Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: take the floor (used idiomatically: yes)
Wilhelm Lehmbruck at Michael Werner Henri Matisse , as all the world by now must know , has replaced History at the Museum of Modern Art . The sprawling retrospective of his work currently takes up the two vast floors normally devoted by the museum to setting forth the story of late nineteenth- and twentieth - century painting and sculpture . To compensate a bit for the loss , Greatest Hits from that long and illustrious lineage —'Les Demoiselles d'Avignon ' and its copains — have been gathered for the nonce in a smaller space elsewhere in the museum . Necessarily some favourites have been left out of the selection and among them are the two larger than life , cast stone sculptures by Wilhelm Lehmbruck — the ' Kneeling woman ' of 1911 and the ' Standing youth'of 1913 ( two of the museum 's earliest acquisitions , by the way ) — which have always within living memory afforded a moment of tenuous serenity in the same room with Kokoschka 's simmering double portrait of the Tietzes and Max Beckmann 's horrific ' Departure ' .
Idiom: in the lap of luxury (used idiomatically: yes)
Since nineteen eighty two when they took away the related earnings from the unemployment benefit they have introduced a further nine retrograde steps to the plight of the unemployed and now the proposals as has already been pointed out they now have a look , because there 's a fifty billion pound shortfall at how they can best tackle the sick and make them pay , as well as people who are struggling to keep a roof over their head . We ask you to accept these two resolutions . On the reduced T V licence fees well I think we all recognize that everybody who 's unemployed is n't living in the lap of luxury drinking ten double whiskies a day hitting the racecourses with a top hat and tail on the only pleasure , especially people who 've got young children to bring up is the television and such is the price of the licence nowadays that in order to sustain that other things in the family are going short . This again is an indictment on our society when people are being forced into that position again the C E C asks you to accept this . On the standing charges regarding motion three eight four for the rent - free telephones for our senior citizens it is really an extension of three seventy but the C E C asks to while you , while you accept this resolution ask for a qualification on the motion .
Idiom: see the light (used idiomatically: no)
General lighting means having around 20 watts of normal tungsten light ( or 10 watts of fluorescent ) for every square metre of floor area . Pendant lights , usually hanging on their own flex from a ceiling rose , are the most common form of general tungsten lighting — ideally , there should n't be just one light in the centre of a room , but two or more around the room , including over any table . Decorative pendants , supported by a chain or screwed brass rod , may need a special ceiling fitting ( see FITTING LIGHTS TO THE CEILING ) . General light can also be provided by recessed ceiling lights ( either downlighters , which give a pool of light , or eyeball spotlights , where the beam is adjustable ) , or tracklights attached to the ceiling , fitted with spots , spotlight clusters and flush-fitting ceiling lights . Recessed lights , positioned over the front edge of a worktop , are particularly effective in kitchens ; enclosed ceiling light fittings are good for bathrooms .
Idiom: kick the habit (used idiomatically: yes)
In an action which could be the largest personal injury case in legal history , they claim that these pharmaceutical companies which include market leaders Roche and Wyeth , and Halcion manufacturer Upjohn , failed to warn doctors and consumers of the possible side effects — which may include long - term brain chemistry damage — of seventeen different drugs . One of Steve 's bitterest memories is his own assumption of guilt . ‘ I felt it had to be my fault : I was a weak human being with no moral fibre or I would have been able to kick the habit.’ As Charles Medawar points out in his seminal study , Power and Dependence ( Social Audit , £ 10 ) , it was not until the 1980s that benzodiazepine dependency became recognized as an iatrogenic problem , a disease caused by medicine itself . ‘ Virtually every anti - anxiety drug and sleeping pill ever prescribed has proved to be a drug of dependence.’
Idiom: tie the knot (used idiomatically: yes)
By using cords I managed to create a curvilinear band which is unusual in the sense that no two bands would ever be the same . I tried many ways of joining the cords , but found that the best is to use a latch tool and catch a loop at the back of one cord and pull through a loop from the other cord . Continue in this way until you have made the required length of band then , by unravelling the cord to this point , you can pull the end of yarn through your last loop and so tie a knot . The bands can be as deep as you like and the whole time you are creating a unique structure . I took the garment pieces off on waste yarn .
