Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: get lost (used idiomatically: yes)
ARRIVED AT Techno Towers to discover that computers had not yet been invented . Installed an Apple Mac sampler at every desk and things have never been the same since . Got squashed in the photo files by Brendon Fitzgerald , broke the photocopier , got lost looking for the canteen , uncovered the truth about IPC tea , became Dele Fadele 's personal typewriter ribbon engineer ( have been ever since ) , discovered House music had not yet reached Waterloo , realised that guitars really are the work of the devil , mended the then extremely sad NME stereo ( ie , plugged it in ) and was quickly appointed technical supervisor to anything mechanical ( plugs , electrical toothbrushes ) , invented dance music , formed Subbuteo league with James Brown and Simon Dudfield which eventually became fixed beyond all belief , tried to blag a Misty In Roots CD and failed . In the evening I went out to a club , stayed up all night , was late for work the next morning , got sacked and ever since then the rest of the staff have been kind enough to pretend that I 'm still one of them . GAVIN MARTIN 1979
Idiom: give someone the creeps (used idiomatically: yes)
Mrs Angela Smith , 30 , was typical . ‘ I like him . I think he 's a charming man and he 's certainly better than Major or Kinnock , who both give me the creeps . ‘ But I would normally vote Labour and I 'm voting Lib Dem because there 's absolutely no point voting Labour in this seat.’ Not all tactical voters , of whom there are many in this affluent suburb , were so impressed by the high profile being given to Mr Ashdown — and nobody else — in the Liberal Democrat campaign .
Idiom: up in the air (used idiomatically: yes)
Little Billy hung on tight . Oh , it was thrilling to be flying on the back of this great swan ! It was wonderful to be up in the air and to feel the air swishing past his face . He hung on very tightly to Swan 's feathers . And suddenly , there it was just below them , the huge billow of orange - red smoke and steam coming from the nostrils of the awesome Gruncher .
Idiom: keep someone in the dark (used idiomatically: yes)
Back then , we lived under a system that denied ordinary people any right whatsoever to know about even essential facts and events . So we were kept in the dark about the radiation leaking from the shattered reactor at Chernobyl – and blowing in the winds over northern Europe . But the more bizarre fact about the Chernobyl disaster , we now know , is that Mikhail ~ Gorbachev , General ~ Secretary of the Communist ~ Party of the Soviet ~ Union , was also kept in the dark about the magnitude of the disaster . Indeed , it may be this very fact that finally condemned the old system to the dustbin of history a mere five years later . No regime built on limitless self - delusion is capable of retaining a shred of legitimacy once the scale of its self - deception is exposed .
Idiom: make ends meet (used idiomatically: no)
If only she could lose her puppy fat and get her hair done at a proper salon instead of having it cut by Ivy Tucker who lived down the road and who did hairdressing for pin money . But it was n't easy to lose puppy fat when Mum fed her on stodgy good home cooking — stews with dumplings and meat pies with pastry crusts and steamed sponge puddings , and there was no money to spare for proper hairdressing salons . Sally knew her mother had trouble making ends meet on the nine pounds ten shillings a week that her father brought home from his job as an electrician 's mate and she did n't have the heart to plead for luxuries she knew they could not afford as Paula did . Too often she had seen her mother frowning with anxiety as she divided the contents of her father 's wage packet up between the jars labelled ‘ Rent’ and ‘ Electric’and ‘ Coal Money’ , too often at the end of the week she had watched her count out the pennies for a pound of sausages only to be able to buy just a half - pound , two for her father , one each for Paula and Sally , and only the scrapings of the pan to go with her own potatoes . ‘ When I grow up I 'll make sure I 've always got enough money for a whole pound of sausages and eggs to go with them,’ Sally thought , but she never said anything .
