Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: on the house (used idiomatically: yes)
A GANG of professional thieves who staked out a house in Bentworth last week got away with a £ 20,000 caravan . Now the angry owner , whose home has been burgled four times this year , is offering a £ 500 reward for information . Twenty - three year - old Allen Taylor is ' sick and tired ' of the continuing attacks on his parents ' house and is appealing for help . The latest raid at Ashley Road happened between 6 p.m. and 7.15 p.m. on Friday evening . It is believed that the gang had been watching the property from a nearby field .
Idiom: on the back of (used idiomatically: yes)
You should ask for advice about costs and payments . Your solicitor will be able to advice you on financial matters , and the local Social Work Centre or Hospital Social Worker can also help . ( Addresses on the back of this leaflet . ) HOW MUCH WILL I HAVE TO PAY ? If you have a pension and state benefits but no savings or capital worth more than £ 3000 , then you will pay part of your pension and probably all of your benefits towards the cost .
Idiom: go places (used idiomatically: yes)
In other words , unless you really need the extra equipment supplied with the larger - engined model , you 're probably better off saving your money . If this car does n't shake the German establishment , then it can only be a matter of time . A test drive should convince you that Mazda are going places . FACTS AT A GLANCE Car : new MAZDA 626 range
Idiom: life and limb (used idiomatically: yes)
Hundreds of mountain bikers made Eastnor Castle in Herefordshire their home over the weekend . They came … they saw … but not all of them conquered . The Malvern Hills Classic meeting … now in its fourth year … isn't all about risking life and limb though . It 's a family event … with competitors from under twelve to over fifty . But for the sport 's elite there 's no doubting it 's tough at the top .
Idiom: on the shelf (used idiomatically: yes)
It seemed like aeons of time ago in an unimaginably distant world . My childhood felt nearer . The useless girl that I was might have grown without diversion , etiolated and bland like a stalk of grass under a stone , from those early days , represented still by the dolls and bears that lay on the cupboard shelves . The living creature that I had briefly been might never have existed . My mother would not have recognised her , and now I scarcely recognised her myself .
Idiom: play games (used idiomatically: yes)
Better that than spending a miserable lifetime in the Windsor soup … HARROGATE 'S Ericson Atkins plays his first game for three weeks today when Yorkshire step into the seething cauldron of Redruth . But Yorkshire have no fears about the army winger 's ability to withstand the rigours of the ADT County Championship semi - final . He has proved his fitness in training , and it is hoped that his thundering tackles will help to knock Cornwall out of their stride .
Idiom: early bird (used idiomatically: no)
Your PP may say a well - known proverb up - to - time and you respond . ( If the proverb is not understood first time , the PP writes down the key word and then repeats the whole proverb up - to - time . ) Example : The early bird catches the worm . Your reply : ‘ Never be an early worm!’ or Look before you leap . Your reply : ‘ He who hesitates is lost.’
Idiom: beg the question (used idiomatically: yes)
That is why customary behaviours seem to make sense both to the actors concerned and to the anthropological observer . But the relation of pattern to form is problematic and that is what I find interesting . It follows from this that any anthropologist who selects a particular category word from his own mother tongue , e.g. incest , marriage , family , myth , religion , and then embarks on some kind of cross - cultural study of institutions which he lumps together under such headings , is begging all the questions which are of serious interest ! Yet , on the face of it , this present chapter appears to be a cross - cultural study of " marriage " institutions of just this sort . Appearances are deceptive .
Idiom: sleep like a log (used idiomatically: yes)
Before washing we first cleaned any food residue using earth , pine needles or grass ; utensils were pushed into the earth until they were clean then we washed in the soapy water ; rinsed , then dipped into a pot of boiling water to sterilize . We always had a pot of water simmering on the fireplace . The weather was damp and chilly but the sleeping bag felt mighty good and I made it through the first night , sleeping like a log . Wednesday 21st we awakened at dawn to a chilly overcast day but spirits were good . Had expected to be sore or tired from the previous day but I felt great and was never tired , no sore muscles or any blisters on the entire trip .
