Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: out of the blue (used idiomatically: yes)
He had reason to suspect that she had saved money and his life could glow again in the concentration of her attention . It was unlikely that such luck would fall his way again no matter how long he waited . That same week he told Maggie out of the blue that he wanted to see her alone . With great nervousness and alarm she followed him to his room . ‘ There 's something very important that concerns all the family that I want to discuss seriously.’
Idiom: go overboard (used idiomatically: yes)
somebody said a little cake . Ha ! That 's a bit going overboard that is . Yeah well he probably meant a little cake you know , like the one Cherry bakewell .
Idiom: to the bone (used idiomatically: no)
' Who , my dear ? Do tell me who came . I 'm going to sit right on this glorious fire and get warm all through to my bones . I suppose it would bore you to come and see my poor children , but they do need amusing , they are at that stage of convalescing when nothing is entertaining for very long and Mamma is certainly not entertaining at all , so a pretty thing like you would be a breath of fresh air . Now , tell me who came .
Idiom: take the plunge (used idiomatically: yes)
But the journey goes on . I hope to stay here for a long time.’ I still feel Ferguson took the plunge partly to appease a following that felt estranged when United entered the world of big money institutions . He said : ‘ Eric will give the fans a big lift and I 'm sure he 'll be welcomed with open arms.’ Seaman in firing line
Idiom: in broad daylight (used idiomatically: no)
Officers are planning to raid five addresses in London after applying for search warrants . The man was picked up following a tip - off from a member of the public . Rachel 's savage murder in broad daylight — in the shadow of the famous Windmill landmark — sickened hardened detectives and shocked the nation . Her boyfriend , despatch rider Andre Hanscombe , 29 , helped in a reconstruction with little Alex and a friend who bore a resemblance to Rachel . Police believe there are several key factors which link the man being held to that killing :
Idiom: in the can (used idiomatically: yes)
In the UK the brands portfolio has been affected by exceptionally severe market conditions , aggravated by a further increase in excise duty on spirits in 1992 . We welcome the decision not to impose another increase in 1993 . Bell 's maintained its leading position , and Pimm 's sales grew , helped by the continuing success of ready - mixed Pimm 's in a can — the number one convenience drink in its sector during the important summer months . The introduction of the ' Spaceman ' programme , which allows retailers to computer - plan the optimum use of available display space , is a good example of the trade support expertise for which United Distillers is rapidly becoming known . Retailers in markets as diverse as Chile and Australia have now used the programme to plan re - merchandising projects to great effect .
Idiom: break someone's heart (used idiomatically: yes)
Lucy , I 'm in love with you like I 've never been with anyone before . No one moves me like you . And you … you're sitting there breaking my fucking heart . ' She bit back the unwordable sweet pain of when Lucy had whispered : I love you , I love you , there you are … And what had she said , stunned by her apocalyptic vision of lovely Lucy , Lucy in love with her ?
Idiom: in the long run (used idiomatically: yes)
Can We Increase Gross National Happiness ? PRINCETON – The small Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan is known internationally for two things : high visa fees , which reduce the influx of tourists , and its policy of promoting “ gross national happiness ” instead of economic growth . The two are related : more tourists might boost the economy , but they would damage Bhutan ’s environment and culture , and so reduce happiness in the long run . When I first heard of Bhutan ’s goal of maximizing its people ’s happiness , I wondered if it really meant anything in practice , or was just another political slogan . Last month , when I was in the capital , Thimphu , to speak at a conference on “ Economic ~ Development and Happiness , ” organized by Prime ~ Minister Jigme Y. Thinley and co - hosted by Jeffrey ~ Sachs , Director of The Earth ~ Institute at Columbia University and Special ~ Adviser to United ~ Nations Secretary - General Ban ~ Ki - moon , I learned that it is much more than a slogan .