Idiom: in business (used idiomatically: yes)
And I seem to be the last person to have seen him . ' Catching sight of herself in a wall mirror , Loretta closed her mouth and waited for Bridget to go on . It had not occurred to her that her friend might be personally involved in the business . ' That 's why I was late , ' Bridget continued . ' Two policemen simply turned up at my rooms as I was leaving , without any appointment or anything , and insisted on interviewing me .
Idiom: by the back door (used idiomatically: yes)
I 'm not stocked up with strong drink yet , I 'm afraid . Why do n't you take that wet anorak off and get the fire going again while I make the drinks?’ He did as I suggested , dropping the wet clothes into a corner by the back door . ‘ Well , God bless this house . It 's very good of you to take it like this .
Idiom: in someone's pocket (used idiomatically: yes)
And therefore , uncle , though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket , I believe that it has done me good , and will do me good ; and I say , God bless it ! "
Idiom: get a grip (used idiomatically: yes)
Mitch agreed with still a great deal of awe in his voice . Maggie said nothing at all . She was trailing behind the other two and trying to get a grip on her nerves . She only looked up as Felipe reined in beside her . ‘ I — I 'm on your horse,’ she murmured shakily , wiping her eyes with the back of her hand and glancing up at him .
Idiom: at the end of the day (used idiomatically: yes)
In a sense this is what it is to become and experienced teacher rather than a novice . One has to develop routines to cope with the situation because it is far too complicated a situation to be handled in any other way . You just can not pay attention continuously to all the different variables in a situation and remain sane at the end of the day , you have to develop routines and techniques for handling it . Now if anyone asks if you feel for any sense that perhaps some of these routines have perhaps got a bit of become inappropriate in some way , perhaps because you 're teaching a different type of child , or perhaps because you 've got rather different educational aims , they 've changed for some reason , then it 's like asking someone to go back to being a novice again in some senses to change . Now this is a very , very difficult thing to ask anyone to do .
Idiom: on board (used idiomatically: yes)
3 They changed to a strategy - management mode in which each of the business heads met with the entire executive board once a year to define strategic objectives and once a year to establish a budget . No other contact with the board was required of the business heads , although each had a contact on the board who provided ongoing support . 4 They revised the budget process .
Idiom: on the rocks (used idiomatically: yes)
( You do n't need to be a trained anthropologist to spot the seeds of conflict in this theology . ) And now the fat bellies in the cities are carrying on where the white folk left off . ( I can picture the laibon as he told me this , his son sitting behind him on a rock flossing his teeth . ) The Masai moved from the great river of the north , freely interpreted as the Nile , says the professor in a note , down towards their present location . It was a terrible journey reducing the Masai nation to a few hundred survivors .
Idiom: rock the boat (used idiomatically: yes)
' Hours . Besides , your call would be tapped . Do n't let 's rock any boats . ' They did not talk much till they reached Drobeta - Turnu Severin , where the Danube had once passed spectacularly through the Iron Gates . They had done 343 kilometres .
Idiom: drink like a fish (used idiomatically: no)
Here he burst into tears and , in a maudlin , falsetto voice , sobbed out , " Am I to drink water like a wretched fish ?
Idiom: do someone proud (used idiomatically: yes)
Waitresses bustled about bearing what appeared to be an apparently limitless supply of red and white wines . We waited for the queues to subside , then partook of fresh salmon , prawns , beef in vinaigrette , salmon vol - au - vent and salad garnishing , followed by lemon and raspberry mousse . The University and Catering had done us proud . The press of people thinned out as everybody moved outside to see H.R.H. depart from University House .
Idiom: call someone's bluff (used idiomatically: no)
At the end of the day if he insists , we shall have to go into fourth gear to prepare for it . ‘ We will to talk again with Bowe 's people — and we will demand that Bowe has no warm - up fight beforehand . This time we will be calling their bluff . ‘ But if it does n't happen there is no way Lewis will be deflated . After all , he 'll still be the WBC champion.’
