Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: slippery slope (used idiomatically: yes)
My right hon . Friend the Member for Old Bexley and Sidcup ( Mr. Heath ) echoed Harold Macmillan 's theme when he spoke to the House on 28 October 1971:’ I can not over - emphasise the importance the scale and quality of the decision whether we are going to decide that Western Europe should now move along the path to real unity our decision tonight will vitally affect the sort of world in which we British people and many generations to come will live their lives’ . It was more than an event ; it was the start of a process . It is a fallacy to regard that process as some kind of negative slippery slope along which each reluctant step should be seen as more sinful than the last . That negative , apprehensive , fearful , even sometimes hostile tone with which some Euro - sceptics approach and discuss the question is wholly contrary to the best interests of Britain . Those who most confidently claim to speak for British interests sometimes seem to have the least confidence that those interests are likely to prevail .
Idiom: to boot (used idiomatically: yes)
Help is at hand . Western PTTs are setting up in Eastern Europe , often initially to support their multinational clients ' operations there . So western business people contemplating putting a foot in Eastern waters can often tap a ready source of advice in their local communications companies — one that speaks their own language , to boot . ‘ Our directive is to support multinational companies moving into Eastern Europe,’ says Andrew Gibson , BT 's director for Eastern Europe , whose group welcomes enquiries from accountancy firms thinking of setting up there , or whose clients intend to do so . It 's very hard to generalise about this part of the world , says Mr Gibson .
Idiom: think outside the box (used idiomatically: yes)
On the one hand , there is growing concern that the United ~ States and many European countries are failing to prepare enough university graduates in the fields driving the twenty - first century “ knowledge economy , ” such as engineering and information technology . This fear has led to the narrowing of the concept of education to mean the acquisition of practical skills . On the other hand , the worry in some parts of Asia is that young people entering the work force with strong technical training lack sufficient experience “ thinking outside the box . ” This fear is manifesting itself in an incipient effort to expand education to include the cultivation of feeling and imagination . Both movements are rooted in economic concerns .
Idiom: keep the peace (used idiomatically: yes)
What he did n't know was that Myeloski wanted to share his knowledge with the Englishman . If what he believed was really happening , then he would need Duncan 's support . Myeloski was beginning to realize that he could be taking on forces that encompassed the very people who ran the Soviet Union , the powermasters who employed him to keep the peace as a police officer . It was n't just a kidnapping . It was about the future of the Soviet Union .
Idiom: behind someone's back (used idiomatically: yes)
Ethel knelt on one knee while Sid stuck his banderillas in her . Next he jumped in the air with his feet together and his knees bent , then he knelt on one knee while she leapt into the air . Now he pretended to be waving his cape at the bull and executed a neat veronica , then she kicked her leg up backwards and touched her heel with her fingers while he looked scornfully on with one hand behind his back palm facing outwards . Finally she knelt again with her head down and he stood on his toes with arms stretched out and up like a condor going for the kill . By this time nobody was paying any attention , just stamping round any old how .
Idiom: in the dock (used idiomatically: no)
A MAN has gone on trial for the murder of a security guard clubbed to death while patrolling a Craigavon housing estate . William Winning ( 21 ) was attacked as he walked through the Edenbeg estate in the early hours of February 25 last year . In the dock at Craigavon Crown Court was Brendan Campbell ( 22 ) , from Edenbeg , who denies the murder . Opening the case yesterday , a Crown lawyer told the jury that Mr Winning was employed by the Housing Executive to protect property from vandals . ' Around 3 am , he was walking along the back of some houses .
Idiom: stick out like a sore thumb (used idiomatically: yes)
A lot has to do with one 's travelling companion . Christopher was quite at home . He did not stick out like a sore thumb — the drawback of most Englishmen , and he spoke French fluently . Their destination was an unfashionable part of France called Tarn et Garonne — gently rolling green hills and farmland . Christopher made for his favourite restaurant in his favourite town — Agen .