Idiom: make the cut (used idiomatically: yes)
I went into the garden where I made an H - shaped cut through to the nest with a spade . It took courage to do this as I was fearful the ants might swarm over the spade and run all the way up the handle to my hands . After I made the cut I folded back the turf ( still using the spade ) and saw the nest . Thousands and thousands of ants seethed in it . I quickly poured the kettle full of water over them , then the contents of all four saucepans .
Idiom: go up in smoke (used idiomatically: yes)
Mr Green hopes the fire will provoke further pledges of aid to People In Need at 1113 Maryhill Road , Glasgow . Tel:041 - 946 7182 . STEPHEN MANSFIELD Hopes gone up in smoke : Phil Green of People In Need examines the charred and sodden mess that was once a £ 1million aid cargo for Romania and Bosnia Lang to outline economic hopes in speech By Joanne Robertson Scottish Political Correspondent
Idiom: no time like the present (used idiomatically: yes)
It is a case of sink or — ? I know we can and will — swim . There is no time like the present . Start Now — Good Luck — I shall follow your progress with great interest . Thank you to all who took part in the discussion , your views will be presented to the Executive Committee who will then make decisions concerning our future plans .
Idiom: in the swim (used idiomatically: yes)
Further along the lonely beach , bunches of flowers marked the spot where she and Julie were murdered , eight days agao . The flowers were part of a sad pilgrimage by the victims ' relatives . Elizabeth 's older brother , Richard , 34 , had come from Somerset to see the place where his ' little sister ' died — and to join in a defiant swim from the murder beach . Julie 's younger brother , Marcus Stuttard , had also made the 6,000-mile journey . ' I wanted to show the people who did this terrible thing that we are defiant , ' he said . '
Idiom: in the black (used idiomatically: no)
But much of what they buy ends up being returned or hidden away at the back of a drawer . Most women do n't want to be decked out in bright red suspenders , skimpy bras and G-strings . They prefer silk , satin or lace underwear in tasteful black or ivory . Most importantly , it should fit . Liz Innes , lingerie buyer for Fenwick in Bond Street says : ‘ It 's vital to check her bra Fashion Editorand brief size . ’
Idiom: by heart (used idiomatically: no)
Do you not know yourself ? ' Harry stared , and was slow to see his own face , and yet he could not but believe . Love reaching out to him took him by the heart and wrung him . He shut his eyes upon a rush of tears , and painfully contained them , but the springs of fondness in the middle of his being were weeping inconsolably for the stilling of the quick hands and the creative mind . He felt older than his lost father , and desperate with protective love .
Idiom: down the road (used idiomatically: yes)
But a few of them they 're worse than us , ai n't they ? Yeah but some of them are really scared of the coons , ai n't they ? Like there was this girl , she worked in the paper shop down the road , and there was this black kid who kept pestering her all the time , so we had to go down and sort him out . He left her alone after that . What did your parents have to say about all this ?
Idiom: on the back of (used idiomatically: yes)
Nick Frazer was locking up the shop when she came along at one . She had remembered him quite differently from what he really was . He looked at her with a pre - occupied air before he recognized her , perhaps because she had put up her hair rather severely deliberately into a tight knot on the back of her head . The pleasant , serious face , the steady brown eyes , disconcerted her . Was this the wolf who was going to make double - edged remarks , even a pass , at her ?
Idiom: spot on (used idiomatically: no)
He now shares an agent with comic icons Rowan Atkinson and Harry Enfield . Having worked his way up via his own live spoof chat show Vic 's Big Night Out , he has latterly been guesting on television 's One Hour With Jonathan Ross , a show whose format bears a strong resemblance to Reeves 's own showcase . You can usually spot Reeves on the programme by his larded - on northern accent . Future projects include a series on Channel 4 in April , to be followed by a sitcom for Granada , hopefully in the summer . ' The working title is The Weekenders .
