Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: to the hilt (used idiomatically: yes)
It is nonsense to close missions so that we can meet the new and welcome demand from the Baltic states and , for example , Phnom Penh . This applies also to the British Council , our arm of cultural diplomacy , which is facing unprecedented demands from the newly liberated countries which are looking out for English language teachers . I often say that if we thought as much about the English language and teaching it and all that that means as the French do about their language and the Alliance Francaise , we would back the British Council to the hilt . Wherever one goes in the world there is a constant demand for the teaching of the English language . I was interested to see that the first thing for which the Cambodians and Vietnamese asked — even before getting rid of mines in Cambodia — was English language training .
Idiom: pissed off (used idiomatically: yes)
The weight hovered over her shoulders , ready to settle . Her finger tightened on the trigger . ‘ Why am I awake and pissed off , then?’ she started to ask , but the voice interrupted her before the ‘ awake’was complete . ‘ Your constitution is strong , for a human,’ it said . ‘ You fought off the effects of the anaesthetic faster than my medical orderly thought possible.’
Idiom: hands down (used idiomatically: yes)
This service averages over five hundred separate insertions per month , and while in the strictest sense of the term you do pay for it via the call charge , it still represents amazing value for money . The maximum you should pay is 48p for a minute ; I 've checked it and I can place a concisely worded advert in about 45 seconds , and at cheap rate that works out at 27p . A 1st class stamp costs 24p and the ease of phoning versus the traipse to the letter box wins hands down for me every time . Anyway , I digress . We do occasionally get calls from people who 've dialled a number listed in one of the ads only to find that it 's wrong — an old lady in Dunfirmline insisting that she 's definitely not selling a Malmsteen Strat — or perhaps giving the ‘ unobtainable’ tone on a number which does n't exist .
Idiom: hands down (used idiomatically: no)
On June 26 the military tribunal had announced that it would be seeking two death penalties against Madani for conspiracy against the authority of the state . Against Belhaj a third death penalty would be sought on charges of kidnapping and torture . Since March 1992 , 26 death sentences against Islamic fundamentalists had already been handed down , including seven delivered by a criminal court in Bouira on June 3 and 4 [ see also pp . 38840 ; 38936 ] . There were no reports so far of any executions . Releases of detainees
Idiom: head over heels (used idiomatically: yes)
From point - blank range the first bullet hit him in the stomach , doubling him up as it punched a hole just to the left of his navel , ploughing through intestines before lodging close to his spine . The second hit him in the right shoulder , the impact lifting him off his feet and sending him toppling towards the head of the stairs . He threw out a hand , clutching at empty air , then fell backwards , tumbling head over heels down the steps , finally crashing to a stop at the bottom , where he lay in a spreading pool of blood . Downstairs , Julie looked across and saw Stark hit the floor , her attention diverted only momentarily from the blows still raining against the door . She felt sure that , any second , the wood must splinter and the attacker would be inside .
Idiom: on someone's mind (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Actually , it was a joke . Though , to be frank , I could n't care less if you had a hundred village lasses , all queueing up to do your cooking , cleaning and dirty - sock - washing . I have more important things on my mind.’ At last . Success .
Idiom: throw a wobbly (used idiomatically: yes)
This time , dad is a casually callous surgeon ( William Hurt ) , who finds himself being operated on within his own hospital . Predictably he is exposed to a series of character - forming reverses , but these are astonishingly tame . The level of incompetence , humiliation and overcrowding is remarkably low — at one point Hurt throws a wobbly about having to share a room for one day with one other person . The film is , in fact , noticeably coy about the shortcomings of the American medical system . Randa Haines 's direction shows the TV - movie - of - the - week competence she showed in her debut , Children of a Lesser God .
Idiom: over the counter (used idiomatically: yes)
It states:’ The CNR team , and many witnesses believe that nurses should have freedom to prescribe a limited range of items , such as dressings , ointment and medical sprays’ . I pause here to point out that items such as dressings are available on prescription . Hon . Members can buy them over the counter in a chemist 's shop . It continues:’ and that they should be able to use their professional judgment on matters such as the timing and dosage of drugs prescribed by doctors for pain relief.’ Pain relief is greatly important to many people .
