Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: take a dive (used idiomatically: yes)
ST HELENS ' Test prop Kevin Ward faces a bleak Christmas as he prepares to meet the Rugby League 's Disciplinary Committee on Wednesday . Ward was dismissed in the fourth minute of Saints ' 12 - 8 Regal Trophy quarter - final defeat by Castleford on Saturday for a trip on Mike Ford . And Saints ' hopes of closing the gap on League leaders Wigan will take a dive if the 35-year - old is ruled out of their Christmas derby clashes against the Central Park champions and Widnes . Saints led 8 - 6 at half - time but a lapse of concentration in the first minute of the second half , when Kiwi loose forward Tawera Nikau put centre Tony Smith through the gap for Cas ' match - winning try , proved the turning point . Town fail in gallant glory bid
Idiom: in the offing (used idiomatically: yes)
For a few months this carried all before it . By the time the Ballot result was declared in June , Mussolini 's Abyssinian ambitions dominated the international agenda . There was also a British General Election in the offing . paradoxically , the very success of the Ballot undermined its efficacy as an anti - Government front . Whatever their private reservations , Ministers were fully persuaded by the Ballot that their appearance of half - heartedness towards the League and sanctions had become a most serious electoral liability .
Idiom: get the better of (used idiomatically: yes)
It has never cracked a cup.’ He simply took things out of her hands and left her standing like a fool , and Jenna fumed silently . Oh , to be able to get the better of this man ! Her sadness had vanished for now . She was simply filled with exasperation .
Idiom: on the face of it (used idiomatically: yes)
The flight from womanhood was linked with the flight from failure , the fear of which had practically been bred into me . Thus far the sub - text had a certain logic , but fear ( or , rather , anxiety ) can lead to panic , and the second part could have been expressed as , ' I do n't want to be a woman because I would rather be myself . ' On the face of it , this was an illogical statement , but by becoming anorexic I refuted logic . When I eventually weighed under six stone and looked at myself in the mirror ( which , in common with other anorexics , I did a great deal ) I saw someone beautiful : I saw myself . No matter what anyone else thought or said , I was beautiful : I was myself .
Idiom: laughing stock (used idiomatically: yes)
He laughed and went on , addressing Louis again . All this is extremely bad for your daughter 's reputation my dear friend . She 's making herself a laughing - stock . Dangerous pagan nonsense . Idiotic outdated folklore .
Idiom: in the pipeline (used idiomatically: yes)
No . Erm I 'll , oh dear copies either . The things is there 's a small possibility it may be out of print cos there 's a new edition in the pipeline . I wonder if they 've let it get out of print ? I will erm , I tell you what , I 'll phone the publishers this morning and see if I can get them to , to er , I need to phone them anyway .
Idiom: go through the motions (used idiomatically: yes)
He was absolutely right ; shocked a minute after training , most chicks showed amnesia and so pecked the bead when they were tested some hours later ; delay the shock to ten minutes after training and most chicks avoided it subsequently . Two groups were n't enough for the actual experiment , though ; I needed six . Call them A — F. Three groups ( A — C ) would be trained on water , three ( D — F ) on the methylanthranilate , and amongst both water and methylanthranilate birds , one group ( A and D ) would be unshocked ( or rather , to be sure , ‘ sham’ shocked — I would go through the motions of shocking them but with the current turned off ) , one group shocked immediately after training ( B and E ) and one shocked after a delay ( C and F ) . If we then take a biochemical marker , such as , say , increased fucose incorporation in the hours after training , we expect a difference between A and D , due to the training , and between C and F , as the delayed shock group has both tasted the bead and shows the memory . The crucial comparison is between B and E , since , although E has tasted the bead , it is amnesic and pecks it later .
Idiom: free rein (used idiomatically: yes)
Moreover , to cut back expenditures now , in the midst of an ongoing crisis brought on by free - market ideology , would inevitably simply prolong the downturn . A decade ago , in the midst of an economic boom , the US faced a surplus so large that it threatened to eliminate the national debt . Unaffordable tax cuts and wars , a major recession , and soaring health - care costs – fueled in part by the commitment of George ~ W .~ Bush ’s administration to giving drug companies free rein in setting prices , even with government money at stake – quickly transformed a huge surplus into record peacetime deficits .