Idiom: as a rule (used idiomatically: yes)
Figurative and non - figurative All oriental rug designs can be broadly divided into those which employ naturalistic representations of living forms and those which employ either totally geometric forms , or naturalistic forms that have been so abstracted that their origins are no longer recognizable . As a general rule , Turkoman , Afghan and Anatolian rugs are predominantly non - figurative , whereas those from the other rug - producing countries often use realistic , if sometimes highly abstracted , plant , bird , animal and human forms . Experts most frequently explain this regional division by pointing to conflicting interpretations of the hadith ( the sayings attributed to the Prophet Mohammed ) by the different Islamic sects . The Sunnite Muslims , who are dominant in Anatolia , Afghanistan and among the Turkoman nomads , forbid the depiction of living forms , whereas the Shiite Muslims of Persia — and , of course , the Hindu , Taoist and Buddhist cultures of India and China — are not bound by such doctrinal restraints .
Idiom: follow suit (used idiomatically: yes)
Dora 's Room is accessible , middle - brow , a little like Daphne du Maurier . By bringing it out as an A - format , £ 4.99 , mass - market paperback we hope to attract a much wider readership . We only hope other publishers will follow suit.’ Encouraged by the response from publishers Martin Lee commented : ‘ We are not talking about the death of the hardback but we do want publishers to find the appropriate format in which to promote their author . The media is interested when books are new , and so we should create a situation in which we can maximise sales when the marketing opportunity is at its peak .
Idiom: up sticks (used idiomatically: yes)
Obviously this idea has to be thought out in advance , and if your friend or family move during the winter then you could be faced with a big problem in trying to gather enough material to make an attractive and interesting picture . Perhaps this is the perfect excuse to be allowed to pick a selection of all the suitable plants from the gardens of all your friends and family , just in case ! You will then have the right specimens ready and waiting whenever anyone decides to up sticks and move . If friends are foolhardy but kind enough to let you loose in their gardens , it is a very nice idea to make them a small picture from some of the flowers you have gathered and subsequently pressed . Even if they are not moving , it is still a charming way of saying ‘ thank you’ .
Idiom: in your dreams (used idiomatically: yes)
What next ? You are suddenly awoken by a loud noise . Is it you , crying in your dream , or the voices of may people ? Is it about pits or jobs or housing or social care ? All you can hear is one word : ‘ Enough’ .
Idiom: on the money (used idiomatically: yes)
The consideration payable at stage 1 will be £ [ ] million . £ [ ] million of this is to be released immediately and the balance of £ [ ] million will be held in escrow and released following agreement of the completion accounts . Interest on the moneys held in escrow will follow the principal . The allocation of the consideration is based on the assumption that ABC 's estimate of the net assets at completion is a minimum of £ [ x ] . If ABC 's estimate is less than [ x]the consideration payable at stage 1 and the amount to be released immediately will be reduced £ 1 for £ 1 .
Idiom: take the piss (used idiomatically: yes)
when we were round at oh do you remember I told you about me , when I thought erm I saw Aaron try and touch my face , yeah ? Yeah . Right when it was pitch dark , yeah , I was half , I was still pissed and I was half asleep and you were p taking the piss out of me behind my back about that . When ? Catherine told me !
Idiom: under fire (used idiomatically: yes)
Often Ann is juggling calls while helping visitors — in a typical four - hour spell she dealt with 42 people , a rate of about one every five minutes . ‘ Sometimes at the end of the day I am drained,’ said Ann , who has been doing the job at Courtaulds Packaging company in Colchester , UK , for 10 years . But she is conscious of being the first contact customers and suppliers have with the company and of the need to keep cool under fire . ‘ I am not aware of ever having lost my patience,’ said Ann . ‘ But I have noticed that the more annoyed I appear to sound when I call people over the Tannoy , the faster the response.’
Idiom: spring to mind (used idiomatically: yes)
MUNROS , THEY'RE ALL OVER THE PLACE . THAT MEANS THAT NO MATTER where you live , you 're going to stop overnight from time to time . If you have already rejected hotels as too pricey , and youth hostels as too lugubrious , then two further types of accommodation spring to mind when we consider the problem of finding accommodation in the wild and lonely Scottish hills : bothies and tents . I have nothing against tents . I spent most of my childhood holidays chasing our tent along the tops of cliffs in the middle of the night as gale - force winds carried it towards the sea .