Idiom: pour cold water on (used idiomatically: yes)
He believes that the medical profession is encouraging Down 's babies to die at birth because of ignorance and fear . He has attacked what he calls the ‘ practice in many of the country 's paediatric units to avoid performing life saving operations unless their parents insist ; ‘ we pour cold water on the natural loving feelings of their parents , and give them the impression they have produced something monstrous . Parents in this situation know they have got a problem on their hands . They need the information which will motivate them to care for the child .
Idiom: make ends meet (used idiomatically: yes)
Men as a rule are very selfish and still believe that women are born to serve them . They are terribly irresponsible and spend all their free time drinking with their friends . And women are as likely as not to be left to fend for themselves , living crowded into one room with all the children and having to work all night sewing or cleaning to make ends meet . We 're trying our best to strengthen the family and make men more conscious of women 's rights . And let me tell you , if there was a women 's demonstration to protest against the machismo of the men in our country , I 'd be right there in the front ranks !
Idiom: muddy the waters (used idiomatically: yes)
There is , however , a worrying trend that is perhaps best put down to enthusiasm . At least two ‘ campaigns’ are now up - and - running offering to fill the place held by the demised Vulcan Association ( VA ) . The tale of the fall at the last fence by the VA can be told one day , but for now talk of fund - raising , sponsorship , sale of merchandise etc etc by keen , but necessarily overnight , groupings of enthusiasts will only serve to muddy the waters . If — and it is a big if — MoD ‘ recognises’ another supporters ' operation , it will be in the form of a well - constituted and long - established body , taking the Vulcan under its wing . MoD has yet to show its cards relating to the reconsidered future of XH558 if there is to be one .
Idiom: tit for tat (used idiomatically: yes)
Moreover , numerical examples , experimental games , and such empirical case studies as have been carried out ( see , for example , Rees , 1993 ) seem to suggest that typically punishments far outweigh the gains to short - run deviation for empirically reasonable discount rates and so it is really not hard to explain collusion . Not only may firms be unable , for reasons of bounded rationality , to work through the complex mathematics of these models , they may not have to because the answer is to them so obvious . It has been shown in the experimental literature on the prisoners ' dilemma game that the strategy of ‘ tit for tat’ is a very effective and frequently chosen way of sustaining co - operation even though it is far simpler than Abreu 's strategies ( and neither subgame perfect nor renegotiation - proof ) . Moreover , as we have seen , firms have developed facilitating devices such as information agreements , trade associations , and price leadership to help them solve the problem of achieving and maintaining agreements . These can be seen as practical methods of resolving the kinds of problems identified by the theory .
Idiom: in the running (used idiomatically: yes)
The sale of goods for use by the purchaser in an industrial process , e.g. manufacturing . ( iii ) The sale of goods for use by the purchaser in the running of his business , e.g. a typewriter for use in a firm 's office . ( iv ) The sale of goods by a private individual .
Idiom: lay an egg (used idiomatically: yes)
The trouble with this , as with many another insecticide , is that there is no selectivity or distinction made between soil creatures that are harmful and those that are beneficial , like earthworms . Finally , before leaving the harmful insects , mention must be made of horrid little blighters that for long were regarded as exceptions to the normal methods of control . Thrips or thunder flies as they are sometimes called because of their tendency to fly in clouds when thunder threatens — are minute midge - like flies that like to get into buds just as the bud scales ( sepals ) are opening and lay their eggs there . Minute they may be , but the effect is traumatic . For long it was thought that wet spraying turned the buds to a wet mash , and therefore dusting each individual bud was necessary .
Idiom: in the black (used idiomatically: yes)
There were only eleven of them left now : Carl Sandberg and Harald , four crew , and five Americans . They sat together in the middle of the plane . The girl and the young man in the black shirt watched them . The Colonel put some grenades in the coat pocket . Through the window , Carl saw the fuel tanker drive towards the plane .
