Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: in one ear and out the other (used idiomatically: yes)
At home , she would argue with him about physics : I do n't talk to my father about physics ; it 's always a mistake because he gets cross when I say silly things , but the rest of the family get cross because they ca n't understand . Whatever he tells me seems to go in one ear and out the other . ( Of course , Natalie was n't silly ; she was , in fact , a year younger than the rest of the first - year students , having kept a year ahead at school . ) Other women mentioned their fathers as direct influences ; for example :
Idiom: give someone the slip (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Not I,’ said the old gentleman and poured himself some tea . Hope shook his head and sat down carefully as if to concentrate on his tea leaves . ‘ Then they have given me the slip again . But I met a man on the road to the other village — I 've pursued them over the mountain from Keswick and you know the road divides two ways — and he swore they had come this way.’ ‘ Perhaps,’ said Hope , without looking up , ‘ he lied .
Idiom: hold court (used idiomatically: yes)
Sometimes , he took his mother with him . ‘ She was a wonderful , quick - witted little woman , hilariously funny,’ Fenella Fielding remembers . ‘ She would hold court . She was also useful to Ken . He would use her as his excuse for never going to America to work — a prospect which always frightened him.’
Idiom: from pillar to post (used idiomatically: yes)
When the process of ‘ waking things up a bit’ commences , reputations , and records of attendances at police court , are made and broken every day . In one area , there was a wholesale slaughter of the innocents . Policemen of twenty to twenty - five years ' service were harassed from pillar to post in the hunt for improved returns of charges and summonses . One after the other was called to report why he had not been to the police court for a long period , and threatened that if he did not do more work in the future he would lose pay . Men were designated by superior officers as being lazy , inefficient , absolutely worthless , and whose only object in life was to go to the pay table on Wednesdays to receive their pay .
Idiom: unknown quantity (used idiomatically: yes)
I will get to the bottom of it , Merrill resolved . But there 'll be a better moment than this . After all , Luke was still something of an unknown quantity , and she had to be sure of her ground when the right moment came , otherwise he would annihilate her . The following evening Merrill was meticulously checking the proofs of a glossy brochure advertising the company 's line in executive office furniture . At the end of a busy day , broken only by a brief snack lunch with Mike Freeman 's secretary , Kate , Merrill was tired .
Idiom: hit the jackpot (used idiomatically: yes)
Dealers are increasingly squeezed out . Christie 's , meanwhile , began to send major works on pre - auction tours to Tokyo to attract the ‘ kaneamari gensho’— the excess money . The 1987 Sunflowers tour hit the jackpot . The new businessmen - buyers were accustomed to using debt as an investment tool , and employed this technique in buying pictures . To encourage billionaires to bid against each other , the auctioneer will offer to lend up to 50 per cent of the final price , and this has clearly inflationary effects .
Idiom: lame duck (used idiomatically: yes)
The aviary was for injured birds before releasing them into the wild . Then , when it was all ready and Jane was several hundred pounds poorer , he backed out arrogantly and without apology , making the excuse that his game leg was playing him up . He had turned out to be a lame duck and limped out of her life . Then there was the very earnest , dedicated ‘ alternative’ coterie , with a ‘ no smoking’sign on their front door . The leader of the clan was Erica , half German and a dedicated do - gooder who always greeted Jane with an unnerving ‘ How are you , Jane?’ delivered with a look of such worried concern that Jane felt there ought , or must , be something wrong with her .
Idiom: make or break (used idiomatically: yes)
Together advertising and public relations have a freedom and range of techniques at their disposal which advertising alone does not since public relations seeks to earn reputation and to persuade through opinion while advertising buys space or time in which to say exactly what it wants you to believe . If advertising is as old as the first caveman who scrawled " Bonzo is the greatest Caveman " across a cave wall , then public relations must have started before Mankind learned to write . The first time one person whispered in the ear of another to make or break a third person 's reputation , then public relations was born . Persuading people to a particular point of view is the essential aim of every public relations campaign , no matter how it may appear to be about products , concepts , policies , personalities , issues , or information and data . Although the great American Thomas Jefferson in 1807 used the term " public relations " , and in England the pen was mighty and writers such as Swift and Dickens promulgated their ideas hoping to change public opinion about a whole host of social or scientific or political issues , until the First World War , public relations was thought of as propaganda .
