Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: out of the blue (used idiomatically: yes)
Because I 'd passed the magical sixty years of age mark , I was now officially an old - age pensioner and that apparently made me technically ‘ vulnerable’ under the provisions of the Homeless Persons Act . In consequence , according to the rule book , I now had to be taken seriously . When positive news did come , it again seemed to arrive out of the blue . I was meeting Jenny for lunch . ‘ Ever thought of Colchester?’ she asked me .
Idiom: with open arms (used idiomatically: yes)
The music press of the late ' 50s grudgingly conceded the popularity of rock but the implicit assumption is that this teenage fad had no staying power . Oh dear . In the early ' 60s , all of the pop press welcomed with open arms the rather curious emergence of a ‘ trad jazz’ revival . Curious in that with the bulk of the country 's youth taking their cultural signposts from America and the more visceral thrills offered by rock'n'roll , it seems strange that such a dated and wrinkly musical form should enjoy such an upsurge in fortunes , particularly when it faced competition from sexier young pups operating in the rock idiom such as Tommy Steele and Cliff Richard . As veteran commentator George Melly remarked : ‘ The trad boom was both unexpected and untypical ; its heroes were far older than the norm and had been around for much longer ; the emphasis was instrumental rather than vocal ; the sexual aspect was almost non - existent.’
Idiom: on the money (used idiomatically: yes)
Today , nearly a thousand bus drivers , engineers , and clerical workers were balloted on whether to accept or reject the proposal , which also includes a cut in bank holiday pay . Union leaders say it 's a choice between a pay cut and job losses . Some drivers , however , say they ca n't live on less money and would prefer to lose their jobs rather than accept a cut . The Union says such offers are becoming more common in today 's economic climate . The ballots will be counted tonight .
Idiom: yes and no (used idiomatically: no)
Well the first question is , is foreign policy different from other areas of policy making ? Well you ca er as with most academic questions , you can see it both ways . The answer is partly yes and partly no . Now let 's try the no part first . It includes bureaucratic processes , there are ministries of foreign affairs , there is the foreigner and commonwealth office in Britain , there is interaction between officials in policy making in building it up together so there is a bureaucratic process involved in erm foreign policy .
Idiom: in black and white (used idiomatically: yes)
Copy is welcome . If possible it should be typed , double spaced , and sent under cover of a brief note which gives the background details of the contributor . Photographs should be in black and white . Please send your contributions to:(We regret that photographs can not be returned , and reserve the right to edit material submitted . ) LINK
Idiom: out of the question (used idiomatically: yes)
If scientists had to think always about what might happen politically or socially because of their work , they 'd never get the work done . There would n't be any ethical problems to worry about , because as that young man in the audience said , we 'd still be living in caves or the trees . ' I tell you flatly , the sort of scientists you should be frightened of are n't the ones like Dr. Briant , who … well , opt out of the ethical questions . The really dangerous scientists are those who do have political and moral ideas and set out to use their science to further their own ideological ends . Ca n't you see that ?
Idiom: back to square one (used idiomatically: yes)
The point was that she — and the killer - were the only people who knew Puddephat had been to the flat at all . If she went to Veronica with this story , she might as well tell her the complete truth . It was back to square one . She wondered if she should consult Bridget . After all , Bridget had put her in touch with Geoffrey , and Geoffrey had got her into Puddephat 's rooms .
Idiom: eat humble pie (used idiomatically: yes)
But he soon found it expedient to use unsavoury characters to control even nastier ones further down the party line . Mr Clean became Mr Congressman . When the chief minister of Maharashtra became uppity earlier this year , Mr Gandhi arranged for dissidents to mount a campaign to get rid of him , and relented only after the chief minister ate humble pie . Congress was stained during the 1980s by the Bofors case , a scandal which suggested the party had received millions of dollars from the Swedish gun manufacturer as part of a $ 1.2 billion deal for howitzers . The impulse to appoint Rajiv 's Italian - born widow , Sonia , in his place was surely another sign of a family business in distress .