Idiom: in the dock (used idiomatically: yes)
A port since the granting of its Royal Charter in 1580 , Gloucester became a centre for the corn trade in the 1840s when foreign grain was first allowed into Britain . Llanthony Warehouse , now the home of the National Waterways Museum , was the last great corn store to be opened in Gloucester Docks in 1873 . In the hey - day of trade in the docks there were 15 major corn warehouses , two dock basins and a complex network of rail lines covering some 22 acres . It was not until the 1980s that redevelopment began to take place . North Warehouse , the oldest in Gloucester Docks , although in poor structural condition , was the first to be saved from demolition and redeveloped as the new headquarters for Gloucester City Council .
Idiom: blow a fuse (used idiomatically: yes)
The Bremen company says the " Elutek " iron model 31 - 4 has a technical defect which in unfortunate circumstances can lead to the entire appliance becoming temporarily live with electrical current , leading to electrocution or a short circuit and blown fuse .
Idiom: way to go (used idiomatically: yes)
Turn to world markets without pro - active policies to ensure competence in some modern manufacturing or service industry , and you are likely to remain an impoverished exporter of natural ~ resources and labor - intensive products such as garments . Nevertheless , developing countries have been falling over each ~ other to establish export zones and subsidize assembly operations of multinational enterprises . The lesson is clear : export - led growth is the way to go . But for how long ? While reading the economic tea leaves is always risky , there are signs that we are at the cusp of a transition to a new regime in which the rules of the game will not be nearly as accommodating for export - led strategies .
Idiom: under the table (used idiomatically: yes)
Sometimes I get confused between work and socialising , especially when we spend our off - duty time discussing what we did on duty . Right , Robert . Now according to forensic it looks as if the explosion was set off by two sticks of gelignite and a couple of detonators trapped under the table and wired into the lamp that stood , as it were , beside the chairman 's right hand . It 's a dark room , so at any time of the day that light would be switched on by anyone wanting to read.’ ‘ So it was set off by the simple act of turning on the lamp?’
Idiom: lay an egg (used idiomatically: yes)
Animals that spend time as larval plankton illustrate two interesting biological principles . First , this phase — though valuable — is obviously highly vulnerable . Cod , for instance , lay about nine million eggs into the plankton . But by far the majority perish , before they are even hatched — or at least before they reach maturity and breed themselves . Indeed , on average , each pair of cod produces only two offspring of opposite sexes that survive to breed in the course of their lives , for if it were not so , the population of cod would grow and grow , which it clearly does not .
Idiom: out of the picture (used idiomatically: yes)
I 'm just trying to focus it actually , . Right , that 's as good as it gets I 'm afraid . This is a very out of focus picture of a drapers ' shop . And the picture is actually to show you how people bought their cloth , how people bought their dresses . Until well into the eighteen forties , they did n't actually buy dresses , they bought lengths of cloth and had them made up , either by a member of the household — a servant perhaps , or more often by a dressmaker , either a couturier or the local dressmaker .
Idiom: par for the course (used idiomatically: yes)
Anything set up by Ron Paget has got to be suspect.’ Helen explained . ‘ One fifty an hour would be considered exploitation in London but I daresay it 's par for the course round here . I would n't put it past Ron to be taking a cut for himself . Mind you give it to the boy personally .
Idiom: in the long run (used idiomatically: yes)
ATTITUDES AND POVERTY These causes of poverty were far from clear to observers in the 1870s . They had been long debated , but it should be emphasized how few individuals at this time believed that poverty could actually be eliminated , except perhaps in the very long run . Poverty had always been , and remained , the normal condition of a substantial proportion of the population in all known societies . Almost certainly it was less severe in Britain in 1870 , the most industrialized and urbanized society in the world , than in any other country , or in Britain at any previous time .