Idiom: mean business (used idiomatically: yes)
He said : ‘ We put a very fair bid on the table , and I do n't want to get involved in an auction . ‘ A principle I have always applied in the property business is that you put in a bid that you think something is worth , and you do n't go above it.’ The Ferdinand approach confirms that Newcastle mean business in the transfer market after being linked with strikers of the calibre of Alan Shearer , Mark Hughes and Gary Lineker . Keegan 's club is building for the future on the back of 30,000 gates every home match , but the Newcastle boss refuses to discuss transfer targets and would n't comment on the Ferdinand situation yesterday . Meanwhile , unknown Graham Kavanagh could be tossed in at the deep end for Middlesbrough 's FA Cup clash with Chelsea on Sunday .
Idiom: rough edges (used idiomatically: yes)
The sound is perfectly acceptable throughout . ( ) Carlo Maria Giulini 's Beethoven is a taste I have never really acquired , but a package which accommodates both the Missa Solemnis and the Mass in C on two discs is clearly worth investigating . Unfortunately in Giulini 's hands , Beethoven 's heavenly vision has more of the quality of a ‘ Missa Somnambulis’ : the Italian conductor smooths every rough edge , rounds every corner and seems as a consequence to sap the life from the work . The soloists are good and the chorus sing powerfully but the interpretation is ultimately soggy and dull . the Mass in C is a more successful performance , much less soporific , though again I am occasionally bothered by what sounds like rather a rudderless account .
Idiom: head south (used idiomatically: yes)
But my idea of tropical paradise is to relax on the seafront at Cairns from sunset till dark when the sea breezes temper the humidity and there is no sense of urgency , none at all . But time is running out and I am suddenly discovering lots of subjects for my sketchpad . Thereafter we head south again through coastal plain and adjoining mountains , through pineapple country , eucalypt forest , seaside resort , along freeways and dirt roads with houses here and there that might have been obtained through mail - order catalogues . We pass some strangely shaped mountains that must have been volcanic plugs poking up through vast panoramas . And so to Brisbane where we began and onto Sydney where , after 10,000 miles of motoring , we left off .
Idiom: cold comfort (used idiomatically: yes)
For some ticket prices there will be a choice of two areas in the auditorium — please state your preference when booking . BRIGHTON & BEYOND Exploring the nether regions of East Sussex from cold comfort on the South Downs , to Mexico in Peasmarsh , the Festival is out of the concert hall and into the streets , the sewers …
Idiom: Indian summer (used idiomatically: yes)
It was recognised that the exclusive pursuit of higher things was very likely to be unremunerative except in certain of the more saleable arts , and even then prosperity would come only in mature years : the poor student or young artist , as private tutor or guest at the Sunday dinner - table , was a recognised subaltern part of the bourgeois family , at any rate in those parts of the world in which culture was highly respected . But the conclusion drawn was not that there was a certain contradiction between the pursuit of material and mental achievement , but that one was the necessary basis for the other . As the novelist E. M. Forster was to put it in the Indian summer of the bourgeoisie : ‘ In came the dividends , up went the lofty thoughts.’ The most suitable fate for a philosopher was to be born the son of a banker , like George Lukacs . The glory of German learning , the Privatgelehrter ( or private scholar ) rested on the private income .
Idiom: think the world of (used idiomatically: no)
Nevertheless he is uniquely different because he is not only a hero but also a powerful magician in the tradition of many Slav and Asiatic epics . In some ways , too , he behaves as the type of classical hero who ultimately became the danseur noble of classical ballet , because he always behaves nobly and truly . If the choreographer thinks he can use the purely classical vocabulary as the basis of his design it will fail to convey the totally different world from which this ancient epic emerged . It will not reflect the beliefs , behaviour , problems , wars and evil forces which give such colour and life to the narrative . Lemminkainen was able to weave and cast spells to win his way through to the end of his journey .