Idiom: pull the plug (used idiomatically: yes)
Novelty often provides good motivation . Behind the active partners , there is the organisation — the firm or institution — and the dependency of the partnership on broader considerations in the parent body . In partnerships at levels one and two , the parent body may pull the plug or change the terms of reference because the partnership activity is not essential to the main business of the company . But in level three partnerships , the identity of interest is within the core business — or vision perspective — of the partners and withdrawal would involve a diminution of activity in the life - sustaining activity of all the partners . That is why the new partnerships can only be understood in terms of the contemporary concepts of organisational mission and vision .
Idiom: on edge (used idiomatically: yes)
THREE goals and a missed penalty in the last two minutes climaxed a thriller , with Derby clinching their sixth consecutive away win . Derby controlled most of the game but would have been run closer had Craig Maskell not missed from the spot in the dying seconds . Tommy Johnson put the visitors ahead in the 28th minute and they went further ahead in the 40th minute when Swindon player-manager Glenn Hoddle fouled Martin Kuhl on the edge of the area and Mark Pembridge blasted the free kick into the net . Kuhl made it 3-0 after 57 minutes , lashing home from 25 yards but then came the exciting climax , during which Swindon scored twice . Micky Hazard started it with a header in the 88th minute and within a minute subsitute Ted McMinn had notched Derby 's fourth .
Idiom: pump iron (used idiomatically: yes)
Jeff Coons , one of the young bad boys of current art , wants to be porno star next . He says he is making a movie with Italian sex kitten La Cicciolina , who was elected to the Italian parliament in 1987 . Coons has started working out daily in a pumping iron gym , and enrolled himself in acting classes . ‘ I am transforming my body,’ he says , ‘ into a vehicle for greater communication.’ At long last , the green season is coming !
Idiom: to die for (used idiomatically: no)
Nawal El Saadawi This is the story of Firdaus — as told to the author in the condemned cell of a prison in Cairo . Firdaus is a prostitute about to die for the murder of her pimp . A pretty depressing read you might imagine but the story of Firdaus is one of dignity and determination that transcends the grim environment . The novel expresses the powerlessness which many Arab women feel .
Idiom: stay the course (used idiomatically: yes)
NEW ~ HAVEN – The China doubters are back in force . They seem to come in waves – every few years , or ~ so . Yet , year in and year out , China has defied the naysayers and stayed the course , perpetuating the most spectacular development miracle of modern times . That seems likely to continue . Today ’s feverish hand - wringing reflects a confluence of worries – especially concerns about inflation , excess investment , soaring wages , and bad bank loans .
Idiom: way to go (used idiomatically: no)
From 1990 to 1992 it is running at between 20 and 25 per cent of our total investment’ . This , he said , is the expensive bit of Responsible Care . The other part , communication , still has a long way to go . ‘ It pains me that the public hold chemical company executives in no higher esteem than estate agents , lawyers or even sitting members of Parliament’ . Only by living up to Responsible Care and satisfying society 's continuously growing demands can the industry improve its image .
Idiom: odds and ends (used idiomatically: yes)
squads and there were there were riveters deemed to be shell men , or riveters deemed to be er superstructure as you say , where they worked on cases etcetera . Ah most squads were on piece work but you might find that you had If it was n't an apprentice squad , you might find that you had a squad of riveters who were n't on piece work , who simply went round doing any wee odds and ends that had Mm . been missed out here and there or
Idiom: under the table (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Here 's my brown shoe that was lost,’ he said , reaching under the table . ‘ That 's very strange,’ said Dr Mortimer . ‘ We both searched the room before lunch , and it was n't under the table then.’ None of the people who worked at the hotel could explain how the shoe had got back into the room . So we had another mystery .
Idiom: to boot (used idiomatically: no)
The man said , ‘ What in hell do you want?’ Then , without waiting for an answer , turned his attention back to the boar , which had begun to slam its shoulder into one of the pens . He kicked it away from the bars , then continued to boot it as it shambled deeper into the hut . He got alongside the creature to open a gate on the backmost pen , cracked a toecap into the fat flank , and heaved the gate closed as the boar ran in . The sow was waiting there like an auction - block bride .
Idiom: grind to a halt (used idiomatically: yes)
That that s certainly With a timetable to them we are in the best place to do it now cause we 're still learning we have only done three jobs , four now have n't we ? erm the Kathy procedure is definitely needed . We are grinding to a halt on those are n't we ? yeah We got D P 9.16 , 28.32 we 've still got four to do .