Idiom: once in a while (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I assure you , Reg … ’ ‘ You 're a rotten , stinking sod . You might just ask her in once in a while . You know , hold her hand and cheer her up a bit . Keep her out of trouble .
Idiom: kiss and tell (used idiomatically: yes)
He held her hand and said : ' Tell me that bit again , sweetheart . The bit about winning . ' She kissed him and told him all over again , and he was happy . He said : ' You make me shiver when you talk like that . I 've suddenly realized how bizarre this situation is .
Idiom: in business (used idiomatically: yes)
Europe 's Central ~ Bank at Sea NEWPORT BEACH – Central ~ bank purists are confused . How can the European ~ Central ~ Bank , a Germanic institution , now be in the business of buying government bonds issued by five of its 17 members ? Why is this monetary authority acting like a fiscal agency ? Is n't the ECB supposed to be a politically independent and operationally autonomous institution committed to fighting inflation and safeguarding the currency ?
Idiom: turn the corner (used idiomatically: yes)
It is producing a list of unnecessary EC measures which should be repealed or shelved . Agreement at Edinburgh will not be easy , but everyone knows that the price of failure would be high . For this is Europe 's chance to turn the corner . A lesson the teacher will never forget Simon Trump
Idiom: against the grain (used idiomatically: yes)
So what makes you dislike me?’ She busied herself with the scissors , studying his hair intently . In her job she was accustomed to boosting fragile egos and bolstering shaky morales , but it went against the grain to tell outright lies . In this case , however , she did n't really have much choice , and the realisation rankled . ‘ I do n't dislike you , Mr Jacobsen,’ she returned at last , with all the conviction she could muster .
Idiom: on the mend (used idiomatically: yes)
Middlesbrough face Barnsley ( Monday ) , Oxford United ( Wednesday ) and Plymouth Argyle ( Saturday . ) It is an important week for the club and an expensive one for fans , who are certain to pick and choose unless the club make a cut - price gesture . Souness is on the mend LIVERPOOL manager Graeme Souness was ‘ stable and making good progress’ yesterday after a comfortable night following major heart surgery . Mr Souness , 38 , a former Middlesbrough star , had a five - hour triple bypass operation on Tuesday at the private Alexandra Hospital at Cheadle , near Stockport , Cheshire .
Idiom: put your foot down (used idiomatically: yes)
Fed up with playing footsie with your missus ? Tired of tiptoeing through your neighbour 's tulips after a heavy night down the pub ? Then put your foot down and demand one of these funky Quickjoy Foot - Pedals for your next birthday ! Enabling you to allocate different joystick commands to the three coloured pedals , this nifty little piece of hardware will certainly add a good deal of realism to any driving games you may have in your collection ( except Hard Drivin ' , of course , as even a steering wheel and gear shift could n't fuel - inject any realism into that ! ) . As well as this posh pedal thingie , Quickjoy also have a number of natty new joysticks poised for release — a good few of 'em looking pretty damn mean from the blurb sheets , too .
Idiom: full whack (used idiomatically: yes)
Their cash holdings declined at an annual rate of 7 % in the last three months of 1992 . Meanwhile , another source of cash — bank borrowing — has become steadily less attractive . In recent years , desperate to boost their operating profits and absorb bad loans , banks have begun charging corporate borrowers the full whack . Their lending rates have not fallen in line with their funding costs ; banks ' margins have widened by about two percentage points since early 1991 . Smithers calculates that to finance a corporate - sector deficit of ¥ 40 trillion at the current high corporate - borrowing rate of 5 % ( almost 4 % after inflation ) would cost ¥ 2 trillion a year .