Idiom: have your work cut out (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ And it 's far better to get it out on the table , and to discuss it , even if you disagree than to find yourself nagging later.’ Talk to the man about who did the housework in his childhood home . If his Mum did the lot , and he thinks that 's as it should be , you 're going to have your work cut out persuading him to do his share . ‘ Men often put a lot of energy into the courtship period’ , warns Jane Hawksley , ‘ never use that as a gauge for the future . When he 's trying to impress you or your family , he may do all sorts of things he would n't dream of doing after the wedding .
Idiom: get stuck in (used idiomatically: no)
Bruce Willis would n't be very happy with this game . He might enjoy exploring the many rooms that , while not too wonderful graphically , serve their purpose well enough . He 'd probably be impressed with the pre - game presentation and would find he could really ‘ get stuck in’ during the flight sequences . He could , even , enjoy examining the enemy corpses to obtain essential objects . While doing this , though , he 'd be looking at an amazingly porky sprite and thinking , ‘ That 's supposed to be me!?’
Idiom: turn a blind eye (used idiomatically: yes)
Saleh has regularly employed the danger of Al ~ Qaeda to obtain additional financial and security support from both the West and Saudi ~ Arabia . For him , the attempted Christmas ~ Day bombing was a gift from heaven . Saleh ’s dilemma is that Western aid may now come with increased interference in Yemen ’s internal affairs at a time when he wants the world to turn a blind eye to his conduct of the country ’s civil wars .
Idiom: an old flame (used idiomatically: yes)
It was the least he could do . Gaily turned away , the last to leave Miss Faith Lavender in the green churchyard . ' An old flame , perhaps , ' suggested Dorothea who , often an unthinking woman , felt vaguely that the afternoon might now benefit from a stroke of the unlikely . She should not have done so . The other three turned their eyes on her like a trio of hanging judges .
Idiom: buy time (used idiomatically: yes)
To take account of this so - called ‘ stock appreciation’ , it is necessary to subtract an appropriate amount in computing the national income . Market prices and factor cost When national expenditure is computed , it is measured initially in market prices — for example , the total spending on beer is equal to the quantity of beer bought times its average market price . Unfortunately , many market prices are distorted by indirect taxes and subsidies : indirect taxes have the effect of raising the prices of goods above what would otherwise have been set , while subsidies lower such prices . National income and national product , however , are both measured at ‘ factor cost’— that is , in terms of the sums paid out to the owners of factors of production — and this excludes indirect taxes and subsidies .
Idiom: Indian summer (used idiomatically: no)
The road they were following was almost empty . It was mid - autumn , and the bulk of the tourists who thronged through the picturesque villages in the summer had gone . The weather was still warm and sunny , though , an Indian summer that looked like stretching on for a few more days yet . Yet , despite the brightness , Jessamy suddenly felt cold . Something was happening here , something she did n't understand .
Idiom: know the score (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ The place is closed for the Christmas holidays and the RSPCA takes care of the livestock until January . It started when it was a school . You know the score , give the urban kids a slice of country life . Some teacher must have found out that most of his class had never seen a duck before , so they started an urban zoo . There were quite a few of them back in the ‘ seventies .
Idiom: hit the road (used idiomatically: yes)
It 's freezing and the pitch is rock hard . Wednesday February the 5th is the new date . Now the formula one grand prix circus is getting ready to hit the road for another season … first race is in South Africa in five weeks time … what 's new … is it going to be a head to head between Mansell and Senna … Williams and Maclaren … hopefully not … because Oxford 's Eddie Jordan is revving up to win EDDIE JORDAN
Idiom: read between the lines (used idiomatically: yes)
Telling Dora not to leave Roziac . Is she a key witness or something ? ' ' Reading between the lines , ' said Melissa , ' I think he suspects her of killing Alain Gebrec , mistaking him for Erdle . ' ' Good Heavens ! ' Iris sat up with a jerk .