Idiom: walk of life (used idiomatically: yes)
The first was opened in the village of Vemdalen in the remote forests of Sweden in September 1985 . The impact , according to Henning Albrechsten , president of Telecottages International who has been involved in their development since the outset , was immediate . ‘ By holding open meetings for children and having the telecottage above the local store , people of all walks of life came in -small - scale entrepreneurs and their spouses , shop assistants , craftspeople and children . Now , 15 per cent of the village regularly uses the telecottage and at least 20 per cent has taken courses there.’ Britain is lagging behind .
Idiom: on edge (used idiomatically: yes)
CONSERVATION OUTCRY OVER WINDFARM PLAN The Secretary of State for the Environment Michael Howard has given the green light for a windfarm development on the edge of the Lake District National Park . This overturns the recommendations made by one of the Department 's inspectors following a four day public enquiry last June . The proposal from National Wind Power is for 15 wind turbines , each 24 metres high , to be erected only half a mile from the park 's southern boundary on Kirkby Moor — a Site of Special Scientific Interest .
Idiom: drop someone a line (used idiomatically: yes)
I just shouted on an impulse and was very sorry later.’ Paul O'Dell , of London - based Bamboo Films , would like to hear from Mr Downey and anyone else who can remember the incident including ex - Everton players ! Give us at call or drop us a line if you can say : ‘ I was there!’ Country park will host butterfly gala A BUTTERFLY gala is being held in Rivacre Valley Country Park this weekend .
Idiom: at the end of the day (used idiomatically: yes)
They changed me completely and utterly.’ Orlando is in no way the archetypal American brat ; Pat is briskly doting about him . ‘ I 'm a great disciplinarian , I 'm tough on politeness and all that , but at the end of the day he 's done a good job on himself . He 's funny , sensible , wonderful company , he 's a great travelling companion , and he 's my friend , first and foremost.’ Then there is Camellia , who is 5 and adopted .
Idiom: out of sight (used idiomatically: yes)
He offered me a cigarette . I declined . Wo n't let me out of his sight for a minute , he said . Not since the missus died . I helped him fold his sheets .
Idiom: cost the earth (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ My aunt in America sent us a photo of herself in a black dress after Grandad died and it was very plain . It looked chic.’ ‘ Oh , Sarah , it probably cost the earth . And then your aunt is beautiful , is n't she?’ Anne said .
Idiom: give something a miss (used idiomatically: yes)
The slim , green , fluted bottles are reminiscent of those from neighbouring Moselle in Germany — though slightly taller — and the wine firms have a distinctly Germanic ring with names such as Trimbach , Gisselbrecht and Hugel . The wine villages of Alsace also sound decidedly Germanic with names such as Marlenheim , Turckheim , Riquewihr and Ammerschwihr and here a curious German dialect is often spoken . Perhaps unsure of exactly what to expect from Alsace wines , it seems British wine drinkers have tended to give the whole lot a miss . And what treats they have passed up ! About 20 per cent of all quality French wines ( that is , wines with an appellation ) come from Alsace , but outside France their biggest fans remain within the wine trade itself .
Idiom: no man's land (used idiomatically: yes)
' Yeah , I was wondering about that , ' interrupted Billy , ' sounds like he ai n't got no balls . ' He held his hand to his mouth in mock apology as both girls gave him a straight look . ' Well , ' Yanto began hastily , ' I was told he got pinned down for a week in no - man 's land during the battle of the Somme in 1916 . Every time he tried to move he got a burst of machine gun fire . Yelling for help for a week must be enough to knacker anybody 's vocal cords .
Idiom: have an eye for (used idiomatically: yes)
He bought a new radio for her though she said she did n't need it , but he wanted some evidence of what he was achieving , something in the flat that proved he was doing all right . To create illusions you have to be careful about the details . Tim had an eye for those , he was good at remembering them . His illusions started with reality too , that made the jumping - off point , in the same way that an illusionist on stage has a real girl ; they had to have near possibility , nothing too extreme , not at the beginning anyway . Like the second course that Barnett entered him for , this time for an accounting system .
