Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: hold court (used idiomatically: yes)
Several years ago I met someone who is now a very famous television celebrity and did a piece on the radio with them . The item went well , and it was reported to me that the celebrity was very pleased with my contribution . About two - and - a - half years later I walked into a small clothes shop to see the celebrity holding court . My instant response was that he would not remember who I was ( poor old little insignificant me ) . Embarrassed at my ineptitude in the situation , I feigned great interest in a rack of clothes at the back of the shop .
Idiom: pick up the pieces (used idiomatically: yes)
The pair of them added a fair number of crashes to the record that year and when both Hunt and Horsley crashed at Brands Hatch ( Hunt made it a double by crashing his Mini on the way home ! ) Hesketh dropped out of F3 . Picking up the pieces of his career , Hunt managed to move into F– at the end of the year . Hesketh backed him , Horsley ( intelligently ) moved into team - managing and Hunt began to finish in the points . The March 912 in which Hunt drove proved competitive and some reasonable results enabled the Hesketh team to stagger through the year .
Idiom: under the weather (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I do hope it 's nothing serious,’ said Julia politely , thinking that it was rather hard on his wife to spend her honeymoon feeling ill while her husband sat in on a war crimes trial . ‘ No , no,’ said Suvarov . ‘ She just feels rather under the weather sometimes . David and I were wondering if we could take you out for a spot of lunch . Will you come?’
Idiom: sweetness and light (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Then I 'll make a point of repeating it — at five - minute intervals.’ She laughed . ‘ Why all this sweetness and light?’ she asked wryly . ‘ You do n't have to work at it , you know.’ ‘ Who 's talking about work ?
Idiom: off the record (used idiomatically: no)
BALLYDRAIN Harriers Brian Ervine and Anne Sandford were in record breaking form in the eighth round of the Anderson Fell Running Championship in the Sperrin Mountains yesterday . Ervine , who last week finished runner - up in the Irish championship , took the lead from the start with only Jim Brown of BARF prepared to give chase . By the second of eight peaks Ervine was well clear but continued to keep his fast pace going for the full 14 mile distance and knocked over nine minutes off the course record clocking 2 hours 14 minutes 16 seconds . Brown paid the price for his fast start as he was passed by Irish vets champion Billy McKay of Albertville . But both had to give way to Larne AC 's flying doctor Peter Howie who produced his best ever run by storming through in the closing stages to grab the runner up spot .
Idiom: catch a cold (used idiomatically: no)
A Guide to Services for Women In general , women are healthier and live longer than ever before , indeed on average they can expect to live 5 years longer than men . But although anyone can catch a cold or break their leg only women have babies or get cancer of the cervix , and , and some health problems , like osteoporosis and cystitis , mostly affect women . In recent years , a lot of work has gone into improving the quality of care that patients receive from the health service . Particular emphasis has been placed on women 's health .
Idiom: in a nutshell (used idiomatically: yes)
It gets stranger . For all you Thatcher - era baby - boom victims out there , Madness remain one of the most prolific popmeisters of the early ' 80s . In a nutty nutshell , Suggs , Chrissy , Carl Smythe , Mike Barson , Woody , Mark Bedford and Lee Thompson skanked their way from the 2-Tone stable onto Stiff and , ultimately , Virgin , and along the way had more bona fide tip - top selling hits than most mathematical geniuses can work out . Their cheery , knees - up - Muvver - Brown , cock - er - nee grin gradually became eroded by a grim awareness of reality as the Thatcher years dragged on . Hence , by the time the band split , their records were as chirpy as the average dead parrot .
Idiom: under the microscope (used idiomatically: yes)
The colon was opened longitudinally and cleaned of faeces by gentle irrigation with water . Colon macroscopic score The freshly opened colon was pinned out and examined under a Leitz dissecting microscope by two independent observers . The extent of mucosal damage was assessed using a modification of the colon macroscopic scoring system of Wallace et al ( Table I ) . Colon weight and colon weight / body weight ratio
Idiom: come to mind (used idiomatically: yes)
My home club is Coombe Hill in Kingston , Surrey , and I play off a handicap of 17 . I played off seven at my best — politics left me little time for practice , but lack of concentration was the real problem . I would be addressing a putt and instead of thinking about it some political problem would come to mind . With so many years of golf behind me , it was a task to recall my best round . But one does stand out .