Idiom: with a view to (used idiomatically: yes)
Having decided that since the CGLI was not really concerned with technician courses , it was inappropriate for it to be the validating body , it seemed hardly logical to give the responsibility to TEC , which had no remit for craft courses . However , the DES drew a somewhat dubious analogy with art and design education and suggested that the TEC should set up ‘ a completely new committee’ along the lines of DATEC . TEC was , therefore , invited ‘ to undertake this responsibility and open discussions with the other interests concerned , with a view to reaching agreement as quickly as possible’ . TEC provisionally accepted the role allocated to it by the DES , but its acceptance was drowned in complaints from a number of quarters . Particularly annoyed was the CGLI which said that the DES statement had included ‘ some unwarranted and damaging remarks about the Institute’ , a gaffe for which it received an apology from no less a person than the Permanent Secretary .
Idiom: cold feet (used idiomatically: yes)
Down in the dark and foggy street a figure stood waiting beneath a lighted gas lamp . The young , broad - shouldered man had the collar of his tattered grey overcoat pulled up around his ears and his cap was drawn down over his forehead . He tightened the red scarf around his neck and blew on his hands , stamping his cold feet on the hard wet cobblestones . The man 's pale blue eyes peered into the fog and his ears strained to catch the sound of approaching footsteps . He had waited for over ten minutes and decided that he would give his friend another five minutes before making off home .
Idiom: go from strength to strength (used idiomatically: yes)
Also , in theory , it should be provided by reasonably competent technicians . The first direct manufacturer was Dell , which appeared on the scene in 1987 . Many people thought the scheme would n't work , but since then the company has gone from strength to strength . According to UK market researcher Romtec , the number of units being sold direct as a percentage of the total market has increased from 12 per cent in 1990 to 39 per cent in 1992 . There 's now a huge range of companies selling direct , from large , well - run outfits like Dell , Viglen and Elonex , to smaller operations competing solely on price .
Idiom: hold all the aces (used idiomatically: yes)
You 'd like that , would n't you , Leith?’ he had the unmitigated nerve to put her on the spot . ‘ The lasagne 's fine,’ she murmured as she played for time and thought of the three months ' mortgage she had to find and how impossible she would find it to pay one months ' mortgage , let alone three , if she did n't have a job . Which she would n't , she realised , if she did n't buck her ideas up and play this according to Mr Naylor I - hold - all - the - aces Massingham . ‘ It sounds very nice.’ She smiled , and did n't care a bit then that when it came to leading Travis up the garden path , she was doing a little garden path trail - blazing herself .
Idiom: full tilt (used idiomatically: yes)
Both fly halves favoured high kicks , but Bircham fielded them with his usual aplomb . When the ball was let out Northern 's backs looked the sharper and after a scoreless first half , centre Paul Collins burst on to a short pass from Johnson and sent the speedy Casado racing over . Johnson converted , but then struck a poor clearance , which was fielded at full tilt by Dave Kenyon , driving Northern back to their line . Following a tap penalty Mark Willis and Wilkinson were both held up on the line before McGrath touched down and Mike Robson converted . After Johnson restored Northern 's lead midway through the half , Robson missed a chance to level the scores again .
Idiom: out of the blue (used idiomatically: yes)
But , last night , she had been unable to sleep . She had tossed and turned — as she had for a fortnight — thinking of Amy , full of foreboding . It had come out of the blue : a brief note from her , saying that she had to undergo a surgical operation . It read like a cry for help , for support . They had been so close at their boarding school ; but when they left , five years ago , they had drifted apart .
Idiom: as a rule (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Parliament’ , however , was a flexible term which was then applied to a variety of bodies called to assist the king in government . As yet the list of lords who were individually summoned to attend had not hardened , so that lay peers ( as they came later to be called ) fluctuated from around fifty to a hundred , and alongside the twenty - one bishops a varying number of abbots and priors — sometimes as many as seventy , occasionally more , often fewer — were invited to attend . In addition , the eleven cathedral deans and sixty archdeacons were summoned as a rule . When we turn to the representative element in parliament , the commons , a similar uncertainty obtains . In Edward 's reign clerical proctors were called to several , but by no means to all , his parliaments : like the lay representatives , they were absent from at least a dozen assemblies convened between 1295 and 1307 .