Idiom: fall short (used idiomatically: yes)
The European ~ Environment Agency still maintains that the EU will meet its 2012 target . But , to succeed , the EU will have to use reforestation and other Kyoto mechanisms , including emissions trading , which the EU originally opposed at Kyoto . Second , the Obama administration ’s proposed emissions - reduction targets will be the high - water mark for Congress , but will fall short of the EU ’s 20/20 / 20 pledge .
Idiom: hands down (used idiomatically: no)
But I do n't think the wall would be eliminated completely , because of security ' . The Chicago Plan Commission , appointed by the mayor , has ultimate say on the MCA 's building permit . The commission will seek to arbitrate a resolution before handing down a decision in late summer . Moscow Yeltsin bails out
Idiom: flog a dead horse (used idiomatically: yes)
If something is unpopular then it is being forced on people . If something stops early then there is lack of persistence . If something is carried on then it is flogging a dead horse or blind ambition . The most curious thing is that we actually esteem this sort of thinking and consider it clever instead of facile . doctrinaire argument 10
Idiom: spill the beans (used idiomatically: yes)
It was she who took up the trays Anna would n't touch when she kept to her room and had sent for her trunks . The prince was shaking and the women in the house , the old principessa and his sisters were blaming him , you see they all thought that Anna was going to take Constanza away with her to America . Well , in the nick of time they realized that all that Anna was wailing about was some French floozy the prince was n't even particularly attached to ( a crony of Anna 's , a censorious old toad who lived in hotels and got everything half wrong , had spilt the beans to her ) . So the women got Anna to open her door and the prince was pushed forward and asked her pardon and promised never to see the French girl again and they had a great drama and Anna consented to be reconciled . ' Even so they had to send her half round the world .
Idiom: bar none (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ There comes a time when it 's not worth the commitment you 've got to give’—ALEX WYLLIE ( retired All Black coach ) . ‘ There is a band of mercenaries going round the circuit , but I would n't pay them in washers — even the big names’—JOHN PERKINS ( Pontypool coach ) on player transfers in Wales . ‘ Bristol have the best young backs in the country bar none’— Painter , Redrup , Hull and , on the day , we could not get near Morgan’—PETER POLLEDRI ( Clifton captain ) after the Pilkington Cup defeat at Bristol . ‘ Tell me . Are there any better stand - offs than Barnes in England?’—GEORGE HOOKS ( London Irish Coach ) after his side had lost their opening league games to Bath — and Stuart Barnes .
Idiom: present company excepted (used idiomatically: yes)
He 's the hardest bargainer in the business . ' A diffident smile . ' Present company , of course , excepted . ' ' Of course . ' ' And you want to know about the old man 's will ? '
Idiom: ride roughshod over (used idiomatically: yes)
While he was not typical , the notorious sadist , Lieutenant Colonel Muraviev , one of the former Tsarist officers on whom the Red Army was obliged to rely , vowed to hold the Ukraine by fire and the sword . There were stories of Red Guards who shot those who dared to speak Ukrainian in public or to affirm the rights of Ukrainian nationality . The military rode roughshod even over the Ukrainian Bolsheviks . Even if the Russians had wanted to use the pretext to reconquer the Ukraine , however , they could not have done so . The Kiev Rada , panic - stricken at what they saw as a Russian invasion , summoned the German army to defend their power by taking over the western Ukraine and its grain resources .
Idiom: on the skids (used idiomatically: yes)
He commented that the Pentagon was split between the advocates and opponents of a treaty . Earlier in the conversation MacArthur discounted suggestions that Walt Butterworth would assume responsibility for dealing with a treaty . Butterworth was ‘ on the skids’ , having been made a scapegoat by Acheson for the bankruptcy of American policy in China ; Butterworth would shortly be posted abroad , which was correct as he soon afterwards departed to be American minister in Stockholm . The key figure in handling the Japanese treaty was John Foster Dulles . Dulles was the chief specialist on foreign affairs in the Republican Party and was closely associated with Governor Thomas E. Dewey of New York , twice unsuccessful candidate for the presidency .
