Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: make a move (used idiomatically: no)
Do n't you agree ? ' Determinedly ignoring his question , Luce picked up the crutch . Before she could make any further move he was by her side . ' I do n't need any help , ' she said hastily . ' Really , I can manage quite well . '
Idiom: to the letter (used idiomatically: no)
Noting and regretting his discomfiture , the public subsequently turned on the questioner . ‘ By his assurance , condescension , ease of posture and conversational initiative,’ said a Times editorial , ‘ Mr Kennedy might just as well have been a bishop testing a candidate for ordination.’ Those looking for a sign of grace or spiritual solace from the Cardinal had to make do with what The Times called ‘ exemplary patience and meekness’ and writers to the letters column taxed me with shallowness and poor taste . But I had my supporters . Claiming that millions of people had had their lives damaged by the teachings of Roman Catholicism , one correspondent wrote , ‘ There should be no restraint in asking the most searching questions of a man … who aspires to bring people and their children into the Catholic fold.’
Idiom: on the face of it (used idiomatically: yes)
Thus forests far from Bangkok are being converted into charcoal , as are those of northwest Kenya for the Nairobi market . The reduction of fuel availability leads to the use of dung , some 400 million tons of which are burnt in Africa and Asia alone each year . On the face of it , this seems good , but it must be remembered that each tonne used for fuel instead of as a fertilizer means a yield loss of some of 50 kg in grain production , for example . 9.2 The prospects An attempt at modelling the future role of tropical forests in the world economy had the export of tropical hardwoods doubling between 1986 and 2000 with the opening up of industries in other countries .
Idiom: play ball (used idiomatically: yes)
Yes , they do , in the opinion of John Lyall , the manager of Ipswich and an expert better placed to judge than most . For this is not only the man in charge of the Second Division leaders but the former manager of West Ham , the last Second Division club to win the FA Cup . ' Jim Smith has done a tremendous job at Porstmouth , ' says Lyall , ' They play quick - pass football and any team who play the ball early can always create space . Anyone who knocks Nottingham Forest out of a cup competition has to be respected , too . ' They play three at the back , but the ability of players like Awford enables them to use it as a springboard for attack as well as a defensive system .
Idiom: have been around (used idiomatically: yes)
She deals with the many administrative jobs , thus giving the band time to work on their music , especially when they are not touring . Roadie John Parkes doubts whether groupies actually exist in the world inhabited by bands like The Wedding Present . ‘ I have been around certain bands and been in bands and I 've never actually seen a groupie . I suppose one or two people have got off with each other on tour but that 's about it,’ he said . Mick Houghton believes the band 's attitude to touring reflects their lifestyles .
Idiom: walk of life (used idiomatically: yes)
It is not surprising that McNamara received a cool reception from Peter Thorneycroft , who had succeeded Harold Watkinson as Minister of Defence in Macmillan 's new cabinet , when he arrived in London on 11 December to explain the reasoning behind the decision to cancel Skybolt . When the news of the Skybolt cancellation became public , a wave of anti - Americanism swept Westminster and Whitehall . With anti - Europeanism also rampant over French attitudes to Britain 's EEC application , Little Englanderism — or British isolationism — became fashionable in all walks of life . Dean Acheson , US Secretary of State , did not help matters by including , in a wide - ranging speech on US foreign policy at West Point , the cutting words : Great Britain has lost an empire and has not yet found a role .
Idiom: fall short (used idiomatically: yes)
Now it is time to focus in detail upon your description . Take two felt - tip pens , of different colours , and underline in one colour all the words that catch the meaning you intended , that evoke strongly the feelings you have about the room . With the other pen , underline the parts you are not satisfied with , the phrases that fall short of expressing your meaning . Remember that you are your own best critic and only you can finally decide what it is you wanted to say . Make a list on a separate sheet of paper of the flabby , vague , unfocused parts , so you can look at them out of context .