Idiom: smart alec (used idiomatically: yes)
Frankly , I was quite pleased to leave the 11th , for all fighting was over , and a regular outfit is very boring and narrow - minded when not in action . I still do n't like regulars any more than I ever did ; the officers are not too bad , but the men are not a good type , and the ex - ranker officer is a strain to live with . These Newfoundland chaps here are most likeable — Nature 's children , woodsmen and fishermen , very tough physically , but not so ' smart - Alec ' as the British soldier , and mostly of Scots and Irish descent . Most of the officers , who come from the British Army , are Scots , too … So I am now a ' colonial ' and wear the badge of my adopted land on my shoulder , just like all the others .
Idiom: bear fruit (used idiomatically: yes)
District may receive extra MP NORTH EAST Essex looks likely to receive an extra MP following a review of constituencies by the Boundary Commission . The survey , which had been scheduled for the summer , has started two months early and is expected to bear fruit by mid - June . Although the Boundary Commission is unwilling to pre - empt the results of its county - wide review , it is understood that the focus will be on Colchester where both constituencies have far more than the ideal average of 69,000 voters . Options include splitting the town and surrounding countryside three ways or reuniting the urban wards under one MP and creating two new constituencies elsewhere .
Idiom: bear in mind (used idiomatically: yes)
So , too , is the debate about the relative contributions of political and economic factors to the eventual eruption of popular protest . While the yearning for dignity , freedom of expression , and real democratic participation was the driving force underlying the Arab revolutions , economic discontent played a vital role , and economic factors will help to determine how the transition in the Arab world unfolds . Here , three fundamental and longer - term challenges are worth bearing in mind . First , growth will have to be much more inclusive , especially in terms of job creation . The youth employment - to - population ratio was about 27 % in the Arab countries in 2008 , compared to 53 % in East Asia .
Idiom: in the flesh (used idiomatically: yes)
Chessie was so beautiful . I 've seen pictures.’ ‘ Better in the flesh . Her colouring was so p - p - perfect . It was my fault I neglected her .
Idiom: the icing on the cake (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ At the NEC , we received lots of trade interest in the new branding and positioning for the range and also widespread international approval for the new merchandising , including commitment from Au Printemps , one of the leading French retailers,’ he added . Icing on the cake A hobby has become the icing on the cake for Jackie Wintle of Barlaston 's planning department . Vintage Spring COMMISSIONAIRE Gordon Smith will have his vintage car on the road again this Spring .
Idiom: behind bars (used idiomatically: yes)
A Tyne Tees spokesman said : ‘ We are currently making inquiries concerning candidates for a number of seats . So far we have not made any decisions about who will be featured.’ AN ESCAPED prisoner is back behind bars after police arrested the runaway in a primary school . Alarm bells began ringing at Mount Pleasant Primary School , Darlington , when Sophie the school hamster broke out of her cage , setting off burglar alarms and alerting the police . For two days she remained at large despite a posse of pupils carrying out an inch - by - inch search of the building .
Idiom: in cold blood (used idiomatically: yes)
Although there was a tacit assumption among the Belgian authorities that the attack must have been anti - Semitic in nature , no one could speculate as to its source . The Israeli embassy in Belgium denounced the attack last night . ‘ It is clear that Professor Wybran has been assassinated in cold blood because he was a Jew,’ it said . ‘ Fifty years after the Holocaust , a Jewish leader is killed in the heart of the capital of Europe.’ The Israeli Prime Minister , Yitzhak Shamir , expressed his shock at the incident .
Idiom: in the pipeline (used idiomatically: no)
In the past seven years more than US$ 23~billion worth of humanitarian supplies and equipment has been delivered to Iraq under the programme , while more than $ 10~billion worth of additional supplies are in the production and delivery pipeline .
Idiom: two a penny (used idiomatically: no)
I guess they may have fallen off a lorry ? Anyway , as most of the kids were from poor families , such a toy was a great attraction , so Sam went into the ' hiring ' business . For one skate , on loan , to go round the block ( a distance of perhaps 500 yards ) the cost was one penny ; for two skates , two pennies ; any kid who took longer than 10 minutes ( thus being under suspicion of going further ) would be fined another two pence — or punched on the nose . This developed into a thriving business . It was now time for expansion .