Idiom: in the driving seat (used idiomatically: yes)
2 . ‘ did drive ( or attempt to drive or was in charge of)’ ' Attempting to drive ' means that there must be an act substantially close to actually driving . Acts such as trying to start the engine , or a person who is sitting in the driving seat trying to put the vehicle in gear or ‘ revving up’ the engine ( even though the clutch had burnt out)(R v Farrance [ 1978]Crim LR 496 ) are examples of ‘ attempting to drive’ , provided there is an immediate intention of driving . ‘ In charge of’ means that once a person takes a vehicle on a road or public place he normally remains in charge of that vehicle until he has taken it off the road or public place again . He will cease to be in charge where some intervening act occurs to remove the responsibility for being in charge from him .
Idiom: have been around (used idiomatically: yes)
Dinosaurs and the great reptiles did not appear until one year ago , when the planet was 45 . Mammals arrived only 8 months ago ; in the middle of last week man - like apes evolved into ape - like men , and at the weekend the last ice age enveloped the Earth . Modern man has been around for 4 hours . During the last hour . Man discovered agriculture .
Idiom: cap in hand (used idiomatically: yes)
Yet NATO - Russia cooperation is of the outmost importance to global security . We need NATO and NATO needs us in order to face common threats and challenges . On the other hand , Russia will not go cap in hand to NATO .
Idiom: in the pipeline (used idiomatically: yes)
BBC chiefs must cut costs by £ 20 million over the next six months after the discovery of an accounting mix - up . Plans for new TV shows could be shelved to stop the Beeb overspending its £ 700 million budget . But a spokesman said there should be no need for further job cuts on top of 1,250 redundancies already in the pipeline . For peat 's sake A PEAT bog at Tregaron , Mid Wales , famous for butterflies , has been named a wetland of international importance to protect it .
Idiom: keep the peace (used idiomatically: yes)
But he went on to add , significantly , that he feared ‘ In this matter the French government were following not leading the nation.’ Even Prince Anthony of Hohenzollern , the father of Leopold , wrote to the King of Prussia : Of Napoleon 's PERSONAL ( in capitals in original ) desire to keep the peace I have striking proof . Namely he has expressed his wish to King Leopold of the Belgians and requested him to press us for a withdrawal . The problem was , however , as the Emperor saw only too clearly , that this was a contrived situation , as he bluntly told the Spanish Ambassador :
Idiom: rub someone the wrong way (used idiomatically: yes)
' Just what ? ' Luke came closer , staring down into her widened eyes with a faint smile softening his face . ' Just that I seem to rub you up the wrong way ? Was that what you were going to say ? ' She shook her head .
Idiom: on board (used idiomatically: yes)
I am launching my new sport soon in a blaze of publicity . It 's called mountain skateboarding . The sports man or woman simply walks to the top of a hill , carrying a special mountain skateboard , and when at the top climbs on the board for a thrill - of - a - lifetime journey down the hill . Already I have been approached by a leading soft drinks manufacturer to host the world mountain skateboarding championships down a terrifying course on Sgurr Alasdair . The skateboards are specially designed for the tough mountain conditions of Scotland , which is why they will retail at £ 600 each .
Idiom: the world and his wife (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Wo n't they mind if you bring a stranger to a family party?’ ‘ Not in the least . Nick and Clem will have invited half the world and his wife , anyway . Besides,’ added Penry with cunning strategy , ‘ if you turn me down we sha n't see each other for quite a while . I 'm tied up at the hospital the weekend after.’
Idiom: get a move on (used idiomatically: yes)
When I 've done that , I shall begin to think.’ ‘ Oh!’ ‘ And get a move on . We ca n't keep the Americans here all day . We 're going to have to let 'em get on their way .
