Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: hit the nail on the head (used idiomatically: yes)
Yes , my branch manager does it all the time , yes , it 's his regular way out . It 's escapism . Escapism , exactly , you 've hit the nail on the head there Dee , escapism . It 's a comfort blanket , that 's what it is , when you see your branch manager collecting cardboard , it 's usually because he 's feeling a bit stressed out . No , it 's just because he 's lazy .
Idiom: come to terms with (used idiomatically: yes)
Subject Area : UNKNOWN The aim of this research is to examine the strategies which prisoners and their families adopt in coming to terms with custody and its various social consequences . Although there is a growing literature on prisons , prison research arbitrarily stops at the prison gates . There has been no major study of prisoners ' families for nearly a quarter of a century , and what has been done tends to remain firmly outside the prison walls .
Idiom: chicken feed (used idiomatically: yes)
These organize the workers into teams , get the contracts , control the funds — and generally make a packet . Concern about this has recently come through the pages of Izviestia — the official government newspaper . Although clearly at odds with the ' socialist ' economy , all this is chicken - feed compared with a far more serious problem — nietroudovyie dokhody — or ' unearned income ' — as it is euphemistically called . This is basically the way in which state bureaucrats use — or abuse — state subsidies on essential items to line their own pockets . Subsidies in the USSR are colossal .
Idiom: on the trot (used idiomatically: yes)
the children . Yeah . And as I say , there was always one I remember that sticks passively in my mind when she came over in one December five weekends on the trot ! Yeah . Mm mm .
Idiom: stake a claim (used idiomatically: yes)
Midfielder Sanchez blasted the only goal of a scrappy match leaving Norwich boss Mike Walker pondering his best line - up for the UEFA Cup clash with Vitesse Arnhem on Wednesday . Walker dropped Mark Robins and brought in Efan Ekoku but Norwich looked woefully short of menace in attack . Ekoku failed to stake his claim for a place against the Dutch . The former Bournemouth player squandered three first - half chances and made little impact after the interval . Facing party spoilers Wimbledon before a European tie would hardly be the choice of any club and Norwich often appeared distracted as Wimbledon turned the screw .
Idiom: in the pipeline (used idiomatically: yes)
Another was made by the Legal Aid Efficiency Scrutiny , a team of civil servants which reported to the Lord Chancellor in 1986 . Some of its recommendations were accepted and found their way into the Legal Aid Act 1988 . Major changes were , however , left to the new Legal Aid Board , to which responsibility for the management of the legal aid and advice schemes was transferred from the Law Society , and are still in the pipeline . We will consider these in turn . The other source of change in the provision of legal services is the fundamental reform of the legal profession effected by the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990 ; that is dealt with in Chapter 3 .
Idiom: for the time being (used idiomatically: yes)
That concealment , however , is designed to preserve this beauty forever . Perhaps this scaffolding serves as an analogy for all postcommunist countries . If some of our best features are not quite visible for the time being , it is because our societies are covered by scaffolding as they undergo reconstruction , striving anew – this time in complete freedom – to rediscover and restore our true identities . Perhaps this analogy should also be applied even more generally , in the hope that , behind some of the unsightly features of today 's world , seeds of an endeavor to save , preserve and creatively develop the values offered to us by the history of nature and the human race can be found . An unprecedented feature of our global civilization is that it is basically atheistic , notwithstanding the billions of people who profess , whether actively or passively , to believe in a religion .
Idiom: pecking order (used idiomatically: yes)
The man had a tough upbringing and , she believes , had almost certainly been abused himself . Saying that she hated most of her childhood memories , Penny , now in her late 30s , referred to the five children in the house — including three girls . ‘ We all had a pecking order — there was n't just sexual abuse but physical and emotional too . ‘ His job was a working class one that anyone could have done , and when he could n't cope with any area of his life , he would take his frustrations out on us . ‘ Each of my sisters — one of them without realising it — were used as emotional weapons against me to get what he wanted in the way of sex .