Idiom: up to no good (used idiomatically: yes)
I saw the end of it it was , it was the police , the fire and the ambulance and it was a clip from each , it was good yeah , it was , the bit I saw was that policeman when he goes although those two were up to no good cos I saw them skating round that car what made me laugh was this police woman saying , it annoys me , if you have a drink you should n't drive , and I thought to myself and I bet
Idiom: turn heads (used idiomatically: yes)
' Can you tell me where to take a left ? ' he asked after a while . ' It should be somewhere near here . ' He turned his head towards her . ' You 're crying . Why are you crying ? '
Idiom: break even (used idiomatically: yes)
1992 BAR CONFERENCE This year 's Bar conference was judged to have been a resounding success in terms of overall numbers , the quality of the speakers and the workshops , media coverage , organisation and stage management . In spite of this the event failed to break even financially . The deficit is accounted for by a shortfall of barrister registrants , particularly in the QC and senior junior categories , and a reduction in sponsorship and exhibition income caused by the recession . The Conference remains our flagship event of the year and generates considerable media coverage .
Idiom: small print (used idiomatically: yes)
The other distinction that Foucault makes relates to the significance of the institution of the prison itself . Again , at first reading , the evidence appears to be on his side : there is scarcely a mention of the prison in Beccaria 's book . However , as we have seen earlier in relation to corporal punishment , it is instructive to look at the ‘ small print’ in his writings . Beccaria 's prescribed punishment for property crime was the fine . He recognised , however , that since most property crime was committed by the poor , they would not be able to pay fines .
Idiom: on someone's mind (used idiomatically: no)
Whenever I have doubts about a potential Chinese policy shift , I examine the options through the stability lens . It has worked like a charm . Stability was on everyone 's mind at the annual China ~ Development Forum ( CDF ) held March 17 - 20 in Beijing . Hosted by Premier Wen Jiabao , with many ministers of the State Council in attendance , the CDF is China 's most important international conference . Yet , literally two days before this year 's CDF began , the controversial Bo ~ Xilai was removed as Party ~ Secretary of Chongqing .
Idiom: short shrift (used idiomatically: yes)
Well it depends how you how you try to put that into practice . If you 're Well women are getting short shrift . Yes , they are . And I think that you have to look much more carefully at what I would want to call positive discrimination .
Idiom: carry the can (used idiomatically: no)
is fairly inexpensive to acquire can be analysed/consulted fairly quickly . As a starting place for research , secondary data can pinpoint areas where investigation should be carried out in further depth , and so can help to provide the direction and focus area for further research . ‘ Secondary data also provide information relating to a wide variety of different aspects of international operations . They cover , for example , economic data relating to the general business environment in a country .
Idiom: pop the question (used idiomatically: yes)
Although he did n't take the trophy this year , has done so on many previous occasions . Pictured are a few of his 120 trophies . Her proposal of marriage came as a complete surprise as her boyfriend popped the question while they were on holiday in Spain . ‘ I thought he was joking!’ she said . ‘ It was n't until he produced the ring that I took him seriously.’
Idiom: on the ball (used idiomatically: no)
What sort of things characterise a good worker as opposed to a less good one ? Development Officer : Well , first of all how kind of bright and on the ball they are . A couple of people who work for me are not too clever — and one feels that you have to repeat instructions , and they — even so they 're not undertaken . I mean one person in particular , who is very good and always does the work , but I feel is probably — ok , she babies people too much , she does everything for them , rather than allow them to do it themselves .
Idiom: make a move (used idiomatically: yes)
' No , nor I , and although I might have wanted , so very many times , over the past few years , to walk away , shed my responsibilities , let them all get the hell on with it , perhaps I 'm a marginally better person than I had thought , because I found I could n't do it . And now Terry has gone and there 's only Mother to cope with — and a long , sterile life looming in front of me — without my little Ellie , who briefly brought some sunshine in . And , ' he continued softly , his face suddenly very close to hers , ' you made a few wrong moves yourself , so this muddle is partly your fault too . ' ' Oh , I might have guessed it would be , ' she agreed . ' Well , go on , then ; how was it my fault ? '
Idiom: come to mind (used idiomatically: yes)
We can say that the purpose of knowing is truth ( however conceived ) and that the purpose of doing is effectiveness ( Horner 1985 ) . We could perhaps speak of coming to ‘ know’ being , but it may be that in this case ‘ knowledge’is itself a metaphor . Words such as illumination , actualization and realization come to mind . Such language seems vacuous to some , but if we are to comprehend the nature of the arts in particular , being is a concept which it seems difficult to do without . It does not necessarily imply essence or totality , but merely a derestriction of the stances of knowing and doing .
