate , but did not take the job , staying on as a member of the international Board of Masius Wynne - Williams advertising agency , where he had earlier been head of research . The agency was enjoying considerable success on a worldwide basis at the time and , when there was a change in ownership , he considered starting his own business in marketing consulting .
Idiom: call a spade a spade (used idiomatically: yes)
Tom 's the kind of person who calls a spade a spade and a lot of people do n't like that .
Idiom: save face (used idiomatically: no)
— TWIT OF THE WEEK HOW silly of comedy writer Carla Lane to try to save a pit bull terrier which faces an automatic destruction order after being unmuzzled in public . Bread writer Carla should know that being an animal lover is one thing , but these dangerous dogs are bred to fight not to become children 's pets . — .
Idiom: hold the ring (used idiomatically: yes)
Here as in the rest of the house , the furniture was good and well cared for . The hangings were rather chintzy and old - fashioned . The dressing table held only a silver - backed brush , comb and mirror and two trinket boxes , with an old - fashioned flowered china tree for holding rings placed in one corner . No cosmetics of any kind were visible . The bed looked neat , smooth and austere , and the books on the table beside it had dark sober covers and were obviously devotional books and anthologies of poetry .
Idiom: neck and neck (used idiomatically: yes)
Kapil in a hurry to set Test record From Graham Otway in Durban ENGLAND could be the victims as Kapil Dev fights a neck - and - neck race against Aussie skipper Allan Border to complete a magnificent cricketing double for India this winter . As the legendary all - rounder prepares for Graham Gooch 's men to tour the sub - continent in the New Year , he needs just 25 wickets to overhaul Richard Hadlee 's World Test record of 431 victims . And he desperately wants to overtake Hadlee before Border establishes a new record for Test runs .
Idiom: close to home (used idiomatically: yes)
He was taken ill two weeks ago towards the end of a summer season in Blackpool . It was discovered he 'd ruptured his aortic artery … the most important blood vessel in the body . So he booked in at the John Radcliffe Cardiac Unit … close to his home in Marlow . Male speaker Frank was keen to carry on with his commitments in Blackpool … particularly with the Labour Party conference , he did n't want to let them down .
Idiom: up to here (used idiomatically: no)
She was very good was n't she ? Erm , yes . Erm , actually on reflection , having seen the bit of disaster that occurred because erm unfortunately Freda did n't get the phone call until early Christmas day morning off her daughter , to say that instead of them coming up to here to see them that something had happened in London , could they go down to her , so she was prepared to do us a half an hour at half past one and then she was going to drive to London ! I said , I think you better go before you do n't worry about the party . No .
Idiom: give and take (used idiomatically: no)
This theory of the Asiatic mode of production is complicated and subtle ; it is hardly elaborated in Formen but it is fascinating in that it foreshadows a central concept in Capital . In Capital Marx argues that as a result of the peculiar history of capitalism , the capitalist , who is really a parasite on the workers , is represented as though he were the opposite ; as the source of production and the benefactor of the workers . This is because , in the image of the world created by capitalism , the ability to supply capital is seen as enabling production to take place and as giving a wage to workers who would otherwise starve , while in fact it is really the capitalist who depends on the worker . This ‘ inverted causation ’ as it has been called , which is a major element of Marxist theory , is to be found in the theory of Asiatic production , in that the subjects of the Asiatic despot are made to believe that they can live because of the blessing of the god-king , the true guardian and shepherd of the community , while really it is he who is living off them . Another important aspect of Marx 's notion of the Asiatic mode of production is that it offers an explanation of what he saw as the surprising stability of Asian states .
Idiom: fly a kite (used idiomatically: yes)
Two of the Essex Kite Group flyers have a selection of hints and tips to offer . Better known for his inflatable Dragon kites , Roger Pike , and his clubmate Peter Charlton , show how to make a very simple paradropper , or a twirling hemispherical drogue . For those who like to fly several kites at a time on tethers , they suggest a simple addition to the standard Goat or Dog corkscrew which provides a cleat to lock the line and winch or reel when sufficient line is paid out . Pet shops are a source of supply , alternatively try camping or climbing stores . A classic Delta
Idiom: pure and simple (used idiomatically: yes)
But the women continue to suffer a degrading subjugation . For example after their early years in Britain , Sikh women were allowed to go to work but even after all these years of earning a wage they rarely make , or are consulted about , decisions made about money . After listening to my Sikh sisters ' accounts of their lives and relationships and the sensitive Izzat of their men I had the feeling that for Sikhs Izzat is not pride or honour — it is male ego , pure and simple . But male egos differ . Muslim ones tend to shrivel up at the thought of their women going out to work .