Idiom: change hands (used idiomatically: yes)
In the past New Zealand have insisted that the Cup would be at stake only over a Test series , or in a one - off Test . When the All Blacks managed to square the rubber at one - all when they won at Eden Park last year — after losing at Sydney — the All Blacks retained the Cup . Now the NZRFU has agreed with the Australian request that the Cup will be at stake whenever the two countries play a test , so the Cup could change hands three times during the coming All Black tour of Australia . There could be an Otago triumvirate in charge of the All Black team this year . Laurie Mains , the former Otago and All Black fullback who nursed Otago to win the national first division championship last winter , has already been named as coach of the All Blacks in place of the unavailable Alex Wyllis .
Idiom: hit and miss (used idiomatically: yes)
The council is currently funding research here at the John Radcliffe hospital into whether arthritis is inherited . Scientists are trying to find out just how the disease works . He says the basic idea is if you understand what 's going wrong then you can design any therapy sensibly not on the hit and miss basis it 's been done in the past . She says a wonderful friendship has now disappeared . Between mother and daughter , the child that I reared .
Idiom: in bed with (used idiomatically: no)
At the risk of stating the obvious , we could describe the situation presented in the Renaissance love - sonnet as one in which the poet adores , often from afar , a woman who either surpasses the worth of the poet to such a degree that union with her is inconceivable , or else rejects his advances with scorn and cruelty . This tradition had been reanimated by Sir Philip Sidney in his Astrophil and Stella , but even he , pioneer and inventor though he was , was content to reproduce the standard man - woman relationship while devoting his energies to creating an idiomatic English - speaking voice for Astrophil , and to filling out the persona of the frustrated lover , with all his follies and self - deceptions , hope and disappointment . One way out of this dead - end situation , denying as it did the possibility of a human relationship , was taken by Donne in his love - poems , where the woman is no longer on a pedestal but is discovered in bed with the poet . She is no longer desired , yearned after : she has been ‘ had’ , ‘ got’ , ‘ cast off’ , and in turn can have , get , and cast off the man . The situation in the traditional poem , as exemplified by Sidney , is an I —She one , where the pronouns reveal the gap between the lover and his mistress ; in Donne , as I have shown elsewhere , l it is an I - Thou , and above all a We / Us / Our relationship , where the lovers exist , after the consummation , as a unit , a model to others , from which point Donne 's wit takes off in a brilliant sequence of rhetorical strategies .
Idiom: off the hook (used idiomatically: yes)
Then he changed tack and asked us if we had any problems with his friends . I told him that we had but that we 'd talked about it with them and now things seemed all right . He wanted to make sure he knew who 'd been the problem and would n't let me off the hook . Eventually I told him it had been Mazzin , who was duly summoned . After I 'd explained the problems , Mazzin tried to wriggle out of it by going on about blindfolds .
Idiom: hold court (used idiomatically: yes)
After their arrest , Mohammadreza Nezameddin Mohaved and the others were detained in Evin Prison , Tehran , where they were reportedly put under pressure to sign statements condemning their actions . Those who did so were released ; the remaining nine were tried and received sentences of up to three years . Mohammadreza Nezameddin Mohaved 's trial before an Islamic Revolutionary Court was held in June 1991 , almost a year after this arrest . He was not allowed legal representation and the proceedings , held in camera , reportedly lasted only a few minutes . Mohammadreza Nezameddin Mohaved 's health is believed to be deteriorating .
Idiom: to the letter (used idiomatically: yes)
As a result of the survey , the Revenue will concentrate on improving the telephone service and the clarity of its forms and leaflets . It is also considering what it can do to meet the demand for more information by such measures as explanatory videos , evening classes or workplace clinics . The Revenue has already introduced new target turnaround times for replying to all letters — the aim is now to reply to all letters sent to tax and collection offices within 28 days . Double taxation agreements — representations sought Negotiations for comprehensive double taxation agreements with Colombia , Kazakhstan , Namibia , Russia , Ukraine , and Vietnam are on the Inland Revenue agenda for the six - month period to 31 March 1993 .