Idiom: get stuck in (used idiomatically: yes)
Anyway 3–1 down and I 'm thinking , bastard , I come all this way and we f - ing lose . The Blackburn were doing this moslem prayer arm - worship thing going ‘ Shearer - Shearer’ . Leeds get stuck in though and in the last few minutes Newsome gets the goal to go 3–2 , do n't ask me what it was the whole match was so exciting I forgot everything ! Then McAllister gets the equaliser after a team performance of fanatical determination . Everyone was in there it was like the Stuttgart 4–1 game .
Idiom: come of age (used idiomatically: yes)
They 're so old - fashioned . I 'll marry whom I please.’ ‘ My darling Madeleine , you are n't yet twenty , so it 'll be a year before you come of age . We could n't be married without their consent.’ ‘ I do n't see why my parents should be against our marriage,’ Madeleine said cheerfully as she snuggled against him .
Idiom: off the hook (used idiomatically: yes)
Media gossip hypes marital byplay and raunchy male stereotype . Men who stray are somehow seen as more exciting and desirable than good old Mr Steady ( remember how Paddy Ashdown 's poll popularity grew after he 'd ‘ confessed’ ) . But some bruised wives may feel that Vaughan is almost too ready to let men off the hook ; many would like to see their partner shed a little retributory blood . Says Penny Mansfield , ‘ We should n't dismiss the need for making amends and atonement . It 's probably up to the person who had the affair to help with this painful passage to reconciliation .
Idiom: follow suit (used idiomatically: yes)
After the elections in April and early May 1990 [ see p. 37381]which returned non - communist governments to power in Croatia and Slovenia , constitutional questions were the central issue . The Slovenian Assembly in July 1990 published a formal declaration claiming full sovereignty [ see p. 37622 ] , and in December a popular referendum showed a majority of 95 per cent in favour of the republic 's withdrawal from the federation if , after six months , a satisfactory accommodation in relations between Serbia and Slovenia had not been reached . In September Croatia followed suit . At the heart of the dispute were two diametrically opposed views of a future Yugoslav state : the republics of Slovenia and Croatia wanted a loose association of sovereign states on a confederate model , while Serbia , backed by Montenegro , favoured a strong centralist system in which Serbia would dominate the political and economic agenda . Bosnia - Hercegovina and Macedonia favoured a third option ; a " community " of republics with a federal police force and army , a single currency and full monetary union , but with each member of the community also retaining its own army , and holding an equitable proportion of the federal offices and services .
Idiom: get on someone's nerves (used idiomatically: yes)
Our sessions increased . Sometimes I spent up to six hours a day with her , just getting her ' streetwise ' . It was starting to get on my mother 's nerves ; she thought I was spending far too much time with the bird and not enough with human beings ! I suppose I was in danger of becoming a sort of ' owloholic ' , but I was thoroughly enjoying myself . All I was doing at this time , if I was n't at school , was watching TV , listening to music , reading or walking , with Dawn as my constant companion .
Idiom: follow in someone's footsteps (used idiomatically: no)
Can you return to the police station and go to the front office where a female is very upset . ' For those who get this far only about about half are offered a job . For Jason , he must have done well on the video excercise , he 's just been told he can follow in his father 's footsteps and join West Mercia Police . ( Wes ad lib)(Anne ) Still to come on Central news . Return to Arnhem .
Idiom: throw in the towel (used idiomatically: yes)
But when the Thatcher boom went bust Sugar 's business declined with it — and so did Amstrad 's market rating . Today , Amstrad shares have dropped from their peak of £2.34 to just 28p — less than half what its assets are valued at . So now , like Virgin founder Richard Branson before him , Sugar has decided to throw in the towel and buy his firm back . And who can blame him ? YOUR LAST CHANCE TO JOIN OUR GREAT £25,000 BONANZA SLUMP BUSTER
Idiom: to the letter (used idiomatically: yes)
Whatever the cause , there can be no doubt that the effects of his conversion were far - reaching . Of the many reasons for adopting the concept of emancipation with land , none weighed more strongly with the tsar than the advice of a proven traditionalist and long - term friend . In mid - October 1858 Alexander lent his imprimatur to Rostovtsev 's letters by putting them to the Main Committee . Emancipation with land had found its way on to the agenda . GETTING PRINCIPLES ON TO THE STATUTE BOOK
Idiom: up and running (used idiomatically: yes)
It will cut out the need for paper orders and acknowledgements as well as the time spent inputting information.’ It means the supplier and customer have to align their systems . Something you can do only if you are working pretty closely with one another , but we are now working with a number of customers to get this up and running . We are also considering linking electronic mail systems so that people can quickly get operational messages to defined contracts.’ These ideas and some of the interactions he has mentioned do not , Anthony hastened to add , apply across all of C&P yet .