Idiom: head over heels (used idiomatically: yes)
Very soon he will be known as one of the greatest seducers of our times and in a town — Los Angeles — not known for the lack of competition . Very soon he will be outfacing the all - powerful Darryl Zanuck and spurning a millionaire 's bribe while privately scheming to join that six - zero club . Very soon he will be up for Oscars and head over heels in the switchback strip of movies . On the London stage , the great roles will be plucked like plums , in the Welsh valleys his fame will swell like the fortissimo of a chapel organ and his acts of generosity , recklessness , coarseness and excellent manners tossed on to the fiery legend like dry logs . It is quite remarkable that from so early an age with so short a track record he should have inspired such an industry of interest .
Idiom: put paid to (used idiomatically: yes)
JIM Buick 's eighth successive London Marathon turned out to be his most difficult . Before the race he was hoping to beat his personal best time of 2 hours 44 minutes 49 seconds which he set last year . But the windy conditions put paid to that , and he had to be content with finishing the 26 miles 385 yards ( 42.195 kilometres ) course in 2 hours 46 minutes 51 seconds . The winner 's time was just under 2 hours 11 minutes . Jim , a Group Leader in Capital Operations Section , Registrars Department , Edinburgh finished in 611th place ; last year he was 672nd .
Idiom: catch fire (used idiomatically: yes)
Jaqueline Goodson , 18 , of Lime Road , Teesville , will appear before Teesside Magistrates Court today charged with wounding Barry Smith , of the same address . Hot water : A shower unit caught fire while a woman was using it at her home in Weston Crescent , Norton . Tight spot : Firemen had to twice use power jacks to prise apart the bars of a roundabout on a council recreation ground on the Roseworth estate at Stockton , to free two children who became trapped .
Idiom: wear the trousers (used idiomatically: yes)
Obviously brothers , although startlingly dissimilar - two different garments cut , at one time , from the same cloth . The younger was nineteen or so , just a few inches taller than Melanie , with longish , bright red hair hanging over the collar of a dark blue , rather military looking jacket with shoulder flaps and brass buttons . He wore washed - out , balding corduroy trousers wrinkled with their own tightness . His clothes had the look of strays from a parish poor - box . His face was that of Simple Ivan in a folk - tale , high cheek - bones , slanting eyes .
Idiom: ring a bell (used idiomatically: yes)
The roof of the porch was shallow . It offered Alan Millet little protection from the rain that drove across the street and battered against his body . He had rung the bell twice , listened to its chime and heard a distant door open and the call of voices . He was pressed against the wood face , his hips hard onto the letter box , and he cursed the slow reaction . Below his raincoat his trousers showed the damp , and his shoes were lustreless from their soaking .
Idiom: in light of (used idiomatically: no)
Thus marriage regulates sexual drives , economic institutions provide sustenance , and law and politics establish a regularized basis for necessary social cooperation and interaction . This Hobbesian approach finds difficulty in offering a plausible explanation for the existence of religion and art . These less direct consequences of man 's animality could , Malinowski argued , be understood in the light of their integrative contribution to man 's social existence . Thus magic was a crutch to which men turned when their technical expertise failed them , myth provided a justification or ' charter ' for existing social and political activities , and ritual offered comfort in time of distress and despair . All this was consistent with Malinowski 's over - riding view of culture as man 's distinctive form of biological adaptation .
Idiom: the whole shooting match (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ What do we do when we reach Freiburg?’ she enquired . ‘ Before we get to Freiburg,’ he corrected her . ‘ I take over the wheel and we lose them , the whole shooting match.’ ‘ Do n't see how … ’ ‘ You will .
Idiom: out of pocket (used idiomatically: yes)
He seemed not to perceive me , and shortly seated himself upon a stone bench , took a book out of his pocket , read very loud from it , as if he were preaching , looked up to heaven at intervals , and leaned his head sadly upon his right hand .