Idiom: have a few (used idiomatically: no)
Southampton were poor . Both linesmen and the referee had poor games with bad off - sides decisions being given against both sides . Strachan had a few shots over the bar , with McAllister swaggering around , doing little . Both McAllister and Speed played some very poor cross field balls during the game . The back line made a few errors but there was n't anyone on the Southampton side able to take advantage .
Idiom: dead wood (used idiomatically: yes)
Mr ferguson has won an astonishing one league championship in only his seven years at Old Trafford . His shrewdness in the transfer market has meant that approximately 20 million pounds have been spent on incoming ‘ talent’ and many of those world class players such as Jim Leighton , Mike Phelan , Neil Webb and Danny Wallace have played a crucial part in this seasons triumph . Mr Ferguson was also quick to rid his squad of ‘ dead wood’ such as 1992 footballer of the year Gordan Strachan ( thanks Alex ) and 1993 footballer of the year Paul McGrath . Mr ferguson has also placed the emphasis on youth with his son Darren a shining example of the old adage that , even if you 're crap , you can still play for a professional football team if your dad is the manager . Also the multi - talented winger / disco dancer Lee Sharpe ( Sharp with an ‘ E’— quite appropriate really ) who has now overcome the mystery illness , lately diagnosed as viral meningitis , and presumably contracted at one of the many ‘ raves’ which young Lee ( with two ‘ E 's ) likes to attend .
Idiom: kill the goose that lays the golden egg (used idiomatically: yes)
Hatton could have done a nice little distracting job there . Fifty or a hundred quid a lorry depending on the load . ' ' In that case , why does McCloy kill the goose that lays the golden eggs ? ' ' Because Hatton gets scared or fed - up and threatens to rat on him . He may even have tried blackmail . '
Idiom: come to grips with (used idiomatically: yes)
European bankers surely knew better than to hand out so - called “ NINJA ” ( no income , no job , no assets ) loans . These days , however , Europeans have little reason to feel smug . Their leaders seem unable to come to grips with the eurozone ’s debt crisis . Banks in Ireland and Spain are discovering that their customers are losing their jobs and income as the construction bust hits the national economies . And one could argue that a loan to the government of Greece or Portugal affords little more security than a NINJA loan .
Idiom: open someone's eyes (used idiomatically: yes)
Are you going to lie there all day ? You have been asleep for the past two hours.’ I opened my eyes and looked up at Mick 's grinning face , leaning into the entrance to the trench . ‘ For Christ 's sake , Mick . What time is it?’
Idiom: up for grabs (used idiomatically: yes)
What Jane could never understand , looking back , was : if this was a successful example of British industry ( Queen 's Award for Export and all that ) , whatever could the unsuccessful ones be like ? Jane was in a state of high excitement . She knew she had been dismissed from Algox because she had not been up for grabs . She also knew that Bertie had been lying to her over ‘ discontinuing’ the post . She heard shortly after that they had appointed someone else .
Idiom: under the table (used idiomatically: yes)
I had the great advantage of being brought up by a really traditional , old - fashioned nanny , who saw us through numerous disasters , one of which was the very memorable moment during the blitz when we were taken to a very smart tea shop in Curzon Street , a place where nannies met each other and their charges were just kept in tow . My sister and I were sitting there , and the first doodle bug hit the building next door and the entire ceiling started to come down . The waiters ducked under tables and there was a lot of stuff flying everywhere . And this fascinated me because , I mean , the war was very exciting to a child . The next one was a direct hit , and the whole ceiling did come down .
Idiom: go to the wall (used idiomatically: yes)
And you 're Yes . quite right , the statistics he was actually talking about , and somebody actually pulled him up on th , up on this and said , okay you 're talking about the number of firms who went to the wall , but what about new firms being created ? And , of course , the trouble is , and once again I 'm back into a a bandwagon effort of mine , is the financial aspect , if you actually examine the Japanese philosophy , then their loan system is totally different ours when it comes to regenerating the manufacturing industry . I mean , their loan periods are somewhere about twenty five years whereby you probably realise in this country if a young er person wants to start a firm and he 's go to the bank they 're not gon na give him much scope at all !
