Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: take root (used idiomatically: yes)
Many of the hardened professionals occupying top posts in broadcasting and telecommunications in the 1980S began their careers in the 1940S and 1950S : for all the progress made towards a recognition of the independence of broadcasters , the communications sector ( or ‘ landscape’ ) bears the imprint in 1990 as in 1944 of years of crises and reforms , of purges and witch - hunts . Thanks primarily to Francois Mitterrand , a regulatory body , independent of the state , was set up in the 1980S to overview public service and other communications sectors and to protect broadcasters from pressures exercised by governments , politicians and lobbies of all kinds . The idea has taken root ; but the plant has proved fragile — the Haute Autorité de la Communication Audiovisuelle ( HACA)(1982–6 ) was replaced by the Commission Nationale de la Communication et des Libertés ( CNCL)(1986–8 ) : in 1989 the latter was replaced by a Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel ( CSA ) . Broadcasting is so intertwined with politics that even the debate over its regulatory bodies is politicized . Following each political sea - change in France , since the foundation of the Fifth Republic , the new President and/or head of government has sought to reform broadcasting : in 1959 and 1964 under de Gaulle ; in 1969 and 1972 under Pompidou ; in 1974 under Giscard d'Estaing ; in 1981 , 1982 and 1986 under Mitterrand .
Idiom: go hand in hand (used idiomatically: yes)
Because of Picasso 's paroxystic way of treating the figure ? Its proximity to death ? It always goes hand in hand with any great artist . But did you see Picasso 's ‘ Crucifixion’ of 1930 ? Do you know , I 've never see it .
Idiom: under the table (used idiomatically: yes)
Mama looked up and gave a great big sigh . " He 's gone . " Very slowly she leaned over to reach under the table . She lifted the towel that covered the big bowl we use for making bread . There was my baby brother , chewing on his fist .
Idiom: on the cards (used idiomatically: yes)
Butcher thought his career was over when he left Coventry last season , but he has been outstanding since joining the Wearsiders . Manager Malcolm Crosby said : ‘ Terry is one of the best professionals I 've ever had the pleasure to work with . ‘ He 's not a flash Harry or a cheat and if he does n't think another year is on the cards he will tell me straight . ’ Meanwhile , First Division Cambridge United yesterday signed Watford striker Steve Butler , 30 , for an undisclosed fee . Saints blow
Idiom: go to the wall (used idiomatically: yes)
Navy ( presumably for repair work ) ; 130 tons of bolts ; 100 tons of nails ; and 1,127 tons of sundry items of which there are very many on a vessel . By 1799 these figures were much reduced — by as much as two - thirds . For years the world price had been governed by the prolific yield from Anglesey and many British mines , especially marginal workings , had gone to the wall . Alas , as the output from that source lessened , would - be benefits to other mines were decreased by the immense deposits found in the New World , much of which was native metal . The situation was worsened by the reduction in navy orders , as the wooden - walls surrendered to the iron plate .
Idiom: point the finger (used idiomatically: yes)
Paul looks introspective , never quite sad , although this is not the picture of a comedian preparing for a night of chuckles to remember . Dutifully he is moving the chairs in his living room , humming to himself and glancing repeatedly at his drinks cabinet , when the door bell rings . Paul opens the door , to be confronted by a bespectacled American doing a poor impersonation of Chuck D. Four Eyes is pursing his lips , pointing a finger at Merton while offering him a mock high five . ' Yo , yo , yo , I 'm the centre of the show , I like your crib , this place is dope , ' splutters the visitor . Paul Merton instantly fixes him a hard stare , saying nothing , before slowly pronouncing , ' You 're Bamber Gascoigne are n't you ? '
Idiom: against the grain (used idiomatically: yes)
The boy had learned what the man would never learn . She watched dispassionately , concealing a faintly malevolent smile , as her father 's inflexible knee forced itself to bend before the wrong prince of Wales . The return of his four hundred marks was a strong inducement , nevertheless it went against the grain with him to do homage to an Englishman . ‘ Master Parry,’ said the prince , innocent of his offences as of the benefits that spoke loudest for him , ‘ we will make it our business to see this money duly paid to you . Madam , I pray you may enjoy a more fortunate marriage hereafter.’