Idiom: by hook or by crook (used idiomatically: yes)
Superficially , they made publishing easier , for editors of the country 's leading periodicals received permission to print their material without seeking prior approval . What the government gave away with one hand , however , it took back with the other . Under the old system editors , writers and printers were technically free from the threat of punishment if , by hook or by crook , they managed to defeat the censor . Under the rules of 1865 they remained responsible for their publications after they had seen them into print . Editors still had to submit their material for inspection ( after it had been printed , but before it was distributed ) ; they could be penalized both by indictment in the courts and by direct action on the part of the Minister of Internal Affairs ; and they had to lodge monetary bonds with the authorities to facilitate the payment of fines if the government moved against them .
Idiom: on the mend (used idiomatically: yes)
She slid her fingers from her friend 's grasp and pulled herself up in the bed , a smile lighting up the ageing beauty of her face . ‘ What news have you?’ ‘ No news at all,’ she warned , ‘ until I know how you 've been … and whether you are on the mend.’ She had been sitting on the edge of the bed , and now she leaned forward to take the other woman 's hand again . ‘ What ails you , Elizabeth?’ she asked in a tender voice .
Idiom: get stuck in (used idiomatically: yes)
What healers seem to be able to do , to put it simply , is to allay at a subconscious level the negative feelings which stop sick people recovering . In Liz Hodgkinson 's Spiritual Healing ( Piatkus Books , £ 12.95 ) Don Copland , ex - engineer turned healer , says , ‘ I regard healing … as a kind of jump lead which enables people to start healing themselves’ . Boltwood believes that we all get stuck in what we think is the only reality . ‘ When you are diagnosed as ill , as you see is illness , not the possibility of recovery.’ Boltwood believes that psychic energy can give us the power to alter subconsciously our perception of the situation .
Idiom: child's play (used idiomatically: yes)
The most consummate Kapellmeister could not be more profound than he in the science of harmony and of modulations … He has such great familiarity with the keyboard that when it is hidden for him by a cloth spread over it , he plays on this cloth with the same speed and the same precision . To read at sight whatever is submitted to him is child 's play … he makes me realize that it is difficult to guard against madness on seeing prodigies . 4 Versailles from Nouveau Plan de Paris , 1766 . [ The British Library : Map Library -Maps . K.64.34 . ]
Idiom: lose face (used idiomatically: yes)
This means that one should never put one 's Japanese counterpart in a position that will force him to accept blame for a project going wrong , being delayed , etc . This characteristic has important implications for two elements of the sales process : handling objections and the close . The Japanese may avoid explicit objections because politeness demands that the seller does not lose face . Similarly , an attempted close may put the Japanese in a position where they are concerned for the seller 's loss of face if the answer is to be negative . The deft footwork associated with the persuasion approach to selling clashes with the Japanese character and is completely opposed to the spirit of Japanese negotiations .
Idiom: break someone's heart (used idiomatically: yes)
They 'd have to move to a smaller house , that 's for sure . My God , how would he tell Georgina ? It would break her heart to leave the lovely old stone barn in Buckinghamshire . How could he keep Andrew at Agricultural college ? Well they would , somehow or other .
Idiom: time will tell (used idiomatically: yes)
A major ( and fundamental ) reform of public sector accountability is long overdue and needs to start from the top down ; that is , with constitutional accountability . Prime Minister John Major 's Citizen 's Charter initiative , launched in the summer of 1991 , represents an attempt to apply some of the tenets of total quality management to the civil service , transport , health and education . Only time will tell if this is a serious effort at improving both public sector accountability and overall performance . MANAGEMENT CONTROL IN THE PUBLIC SECTOR Introduction
Idiom: over the hill (used idiomatically: yes)
I tottered across to a cottage on the edge of the loch and asked for a pot of tea and a bite to eat . The residents , a kind couple , took compassion on me and provided my needs , refusing payment . After this , I felt a little refreshed but as I came over the hill towards Lochinver , my legs rebelled . I could walk no further . A nearby cottage displayed a B and B sign ; I swayed across to it , was admitted by an elderly lady and collapsed in a chair .