Idiom: turn the screw (used idiomatically: yes)
But Davies also pointed out that a new programme of scientific research into fitness and conditioning had been launched by the WRU to bring the Welsh team up to the required standard for international rugby . A revival will take a long time , warned Davies , but spirited performances from players like Copsey and Lewis must give some cause for optimism . Tordo turns the screw … Mister Electric . The focal point of the tortoise , French flanker Jean - François Tordo , in the thick of it .
Idiom: at the coalface (used idiomatically: no)
That is not true today in many areas that previously had public subsidies . I do not say that in order to condemn the people who work in those industries . I have tremendous admiration for anyone who has spent a lifetime in the mining industry , especially at the coalface . I have a genuine respect for people who live their lives in that way . Their unique quality is demonstrated in many ways , not least their loyalty and service to the Crown in times of need .
Idiom: on the house (used idiomatically: no)
of my constituents lost out . They live in what was formerly a low rateable value area . People who paid rates amounting to only £ 200 on a house now have to pay £ 1 , 200 in poll tax . The same applies in Pendle , Rossendale and Darwen and Hyndburn . The Conservatives will lose those seats at the next election .
Idiom: give and take (used idiomatically: yes)
The wound was swollen and livid : the colours of bruising were showing already and a triangle of loose flesh shrouded a gaping red wound . Crowds of people had gathered around : Chola and the twins , back from the fields , Sigarup , Kāli , Nara and Mina , all were staring , aghast . Some of the older men began moving the children aside , giving instructions and taking control . Recovering now , the Tibetan stood up and , dragging his wounded leg in its shredded covering of black polyester , he lurched his way over to Kalchu . Standing directly in front of him , his face calm and assured , he demanded five hundred rupees as compensation .
Idiom: at the end of the day (used idiomatically: yes)
Lastly , although it would be nice to feel that everybody charts the forward direction absolutely correctly , the reality of life is that this is an almost impossible ambition . It is far more important to be moving forward in broadly the right directions than to be stuck still without the businesses going anywhere . The process of deciding where you are taking your business is the opportunity to get the involvement and commitment of others , which actually forms the motive power that at the end of the day will make it happen . While one can not assert unequivocally that determination will win , in the balance of life you can alter direction more easily on the move than you can if you are static , and if you have set the direction in this way it will almost alter itself . Switching On or Switching Off ?
Idiom: turn the corner (used idiomatically: yes)
Yeah . It looks it . You know when I want to turn a corner I 've got to stand on my toes and put my full weight on it to turn it . you could have them on a lead could n't you ? Oh they 're , they 're
Idiom: for good measure (used idiomatically: yes)
She threw handfuls of Loulou 's bath - salts into the hot water , then emptied the jar . There . A dash of eau - de - Cologne for good measure . Lying in clouds of scent in the sunken tub filled to the brim , that streak of equanimity she had asserted itself . She began to giggle ; ruefully .
Idiom: with open arms (used idiomatically: no)
His voice was now redolent with an underlying threat that was not wasted on James Grierson . Michael Ryan was offering him a face saver and he knew it . He was being told in no uncertain terms that he could come out of all this as the loving , caring father who would do anything to keep his daughter 's reputation ; who welcomed her choice of husband with open arms ; who would not bow down in the face of adversity , but would rise up and conquer it . For the first time in his life James Grierson felt a grudging respect for a Ryan . He knew he was being manipulated but , he asked himself , what was the alternative ?
Idiom: round the clock (used idiomatically: yes)
And there 's his increasingly high profile on TV programmes such as The Gladiators , On the Line and Good Sports . Priority That lot would keep most mortals occupied round the clock . But he added : ‘ First and foremost , I 'm a professional footballer and I make sure everyone knows that . Wimbledon pay my wages and my commitment to them takes top priority .