Idiom: go overboard (used idiomatically: yes)
Val Kilmer greets visitors to his trailer dressed in black shirt and black leather pants . With his flowing black curls , outstanding cheekbones , and the buckled gold belt Morrison favoured , the resemblance is more than uncanny — it 's creepy . So are the reports that have flourished on the LA gossip circuit — Kilmer is going overboard ; Kilmer thinks he is Jim Morrison ; Kilmer has it written into his contract that everybody has to address him as Jim . The truth is that he has no apparent difficulties responding to ‘ Val’ or ‘ Kilmer’ . None at all .
Idiom: in someone's pocket (used idiomatically: yes)
The man in a hat suited for cowboys is walking through a market and is putting a hand in his pocket
Idiom: lame duck (used idiomatically: yes)
The changes in the state sector before the 1980s have occurred in a relatively piecemeal fashion . Rolls - Royce collapsed in 1971 under the strains of developing the RB211 aero engine , and was nationalised by Edward Heath 's Conservative government , unwilling to see such an important part of British industry going bankrupt . This happened despite the government 's claims that it was injecting market discipline into the private sector by not ‘ bailing out lame ducks’ . In 1975 the Labour government was equally unwilling to see British Leyland collapse and this company too was nationalised ( see Chapter 4 , page 63 ) . It would be true to say that , when the Conservatives were elected in 1979 , the composition of the nationalised industry sector had certainly not been arrived at by any clear sets of principles or criteria .
Idiom: by dint of (used idiomatically: yes)
Many of her friends had stepparents , and few of them were happy about it : in their rambling and interminable discussions they would deplore the stupidity and selfishness of their elders in introducing into their homes strangers who were not of their blood and who insisted on peculiar foodstuffs and liked or disliked various types of music — whichever was most inconvenient and painful to the children of the house . Some of them even had to endure the presence of stepbrothers and -sisters , which to Camille would have been insupportable . They had certain tricks and devices by which they avenged themselves on the interlopers , but these took up time and energy and , since they were young and inexperienced , frequently rebounded on themselves , although Sam , by dint of great perseverance and the manifestation of genuine hatred , had recently succeeded in ridding her home of her mother 's latest lover . ‘ Just think of the fairy - stories,’ Sam had said . ‘ It never worked , did it?’
Idiom: foot the bill (used idiomatically: yes)
THE QE2 sailed for repairs in Germany yesterday — classed as a cargo ship . The luxury liner , holed when she ran aground off America , is heading from Boston to Hamburg under her own power . Foot the bill A CHEMICAL firm was fined £ 50,000 yesterday after people nearby in Houston , Texas , said it smelt like a thousand dirty socks in a gym . Cheer up !
Idiom: do the trick (used idiomatically: yes)
Molloy learned it from me at the Imperial Hotel , Blackpool , during one of the duller party conferences . I in turn appropriated it from Charles Lyte , the Mirror 's education correspondent , who used to perform it at NUT gatherings . To do the egg trick you need a pint glass , a square biscuit tin lid , a matchbox , a stout shoe , an egg , and a large Scotch . Fill the glass with water , then place the biscuit tin lid over it , lip uppermost . Shape the matchbox sleeve into a funnel and position it in the exact centre of the lid with the egg perched upon it .
Idiom: no questions asked (used idiomatically: yes)
Do n't tell me that you care what the hell is on my mind , she thought to herself . Things had been ticking along nicely between them , just as long as she 'd been prepared to forget that she wanted more out of the relationship than a roll in the hay and a bright ‘ cheerio’ at the airport . With agonising clarity she realised that she could n't fool herself that she would be content with that and , however tempting it was to take what he had to offer , no questions asked , it was n't good enough for her . It left too many spaces saturated with hurt . And seeing Nicole had only reminded her of that fact .