Idiom: in the long run (used idiomatically: yes)
Other more coercive measures are almost bound to be used when participation breaks down — a general issue which will be returned to later . Turning to the relationship between direct land - users and conservation agents , lack of participation of the former has been attributed to governments not involving the people in the design and implementation of the project . Where government introduces measures that exclude people from resources long since used by them , the people come to view the project as a zero - sum game ( Thomson in Glantz , ed . 1977 ) , where their loss is exactly others ' gain , and conservation will not in the long run lead to an increase in their incomes . A lack of government efforts to involve local people is often contributory to the design of projects which cut across existing agricultural practices and tenurial arrangements . But also in another sense , conservation has frequently been seen as an imposition , so much so that many local people rioted , formed armed resistance and used the issue as a nucleus for organising wide - ranging political dissent in eastern Africa against the British colonial administration ( Young and Fosbrooke 1960 ; Cliffe 1964 ) .
Idiom: on the spur of the moment (used idiomatically: yes)
The position used to be quite clear and is well summed up in what Scott LJ had to say in the wartime case concerning the soap flakes : The duty of the police when they arrest without warrant is , no doubt , to be quick to see the possibility of crime , but equally they ought to be anxious to avoid mistaking the innocent for the guilty … They may have to act on the spur of the moment and have no time to reflect and be bound , therefore , to arrest to prevent escape ; but where there is no danger of the person who has ex hypothesi aroused their suspicion that he probably is an ‘ offender’ attempting to escape , they should make all presently practicable enquiries from persons present or immediately accessible who are likely to be able to answer their enquiries forthwith . The whole emphasis here is on arrest to prevent escape . Later in the same judgment , Scott LJ referred to the appropriateness of delaying arrest where ‘ there [ was]no probability … of the suspected person running away’ .
Idiom: rock bottom (used idiomatically: yes)
Whether TI eventually produces higher performance Tsunamis remains to be seen . Fujitsu has reportedly been working on a 75MHz part supposedly called Tsunami Plus for some time but still has no contract with Sun ( UX No 373 ) . The pressure is now on the likes of Hewlett - Packard Co and IBM Corp to get ultra - cheap versions of their RISCs ready so that they can rush out systems that will match the rock - bottom pricing that Tsunami will encourage . HP 'S NEW WORKSTATIONS TO LAP AT 150 SPECMARKS Hewlett - Packard has now opted for November 10th as the date for its next series of workstation and technology launches .
Idiom: keep a lid on (used idiomatically: yes)
Instead of legislating to control damaging and unnecessary strike action , the Labour Government actually increased the powers and privileges of Trade Unions ( in 1976 ) . Workplaces continued to get ever more choked up , not just by strikes , but by restrictions on who was allowed to do what , a refusal to adopt new technology , and so on . Instead of controlling Government spending , and keeping the lid on inflation , the Labour Government borrowed more and more — increasing spending by over 12 per cent in just one year ( 1974–5 ) , and presiding over an inflationary spiral the like of which has never been recorded before or since . And the result of all this ? Britain indeed became the ' sick man of Europe ' .
Idiom: out of pocket (used idiomatically: yes)
Ruth thought it more likely that his silver tongue had got around her . As well as the cake — light , fluffy stuff with frosty icing and no body to it , Ruth privately thought — there were freshly baked rolls , split and filled with ox - tongue . Then , when the blackcurrant cordial was poured , Herbert Fraser brought a flask out of his pocket and proceeded to add a generous measure to the glasses . Miss Beard at once cried out in horror . ' Oh , no , Mr Fraser !
Idiom: behind the scenes (used idiomatically: yes)
The emergence of brilliant teenagers like Nicky Barmby , Andy Turner , Stuart Nethercott and Andy Hill were introduced into first - team action and Venables predicted a bright future for the club . Eighth place in their inaugural Premier League season and an FA Cup semi - final place seemed acceptable return for the evolving Tottenham side . But behind the scenes , the Venables / Sugar scenario turned sour . And Sugar , a 46-year - old former barrow boy from Chigwell , made sure there was going to be only one winner when the Tottenham board approved a resolution to sack Venables . The pair were reported to have been at odds for some time with one major area of disagreement believed to concern a £ 2.2 m Venables attempt to land England defender Des Walker from Sampdoria .