Idiom: fly in the face of (used idiomatically: yes)
Yeah I mean , yeah as er , as , as , as doing something erm but erm yeah it 's certainly possible to er to do the first years . Erm yeah er mm yeah no I 'm quite intrigued myself about this , this idea that erm somehow it 's heterosexuals who trus who are trustworthy and that , you know , once you have a sexuality that 's different from heterosexuality then you ca n't be trusted with children and you , you know you , you ca n't be trusted to er you know I do n't know , run boys ' clubs , you ca n't be trusted in , in a , you know , it 's sort of , it 's almost like , like erm er it , it almost flies in the face of evidence that the vast majority of sexual abuse that goes on of one sort or another is , is heterosexual , it 's Mm . very often men abusing women and yet , you know , when you 're looking at erm attitudes to gay and lesbian people it 's often the case that they 're , you know , somehow thought of as , as suspect .
Idiom: behind bars (used idiomatically: yes)
Johnny slapped back his hand . ‘ Do n't be a bloody fool!’ he cried . ‘ D'ye want to rot behind bars for five years!’ ‘ He 's right , Con,’ one man said . ‘ And that bastard,’ he added , nodding towards Luke , ‘ is not worth doin' time for.’
Idiom: by and large (used idiomatically: yes)
This is most clearly the case with NATO policy , which relies on possible first use of nuclear weapons and thus opposes one of the most obvious candidates for a laws - of - war rule on nuclear weaponry — namely , no first use . There is an obvious tension between a laws - of - war approach seeking to minimise the horrors of war if it occurs , and a deterrence approach seeking to prevent war altogether by making it frightful . There is little doubt , moreover , that in the nuclear age the deterrence mode of thinking has by and large been the intellectually prevalent one . Deterrence has developed a language , a range of scholarship , and a political influence considerably in advance of anything achieved in the name of the laws of war . Moreover , there has sometimes been reason to doubt the relevance of laws - of - war thinking to the important objective of strategic stability in relations between the nuclear powers .
Idiom: talk shop (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Oh , you mean gossip.’ ‘ No!’ he protested , indignantly . ‘ We were talking shop ; it was shop - talk , not gossip.’ When Lawson resigned the pundits gathered , and mused , and offered up their conjectures and reflections , and it was called Political Speculation . When women gather to do the same , it is called gossip .
Idiom: have a few (used idiomatically: yes)
Whereas she lived in a fantasy of her own making . She did not have a relationship with Matthew . She had a few tawdry memories — and the constant presence of the woman who wanted to be his wife to deal with . She could not even define her feelings . Did not want to .
Idiom: on board (used idiomatically: yes)
Mrs. Ray Michie ( Argyll and Bute ) : I support the new clause because it is essential for bus users to have their interests protected . I hope that the Minister will make clear what happened to the idea of his Hon. Friend the Member for Dumfries ( Sir H. Monro ) about extending the remit of the Scottish transport users consultative committee to include buses . I am not sure why the Minister would not take that on board . Had that something to do with the traffic commissioners or with the Department of Trade and Industry ? If so , it is deplorable because I should prefer the remit to be allocated , as it were , by the Secretary of State for Scotland or by the Minister .
Idiom: now or never (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ About waist deep in the middle I reckon,’ he told himself . But it was filling before his eyes . He desperately wanted to rest , but it was now or never . Taking a firm grip on the hook , still jammed securely in place , he lunged determinedly into the rushing water . Before the water reached his knees he knew without a shadow of doubt that he would never be able to stand at waist depth .
Idiom: get the picture (used idiomatically: no)
Yes and that 's a helper yes . The mother of somebody I expect . I 've got one picture of in my , in the netball . I know . And there 's three girls in this netball and do you think I can think their names of us ?
Idiom: in stitches (used idiomatically: yes)
A pattern was provided and , of course , there was a recommended tension of 31 stitches and 46 rows to ten centimetres . We were examining the homework , sorting through the usual kind of difficulty but there was nothing to amiss , until we came to a light green garment . Knitted in stocking stitch , the fabric was very loose and open , had been well steamed and was therefore very , very floppy . this gives a good effect for a cool summer top and should look fine , but on the garment , everything was wrong . The armholes looked too short , the sleeves did n't look as if they would fit and the bust size was nowhere near the size that was required .