Idiom: far and away (used idiomatically: yes)
In so doing the newcomers have contributed to the sense of urban encroachment on rural political affairs among farmers and landowners which goes back over a much longer period , and which has been associated with changes in the institutions of political control in the countryside : the gradual decline in the personalized and autocratic power of the locally resident squirearchy and the transfer of public administration to a more formal and impersonal framework of local government since local politics were first placed on a democratic footing in 1888 . In some areas , of course , the changes may have been more apparent than real and the necessity of being eligible for election may not have changed the actual personnel who continued to dominate rural politics . Indeed research carried out for the Maud Committee on local government reform in 1967 showed that 35 per cent of rural district council members were farmers , far and away the most numerous section and more than twice as many as the next largest group . Nevertheless there has been a slow but perceptible change in the basis of such control , which is no longer in the hands of particular landowning families and individuals as such , but part of the duties of the office to which they have been elected . Moreover , much of the day - to - day administration has been placed in the hands of salaried officials with the specialized knowledge required to understand the complexities of modern local government administration .
Idiom: cut and thrust (used idiomatically: yes)
The other would allow the smart to inherit the Earth ( plus a legacy from their wealthy parents ) and console us with the exhortation to work harder if we want more , which goes down like a glass of sand in the unemployment deserts . It is tempting to consider the real debate in society to be this one , the one they have at Westminster . It has all the cut and thrust of an ideological conflict . It has the smell of glamour and the roar of a crowd ( even if this occasionally drowns out Mr Tebbit 's speeches ) . It even has hooliganism and violence and so must run football very close to being an alternative religion .
Idiom: break the bank (used idiomatically: yes)
He did n't answer , lighting his cigarette one - handed , and I did n't press him . I was too tired , only vaguely conscious that we had come off the canal bank and were angling down across a steep slope of stony ground to the rice - green flatness of the valley floor . Finally we climbed a bank and were on the road again , the smoothness of it lulling me into such a deep sleep that I never saw the barrier at the railway crossing , did not even hear them telling Ward the Jequetepeque had broken its banks a little further on . It was the violent jolting of our wheels on the sleepers that finally woke me to the realisation that Ward had switched from the road to the railway line itself and was bumping his way along the track towards the gaping mouth of a tunnel . I sat up then , suddenly wide awake .
Idiom: beat about the bush (used idiomatically: yes)
The convention also turned down proposals to limit the President 's tenure to two five - year terms , to allow more than one presidential candidate and for members of the UNIP central committee and other party officials to be elected by popular vote . On April 14 Kaunda told Radio Zambia that in view of Zambia 's experiences in the first few years after independence , when more than one party had operated , " the question of whether the multiparty system will solve Zambia 's problems is a yes - and - no situation which has to be considered very cautiously " . UNIP secretary - general Alexander Grey Zulu added his voice to the official rejection of multiparty politics , when he said in Kitwe on May 21 that those advocating the reintroduction of multiparty politics " should not beat about the bush as to their real motive , which was to acquire power " . On the other hand Frederick Chiluba , chairman of the Zambia Congress of Trade Unions , said that he supported the introduction of a multiparty system . On May 28 in a speech to the UNIP national council , Kaunda again criticized the multiparty system as likely to lead to " tribal conflicts " , but promised that there would be a free vote in the nationwide referendum which he proposed should be held on the issue [ see p. 37523 ] .
Idiom: fall by the wayside (used idiomatically: yes)
I have fallen by the wayside , I am damned to eternity , I am the eternal Jew .