Idiom: pecking order (used idiomatically: yes)
A spokesman claimed it did not even have a record of the name of the hero pilot or a list of the passengers . But airport official Frank Walton , who is in charge of private plane facilities , said : ‘ I spoke to the man who said he was the pilot of the plane several hours after the landing and he definitely was n't John Travolta.’ Giant baby 's first in the pecking order IT could be a chilling scene from Alfred Hitchcock 's classic The Birds . A line of black crows gather ominously on the body of a giant baby .
Idiom: white hat (used idiomatically: yes)
IF THERE is one political lesson which recent events have underlined in Africa , South East Asia and Latin America , it is that peasant armies waging guerilla wars all end up committing the same sort of brutalities , whatever the flag they fight under . Marxist ideology was no better guarantee of Vietcong decency 20 years ago than it now is for Swapo ; nor has it preserved the Sandinistas from endemic corruption in their civil war against the American - backed Contras . In Nick Darke 's Kissing the Pope , however , the Sandinistas are given unequivocal white - hat status : a visit to Nicaragua apparently convinced him and his director Roger Michell that that unhappy land was ' one of the world 's few areas of moral black and white ' . So his Contras behave like homicidal lager - louts , and his Sandinistas like palely scrupulous members of the SDP . The production is cowboys and Indians first and last , with a buddy - movie section in between .
Idiom: go places (used idiomatically: yes)
Well Nick I think you did enjoy the game but it was two points lost rather than one point gained . Oh , now doubt about that at all Peter yes , and with the sides equal on points , I 'm particularly disappointed for United who obviously would have liked to have climbed above Charlton in the table . And in fact they 've gone one place down the table , they 've moved down to eighteenth with West Brom having a good win away at Blackburn . Yes so lots of games for United to play at the moment with the postponements , a lot of mid - week games , a lot of games up here at the Manor , but erm as so often happens with United , after a good performance or a little a good run , they never quite do it at home do they , they never quite kill sides off and they draw in games that they 've played very well as they have done today . They tend perhaps just to lack that real killer instinct and erm it 's such a great shame because people might laugh and joke looking at the league table , in fact United , since Christmas , have played some very good football indeed .
Idiom: lie low (used idiomatically: no)
Phil likes to spend all his free time with our two boys , Reg and Ronnie . They are out most nights visiting a post office somewhere or repossessing cars . But Phil will never miss his football , not even if he has to lie low for a couple of months . I think he goes training because he knows the police can never find an Athletico training session . He gets so excited on match days he is often up and about by noon .
Idiom: once in a while (used idiomatically: yes)
PARIS – All over the world , Internet users entertain romantic delusions about cyberspace . To most of us Web surfers , the Internet provides a false sense of complete freedom , power , and anonymity . Every once in a while , of ~ course , unsolicited messages and ads that happen to be mysteriously related to our most intimate habits intrude . They remind us that we Internet users are , indeed , under constant virtual surveillance . When the watchers have only commercial motives , such “ spam ” feels like a minor violation .
Idiom: out of line (used idiomatically: no)
The fall in investment was so large that it was , by a considerable margin , the most important cause of the decline in aggregate demand , even though it accounts for a much smaller fraction of demand than consumer spending . The investment slump gives some clues to the real cause of the recession : a decision by businesses to react to growing uncertainty by sharp cuts in investment , stocks , output and employment , even though demand growth was slowing only gradually . At the time , the Treasury forecasts were not out of line with the consensus , so most businesses were making production and investment plans based on projections of slow but positive growth in the economy . Yet , despite that reasonable outlook , real investment fell by 12 % , and manufacturing output by 6 % , in the following year . Furthermore , as a result of the fall in output , businesses were able to reduce stocks substantially even though the eventual fall in demand was much larger than expected .