Idiom: break the bank (used idiomatically: no)
Maybe I 'd be better off in jail . I was warned if I said anything there would broken windows : I would be assaulted and my children too . ' Middleton said his friend David had called for him at 10 pm on the night the bank was broken into and asked him to drive a car to Jedburgh . He had not been aware of anything ' iffy ' until they arrived in the Borders . When someone shouted an instruction to run , he had panicked .
Idiom: drop a hint (used idiomatically: yes)
She could n't help it if the spider came to her . But perhaps , after all it was a good thing that Miss Potts had come into the room and heard it all . Perhaps Gwendoline might even drop a hint to Miss Potts about Elissia and Daryl putting the spider in the desk . Miss Potts came out of the room at this moment , she eyed Gwendoline with dislike . Miss Potts the spider ran away down there , said Gwendoline pointing anxiously to anxious to get back into Miss Potts ' good books .
Idiom: in someone's pocket (used idiomatically: no)
Thérèse had the pocket torch she used for reading under the bedclothes . Léonie had a candle , candlestick , box of matches . She had a big bulge in her pocket , exactly like Victorine 's . They took their usual night - time route out of the house , via the backstairs and the dark kitchen . They glided out of the back door and leapt into a pit of shadow .
Idiom: make hay (used idiomatically: yes)
The list could easily be continued . Is the adoring political spouse – so much a part of the political landscape that she has her own iconography , from knit suits to the dreamy upward gaze at her man – receding into the past ? It is true that in America , at ~ least , hay can still be made from the role of political wife . President Barack ~ Obama may have experienced his first major dip in the polls – and his first real slide with women voters – when a partisan supporter , Hilary ~ Rosen , said that Republican presidential candidate Mitt ~ Romney 's wife , Ann ~ Romney , had never worked a day in her life . But the response to Rosen 's remark underscored the relative absence of the usual heightened scrutiny of the political wife 's hair and clothes , profession and cookie recipe .
Idiom: set eyes on (used idiomatically: yes)
There she stood , in a dove - grey suede dress , looped and hung with a dozen necklaces of amethyst and rock crystal and pearl , her thick black - grey hair piled heavily , pinned with silver , attending a party in the very house where as patient she once in many hour - long sessions had disclosed to Liz on the ground floor the very secrets of her murderous mother 's heart . How could she have come here , who could have brought her , and would Roy feel compelled to divulge his and Liz 's own smaller , milder secrets in return ? Should she intervene , should she break them up , or should she ignore her uninvited guest , pretend , professionally , never to have set eyes on her before ? As she considered this , Hilda intercepted her gaze , saluted her , and majestically , graciously , demonstratively , voluptuously blew a kiss across the room : Liz waved back , less flamboyantly but with equal composure , for what did it matter , after all , that Hilda Stark was there , was it not a tribute to them both , to the efficacy of the cure ? Hilda brought no shadows with her , she smiled innocently in her dove grey ; the scandalous rumours had been , as Liz had predicted , forgotten .
Idiom: old as the hills (used idiomatically: yes)
Thus at the very end of Volume Three Frodo sings again ‘ the old walking - song , but the words were not quite the same’ ; he says not ‘ we may … take the hidden paths that run , /Towards the Moon or to the Sun’ , but ‘ I shall’ . And he does , leaving Middle - earth the next day . The song he is refashioning is another of Bilbo 's , though it is ‘ to a tune that was as old as the hills’ . Even in its innocent context near the start of Volume One , when the hobbits are using it only to help themselves along , it has an odd ring . ‘ Upon the hearth the fire is red,’ they sing , ‘ But not yet weary are our feet’ .