Idiom: come of age (used idiomatically: yes)
The Government has been asked to give a high priority to the subject by making substantial cuts in rate poundages in the tax year 1992/93 . The International Forum The International Forum came of age in October 1990 when the 21st conference was held in Aviemore on the theme Innovation . As usual , the conference proved popular and around 200 delegates participated . In October 1991 the 22nd Forum addressed the subject of The New Europe Co - operation and Competition .
Idiom: over the hill (used idiomatically: yes)
As I picked it up , I could see only one word —dead … If your daughter Maria does not come home soon , she will be dead . I went over the hills to bring her back . My Maria was in a small bed in a cold room upstairs , coughing badly . Elizabeth and Charlotte and Emily stood beside her , waiting for me .
Idiom: in my book (used idiomatically: no)
Totem and Taboo as we 'll see is a key book , not only in terms Freud 's writings on social sciences , but in Freud 's development . And it , kind of faces both ways , it , it looks back to the early period of the development of Freud 's thought that we 've already spoken about , and its beginnings back in the eighteen nineties , and in certain other respects , it looks forward , to the kind of revolution that was going to occur after World War Two . What I 've called in my book , Essential Freud , the Second Psychoanalytic er Revolution . So , it , it 's in many ways a , a book that , that looks two ways , as it were , back and , and forward . And what I want to do today is to talk about Totem and Taboo rather more as it looks back , than as it looks forward , and not just to , to the past in Freud , but to the past in other respects , as you will see .
Idiom: out of the question (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Just this once . For old times’ sake.’ ‘ It 's out of the question,’ he responded harshly , but Melanie threw herself against him . Red - tipped fingers slid up to encircle Penry 's neck and Leonora turned away in blind haste , running downstairs to plunge into the crowd below . When Penry rejoined her some time later Leonora was the centre of a group discussing the rival merits of various sailing craft .
Idiom: up in the air (used idiomatically: yes)
Unfortunately , due to the delay in reaching agreement on the one chapter that is still open , i.e. the chapter concerning institutions , the future of the provisional agreements is now up in the air again . Whatever happens , the Commission is of the opinion that this situation can not be allowed to continue .
Idiom: in the dock (used idiomatically: yes)
Sir Charles Coote , over 30 years earlier , had spoken of the large brick houses and well assorted shops , though he clearly regarded Richhill as being more important . In his 1842 ‘ Irish Sketchbook’ William Makepeace Thackeray has compliments to pay , all the more valuable because he is critical of a great many other , better - known places which he visited during his tour of Ireland . He writes of ‘ the little town Portadown , with its comfortable unpretending houses , its squares and market - place , its pretty quay , with craft along the river , a steamer building in the dock close to mills and warehouses — a pleasant conclusion to this ten miles ' drive ( from Armagh).’ A later traveller in 1854 spoke of ‘ the thriving little town of Portadown , situate upon the Bann , in a very superior trading position , having sufficient depth of water to float vessels of 50 to 60 tons burden . By means of the Ulster Canal it carries on a communication between Belfast and Enniskillen , and with Newry ( and the sea ) by the Newry Navigation .
Idiom: know the ropes (used idiomatically: yes)
Was there a man at the wheel who would be present throughout ? Or was Italy full of slender , available girls driving ten - ton trucks . ‘ A fellow ca n't live out here , winter and summer both , without getting to know the ropes,’ Fosdyke told him . ‘ I 've heard about a chap who 's in close touch with a fellow who can always manage it . It could happen crossing the street in Mondano , and you know what a menace those lorries can be .
Idiom: high and dry (used idiomatically: yes)
Frozen out THE RAF 'S smallest station — at Jurby Head on the Isle of Man — is to be closed in July next year because the Cold War is over . KING JUAN LEFT HIGH AND DRY A SECURITY scare has scuppered plans by the King and Queen of Spain to visit a Tall Ships regatta today . Royal bodyguards scrapped the tour in Liverpool because two million visitors are expected at Albert Dock .
Idiom: take someone's word for it (used idiomatically: yes)
They are not so simple to replace , are they ? And the work of reproduction less enjoyable.’ ‘ I ca n't say,’ said Thorfinn , ‘ that I 've ever bedded a ship , but I 'll take your word for it . We still seem to have some left . You wanted to talk about Lothian?’