Idiom: up and running (used idiomatically: yes)
John Errington , Glasgow Centre Manager , took charge of Scottish Region with Tom Torrance transferring from Inverness to be his Regional Sales Manager ; Richard Hill left Preston Centre to become Regional Manager of Northern Region in Manchester and Gordon Neal moved from Birmingham Centre to London to head up the Southern Region . Next came the new technology . ‘ This has been a big exercise,’ said Crawford , ‘ but it is all nearing completion now and the new systems should be up and running during the next six months.’ Rapid growth Peter Wood relinquished the Chairmanship of RBIC , and RBIS , to Chris Pearson , Director of Private and Offshore Banking and Director , South of England in October 1992 when the rapid growth of Direct Line made greater demands on Peter 's time ; Norman , who had been due to retire at that time , was asked to stay on for two years to see the restructuring process completed .
Idiom: change hands (used idiomatically: yes)
The Little Avon was used to feed the millpond via a half mile long leat , the mill powered by five large internal wheels , producing between them over 40 hp . The Little Avon must have provided a reasonably reliable source of power for , in an era when mill owners were beginning to install steam engines to supplement or replace water power , during the 1830s New Mills still relied solely on water . The mill changed hands several times . In 1844 it was owned by a partnership of two Wotton clothiers , Lewis and Dutton , while shortly afterwards the owners were Le Gros Thompson and Co. They used the mill for silk manufacture for a few years but by 1860 ownership had passed to Samuel Long , who was also running Charfield Mills .
Idiom: way to go (used idiomatically: yes)
The experts ’ view is that the only profitable way to go about it is to install hundreds of windmills with a capacity of at ~ least four to five megawatts each .
Idiom: spot on (used idiomatically: yes)
When specific regions are examined , however , this relationship does not always seem to apply . By carefully examining Figure 4.6 you can see that on the African Plate the relationship is , in fact , the opposite of that predicted with several hot spots located in areas of low lithospheric vulnerability . There are several possible reasons for this including inaccuracies in the estimates of lithospheric thickness and the over - zealous identification of hot spots on the African Plate . Nevertheless it is probable that factors other than lithospheric vulnerability , such as the actual global distribution of sub - lithospheric thermal anomalies , are important in influencing the occurrence of hot - spot volcanism and associated uplift . 4.2.1.2 Effects of hot - spot migration
Idiom: to the letter (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ You understand I should n't be tired.’ She struggled to her feet to see him to the door . As she did so , Greg 's eye went back to the letter on the dressing - table . He caught the words ‘ American rights’ and ‘ four thousand pounds’ . Then he allowed Viola to show him out to the landing .
Idiom: jump to conclusions (used idiomatically: no)
Throwing Winner 's expensive sunglasses under a bus was another jolly jape . Reed continued the pranks when he visited Crawford at home . ' Michael is the kind of fellow who always jumps to the ready conclusion , ' he said . ' I would go round to his flat in Clapham when his wife 's parents were there and say : ' I 've got the horse shit . Where can I put it ? '
Idiom: read between the lines (used idiomatically: yes)
Should n't someone have a word with the office and tell them what happens if you try to take your Archer into Gatwick or Heathrow ? The geographical spread is reasonable , though doubtless there will be some omissions apparent depending on where you are based . The absence of Lydd , surely one of the most popular cross - Channel departure points , is inexplicable but , as with other Met Office aviation offerings , you are expected to read between the lines of the nearby fields . The TAFs are updated every three hours on a routine basis . Usually , you get three TAFs per page , and that costs you 25p , but , as our illustration shows , you can find there is no entry for the airport you want .
Idiom: on the level (used idiomatically: yes)
If it is 3 % , the required increase in annual tax revenues rises to $ 1.5~billion a year . If it is 5 % , the government will need an additional $ 2.5~billion per year . Assuming that continued subnormal output casts a 10 % shadow on future potential output levels , that extra $ 150~billion of production means that in the future , when the economy has recovered , there will be an extra $ 15~billion of output – and an extra $ 5~billion of tax revenue . Governments will not have to raise taxes to finance extra debt taken on to fund fiscal boosts . Instead , the supply - side boost to potential output over the long run from expansionary fiscal policy would be highly likely not only to pay for the additional debt needed to finance the spending boost , but also to allow for additional future tax cuts while still balancing the budget .