Idiom: in a fog (used idiomatically: yes)
He had so heated himself with rapid walking in the fog and frost , this nephew of Scrooge 's , that he was all in a glow ; his face was ruddy and handsome ; his eyes sparkled , and his breath smoked again . "
Idiom: take the bull by the horns (used idiomatically: yes)
Loretta led the way into the drawing - room and settled herself in an armchair . If there was going to be trouble , she might as well make herself as comfortable as possible . As the young man perched on the edge of the sofa , she took the bull by the horns . ‘ I can guess why you 're here,’ she began , ‘ I just had n't expected you so early.’ ‘ I 'm sorry miss , but the station has been trying to get hold of you for several days,’ he interrupted .
Idiom: come to grips with (used idiomatically: yes)
Asia ’s Inflation Trap NEW ~ HAVEN – Asia has an inflation problem . The sooner it comes to grips with its problem , the better . Unfortunately , the appropriate sense of urgency is missing . Willingness to tackle inflation is impeded by Asia ’s heavy reliance on exports and external demand .
Idiom: your guess is as good as mine (used idiomatically: yes)
Travis sighed heavily . ‘ OK , let 's face some basic facts . We sent out a mayday , but your guess is as good as mine if anyone heard it . Our safest bet is to assume they did n't , but if they did the soonest they could launch a search is first thing tomorrow . Then what are they looking for ?
Idiom: in bed with (used idiomatically: yes)
Anna hung back even more , frightened by the threat , though she was n't sure what it meant . The infirmary was quiet like the chapel and had a strange smell . She shuddered when she looked in an open door and saw grey - faced children in beds with blue curtains round , propped up on pillows . The doctor was very tall and had hair nearly the same colour as Corrie 's . He wore a smart black tail coat and silk waistcoat , and a gold chain was draped from a buttonhole to the pocket where he kept his watch .
Idiom: six of the best (used idiomatically: no)
The man is also said to have repeatedly told her ' love you , love you . ' But the paper admitted experts could not positively identify the voices . Superkid gets six of best ! BRILLIANT Matthew Woodcraft , 18 , was hailed as Britain 's new superbrain yesterday . He matched the record of six A - level passes at grade A — AND got top marks in the Cambridge entrance exams .
Idiom: go round in circles (used idiomatically: no)
and methylated spirits . It 's diluted with methylated spirits . And it 's raw linseed oil , you dip your you have it in a dish and you dip this pad into the into this dish and you put a little drop of raw linseed oil on that , and you work it in and you go round and round in circles and you you know , I mean , and that 's left . You maybe turn this table upside down and then you work on the legs . Mhm .
Idiom: hum and haw (used idiomatically: yes)
At last he said smoothly , ' After you had made your impressive exit , Mr Greenwood was completely taken aback . The herdsman beat a tactful retreat to the end of the cowshed and then I took the opportunity to say what I thought . When I 'd finished he hummed and hawed a bit , but finally admitted he was at fault and promised to apologise to you as well . Then he asked me to do his regular work , but I did n't commit myself . I thought I would discuss it with you first . '
Idiom: below par (used idiomatically: no)
That may be Morrissey ridiculing the entire music business , cheapening it even , but , in doing so , he was merely ridiculing himself . For all their ethics , The Smiths were as guilty as any band in the history of popular music when talking about marketing ploys and promotional tactics . The most alarming thing about ‘ Strangeways , Here We Come’ , apart from the three or four below par tracks , was the cold , cynical undertone that darkens the album 's entire lyric . No more the naivety of the ‘ Hatful Of Hollow’ collection or the word play whimsy of ‘ The Queen Is Dead’ . Beneath the crust of ‘ Strangeways’ lies an utterly defensive Morrissey .
Idiom: walk of life (used idiomatically: yes)
But they still received some protection from folk like the English kings who found profit in them , and especially from William Rufus , who seems quite sincerely to have disliked the Church 's intolerance ; and the Church itself strongly condemned violent persecution . By necessity and by choice the Jews were a race apart , the only group entirely segregated from the rest of the community . From almost every other walk of life a way could be found to the city patriciate ; and even the Jew could come there if he would submit to conversion . A Roman Jew of the mid eleventh century was inspired to baptism by Pope Leo IX , and took the Christian name of Leo . His son , Peter , was a leading supporter of Gregory VII ; and the ‘ Pierleoni’ became a substantial Roman family .