Idiom: on the shelf (used idiomatically: yes)
Put your toys back into the box and then put the box on the shelf .
Idiom: hold the line (used idiomatically: no)
BOTTOM of the table Swindon won their first Premiership point with a resolute display at lack - lustre Norwich . John Gorman 's men , who had conceded 10 goals in their previous two games , decided to pack the midfield and leave Andy Mutch on his own up front . For most of the game they were able quite comfortably to hold the Norwich front line . Only once did Norwich break their stranglehold , midway through the first - half , when John Polston moved up to rattle a post . Philip strikes at the double
Idiom: behind closed doors (used idiomatically: no)
‘ He 's technically a very good goalkeeper and he has come on in leaps and bounds in recent weeks,’ he said . Bjorn Kristensen is very much in Keegan 's plans but the Newcastle boss does n't want to rush him back after a season 's absence following a knee operation . Newcastle held their annual general meeting last night behind closed doors . In past years events of the meeting have been covered by the media . But express instructions were given yesterday excluding the press .
Idiom: have words (used idiomatically: yes)
An apology is due When , as I expect , Neil Kinnock enters 10 Downing Street as Prime Minister after Thursday , is it too much to expect that the knockers and detractors who said that Labour could never be electable under his leadership will eat their words ? In particular , will your erstwhile political columnist , R W Johnson , apologise for the appalling piece of sexism that appeared in NSS ( under a previous editor ) on 7 December 1990 , when he suggested that the only way for Labour to win the next election would be for Glenys Kinnock to ' have a word ' with Neil and persuade him to stand down ? Many of us have long thought that anyone who could lead the Labour Party out of the darkness of 1983 would find leading the country relatively easy — and a task for which , despite all the sneering of the snobbish clique that makes up the political élite in this country , it is not necessary to possess a double first from Oxbridge . Wake up Europe
Idiom: slow burn (used idiomatically: yes)
The blue eyes glinted , his jaw was firm , strong . He did not look the least bit sorry , Lissa decided irritably . The slow burn of resentment smouldered inside her . Why was it that he had this profoundly unsettling effect on her ? Whenever he was around , her whole metabolism jerked into overdrive .
Idiom: below par (used idiomatically: yes)
Debate continued on greater " burden sharing " among NATO allies . Prompted in part by a US - Soviet agreement to reduce forces in central Europe to 195,000 each [ see p. 37267 ] , senior NATO officials ( with the exception of the UK Defence Secretary , Tom King ) , attending the annual Wehrkunde conference in Munich on Feb.1 - 2 , called for a more closely integrated western European defence organization within an evolving Atlantic alliance . In April a US Defence Department study on " burden sharing " claimed that the USA had spent a larger share of its national income on the military budget in 1988 than virtually all its NATO allies , and cited Japan and Canada for what it called " below par " contributions to Western defence . However , a report prepared over five years by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute ( SIPRI ) , released in August , concluded that the USA did not bear a disproportionate share of the NATO burden . It estimated that 90 per cent of the manpower , 85 per cent of the tanks , 95 per cent of the artillery and 85 per cent of the combat airpower were provided by NATO 's European members .
Idiom: by heart (used idiomatically: no)
Shannon had never been able to believe that ; as a child she 'd seen a photograph of her father , and even then she 'd been stunned to silence by his incredible good looks . As she grew older she came slowly to understand how a sensible , level - headed woman like her mother could have her head completely turned by unaccustomed glamour . But with understanding had come a growing determination that she would never fall into the same trap — would never allow herself to be ruled by a foolish , hoping heart . Despairingly she thumped the pillows into a more comfortable shape , as though she could vent her frustration on them . Even with all she knew , the feelings invading her body as she lay in Dane 's bed were totally alien — she had no idea how to handle them , let alone get rid of them .