Idiom: on the nose (used idiomatically: no)
Why the catastrophe ? Trading in works of art needs a deep purse and long - time backing . Success depends on the dealer 's nose for possibilities , patience to tease out why some object is unusual and important ; then to find a buyer to accept — and pay fairly for — the product . Not a neatly quantifiable commercial package : difficult to project sales and cash - flow , and impossible to guarantee results . So old fashioned Chinese art dealers would deal across the board , with a top layer of ' important ' pieces and less costly stock to pay the rent .
Idiom: go up in smoke (used idiomatically: no)
Iron Maiden splashed out on a spectacular £ 35,000 firework display for the show 's finale . MIRROR MONEY Going up in smoke … HOW THE DEADLY WEED CAN COST YOU A PACKET IAN MILLER
Idiom: fair game (used idiomatically: yes)
Adult weevils confine themselves to leaf - nibbling and egg - laying Only soil inspection reveals the horrid truth about your ailing pot plant Fuchsias are fair game to the grub ; ‘ Doreen Redfern’ needs defending Question Time Looking for an antique garden ornament ?
Idiom: work wonders (used idiomatically: yes)
Of course , it is equally important for your therapist to feel at ease with you , to facilitate an exchange of energies , as it were . Although essential oils can help the skin and the emotions , for example , without the aid of a therapist , for deep - rooted emotional and physical problems , hands - on healing is far superior if not essential for true healing to take place . However , as we have seen in Chapter 3 , clinical aromatherapy ( without the use of massage ) can work wonders if applied in a holistic rather than a symptomatic way . Finally , the therapist can not take all the credit for his or her successes ; the healer is merely a catalyst in the process . Every therapist / healer , orthodox or otherwise , has come across the person who just does not get better — despite doing everything ‘ right’ .
Idiom: sit tight (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I can feel it.’ ‘ So we 'll take Mister Cardiff 's advice,’ said Rohmer . ‘ We 'll sit tight and wait for the storm to blow itself out.’ ‘ We could break one of those windows,’ continued Duvall . ‘ It can only be about thirty feet or so to the ground .
Idiom: rub shoulders (used idiomatically: yes)
Of Somerville she recalls : ‘ My two years in the Somerville Graduate House were , I think , the most ecstatic in my life’ . By contrast , Dr Alison McHardy , also a post - graduate , comments briefly : ‘ I never lived in and was certainly never made to feel welcome’ . Dr Margaret Smith , however , feels differently : ‘ I greatly appreciated my one year in Graduate House and the chance to rub shoulders on a daily basis with such a cosmopolitan cross - section of people’ . Dr. Smith is now in University Administration in Leeds . She also holds a R. Y. A. Coastal Skipper Certificate .
Idiom: in my book (used idiomatically: yes)
Nick — you 've only managed to talk to Paul Simpson , I think everybody 's gone and hidden themselves . yes and everybody not too happy as you can probably imagine erm Peter erm while we were talking to Paul Simpson , in fact Brian Horton was holding his press conference and I think he said the same as everybody else ; ‘ Bolder the opposition goalkeeper had an inspired game , but really United had the chances and the possession , and really everything to kill Charlton off long before half time and really put no pressure on themselves in the second half.’ So erm yes I think everybody 's very very disappointed as I think we probably heard with Paul Simpson because United certainly in my books , played some of the best football I 've seen them play since they 've been back in the second division in the erm first half , but really did let things slip away a little bit in the second . They used up all their goals against Oldham did n't they , two weeks ago when they did n't force any corners at all in the match ; scored five goals nevertheless . Today , had lots of corners , scored actually from a corner , or after a corner but could n't make their possession tell .
Idiom: ride high (used idiomatically: yes)
Crash of the the Everton empire Duncan McKenzie SEVEN years ago Howard Kendall was riding high , the highly successful manager of the richest outfit in football . On Saturday I sat there watching his team lose at home to Chelsea and listening to an Australian Evertonian who was back at Goodison for the first time since he emigrated in 1985 . ‘ At least Neville Southall 's still here — and thank God for that,’ he said after another stunning display from the man in black .