Idiom: out of sight (used idiomatically: yes)
It looks to me more as if he wanted them to push off and abandon him . For his own reasons . And that means a reason right there on the spot , otherwise , once out of sight , he 'd simply have made off for wherever it was he wanted to be . But he did n't . Where he wanted to be was right there , but unobserved .
Idiom: behind closed doors (used idiomatically: yes)
They are often to be seen engaged in passionate argument and vociferous debate . This is the very stuff of college life . It takes place all the time and should not be confused with organizational politicking ( which generally takes place behind closed doors ) or personal vituperation ( which generally takes place in committee rooms ) . With the academic thirst for knowledge goes the academic 's well - publicized thirst for alcoholic refreshment . This is hardly surprising amongst members of a profession who earn a good deal of their living by talking .
Idiom: put paid to (used idiomatically: yes)
The Fat Lamb At an outstanding elevation of 1000 feet , the Fat Lamb has had its fair share of battles with the elements , and its proprietors , Paul and Helen Bonsall , admit that the garden 's survival has been something of a minor miracle . Near hurricane force winds and free - roaming sheep put paid to early attempts at planting flowers and shrubs . Instead , rockeries and crazy paving abound and , after much tender loving care , a lawn has emerged triumphant . A strange assortment of livestock roam outside the garden 's fenced perimeter and amongst the Nubian goats , geese , and miniature Shetland ponies , a strange creature , a Langrake ( otherwise known as a Cumbrian Long - Necked Sheep ) , can be spotted .
Idiom: call someone's bluff (used idiomatically: yes)
At the very least , you will be an extreme nuisance , at the other end of the scale , you may pose a real threat to his or her safety . It may not be necessary to back up your words with actions — he or she may leave you alone after that . Or he or she may call your bluff and see what happens , in which case you must fight and keep on fighting . The bully may even try to scare you off with yet more verbal and physical threats . But you have nothing to lose — your life was being made a misery anyway .
Idiom: every trick in the book (used idiomatically: yes)
His arithmetic was supported by a BBC poll which calculated 36 Tory MPs would either abstain or vote against the Prime Minister . MPs on both sides of the Commons believe Mr Major will have to resign from Number 10 if he can not go to the Edinburgh Summit in December as EC President with an upbeat message to fellow heads of state . Westminster is now in for a furious bout of behind - the - scenes arm twisting as Government whips try every trick in the book to persuade the waverers back into the fold . Lady Thatcher is scheduled to make an explosive and finely timed entry into the debate tomorrow to stiffen the sinews of the Euro - sceptics . But Welsh Secretary David Hunt warned : ‘ The consequences are very serious indeed .
Idiom: by heart (used idiomatically: yes)
Imagine how it feels ( if you are the incumbent MP ) to know that , that very morning , thousands of people are devoting their whole attention to getting rid of you . Or how it feels ( if you are the challenger ) to learn that an even larger number of men and women have organised themselves into teams with the sole purpose of stopping you getting anywhere . Imagine the indignity of trying to learn by heart , over breakfast , a set of opinions , which you will later claim as your own , on such subjects as your party 's policy on the amateur status of Rugby Union , female circumcision and devolution of power to the regional arts boards … and all morning your party agent sending you urgent messages that your whole campaign 's falling apart . Imagine what it 's like ( if you are a Tory ) to be unable to drive down the street without every red or orange poster in every window appearing to leap out and stab you in the heart . A morning in which at least a third of the colour spectrum becomes a personal reproach , many flower - beds a matter for regret , every marigold a tiny disappointment and even nasturtiums cast aspersions .