Idiom: hit the jackpot (used idiomatically: yes)
Nobody knew much about her , she 'd turned up in the town as a sort of companion - housekeeper to an old lady who had a house in Morrab Close , a Mrs Armitage — a widow . I think she was a relative . Anyway , Alfred could n't believe his luck ; he 'd never really made it with girls and here he was hitting the jackpot . The old lady died and within weeks they 'd decided to get married ; they started furnishing the rooms over the shop and all was set for a wedding.’ Swayne paused , watching the smoke curl upwards from his little cigar .
Idiom: put down roots (used idiomatically: yes)
of the cases in the past few years have been found to be genuine asylum seekers in United Nations terms . The fact is that we give exceptional leave to remain because it would be inhumane to send some people , such as the Croatian that the hon . Member mentioned , back to their country at this time , even though they may not have made a claim of persecution . In some cases , because of our long waiting list , people have been here too long — they have married , put down roots and have children in school — and it would be unreasonable to send them back . I am afraid that I have to confess that we allow a substantial number of people to remain simply because we have not had the staff to pursue their claims to remain through the various hoops available to them . Mr. Darling
Idiom: play ball (used idiomatically: yes)
All the same it is hard to resist the temptation to describe United 's style as Wimbledon Mk II . For a start , you have goalkeeper Simon Tracey , signed from Wimbledon last year . He regularly plays the ball outside the 18-yard area before kicking it upfield . Where did he learn that move ? At the heart of the defence is Mark Morris , a first-team regular with the Dons for seven years .
Idiom: food for thought (used idiomatically: yes)
The marriage which he contemplated for Matilda was with one of the most powerful of the new barons of the Conqueror , Count Alan Rufus , lord of Richmond , who for twenty - five years had been the greatest man in the north of England and one of the most constant witnesses of English royal charters : a central character , therefore , in the government of England , but a potential menace in the semi - conquered North . The projected match , therefore , opened up vistas of great political opportunity , and perhaps even greater danger . The prospect of a marriage between his most important baron in the North and the daughter of the English king 's most dangerous enemy across the still ambiguous northern border must have given Rufus considerable food for thought . In the circumstances , it is not surprising that the marriage plan foundered . We do not know precisely on what grounds , but it had already broken down by August 1093 , the date which had been fixed for the final settlement of differences between the kings of England and Scotland .
Idiom: in the pink (used idiomatically: no)
' Over the years too the story has grown and at least one fan seems to recall that I potted every ball in the final frame one - handed ! ' . IN THE PINK : Being a snooker star has given Joe a luxury lifestyle , but he still practises six hours a day at his local club SPIN BALL WiZARDs ! Joe can swerve a ball , but Fred gives him a few tips on spinning it , too — without picking the seam !
Idiom: under fire (used idiomatically: yes)
Gravestones and wreaths have been wrecked at the town 's public cemetery on a number of occasions by drunken youths . CANON ATTACKED A SENIOR Anglican clergyman who declared that sex outside marriage should not necessarily be considered a sin has come under fire . Canon Anthony Harvey , sub - dean at Westminster Abbey , said in an article in Theology magazine that the Church should rethink its attitude to extra - marital sex and whether marriage was for life . But the Evangelical Alliance UK , which says it represents a million churchgoers , immediately responded by saying the Church must not adopt society 's view of marriage as disposable and pre - marital sex as inevitable .
Idiom: do me a favour (used idiomatically: yes)
I … ’ She faltered , desperately searching for some excuse . ‘ The only problem is , my car is going in for a service , so maybe you could do me a favour and give me a lift there ? I 'm living at Brooklands — you know where that is , do n't you ? Shall we say about seven o'clock?’
Idiom: all and sundry (used idiomatically: yes)
April 13 is Songkran , the Thai New Year , and traditional celebrations include a great deal of water throwing . In the morning young people sprinkle their elders with water to bring well - being and continued longevity . In the afternoon , ritual becomes outrage and entire buckets of water are thrown at all and sundry . Still , it 's pretty hot in Thailand right now , and after such a special New Year lunch , who would care ? A good Thai meal will be so beautifully balanced and so crammed with flavour and texture that it both satiates and stimulates .