Idiom: run riot (used idiomatically: yes)
Ruth could feel the tightening of her heart as Fernando gathered her into his arms , his kisses more urgent as the time slipped perilously away . His lovemaking was different this time , more intense , more assertive as if he was trying to exert some power over her . Confusion ran riot in Ruth 's heart . They loved each other and it could n't end , but … As always they lay exhausted in each other 's arms , their sated bodies languid and limp , Fernando soothing her fevered brow with tender kisses of love .
Idiom: on the same page (used idiomatically: no)
I give this , this is n't purple one that 's a brown one Which is the cover for these ? What on the same page ? Oh I do n't know , I think it 's on the same page as use the brown somewhere
Idiom: up for grabs (used idiomatically: yes)
He served as architectural tutor to King George III when the latter was Prince of Wales and designed the State Coach in which one day the current Prince of Wales will ride from the Abbey as King Charles III . It is hardly surprising , in the circumstances , that the heir to the throne and his advisers , including the trustees of his new Institute of Architecture , are currently showing a keen interest in the future of Chambers ' masterpiece . For Somerset House , begun in 1776 and indisputably one of the finest Classical buildings in Britain , is , it seems , up for grabs . Last December , the Secretary of State for the Environment , Michael Heseltine , revealed that the Government was considering surrendering Somerset House — largely occupied by the Inland Revenue and the Lord Chancellor 's probate registry — for ‘ some imaginative public use that will add further lustre to London’ . All ideas would be welcomed , he said .
Idiom: on the ball (used idiomatically: yes)
It 's time we lifted some of it . ‘ Watford used to be a team the big clubs feared in Cup football , but our record in recent seasons has been poor . ‘ I 'll enjoy being on the same pitch as Tony Dorigo , who is probably the best No 3 in the country for composure on the ball when going forward . ‘ Like Dorigo and Stuart Pearce , I like to weigh in with a few goals and in pre - season I joked with the lads that I 'd get 15 this year . ‘ Needless to say , there were plenty of takers when I offered a small wager — but a few worried expressions when I scored five in the first seven games !
Idiom: get the better of (used idiomatically: yes)
Wellington 's riposte was that she had never been to South Africa , while he had and was therefore in a position to judge properly . The woman said , ‘ I 've never been to the North Pole , Mr MacKenzie , but I know it 's cold there.’ This was the only time I heard anyone get the better of Wellington . De Gaulle was an altogether subtler animal , with a good intellect , equal to the better teachers at Toronto . At least I 'd say his reasoning was good but the conclusions suspect .
Idiom: out and about (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ The pitch is huge and the longer the match goes on , the better that should be for us . We will not be worried about extra time or penalties with big Peter in goal.’ RED GUARD IT 'S hats off to Alex Ferguson as he gets out and about in Moscow 's Red Square A - WARD ! MARTIN RICHARDS
Idiom: small beer (used idiomatically: yes)
No . There 's some peculiar minds some people have do n't they ? Oh yeah it 's very small beer really is n't it ? Compared to some of the dodges they get up to . It is really .
Idiom: sitting duck (used idiomatically: yes)
DAVID Pearce , 46 , of Tywyn , has been appointed sales director of the locally based Halo Foods Limited . Fiscal racket OWNERS of motor vehicles are sitting ducks for avaricious chancellors who already screw them for far more cash in fuel and vehicle tax than is spent on the roads . Now the government is to screw drivers for yet more cash by extending the road network with a toll road . The first of many ?
Idiom: to the hilt (used idiomatically: yes)
We might even have had a decent election and the country might have been saved a good deal earlier , but everyone knows that that is how we got here . It is shocking that a guillotine motion should be produced in such circumstances . My hon . Friend the Member for The Wrekin has proved to the hilt that there has been a greater , easier and more eager resort to the guillotine than at any time in English parliamentary history . There was nothing on that scale in the Labour days . Interruption
Idiom: in the pipeline (used idiomatically: yes)
There was some doubt expressed about the vulnerability of their GRP construction by some diehards in our service ( myself included ) , but time was to prove that our doubts were unfounded . After our first Tracker , Alert , was launched in November 1976 , others followed rapidly in her wake , the last one of six being launched in 1979 to form the backbone of our new , modernised fleet . Other plans in the pipeline at that time included two new cutters , longer and beamier than Venturous , capable of high speeds and suitable for working the stormy waters of the north . Another innovation introduced by Mr Woolf about this time was a change in the title of the cutters . Deciding in his wisdom that the modern craft deserved a more streamlined collective description he decreed that henceforth the Trackers would be known as Customs Cutters , and the larger steel boats when built would be called Cruisers .