Idiom: hot air (used idiomatically: no)
Afterwards he plunged into a cold water swimming bath ( the frigidarium ) and was then massaged and oiled . The baths provided warm rooms in winter , as in the large , moderately heated room ( the tepidarium ) , and cool , shady gardens in summer , where strollers could walk or sit and relax under the roofed peristyles which surrounded the open courts . The heating system was by hypocaust in which hot air from furnaces under the building was passed through hollow tiles and bricks in the walls and floor . The temperature could be regulated very exactly for the different needs of caldarium and tepidarium . ROMAN THEATRES
Idiom: pick holes (used idiomatically: yes)
The AE would pitch him , convinced that this was the real thing . The more ignorant the AE was , the easier he found it to be enthusiastic . Afterwards , the SAE would disclose his identity , then pick holes in the AE 's sales techniques . One SAE applauded an AE who had come out with this line about futures : " This stuff is granny bonds , it 's so simple . " The burn - out rate of DPR 's AEs was tremendous .
Idiom: in Dutch (used idiomatically: yes)
Reported to include a pair of airworthy Skyraiders , along with a collection of 26 restorable aircraft , plus a large aero engine collection , spares holdings , automobiles , tools and equipment , this must be one of the largest ‘ one man’ collections to come under the hammer in recent years . Mosquito collision ‘ UNBELIEVABLY LUCKY,’ was how British Aerospace test pilot Peter Henley described the collision between Mosquito T.3 RR299/G - ASKH and a Belgian glider in Dutch airspace on September 20 . Peter and the Mossie were en route from BAe Hawarden ( Chester ) to Antwerp , Belgium , transitting through Dutch airspace at 2,500 ft under VFR conditions . Visibility was about 7 km , it was rather hazy with some cloud , but it was possible to maintain VMC , although as Peter said , ‘ it was not a day with endless visibility.’
Idiom: once in a while (used idiomatically: yes)
sweaty hands soaking into it or anything erm er then it does help , if you 're looking for P less than point O five , and are n't we all these days , erm you know er it helps if erm it helps if the groups that you 're comparing between there 's about sort of at least twenty people in each sort of thing , erm and the same goes for things like , things that you might want to do squares on or something like that erm so I mean if you were interested in comparing people who attended very regularly with people who only attended once in a while erm you know it would help if there were about sort of more than forty people altogether so that there was sort of , you know Mm . you could median split them at whatever the medium was and then you 've got two groups to compare erm because it usually looks quite nice if you 've got something comparative as well as looking at the average sort of , you know , pattern of responses on the questionnaire .
Idiom: below the belt (used idiomatically: yes)
They had tried to involve one of Franco 's comrades in arms , General Yagüe , for he was known to have strong Falangist sympathies . Informed of the conspiracy , Franco 's reaction was , at first sight , surprising , but entirely in keeping with the behaviour of a man whose responses were always based on strategy , never on emotion . He summoned Yagüe to his presence and , in a well - calculated blow below Yagüe 's military belt , appealed to his esprit de corps as a soldier and a veteran of the Moroccan campaigns . Yagüe caved in , confessing his knowledge of the Falangist conspiracy . His acceptance of Franco 's " absolution " was given in the knowledge that if he engaged in further subversive activities , it could be at the risk of his career .
Idiom: make the cut (used idiomatically: yes)
Exchange controls were liberalized and the kwacha was devalued by 27 per cent , with a new base rate of US$ 1.00=K125 as at Feb. 1 . Kasonde said that as long as the economy was dependent upon copper sales , the country would continue to devalue the currency " to keep its books in order " . He made substantial tax cuts , reducing the top rate of individual tax from 50 to 30 per cent and corporate tax from 45 to 40 per cent . He also abolished duty - free shops , a move expected to earn the government K150,000,000 annually . Kasonde predicted that inflation , which ran at 118 per cent in 1991 , would be reduced and indicated that government subsidies on various commodities , which accounted for 25 per cent of state expenditure , would be further reduced and ultimately ended [ see also p. 38666 ] .