Idiom: one and the same (used idiomatically: yes)
Fortunately , she had never fallen into our clutches . She remained … unsullied.’ They stared at each other in silence for a moment , surprised to find that they shared some fragment of a common cause : the unsolved mysteries that troubled them both , though twenty years and half a world apart , were somehow one and the same . ‘ Are you in a hurry to be be on your way , Mr Barnett?’ ‘ No.’
Idiom: dog eat dog (used idiomatically: no)
In addition , strips of bovine cerebral conductance arteries and human basilar arteries contract with thromboxane A 2 ( Boullin et al , 1979 ; Ellis et al , 1979 ) . The effect of thromboxane A 2 on differing vascular preparations has also been studied in vivo using thromboxane synthesized in vitro by incubations of endoperoxide with platelet microsomes . Using this technique , Dusting et al ( 1978 ) were able to show short-term vasoconstriction in femoral and vascular beds of the dog following injection of the thromboxane close to the vessels . Prostacyclin has powerful metabolic effects on blood platelets . It has the most potent effect of the naturally occurring prostaglandins in inhibiting platelet aggregation , being 30–40 times more potent than prostaglandin E 1 and 10 times more potent than prostaglandin D 2 in vitro ( Gryglewski et al , 1976 ; Moncada et al , 1976a ) .
Idiom: clutch at straws (used idiomatically: yes)
Asked by a perfumed interrogator whether I would like a large slice of my earned income to be taken from me and devoted to helping the poor , I would feel loathe to shake my head . Polling , in short , is a grubby profession of no great consequence . That it was allowed to appear as more than that was the work of the politicians who , in their yearning for power , clutch at any straw . It was ever thus . The politicians of ancient Rome , terrified by the uncertainty of their trade , used soothsayers — toothless , bearded old frauds who claimed to divine the future in chicken 's entrails and sundry portents .
Idiom: beat about the bush (used idiomatically: yes)
Write as you would speak . Do n't use long words or flowery sentences . Do n't beat about the bush . Just ask for your account to be paid and for it to be paid quickly . Be specific
Idiom: hold someone's hand (used idiomatically: yes)
She shuts her eyes and sort of lets out a moan like a dog whining or summat . She s still got the fag and matches in her hands , so I take them away from her . Then I sort of hold her hands tight while she rocks back and forward on the bed . Her moan gets louder and she opens her mouth till she 's bawling like a baby . It scares me a bit , but I still hold onto her hands .
Idiom: close call (used idiomatically: yes)
But if the quality of the goal generated spontaneous applause from the home fans , the two crucial saves from Norman brought gasps of disbelief from both sets of supporters . Middlesbrough had tested Norman 's reflexes just before half - time when he managed to get his knees in the way of a hard , low shot from Jon Gittens , which might have levelled the scores . And the Roker goal had another close call when Middlesbrough 's influential midfielder , Andy Peake , struck a powerful drive which Owers managed to scramble away . The Teessiders seemed to sense that the Rokermen were starting to wilt and in the 62nd minute it looked as though Middlesbrough had finally found a way through . Hendrie centred perfectly from the right to find Stuart Ripley unmarked only eight yards out .
Idiom: make the cut (used idiomatically: no)
There were further problems for hot fusion in 1989 with the arrival of the new administration of President Bush . This brought in new people such as Robert Hunter as head of the Department of Energy Office of Basic Research , and one of his first acts was to reorder some of the research funds.l This caused some research activities to be trimmed at Oak Ridge , Los Alamos and Princeton , where the dt experiment was postponed for at least another three years . It also led to some staff cuts and by the spring of 1989 the leaders of the fusion programmes were anticipating that after five years of no increases to match inflation , Congress would make a twenty million dollar cut in the fusion budget . The labs were already trying to plan how to deal with that . The Catch 22 problem was that for several years there had been few big headlines about fusion as no dramatic breakthroughs had been occurring .