Idiom: spot on (used idiomatically: no)
And try not to drop it this time , please . Is this the place?’ He points to a spot on the ceiling . I nod , pointing to the same spot . ( He has already decided . )
Idiom: tell tales (used idiomatically: no)
Depression can have a devastating effect not only upon the person 's family but also on their job . Currently one in workers suffers from depression in Northern Ireland , and absenteeism because of the condition exceeds that even for ulcers , diabetes , high blood pressure or arthritis . High levels of absenteeism , reduced productivity , uncharacteristic accidents or bad decisions are the tell tale signs of depression . A massive 3,324 , working days were lost because of depressive illnesses between and in Northern Ireland alone . Early treatment means less time lost at work , increased productivity and the avoidance of the costly knock - on consequences of depression in the work place .
Idiom: in business (used idiomatically: no)
The latter figure includes $ 179 in new project business from the United ~ Nations Secretariat and $ 24~million from the Office of the High ~ Commissioner for Human Rights .
Idiom: on the blink (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ What 's the flap , Chris?’ ‘ Richie 's had to go with Sir Bryan . One of the North Sea rigs has gone on the blink . I think he 'd like you back here.’ ‘ There 's something I want to check up on first .
Idiom: steer clear of (used idiomatically: yes)
On a first date , it 's best to steer clear of touchy subjects .
Idiom: green light (used idiomatically: yes)
Now we were using a rather old radio set at the time called a TR9 that was not one of the better things that our radio and radar boffins produced for us in the early days of RT air - to - ground and vice - versa . This was a very old set and did not always work ; as I did not make contact with the control tower I came round and I saw that it was all clear for me to land , so I put my wheels down and made my approach . No sooner had I selected wheels down than I noticed that the port wheel had not come right down because I did not get a green light on that side of the undercarriage indicator . Starboard was alright but there was no green on the port . So I selected " up " once more and went round again , I went away from the aircraft circuit and tried this once more and still no green .
Idiom: under the weather (used idiomatically: yes)
She felt grubby , tired and , now that the car had pulled up outside the cottage , sickeningly tense . Which , she reminded herself , was ludicrous . The thought made her feel slightly better , but she still found herself tentatively letting herself in , relieved in a way that André was a bit under the weather . It was all futile . Piers was in the living - room as they walked in , half naked , the top button of his faded jeans undone .
Idiom: have a heart (used idiomatically: no)
19 . TO really give up smoking . Smokers have a one in three chance of dying from their habit due to lung cancer , heart diseases , strokes and a wide variety of other cancers . 20 . TO keep to all my resolutions .
Idiom: to say the least (used idiomatically: yes)
Mr. Richards also accepts that the procedure adopted by the judge on 16 October 1991 , and in particular his long and involved attempt to dispose of the matter otherwise than by an order , was inappropriate , and the judge was wrong to link the question of a wasted costs order with the question of a disciplinary complaint to the General Council of the Bar . Those two matters are , in our judgment , separate , and they should never have been mingled and confused as they were by the judge . It is plain that the hearing , or meeting , on 16 October was , to say the least , discursive . It was wholly inappropriate to deal with the matter as the judge did . Any conclusion reached after such discussion or debate is likely to be flawed and unsatisfactory .
Idiom: a hair's breadth (used idiomatically: yes)
But Chapman 's team - building made Arsenal the favourites . Contrary to normal practice , ' the most discussed football official of recent years ' , as the Daily Mail described him , had his team training at Highbury in the week before the final , rather than at a country or seaside resort ( Brighton was later to become the favoured Cup training ground ) . ' The men are not deviating by one hair 's breadth from the ordinary system of training , ' he told the Daily News . ' To alter that system , even for a Cup final , would be folly , and for that reason we think there is no place like home and Highbury for keeping the minds and bodies of our players in perfect tune . ' In goal for Arsenal was Welshman Dan Lewis , displacing Bill Harper , and Butler was back at centre - half in place of Roberts .