Idiom: sleep rough (used idiomatically: yes)
For some the Refuge Centre is the only hope of a new and different life . The Refuge Centre itself grew out of Glasgow City Mission 's street work on the Night Patrol . This was established in 1980 to bring food , blankets and clothing to those sleeping rough in bus stations , under bridges and flyovers , next to warm - air vents . Gradually contact with street prostitutes began to grow and a relationship of trust began to be established . It was however hard to speak to the girls out on the streets and so in 1991 a Refuge Centre was opened at Holm Street .
Idiom: down the tubes (used idiomatically: yes)
The only meaningful economy here now operates in US dollars . With them you can buy just about whatever your little capitalist heart desires . Without , with a rouble paycheck or , worse still , a rouble pension , life is slipping inexorably down the tubes . The signs that it is doing so are around you in ways which were unimaginable before prices were ‘ liberalised’ two years ago . Little urchins tugging on our coat tails , miming eating , asking for money like some white - skinned version of a miniature beggar in a Calcutta slum .
Idiom: at full tilt (used idiomatically: no)
Downwind she was marvellous , scorching past Yarmouth at 13 knots through the water . She remained entirely controllable on the helm and felt rock steady even in the gusts on a reach . She was particularly fun in the choppier water when we could steer her accurately onto the face of the wave of our choice and drive her through the trough at full tilt . She appeared to have sufficient buoyancy forward to lift her over the next wave instead of burying the foredeck , something which normally prefaces a broach . Despite the clear emphasis on performance , Rulor 11 has particularly attractive accommodation which has been smartly finished by West .
Idiom: hot air (used idiomatically: yes)
Allowing some of the built - up tension inside her to dissipate , she forced a mocking smile to her dry lips . ‘ As a manufacturer yourself you would be more percipient about the role of advertising in selling your product , I would have thought.’ ‘ Perhaps I prefer cold air to hot air,’ he suggested urbanely , his eyes darkening with what could have been amusement at her spirited defence of her career . ‘ Tell me , how long have you worked for this advertising agency which plays such an important part in the British economy?’ ‘ Long enough to know my own worth,’ Gina retorted , irritated by the sardonic gleam in his eyes .
Idiom: under the sun (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ You 'll meet him coming back at this time of day.’ He was capable of living with Annie 's moral disapproval : her physical presence , however , was too threatening and he left rather more smartly than he had intended . It was mid - morning and the rain had long since cleared , leaving the hills freshened , the whole aspect glittering raindrops under the sun , the track drying rapidly underfoot . There seemed nothing but crags along the border of Crummock Water and Hope , who had imagined it to be a short walk , soon regretted that he had not saddled up . This fashion for walking was tiring as well as tedious and his leg troubled him .
Idiom: have a ball (used idiomatically: no)
The deal , including live coverage of the three Tests , will continue into England 's South Africa tour in 1994 . Skipper Alec ENGLAND vice-captain Alec Stewart has been re-appointed captain of Surrey for the 1993 cricket season , ending suggestions that his job might be on the line after the TCCB found the county guilty of ball-tampering . Regan defence NEW European flyweight champion Robbie Regan yesterday agreed to a voluntary defence of his title against Danny Porter in Cardiff on January 19 .
Idiom: out of the picture (used idiomatically: yes)
In Dante 's Purgatorio XXVI , 117 , Guinicelli points to Arnaut Daniel as ‘ miglior fabbro’ , an elevation of the other that Eliot appropriated to indicate his indebtedness to Pound . In acknowledging the greater value of the other one is giving away a part of oneself : that is surely neither servile nor passive , but active generosity . In the opening sequence the Poet is so concerned with the Friend and his future existence that he seems to write himself out of the picture . Simple statistics are revealing . In Sonnets 1 to 17 the first - person forms appear twenty - five times ; if we compute the second - person forms by treating Thou and You as of equal value they appear 161 times .