Idiom: ring a bell (used idiomatically: yes)
I remember reading an interview with Gus Dudgeon , who did the production on the Bluesbreakers ' Beano ' album , and he said that you guys , and Eric in particular , gave him nightmares because it was so loud ! He 'd almost decided to quit because the recording equipment could n't handle the volume that Eric was playing at . Does that ring any bells ? ' Yeah , but you can imagine the problems that Gus would have at that time , and I could see why he would react like that . The guitar , especially , bled into everything else , which is exactly what engineers did n't want . '
Idiom: come full circle (used idiomatically: yes)
It is an ideology that calls itself pluralism when it imposes monoculture ; that speaks of choice as it snuffs out the biodiversity of the earth ; that cries democracy when it eclipses and denies all alternatives . This is why we appear to be witnessing a new round of military coup attempts in those happy places where western prescriptions have been carried out with such fidelity : for example , Fujimoro in Peru last week , and the events in Venezuela in February . The neo - colonial wheel has almost come full circle . In the seventies , there were military dictatorships all over Latin America . These implemented western economic bidding with ruthless obedience , resulting in social disorder , disappearances , violations of human rights .
Idiom: get under someone's skin (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Not at all,’ Lucy replied , knowing she could never have enough of the place which was a strange mixture of excitement on the river and tranquillity in the bush . And apart from these two activities she would like to indulge in more horse - riding . ‘ It 's Wilder himself who has got under her skin,’ Silas commented drily . ‘ Wilder — and his odd ways with women.’ ‘ Now what would he mean by that remark?’
Idiom: kick over the traces (used idiomatically: yes)
Try to keep logic on your side . SCORPIO ( Oct 24/Nov 22 ) You start the weekend feeling bolshie and wanting to kick over the traces of convention and conformity . You 're out to shock and the more you astound and astonish people the happier you 'll be . Your virile , lustful lovemaking certainly surprises a partner .
Idiom: in a fog (used idiomatically: yes)
well it , well it 'll have to be our voices again on this because things being what they are we ca n't er , we ca n't go out to Cath 's today with your cold and my bad throat no in the fog and frost so , perhaps they just be content with our voices turn on , mm when she coming then tomorrow ? Friday
Idiom: have a ball (used idiomatically: yes)
It was a very sunny day and it was made all the more complete by Albert being on duty on the return journey . He had jumped down to open the carriage door for her and Charlotte and the child made to get in . Albert was talking to them as they waited to leave , and the boy had a large rubber ball that he would insist on throwing about in the compartment . Charlotte , her eyes on Albert who was taking her attention , asked him rather half - heartedly to desist , but the boy threw the ball out of the window . It hit the platform fence and ran under the carriage ; as quick as a flash the boy darted past Charlotte and Albert and tried to look for it under the wheels .
Idiom: take someone to the cleaners (used idiomatically: no)
The left hand knoweth not what the right hand doeth . The MI6 man in Bucharest thinks that the KGB and the Securitate have got their knickers in a twist or rather two separate twists . ' ' You were n't long behind the Iron Curtain , old Pat , but you talk as if your brain has been taken to the cleaners . By the way , the police have arrested two men in connection with the murder at Westfield Manor . They traced the car that was seen on the A12 and found that its number had been noted by a patrol car near Saffron Walden on the day the bomb was planted on Bryan Thomson .
Idiom: square the circle (used idiomatically: yes)
It also led to his enjoying a considerable reputation on the Continent , where he became acquainted with leading intellectuals such as Marin Mersenne , Pierre Gassendi , and Rene Descartes . His association with the Devonshires put him a little in public life , but for the main his world was , unlike Bacon 's , largely an intellectual one . This is not to say it was quiet , for Hobbes published controversial Objections to Descartes 's Meditations ( 1641 ) , and was involved in acrimonious arguments with leading mathematicians about his attempts to square the circle . He also engaged in open controversy with John Bramhall , Bishop of Derry , about liberty and necessity . Against the complex political events of the Civil War ( 1642–51 ) , Commonwealth , and Restoration ( 1660 ) , his political and religious views , or their supposed implications , became notorious and were often vilified .