Idiom: break even (used idiomatically: no)
Vivoli 's sell the best ice cream in the world . It is mind-blowing , and I speak as an expert . During a weekend break in this beautiful Italian city I had chocolate , hazelnut , raspberry and even cream ice cream . ( Do n't ask , enjoy . ) In between scoffing , I packed in a lot of sightseeing too , thanks to a direct flight to Florence itself .
Idiom: go overboard (used idiomatically: yes)
Be seen to is found quite often for instance in the sort of context alluded to by Bolinger in which one gets the impression that someone is establishing the facts:(67 ) Nobody had been seen to enter the house or leave it . ( Faure and Casanova 1968 : 322 ) ( 68 ) Ianthe Ambrose could have gone overboard any time after 9.10 , when she was seen to leave the lecture , and on her own statement she had been no swimmer . ( Blake 1961 : 96 ; in van Ek 1966 : 155 ) ( 69 ) Take Gardner Willings .
Idiom: party animal (used idiomatically: yes)
MARS gets in the festive mood with its Christmas 1992 collection . Luxury Galaxy Truffle fir cones will be sold singly ( 25p ) or in three - packs ( 75p ) . For party animals , the Twix tape pack includes three twin bars and a cassette of Christmas party music ( £ 1.89 ) . LOOK out for Asda 's new Novelty Christmas Cakes — the larger Father Christmas ( £ 6.89 ) and smaller snowman ( £ 3.69 ) . Both are light sponge cakes with jam and vanilla filling , decorated with soft fondant icing .
Idiom: tread water (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ We were very hungry for a shrinkwrapped operating system for our ACE machines but we had to say no to SCO,’ he said . Gimona claims SCO had already told Olivetti it would be refocusing on Intel some time ago . Spill says SCO will make an announcement regarding its Intel plans around mid - year , its new - found enthusiasm is a turnaround from last year when it was bullish about its MIPS Open Desktop effort , but seemed ready to leave the Intel ACE version to tread water , saying it would n't be around until 1993 ( UX No 364 ) . SONY SHOWS TWO MORE NEWS WORKSTATIONS Sony Corp has two new models of its NEWS workstation family , both based on the 64-bit R4000 RISC chip and with speeds of 100 MIPS : the NWS-5000 is a desktop model and the MWS-5900 is a server and both use the R4000SC chip clocked at 66.7MHz They run the NEWS - OS4.2 version of Berkeley Unix , and feature support of the AppleTalk protocol , facilitating connection with Macintosh computers .
Idiom: get the picture (used idiomatically: yes)
that one . He was offering me that one . And he 's got all nude pictures . Della ! There 's me , I was going , you dirty man !
Idiom: pour cold water on (used idiomatically: yes)
Even the earls present hailed this as an excellent plan , and Fraser was there and then appointed Deputy Warden of the Marches . In the heady talk thereafter , Ramsay for one was very much aware of the lack of any particular tactics being put forward ; all was generalities , and high - flown ones at that , almost as though the battle was already won . Presently he felt bound to pour some cold water on all this optimism . ' Suppose Edward does gain Berwick , my lords , and advances northwards — what then ? or even decides to leave the town untaken behind him , but surrounded , as he might ? ' That was met by stares , almost glares , as though he had voiced the unthinkable .
Idiom: in the long term (used idiomatically: yes)
In our country each lithotripsy session costs US$ 315 ( £ 185 ) ; a medical treatment with 500 mg ursodeoxycholic acid and 500 mg chenodeoxycholic acid daily during one year costs US$ 886 ( £ 517 ) . In estimating the cost of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy , the failures and recurrences that eventually need surgery must be taken into consideration . Extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy for solitary stones with its 85 % effectiveness at one year , two sessions of extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy , 15 % failures and an estimated 30 % recurrences in the long term ( assuming that only half of them become symptomatic and therefore need treatment ) will cost US$ 1970 ( £ 1150 ) . For multiple stones , however , with at least three sessions , and 40 % failures , the expected cost is US$ 2695 ( £ 1570 ) . In our country the cost of a conventional cholecystectomy is estimated at US$ 2400 ( £ 1400 ) , the inability to work not taken into consideration .