Idiom: bear fruit (used idiomatically: yes)
He replied , but failed to answer her point about discrimination . Two years later this woman retired . Her new insight and changed consciousness came too late in her life , as happens with many women , to bear fruit for herself or for others . For me it raised a number of questions . How does the typical life cycle of women contribute to their disadvantage within the labour market and within unions ?
Idiom: holy of holies (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ It 's all right , Nancy . This is my daughter.’ ‘ Oh , Mr Varna , I 'm so sorry … ’ she stuttered , even more horrified by her gaffe than she had been about letting a strange woman push her way into the holy of holies . Nancy Ball had only been with Hugo for a few months and it was much longer than that since Harriet had visited him at the office . It had simply never occurred to her that the young woman in a ski jacket with faded jeans tucked into her boots might actually be Hugo Varna 's daughter !
Idiom: in the long run (used idiomatically: yes)
None of them has made a hash of things like the British government . Not yet , anyway . In the longer run , there could be problems . The new tests are time - consuming , and require special training for teachers and painstaking marking by examiners . The far right objects that the tests encourage children to criticise traditional values .
Idiom: have a few (used idiomatically: yes)
The father 's nice enough , but a bit of an old soak and the grandmother was a dragon . I found it a bit odd that a sensible girl should write about them in that — that romantic way.’ Will said gently , ‘ It 's not a bad thing to have a few illusions . Especially about the people you love.’ He took of his glasses , put them on the table and flipped them a short distance .
Idiom: in the hole (used idiomatically: no)
There was no such thing as possession ; and even if there was , it would be those lumps of meat in the turret that were infested with demons , not me . I leaped out of bed , scattering scrunched - up pages . After stuffing these back in the bunk - hole , I picked up the Thesaurus which was still lying open beside the bunk and re - sucked it underneath a big leather Bible . I had to concede it had made compelling reading , from an historical point of view , but I did not anticipate referring to its pages again , not in present circumstances . I did , however , check my thigh , just a brief glance .
Idiom: break even (used idiomatically: yes)
. Yes , I , the er the sale of policy commission land , I think is an extremely ill judged measure . Since the commission was set up in the First World War they in nineteen ninety five they said it would break even for the first time and agreed the last and thirties and forty come to maturity in which incomes are expected to double by twenty , twenty two . These trees were planted by the , from the public purse but they are likely to be harvested by private owners , so I 'm not particularly be to happy about that . The government of course are getting capital receipt now , but sale we only expected to bring in some seven hundred million , it was thought the budget made for three or four days against the to be measure but there are only much more important arguments in the financial consideration in my opinion .
Idiom: behind the scenes (used idiomatically: yes)
This means that to have a big impact , benefits would have to be cut in real terms — undercutting inflation — by up to four per cent . HEALTH HEALTH SECRETARY Virginia Bottomley is fighting a tough behind the scenes battle to preserve her £ 30 billion health budget . She hopes to ensure NHS reforms and hospital opt outs do not run out of steam . She is particularly worried that a freeze on public sector pay will cause outcry among doctors , nurses and hospital workers .
Idiom: go hand in hand (used idiomatically: yes)
By contrast , the importance of foreign markets for asset managers remains very limited and has not changed significantly since 2007 . Despite the recent setback , banks ’ presence in foreign markets today is much greater overall than it was a few years ago . One reason is that revenue growth usually goes hand - in - hand with macroeconomic growth , which increasingly is found in emerging - market countries , rather than in many banks ’ mature Western home markets . Moreover , private and public - sector debt levels tend to be much lower in the emerging economies . At the same time , geographically diversified institutions outperformed even during the recent global crisis , because they were less vulnerable to downturns in individual regions .