Idiom: hands down (used idiomatically: no)
In civil cases a precondition to any appeal from the Court of Appeal to the House of Lords is the obtaining of leave from either the Court of Appeal or the Appeal Committee of the House of Lords , which consists of three Law Lords . Leave will only be granted if the appeal involves a point of law of general public importance . In those cases where no time for appealing is fixed by statute or by order of the House , the time for appealing is three months from the date the judgment of the Court of Appeal was handed down . The proper procedure is to apply first to the Court of Appeal , but if leave is refused , the application may be renewed before the Appeal Committee within one month of the refusal of leave by the Court of Appeal . The Appeal Committee will hear oral argument before deciding whether leave should be given .
Idiom: on edge (used idiomatically: yes)
He had picked up the Bren gun and was gazing to the left of the wood and pointing the gun in the same direction . The mortaring had eased off a bit . Now the German barrage seemed to be concentrating on the edge of the wood about a hundred and fifty yards to our left . The concentrated explosions were throwing lumps of dirt and large pieces of wood in all directions . ‘ As you were saying , Piper , if Jerry breaks through the Brigade 's positions , every bastard has had it , … maybe this is it coming up ? ’
Idiom: nuts and bolts (used idiomatically: yes)
This is no lightplane : from nose to rudder the 700 is nothing but a small Airbus . Materials , including hi - tech composites for flaps and control surfaces , are exactly the same as those found on A320s and the new A340 . Manufacturing techniques and finish are the same ; nuts and bolts come from the same vendors . Open the slam - shell door and climb aboard : even the smell of brand - new airliners rolling down the lines at the gigantic Clément Ader factory in Toulouse is duplicated . And that puts it in a different league from other singles .
Idiom: fair game (used idiomatically: yes)
There were 9,487 prosecutions for welfare fraud in 1987–88 , of which about 28 per cent were conducted by the police . Again prosecution is clearly aimed at the undeserving poor . Because nearly everyone pays taxes but not everyone claims welfare , there is a feeling that tax evasion is fair game . The Inland Revenue attempts to maximise revenue , and are prepared to negotiate terms with tax offenders . Tax fraud work brings in 1.6 billion p.a but the criminal justice system is seldom used ( 472 in 1987 ) .
Idiom: in someone's pocket (used idiomatically: no)
Some sectors of the market , however , will take longer to recover than others . The high street shops will feel the draught most keenly . Homeowners will have less money to spend in their pockets after making higher mortgage repayments and will be even less inclined to borrow at today 's high rates . While nobody is recommending investors to indulge in wholesale selling of shares and unit trusts , equally nobody is suggesting a massive buying spree either . ‘ Interest rates are in the driving seat for the time being and it is still too early to buy,’ says Mr Tora .
Idiom: put a foot wrong (used idiomatically: yes)
Cutting off a man 's head . Used to do it to traitors . Seventh Earl put a foot wrong under Henry the Eighth and ended up that way.’ Julia looked at the present Earl 's neatly barbered head and immaculate dress shirt collar with interest . ‘ How can it be sacrilege , if it was done to traitors ?
Idiom: with a vengeance (used idiomatically: yes)
A suspicion kept niggling at the back of her mind , but she kept pushing it away as more than she could deal with . Matthew was still repairing damage from the wind - storm , cutting fallen trees into logs for the lodge 's many fireplaces . It was a job he seemed to be going after with a vengeance , despite the fact that the sizzling summer temperatures did n't exactly encourage the use of much firewood , and the lodge had not had a winter season for nearly ten years . The sound of his chainsaw started at dawn and did n't stop until dusk , at which point he started hauling the product of his day 's labour into the woodshed . He never stopped in at the Susweca for refreshment after he was finished for the day .
Idiom: go up in smoke (used idiomatically: yes)
Sutton scored first in the 1st half . Wallace equalized in the second , but Ekuku ( sp ? ) got the winner . So scum are now 13 points ahead , and our 14 match unbeaten run goes up in smoke . * & ! ! ? £ $ ! Lets hope we can get back on track by smacking Arsenal on Saturday .