Idiom: err on the side of (used idiomatically: yes)
If a builder is entrusted with the work , it must be ensured through a full briefing and careful supervision that only conscientious , knowledgeable and skilled tradesmen are employed who are able to give rational advice on the proper nature and extent of the remedial treatment if the initial assessment of the degree of damage proves to be inaccurate . The advantage of employing a specialist firm is that its tradesmen are more likely to be well trained and experienced in this field of building preservation , with a thorough and successful job being a more certain result . However , it should be clear that any firm which issues a guarantee must inevitably err on the side of over - zealousness , which will add to expense . The first step in eradicating dry rot is to find the heart of the outbreak and to trace its extent with great care and thoroughness . Each branch of the fungus must be traced from its source to the growing tip , and finishes should be opened up to reveal timber 1/2 m ( 1–1/2 ft ) beyond the affected material .
Idiom: short and sweet (used idiomatically: yes)
Fine . I 'll collect you . ' ' Short and sweet , ' Louise said . ' He 's so full of himself , ' Constance complained . ' He thinks he can get away with anything . '
Idiom: hope against hope (used idiomatically: yes)
But he impatiently dismissed this line of thought . Little enough was left him now , but at least his dignity remained , though no one but himself could see it . If he were to start clutching at straws , hoping against hope for a way out , then even that would be lost . Back in his office he reached for the phone and dialled his home number . As usual , Maria Grazia answered and then yelled to his mother to pick up the extension phone by her chair , in the deep underwater gloom of the living room .
Idiom: up to speed (used idiomatically: no)
Similarly any prerecorded voices , sound effects and incidental music needed to be prepared and in the hands of the Grams Operator , in order of cueing , before zero hour on the big day . Finally , all is prepared and as the second hand ticks over into 8.30 pm the command ‘ Run Tape’ is given . At this signal the master tape is run up to speed , an okay then being passed back to the Director by the Technical Manager . Telecine now gets the direction to run the first piece of 16 mm film — the familiar opening graphics sequence together with the sound - on - film theme music . Mixing after 20 seconds the next sequence is also a piece of film on a second playback machine , recorded from Waris Hussein 's last episode : a recapitulation of the previous episode 's cliff - hanger as the TARDIS 's radiation counter edges into the Danger Zone .
Idiom: in black and white (used idiomatically: yes)
Let 's get this proposal down in black and white before we submit it to the boss .
Idiom: pull a face (used idiomatically: no)
‘ Hallo , Pat,’ he said . ‘ Been working late?’ Patricia pulled a face behind her mother 's back . ‘ No she has n't , the more 's the pity,’ rapped out Mrs Mallory . ‘ She 's been roaming the streets , worrying the life out of her father and mother.’
Idiom: on the fly (used idiomatically: yes)
BeckerTools is a set of utilities that give you better or extra disk and file utilities under Windows . The utilities allow your to do a hard disk backup , de - fragment you hard disk , undelete a deleted file , format and copy diskettes , view the contents of files , and so on . The package also comes with a data compression utility that works ‘ on the fly’ so that it expands your files while they are being used , before re - shrinking them once you have finished using them . Note that we did not test this particular part of the utilities . Another utility , Shell , is an improved version of the File Manager , with more use of icons , and the ability to design composite filters for selecting the files that you view , such as after a certain date , as well as starting with B or with an extension of .
Idiom: for the time being (used idiomatically: yes)
In August the KKE had expressed support for the attempted coup against Soviet President Gorbachev , and Papariga now declared that the process of perestroika " which has been presented as the political restructuring of socialism , is in fact a most savage … restoration of capitalism " . She criticized Greece 's proposed membership of the West European Union ( WEU ) and said that the European Community was creating a " two - speed Europe " which would " further marginalize " Greece . She rejected the possibility , for the time being , of any alliance with either the Left Alliance or the Panhellenic Socialist Movement ( Pasok ) . The congress was attended by 716 Greek delegates and 25 foreign delegations . Recent opinion polls were reported to have given the party under 2 per cent of electoral support .