Idiom: high and low (used idiomatically: no)
However , this product did nothing to lessen the severity or duration of the condition , which over time leads to malnutrition , anemia , and other chronic health risks . Other approaches to treatments and preventative measures – including changes in ~ public - health policy , improvement of water treatment , and development of vaccines – have not yielded significant , cost - effective results . The solution ( literally and figuratively ) may be an ingenious , affordable innovation from Ventria Bioscience that combines high- and low - tech components to deliver what could be a veritable Holy Grail : two proteins produced inexpensively in rice that radically improve the effectiveness of rehydration solutions . It has been known for decades that breast - fed children get sick with diarrhea and other infections less often than those fed with formula . Research in Peru has shown that fortifying oral rehydration solution with two of the primary protective proteins in breast milk , lactoferrin and lysozyme , lessens the duration of diarrhea and reduces the rate of recurrence .
Idiom: to the bone (used idiomatically: yes)
This time … ' It was Edward 's first parachute drop except in training , and it hurt . He lay on the grass of Bedfordshire , shaken to his very bones . Out of the darkness he saw men coming , stealthily . A mile away the searchlights and the ack - ack tore the sky .
Idiom: bear in mind (used idiomatically: yes)
Several other factors must be considered , including China ’s financial structure , financing model , savings rate , and stage of economic development , as well as the relationship between currency and finance in China . China ’s intensive economic monetization is a key factor driving its money - supply growth . But China ’s sharply rising monetization rate can not be judged against the high , steady rates of developed countries without bearing in mind that China ’s monetization process began much later , and has distinct structural and institutional foundations . As China has opened up its economy , deepened reforms , and become increasingly market - oriented , the government has facilitated the continuous monetization of resources – including natural ~ resources , labor , capital , and technology – by ensuring their constant delivery to the market . This has fueled rising demand for currency , leading to the expansion of the monetary base , with the money multiplier – that is , the effect on lending by commercial banks – boosting the money supply further .
Idiom: in the dock (used idiomatically: yes)
SIMON GARRETT / Reporting Det Insp WAYNE MURDOCH / Gloucestershire Police When prostitute Carol Clarke was found dumped in a canal in Sharpness docks in Gloucestershire in March police interrogated crew members from visiting ships and searched through her extensive list of clients . Four months later her killer is still at large and detectives are looking at the possibility that she may not have been his first victim The search for Carol Clark 's killer is leading to the re - examination of the death of prostitute Diane McInally in Glasgow two years ago .
Idiom: lie low (used idiomatically: yes)
When the sun 's rays hit the Earth a lot of the heat is reflected back into space but some of it is kept within the Earth 's atmosphere . The problem is that more and more heat is being kept back by a blanket of gases surrounding the Earth ( including Carbon Dioxide and CFCs ) and as a result temperatures around the world are gradually increasing . Scientists believe that if something is not done about this problem , glacial ice will melt raising the level of the sea and flooding vast areas of low - lying land . Parts of London and Essex could disappear and Cornwall could become an island off the coast ! Other places such as Spain , could turn into desert .
Idiom: set eyes on (used idiomatically: yes)
SWEETHEARTS Heather Shannon and Chris Fereday are living proof that love is blind . They will spend Valentine 's Day putting the final touches to their wedding following a whirlwind telephone romance . Chris decided he wanted to marry 32-year - old Heather before he even set eyes on her . And within a few hours of meeting 25-year - old Chris , Heather agreed to spend the rest of her life with him . It all began when computers at the Middlesbrough Pearl Assurance office broke down .
Idiom: in the swim (used idiomatically: no)
Of course , you vary the cast at first , until you discover the hotspot , but if you have not noted each cast fairly precisely you will not know where the fish came from when you do catch one . When you catch a fish , or get a strikeable bite and miss it , you should cast a bait back into the water as quickly as possible . More often than not a shoal of big bream , particularly a small shoal of very big bream , does not remain in a swim for long . You should take full advantage of every minute they are present and feeding . It may happen only once in twenty - four hours , and often even less frequently .