Idiom: a penny for your thoughts (used idiomatically: yes)
The Commando sitting next to him looking at me remarked , ' The bombs never land on this mortar , Piper , They always burst among the squaddies somewhere else . ' My thoughts went back to yesterday evening and Jock at No . 4 Commando , the damage done to him by a German mortar bomb , his head almost split in two and a leg blown off . ' Penny for your thoughts , Piper , ' the Trog said . ' I know what you 're thinking ! You 're looking at that meat there and you 're wondering what nationality it is ! '
Idiom: by heart (used idiomatically: yes)
I decided , definitely and totally , to become a poet , and to devote my life to the pursuit of Literature . Science , history , politics , music — all these were insignificant compared to the magnificent calling I had chosen for myself . I read a great deal of poetry , especially the Romantics , learning long passages by heart , and found some solace there to lift me above the sordid realities of everyday life . More importantly , I began to write poetry myself , for myself , poetry which I showed to no one and kept hidden in an exercise book reserved explicitly for that purpose . This exercise book was , along with my diary , the only thing I could call my own .
Idiom: have a ball (used idiomatically: no)
Don has credibility in the game , vast experience , and the players look to him — very important . Their outlook is reflected in the team . The luxury performers have gone , and the days when Chelsea saw a ‘ tanner ball player ’ and said ‘ let's sign him ’ are over . They 've put together a side of young lads and journeyman pros , and that is meant as a compliment . Graft
Idiom: out of order (used idiomatically: yes)
The first silicon is due in early 1993 . Its developers are hoping to push it over 300 SPECmarks by 1995 . The thing is said to handle instructions out of order and speculatively . It supposedly fetches four instructions per clock , executive five per clock and completes seven per clock . …
Idiom: point the finger (used idiomatically: yes)
Father Tom Connolly , the spokesman for the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland , blamed any decline in young people 's behaviour on adults . He said the Sixties generation had failed to teach children self - discipline and those children were now parents themselves whose marriages were breaking up . He added : ‘ Before pointing the finger , remember the thumb is pointing back at yourself . Young people 's behaviour is a direct reflection of adults , both parents and educators . It is not unemployment .
Idiom: free rein (used idiomatically: yes)
Rehearsals on the Sheffield play did n't actually begin till two days later , but she 'd promised to be there as soon as she could to discuss make - up with the director . It sounded like an interesting job — the play was a futuristic drama set in the twenty - first century , and the director said she 'd have a chance to really let her imagination run riot on the styles . ‘ To a certain extent you 'll have free rein,’ he 'd told her over the telephone . ‘ I 'll just give you the overall concept of the thing , and it 's up to you how to interpret as you see fit.’ Shannon took that with a pinch of salt , knowing from experience how few directors really were willing to give ‘ free rein ' to any of the technicians on the crew .
Idiom: on ice (used idiomatically: no)
The game lasted three days mainly because Sampson batted so well and for five hours , making 81 ( 68 runs with the bat and 13 wides ) . Marsden was bowled early on the third morning for 16 so losing the match by an overwhelming innings and 50 runs . Henry Sampson : 162 on the ice of Little London Dam The scorecard of a famous match played on Little London Dam , Sheffield , February 8 , 1841 when Sampson scored his remarkable 162 on ice ! Sampson became the second ( Marsden was the first ) Yorkshire player to represent the Players against the Gentlemen when he played in the Lord 's fixture of 1841 .