Idiom: time will tell (used idiomatically: yes)
The composition of the material produced under a variety of conditions may plausibly be compared with simulations based on the data obtained from the drift - tube collapse . As a simple example of a prediction that can be tested using the laser vaporization tube set - up , the collapsing model predicts ( as does the pentagon road ) that the ratio of the C 70 yield to the C 60 yield will be high when the tube temperature is low , and vice versa . Time and further work will tell . Robert F. Curl is in the Department of Chemistry , Rice University , . SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION
Idiom: once and for all (used idiomatically: yes)
In your June 91 issue of Tennis World , was a letter from a reader , unsigned , by a Seles fan , titled ‘ In defence of Seles’ . This made me and I bet a few more Steffi fans very angry indeed . So for all you Seles fans , let 's just get this sorted out once and for all . Steffi Graf is the best woman player of all time . Always will be .
Idiom: through thick and thin (used idiomatically: yes)
Look up old friends you gave up for your partner 's sake . Enjoy sitting in a room without the smoke that choked your lungs for years . On the other hand , if you have lost your partner and like two branches of a tree , you had grown together in kindness and only lived for each other through thick and thin , then talk inwardly to your partner . In your mind , tell them what you are doing and ask for their guidance . Wait for their inner voice and know that you will meet again someday .
Idiom: fight shy of (used idiomatically: yes)
It was an act of confidence , based on strength , not of fear based on weakness . Greater unity would strengthen the weakest link in the chain , the village minister : ‘ When sneerers and wonderers ask [ him ] , ‘ Hath any man brought him ought to eat?’ it will soon be made clear that good men eat at the table of Divine plenteousness.’ A new constitution was adopted in September 1904 but Congregationalists fought shy of using the word ‘ church’ , with the implication that local chapels were de facto parishes within a new national body , and retained their old title of ‘ Union’ : churches remained the local bodies of gathered believers . It proved only a partial victory for Parker who had died in 1902 and it was not until 1919 that the first Moderators or de facto bishops were inducted to ensure higher , more uniform standards and greater control from London . To many people , talk of greater denominational unity was nothing more than the application to religion of current political nostrums like collectivism or , worse , ‘ socialism’ .
Idiom: no sweat (used idiomatically: yes)
The urgency in Jim 's voice got through to Jube . He lowered the flashlight . ' No sweat , boy . Jes ' you lead me to ' i m . ' Turning his head , he bawled over his shoulder for his companions to follow him , and was answered by muffled shouts from deeper in the woods .
Idiom: sticky fingers (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ You 'll be sick if ye eat ony mair o ' that , Alexander,’ said Mrs Dooley . ‘ Yer mammy said see an ' not eat too much at the Exhibition.’ Alexander pushed the last of his toffee bacon and eggs into his mouth with a sticky finger and pointed towards the ‘ Rocket Railway’ . Mrs Dooley followed his gaze and shook her head . ‘ Oh no … !
Idiom: come to terms with (used idiomatically: yes)
While the onus is primarily on the chairman to handle business so that expertise is fully exploited , there are ways of enhancing the skills of individuals . Some familiarity with the business also helps , without subscribing to the view that only health professionals can really understand and run it . There have been earlier references to the changing and elastic notion of priorities which takes some time to come to terms with . Another is the notion of effectiveness in the NHS which has no familiar bottom line measures of success for the businessman newcomer to authorities . Responsibility for developing standards will also require a greater interest than hitherto in the effectiveness of clinical care ( Williamson , 1990 ) , something that will require considerable briefing .
Idiom: the die is cast (used idiomatically: yes)
People are joining us all the time , so I 'm very briefly er just in a word or two , going to go over the subjects , and then if you want to give me a ring , please do so . The three British hostages , released from jail in Baghdad , now on their way home from Iraq . Sir Edward Heath has done an admirable job , do you think that the die was cast anyway ? That er any er public figure worth his salt could have achieved what Sir Edward has done , or do you think he 's brought something special to the negotiations , and why has Saddam done it ? Not for the benefit of others , he never does anything for the benefit of others , one can only feel that he sees some advantage in releasing these British people .
Idiom: on someone's mind (used idiomatically: no)
Beth moved towards the settee , the girl followed . When the two of them were seated , Beth told her , ‘ You 're so special to me , Cissie . You 're very perceptive , because there are things playing on my mind , and yes … it would help me so much if I could talk them over with someone . I 've never been one for making friends , you know that . I was always a solitary child , and my making friends was frowned upon.’