Idiom: come of age (used idiomatically: yes)
The papers are all subjected to these for several Conferences before they 're voted on and we lay great emphasis on achieving consensus on any motion , and I think today on the Palestine / Israel debate , which is obviously a very contentious issue , it went through in about half an hour , very calmly , very peacefully , because a lot of hard work had been done . I think it was a tribute to consensual politics which is so rare of course with our other adversarial system that we have in Britain . Now some people , even though the Green Party has er been an established party for some time now , might feel that er it , this is the Green Party perhaps coming of age because it does n't sound like a Green issue , you 're , you 're discussing things across the board at the moment are n't you Well , yes , I mean Green politics do go to every area of life , obviously er we ca n't devolve the er environment from the rest of our activities . The way we run our economy is the prime cause of environmental damage , now what the other parties are failing to see is that if we want to live in a truly ecological society , one that really recognises the constraints , er that the environment imposes on us , we have to have a consistent approach to every area of policy , so for example , in the Israel / Palestine conflict er debate , we have laid great stress on our , er advocating our own approach to conflict resolution , consensual approach , negotiations condemning the arms build - up which is inspired mainly by the U S , and so er whilst we have also debated some other more overtly environmental policies such as reaffirming our commitment to phase out nuclear power , we do lay great emphasis on er developing economic policies , particularly in the light of the up and coming general election and we want to obviously present a complete platform of policies to the electorate .
Idiom: with a will (used idiomatically: yes)
He then made a new will : this does have the effect of invalidating the previous one . In the new will he inserted a trust clause , entrusting payment of all the legacies he had left in the now invalid first will . Heirs entered in accordance with the second will . The petitioners wanted to know whether a legacy of liberatio to them in the first will could now be held to include debts they had first contracted after the making of the first will ; and whether , if the heirs were to sue them for that , they could be barred by an exceptio doli . Scaevola disappoints them by informing them that they are not freed of liability .
Idiom: in someone's pocket (used idiomatically: no)
A little boy came up with lumps of rock in his hand . One was curved like a shell ; in its depths , pale amethyst glinted . Mr Hobbs put his hand in his pocket . He bought the rock and gave it to me . More children appeared , springing from nowhere .
Idiom: on the carpet (used idiomatically: yes)
Her steps could no longer be heard below , once she reached the corridor . She did not even go as far as her room — the sound of the door being unlocked , opening and closing again should surely not carry down to the hall . She kicked off her shoes on the carpet , and slid back silently to listen down the well of the staircase ; and picking up from this level only minor and ambiguous sounds , she went quickly down again one floor , to where she could lean cautiously over the glossy black banister , and train both eyes and ears upon any activity in the hall below . Visually , her range was limited . The acoustics were excellent .
Idiom: ring a bell (used idiomatically: yes)
Fifteen minutes later , or it may have been twenty , I stood staring at a caged lift : the chest - flexing iron lattice , the accordion doors . I swivelled and strode up to the end of a passage . I rang the bell . I was drunk , okay , but I was getting my second wind by now . That 's the thing about drink : some of us can take it , and some of us ca n't .
Idiom: tell tales (used idiomatically: no)
Their meetings made December June ( Tennyson ) Faced with the evidence of the tell - tale , Howard Brown capitulated immediately . Yes , Morse was right in one respect : Aldrich , Stratton , and himself had been stationed in or around Oxford in 1944 , and he ( Brown ) had in fact known Stratton vaguely in those far - off days . They 'd been delighted therefore to renew acquaintanceship at the beginning of the tour ; and thereafter had spent many an hour together , talking about old comrades they 'd known — those who 'd come through , and those who hadn't … and reminiscing about some of the ‘ local talent’ the GIs had been only too happy to discover , in Oxford itself and in some of the surrounding towns and villages .
Idiom: come clean (used idiomatically: yes)
Chip Lohmiller 's 45-yard field goal had put the Redskins 15–14 ahead with just three minutes left . OFF TO THE DOGS Come clean on all coups HARRY LLOYD BOOKMAKERS face a reputed £ 75,000 payout after last Thursday 's Hackney coup , but it could be months before ' winning ' punters know their fate .