Idiom: on the face of it (used idiomatically: yes)
He pulled up a chair and sat down . ' I was going through the reports , trying to size up Matthew Glynn — what made him tick . On the face of it his life centred around business of one sort or another , his own and the council 's . He had plenty of acquaintances but just a couple of friends — Swayne , the stamp man , and Doble , the wine merchant . Apart from the weekly chess session he seems to have had no hobby , no what you might call recreation . '
Idiom: on edge (used idiomatically: no)
Actually , the Master seems to have mellowed . There is much else to delight and to be savoured in this collection . The literary essay is a species always on the edge of extinction , and ( unlike most endangered species ) it is threatened most by the professionals in the field . At first sight similar in size and shape to the academic article , it emerges on closer inspection as a very different animal to that often unlovely and cumbersome beast . Few academic historians seem to care about the literary elegance that sustains the essay form .
Idiom: apples and oranges (used idiomatically: yes)
Both companies , however , carelessly add together the money costs of fixed assets they acquired in different years . Yet a 1978 pound had the purchasing power of about 2½ 1992 pounds — a larger difference than between a 1991 pound and a 1991 dollar ! Thus , in effect , ICI and GEC — and all UK companies which use historical cost money accounting — are adding and subtracting apples and oranges . The result is nonsense . The impact of inflation
Idiom: beg the question (used idiomatically: yes)
The pressures were money and patents , and how the competition of the market place can interfere with the more detached quest for truth in the laboratory . It is a reminder of Richard Feynman 's observation after the enquiry into the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster ; ' Nature can not be fooled . ' All of which beg the following questions . How did the news media , scientists and governments take on board a claim that made no sense within the laws of physics , was based in part on wrong data and that was shown to be flawed within days of the announcement ? With such lack of evidence , how did administrators decide it was worthwhile to pour millions of dollars of taxpayers ' money into this fanciful fusion fiasco ?
Idiom: on the double (used idiomatically: yes)
Prior to the match , Evert had told the Australian captain , Wendy Turnbull , to tell her No . 1 player , Anne Minter , ' that if she can beat me as she did in Toronto ( in August ) , then she can beat Manuela Maleeva ' . Evert 's prediction was spot - on as Minter grabbed a thrilling 6 - 3 , 2 - 6 , 6 - 4 victory that saved Australia 's bacon after Liz Smylie had lost the opening singles rubber 6 - 2 , 6 - 1 to Katerina Maleeva . Those two results left the outcome of the quarter - final tie hinging on the doubles , in which Smylie was joined by Janine Thompson against Team Maleeva . Not suprisingly , it was a nerve - racking finale but eventually the more experienced Australians triumphed 5 - 7 , 6 - 4 , 6 - 0 , to carry their country into the semi - finals for the first time in four years . Their opponents tomorrow will be Spain , the second seeds , who overwhelmed the Soviet Union in the two singles matches to reach the last four .
Idiom: green with envy (used idiomatically: yes)
Summary . I 've had a great deal of fun reviewing Animation Works Interactive , so much so that I 've been staying in the office well past my normal time just to play with it . The ease with which it 's possible to construct very professional looking presentations has to be experienced to be believed , and some of the tools it provides would make professional traditional animators green with envy . This is version one of what promises to be one of the leading packages in this field , and , given that that is the case , I expect future versions to add greatly to its functionality . Even so , as it stands , I feel that whether it be for business presentations , hobby or educational purposes , AWI has much to recommend it .
Idiom: in the works (used idiomatically: yes)
And finally , police in Edinburgh are urgently following leads on a major force operation … They 're searching for police dogs . Lothian and Borders are facing a shortage of dogs to train in police work so they 've issued an urgent appeal for information on suitable animals in the Edinbugh area . They 've issued a description of suspects who may be suitable . They 'd like to see any
Idiom: once and for all (used idiomatically: yes)
He got to his feet and looked first at his companions and then at Nicholson , who nodded , a slight smile creasing his lips . ‘ If Mr Fairham will allow me to say one more thing,’ he offered , the tone of his voice even , ‘ we also find overcrowding a problem here but the answer is n't to build more gaols . Before you leave here today , I 'll show you how overcrowding can be dealt with once and for all . Not just at Whitely , but at every prison in the country.’ 46