Idiom: in business (used idiomatically: no)
The six MSc courses approved in that year were in areas directly relevant to industrial research and development , including diesel engine design , molecular science of materials and operational research . In the late 1960s , in the arts and social studies areas there were more good intentions than successful proposals . Even at the time the study group that was planning the establishment of the Committee for Arts and Social Studies met in April 1965 there were proposals waiting to be processed in business studies , languages , sociology , psychology , administration , economics , law and ‘ combined subjects’ , with business studies leading the field in both honours and ordinary degree course proposals by a wide margin . By September 1968 the nearly 4000 students enrolled on arts and social studies courses included students of librarianship and the sociology of education , textile marketing and social and public administration . Twenty - three of the courses approved by this point were sandwich courses , and 12 per cent of the students enrolled had qualifications other than the General Certificate of Education ( as compared with 33 per cent in science and technology ) .
Idiom: cold comfort (used idiomatically: yes)
me in my next - to - nothingness ! Kawai 's Trilby Cold comforts of a hotel room : the air - conditioning and fridge join forces for a chummy hum ,
Idiom: change hands (used idiomatically: yes)
The primary determinant of service was still land , in the sense that a lord normally drew the core of his following from the area where his estates lay , although the men who looked to him for lordship would not necessarily be his own tenants . Thus the Gowers of Stittenham ( Yorks . ) served the lord of nearby Sheriff Hutton , although they held Stittenham itself from the prior of Malton . This strong territorial element meant that when a major estate changed hands , whether by inheritance or forfeiture , the affinity of the previous owner would tend to turn to his successor for lordship . But land ownership was not the only factor . National influence could give a lord a local following greater than his land alone would warrant , as Gloucester 's own career was to demonstrate .
Idiom: at the drop of a hat (used idiomatically: yes)
Mr. Leonard Coote , the out - going Vice - President was elected President for a two - year term in succession to Mr. Andy Heffernan who had completed a two - year term . BEST OF TIMES For most delegates the interesting part of the Conference is the address of the General Secretary , Ciaran Ryan in a wide - ranging and thought provoking address reviewed the events of the past ‘ eventful two years’ , looked at current issues and outlined some of the specific issues which the incoming Executive Committee would have to take up , Jobs , their retention and creation were major issues and closely connected was the position of part - time workers in the industry who were exploited in many instances and also temporary staff who were ‘ fired and let go and threatened at the drop of a hat’ . The issue of equality had to be looked at very closely and we had already had detailed discussions with I.C.T.U. on equality . He felt that Congress could be of significant help in the area of branch representative and activist training within the Association .
Idiom: walk all over (used idiomatically: yes)
Well you eat that piece dear . As it 's gloriously golden . usually look forward to half term to my feet to recover because the children walk all over me . Yes . And they 're nasty little , little feet chair .
Idiom: run the gamut (used idiomatically: no)
Today , the rose , especially the H.T. and its offspring , the Floribunda , is very big business indeed , and played for huge winnings , with large multi - national companies paying fortunes to have a new rose variety given the company name . The basic characteristic of the H.T. is that the flowers are invariably double with so many petals — sometimes to their detriment in wet weather — that the centre becomes pushed up to a high point — in the classic shape that everybody likes to see . We have run the whole gamut of colour with the post - war American varieties , then the swing back to Europe for scent with the colour , then the bi - colour with the petals showing contrasting colours on each side , revealed so attractively as the petals curl back on themselves . We have nearly every colour of the spectrum from purest white and cream through yellow , orange , pink and scarlet to deepest velvet black crimson . Barring the almost frantic effort in the search for the elusive clear and genuine blue , it must be a colossal headache to the raisers to think up something new .
Idiom: on the ball (used idiomatically: yes)
You must be a Sakkratian , ' Sheldukher continued with cool logic . ' Really , ' the Doctor snorted . ' Do I look like the kind of person that would make his home on a ball of rock like this ? ' ' Then you 've come to steal it . ' ' I have come on a scientific investigation to rectify the freak effect which brought those poor unfortunates , ' he waved at the screen , ' to this forsaken place .