Idiom: as a rule (used idiomatically: yes)
While you were there you had a ball , and then life goes on . The idea that anything can last for ever is nonsense , and if that 's what happens with Kiss , then fair enough ; if it does n't mean anything more to anyone than the time the band was functioning then that 's also perfectly fine with me.’ But Kiss have certainly done well in an environment where longevity is not aspired to as a rule … ‘ Almost twenty years for Kiss now , which is n't bad going . Brief band lifespans are not limited to rock music , however .
Idiom: keep the peace (used idiomatically: yes)
Margaret , Louis IX 's queen , was the sister of Eleanor , queen of England , and maintained the closest connection with both Henry III and Edward I. In January 1262 , for instance , one of Henry III 's proctors at Paris , Pierre de Limoges , wrote to Walter de Merton , chancellor of England , to tell him that Queen Margaret was so occupied in the business of negotiations that she had no time to write to him . He was accordingly writing to give the views which the queen would otherwise have sent . Again , in October 1281 , Edward I wrote to her , saying that she had always striven to keep the peace between Henry III and Louis , and between Philip III and himself . She had laboured hard ‘ on behalf of this harmony for which’ , Edward wrote , ‘ we thank you with all our heart’ . Dynastic concord and family harmony were , however , bought somewhat at the expense of the two princes ' subjects .
Idiom: heart and soul (used idiomatically: yes)
He trembled and groaned as her hands moved urgently over his flesh , before drawing her roughly against the pulsating length of him , letting her feel his arousal , his mouth moving blindly over her soft velvety skin , touching and tasting , raising her senses to such a pitch that she cried out , the wild clamouring in her blood , the driving need for his possession more than she could bear . An intense heat spread through her quivering , eager figure , and she rejoiced in the overwhelmingly sensual pleasure of their entwined bodies , welcoming the deep , shuddering thrust of his virile manhood . And then all conscious thought was obliterated as an urgent , tingling excitement contracted through her body , and she was soaring free with him into realms of exquisite delight , where their hearts and souls became one . ‘ You see — we did n't wake the children , after all,’ Ross drawled , his eyes glinting with amusement as he gazed warmly down at the soft figure in his arms . ‘ They might have had a good sleep — but we certainly haven't!’
Idiom: by the book (used idiomatically: yes)
14.6 , etc . ) , and the most important sacrifice of the year was that of the red heifer ( Num . 19 ) . That a deep - seated and all - embracing blood taboo unquestionably lay at the heart of so much of Jewish belief and ritual practice is clearly evidenced by the later ( Christian ) book of Hebrews which saw fit to characterize Judaism specifically as a covenant of blood , sanctified , purified and redeemed by the blood of cultic sacrifice : Even the fist covenant was not ratified without blood . for when every commandment of the law had been declared by Moses to all the people , he took the blood of calves and goats , with water and scarlet wool and hyssop , and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people , saying , ' This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you . '
Idiom: in a fog (used idiomatically: yes)
Rescuers say they 're amazed more people were n't killed . It 's the second multpile collision on the M - forty since it opened almost exactly a year ago . Last February a woman died in a pileup involving eighty cars in thick fog . Today 's crash has led to renewed calls from instructors for motorway skills to be made part of the driving test . In a statement tonight , the Department of Transport says there are no plans to include motorway driving in the normal test .
Idiom: to all intents and purposes (used idiomatically: yes)
Because of the way Sumitomo is incorporated , the London and Hong Kong accounts are consolidated together first , before consolidated figures for all three locations are generated . The accounts are processed by the Systems Union SunAccount system , supplied by Eclipse Computing , and running on a Risc - based Unix computer from DEC . To the group of accountants at each location , it looks to all intents and purposes as if the group has its own system . But physically all the data is stored on a single computer , in New York , with remote access from London and Hong Kong and separate sets of accounting records for each location . The London computer and the Hong Kong computer each hold and run a copy of the SunAccount application software .
Idiom: get the better of (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Even though there was a strong risk of him being found out . You see , while his manner towards you may have seemed jovial enough , in reality he was involved in a feud . He regarded you as an opponent whom he was determined to get the better of , in whichever way he could.’ ‘ Why ? Granted , we were in competition , but I had no axe to grind with the kid,’ Vitor said .