Idiom: on the cards (used idiomatically: no)
‘ They have now let his room go to someone else.’ Yesterday , magistrates issued a warrant for his arrest . Outside the court , Mr McKenzie said : ‘ I do n't know how he got his hands on the cards.’ Face to face with my dead husband 's lover Jackie Annesley
Idiom: across the board (used idiomatically: yes)
INROADS , the contracting section of the Highways Department , is encouraging its staff to take care with a Safe Driving Challenge . Sam Keast , assistant commercial manager , said : ‘ We are testing our drivers in a serious way , but it 's also fun . The serious part is to promote safe driving across the board . This has obvious benefits for the public and is also good for us . Better driving will mean less wear and tear on vehicles and a reduction in accidental damage which will bring down our costs.’
Idiom: over your head (used idiomatically: no)
A strong intellectual or emotional appeal may reinforce self - image ; the appeal bolsters up my idea of myself as a rational / analytical/ thinking person or as a warm / empathetic / sensitive one . Too one - sided a pitch , appealing exclusively to intellect or emotions , is unlikely to be effective . Without scruple politicians use fear as a persuasion weapon , targeting psychological needs : ‘ If you do n't vote for us you will lose freedom of choice / risk maltreatment under the NHS / deprive your children of good education / lessen the chance of losing the roof over your head.’ In particular , fear is used to threaten security . Insurance salespeople can use similar tactics .
Idiom: behind someone's back (used idiomatically: yes)
I closed my eyes weakly . Even without flights , the aim had been deadly enough . Gingerly , sweating , I curled my left hand behind my back and felt for the third arrow , and found it sticking out of my jersey though fairly loose in my hand . With trepidation I took a stronger hold of it and it came away altogether but with a sharp dagger of soreness , like digging out a splinter . The black tip of that arrow was scarlet with blood , but I reckoned it had n't gone in further than a rib or my spine .
Idiom: cut and thrust (used idiomatically: yes)
Similarly , if a director is thinking of selling the company in the near future , but continuing in the same employment thereafter , it might be better not to to restrict salary . A realistic salary established prior to the sale may establish a proper benchmark for the director 's remuneration package from the new owners . One could argue that this point could be covered in the sale and purchase negotiations , but it is a bit dangerous to rely on this happening during the frantic cut and thrust of a takeover deal . I have been talking only about directors who own their own company but the concept of restricting earnings can often be profitably applied to other employees . The term used to describe this is ‘ salary sacrifice’ , which is unfortunate since it wrongly implies a loss rather than a gain to the individual .
Idiom: wear the trousers (used idiomatically: yes)
Then school started and I could n't wear pyamas to school so I wore my trousers and tops … when they saw them they ( the other wives ) said ' Oh ! that wo n't do ! You 'll have to wear long tops . If you are wearing trousers you 'll have to wear a long top so it does n't show anything . ' But I had n't brought anything like that with me , all my things were jumpers , so I thought — let them get used to it . After a few days the eldest brother told me to come .
Idiom: see red (used idiomatically: yes)
Also Celts . And when they arrived some of the Celtic tribes were standing on the shore and they were very very fierce , bright red hair some of them had and beards . I think a lot of these Roman people had never seen red hair before , people who looked quite so fierce . And even though they were supposed to be the biggest and gravest army in the world they were frightened to get off the So what , who was the first person who stepped on land ? See if you can remember because we did we did talk to you a very short time about this on Monday .
Idiom: new blood (used idiomatically: yes)
Mr Segni 's acolytes have collected more than 600,000 signatures in favour of his three referendums . So long as these are approved by Italy 's constitutional court , they must be put to the vote by mid - June . Both Mr Segni , who is 50 , and Mr Orlando , who is 43 , reproach their party for its inability to bring in new blood and fresh ideas . The party 's ageing faction leaders , says Mr Segni , have turned into pure power brokers . Mr Orlando , who last month took a deep breath and announced his intention of leaving the Christian Democrats to lead his own party , is the more bitter of the two .