Idiom: come to mind (used idiomatically: yes)
Right . Now supposing that landed on your desk . Well look the first thing to occur and immediately comes to mind is that if I was going to be really evil I would I 'd just stick it away in a quite drawer or wait until the day , and I 'd turn up when she was breaking the the bottle , the empty bottle over over the the skip , we 'd do a picture of her actually littering up the countryside . There 's a thought for you . Just be careful .
Idiom: once and for all (used idiomatically: yes)
This has been an ongoing concern for the five years that I have been a Member of this Parliament , and I have raised the issue time and time again . Commissioner , we shall continue to raise the issue , as Article~158 , paragraph~1 , of the Treaty ~ of ~ Amsterdam provides for an integrated policy for islands . Therefore , the Commission should address the issue once and for all . The time has come to implement the programmes , and so Member States should also assume their responsibilities and do their jobs properly . As for us in Parliament , I would like to remind you of the code of conduct between the Commission and Parliament which was signed in May .
Idiom: over your head (used idiomatically: yes)
Again wearing a voluminous dark cloak and having wooden pattens on her feet , her charge looked , Alianor decided , every inch a serving - maid . She nodded approvingly . ‘ You 'll do , lass , though you had better keep that hood well down over your head . You are pretty as a picture and we would not want you drawing attention to yourself , would we!’ Joan meekly obeyed .
Idiom: good offices (used idiomatically: yes)
A different view of royal opportunism can be seen in the confirmation of charters for leading monasteries outside the demesne . In 1146 Louis VII was asked to confirm the privileges enjoyed by the great abbey of La Trinité de Vendôme , under the patronage of the counts of Anjou . In return for his good offices , the king inserted into the charter , after a clause designed to deter his own servants from causing depredations , a reservation of the ancient Carolingian rights of hospitality , procuration , ost , and chevauchée which no Capetian king had hithertofore enjoyed there . It was a lavish quid pro quo . Less dramatic but far commoner was his habit of inserting a prohibition on religious houses trying cases of arson , rape , murder , and theft .
Idiom: make the cut (used idiomatically: yes)
Despite sales falls in several areas , almost all of the group 's businesses increased profits . Weakness in British markets was offset by strong continental sales . Stocks were reduced 17 p.c . thanks to ' just in time ' stock control and staff cuts were made . Comparing the last two years , Mr Coates said : ' We achieved the same result with 900 fewer people . ' At the year - end , Meggitt still had £ 22 m of spare cash , which will help finance its £ 30 m purchase of Endevco , an American aerospace engineering group that specialises in accelerometers .
Idiom: play for time (used idiomatically: no)
Six months of 12-hour days , six days a week — that 's what it has taken to film the only four Wexford stories not previously adapted for TV . George put the finishing touches to the last episode just over a week ago , and the new ITV series starts next Sunday . Unless Miss Rendell writes any more Wexford adventures , he has played the man from Kingsmarkham for the very last time . ‘ Now , ’ he says , ‘ I can do my grieving in peace . ‘ I only hope I did everything Sally would have wanted me to do .
Idiom: give someone the creeps (used idiomatically: yes)
She stared into the blackness , and the faces and limbs of children , her own and others , again slipped about in her mind . And Timothy Gedge smiled at her , claiming her , or so it seemed . His face remained when the others had gone , sharp - boned and predatory , his eyes hungry , his smile still giving her the creeps . On the morning of Easter Saturday the marquee , borrowed for the Easter Fete through Mrs Stead - Carter , arrived in the rectory garden and was erected by the men who brought it , as it always was . The twins watched .
Idiom: presence of mind (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ She was having trouble with a piece of chewing gum and it was my way of saying thank you . I used to be a professional cleaner — I do n't want to get her into any trouble , I … ’ ‘ I 'm glad she had the presence of mind to help you . Are you about to retire or something ? I still ca n't quite work out how this all adds up.’