Idiom: head over heels (used idiomatically: yes)
' Why is that , hmm ? ' The answer was almost painfully simple . Because she 'd never fallen in love , the head - over - heels , with - all - your - heart kind of love that made a woman 's world centre on one man for the rest of her life . She looked at Nicolo . Why was he looking at her like that , with that little smile that suggested he knew something she did not ?
Idiom: in the flesh (used idiomatically: no)
His newest triumph is in the smash hit Lethal Weapon 3 . Once again , the wisecracks fly as fast as the bullets — and are just as deadly . Pesci plays a shifty real estate agent who becomes a thorn in the flesh of Mel Gibson and Danny Glover … and manages to steal every scene he is in . Joe first appeared on stage and on TV when he was just five years old . Since then he has had three wives , a mentally - handicapped daughter he adores but barely saw grow up , and spent years scratching a living in the backwaters of showbusiness .
Idiom: fall short (used idiomatically: yes)
Cape Town . The South African budget for this year gives university researchers less than they need to keep pace with inflation and allocates most of the additional spending on science to applied work in government laboratories , dashing hopes of a significant increase in university funding . Not only does the increase of 6 per cent in the science budget fall short of a general increase in spending of 9 per cent and an inflation rate of 10 per cent , but four - fifths of the additional $ 13 million will be allocated to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research ( CSIR ) , which carries out in - house research on applied science and technology . The allocation runs counter to the recommendations of a report last year that asked for greater spending on universities ( see Nature 356 , 9 : 1992 ) . the impact of the report appears to have been confined to a reduction of 6 per cent , to $ 68 million , in the allocation to the Agricultural Research Council ( ARC ) .
Idiom: cap in hand (used idiomatically: yes)
Certainly not yet . The pressure of foreign debt has been one of the main things pushing Poland and Hungary towards freer markets , and one dominant problem in most East European economies is too much cash and too - fast inflation . It would be foolish for western governments to relax the pressure while most of the reforms remain on paper ( so say a polite’ no’to Solidarity 's Mr Lech Walesa if , after this week 's deal , the Polish government sends him cap.in-hand to the West ) . But once the reforms really bite —signs would be a sharp rise in unemployment a far bigger influx of private western investment and radical currency reform —then it would be worth offering the sort of help that could sensibly be given to reforming debtors in Latin America : capitalization of interest payments above a certain share of export earnings . Yalta 's bad name was in some ways a bum rap .
Idiom: on the house (used idiomatically: yes)
She had no family to help her ; his wanted none of us . So although I had expected a life of some leisure , I found myself lucky to be apprenticed to a carpenter in Kendal . A year or so ago , I went into Cartmel to do some work on the house of that oaf you have just seen . He has several businesses in the district — a bobbin mill , a gunpowder factory , a cotton mill , and more — and what they have in common is that the people — usually women and children — who are unfortunate enough to be employed in them are driven as cruelly as possible and paid as little as possible . He has a son who is a booby and who was loafing around his father 's yards waiting only for this young lady to come of age so that he could marry her .
Idiom: moment of truth (used idiomatically: yes)
The third - person sections narrate the main events of his life in a more or less objective manner . His interior monologues convey the thoughts that pass through his mind as he lies on his deathbed and reviews his past life with a mixture of pride and guilt . In the second - person sequences , he is addressed by the voice of his subconscious which , speaking in the future tense , takes him back to relive the moments of truth when he made the choices which were to determine what he later became . This multiple view of Cruz not only gives an insight into the conflicting forces that have been struggling to control his soul , but also reflects his loss of integrity as a man and his disintegration in face of his approaching death . The overall effect is that the morally indefensible opportunist appears as a very human figure , a man who would have liked to have had his cake and eaten it and who , forced to make choices , alternates between self - congratulation and a sense of self - betrayal .