Idiom: come unstuck (used idiomatically: yes)
However , whatever arrangements have been made in advance , people often find their homes bereft of hooks , light bulbs and toilet rolls . Therefore , it 's a good idea to put together a box of essentials such as light bulbs , candles , matches , scissors , toilet rolls , cash and a note of important telephone numbers . Take this with you in the car on the day and you should n't come unstuck . It 's well worth preparing a meal and a few snacks for the day of the move . Try something easy to transport in a container , such as meatloaf with french bread and butter or egg and bacon flan with a tub of potato salad .
Idiom: give and take (used idiomatically: no)
However , I was disappointed at the reply she gave to my questions at a public open meeting held on April 7th , when I suggested that following many and varied discussions in different regions of the country , there was extreme concern in the non-action by the government in the matter of the vast difference in the value of imports from different countries , in particular Japan , as against the value of the imports they take from this country . In so far as Japan was concerned , it was apparent that all profits made from their ‘ British ’ made products went back to Japan to boost their economy and to further their influence into the European markets . The reply given by Mrs. Bottomley centred around trade barriers not being acceptable and the answer appeared to me to contradict the action taken by America where President Bush has stated that Japanese imports are to be restricted . To continue the excess of import value over export value is bad housekeeping , no different to the wife who continually spends more than her husband earns , with the obvious results , which on a national scale will increase unemployment not reduce it . I would suggest that the major item which the government has to give priority to is unemployment , especially if they wish to continue in office after three years , which I forecast could be the timing of the next general election if all goes well .
Idiom: take someone's word for it (used idiomatically: yes)
Some companies , such as Amway , manufacturers of the world 's first biodegradable household cleaning product , LOC ( Liquid Organic Cleaner ) , have been committed for many years to environmentally sound principles in the formulation , manufacture , packaging and distribution of their products . For instance , many of Amway 's products , such as fabric softener , bleach and window cleaner , are highly concentrated so that less packaging is required . But do n't just take their word for it . Take this opportunity to try Amyway 's products and see how they really do stand up to the products you have used for years . All you have to do to win one of our 15 packs of Amway household cleaning products , is enter our competition and help clean up the environment as well as the house !
Idiom: keep your eyes peeled (used idiomatically: yes)
All I want to do is finish the London under 4:20 , perhaps with some help from your magazine . Ed We are considering our Vets coverage . So keep your eyes peeled ! Age old row Further to the letter from T. Jenkins in the February issue , I would like to point out that the AAA has had minimum ages for road races for at least 30 years .
Idiom: bottom drawer (used idiomatically: yes)
And hanging from a hook in its holster , her father 's army revolver . She stood hesitating . Where did her father keep the ammunition for it … in one of the bottom drawers ; she found the clip with the cartridges . She put them in her pocket , unlocked the cabinet and took the revolver down . It did n't fit into her pocket .
Idiom: come a cropper (used idiomatically: yes)
It was not the first time , but it was the worst . She had not wanted to impose her ideas on her family , nor run their lives for them . Always , always , she came a cropper over people . Of all her mistakes , this was the most gargantuan . They were not selfish , and were genuinely sorry for her disappointment .
Idiom: wear the trousers (used idiomatically: no)
Martha , guarding his jeans while he changed , admired him more for deciding against them than if he had bought them . " Wo n't they do ? " she asked . " Such trousers are not worn on the Continent . " I thought perhaps you had n't enough money . Heinrich in fact had plenty of money , and his own chequebook , but his delicacy , responding to Martha 's pride , prevented him from saying so .
Idiom: look the other way (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ No , sir . It could n't have been me . She was looking the other way and did n't see me.’ Chapter Five When she did see him it was without his knowing it .
Idiom: have an eye for (used idiomatically: yes)
What a ridiculous thing to think about a man she detested . But then , perhaps it was n't . She had an eye for the clean lines of a good design , did n't she ? Admitting that he was easy on the eyes was simple artistic honesty . It certainly did n't change the fact that she disliked him intensely .
Idiom: serve someone right (used idiomatically: yes)
I did n't talk to anyone there . They did n't talk to me . They made me feel like a dirty slag and serve me right for getting pregnant . I suppose I was paranoid . Plus I felt guilty at getting pregnant .