Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: have a ball (used idiomatically: yes)
The children all then shout out ' Q U E E N I E spells queenie ' . Queenie then turns round and has to try and identify who is hiding the ball . To help her , she is allowed to ask three people to turn round , which they do as far as possible without revealing whether or not they have the ball . ' Queenie ' then guesses who has the ball and , if she is right , she has another turn . If she is wrong the person who has the ball becomes queenie , and so on .
Idiom: lie low (used idiomatically: yes)
They do n't readily take to water — but will swim if the necessity arises . They take up residence in some numbers in marsh and swampland . Some of their burrows in low - lying places may at times become very wet but the rabbits usually stay in residence , apparently by no means inconvenienced . They have no dislike of getting their feet wet , while preferring to stay dry where the easy option exists . They make their home in cliffs , in rocks , in high places — virtually everywhere , in fact — and have the ability to wrest their food from even the most inhospitable of locations .
Idiom: sit on the fence (used idiomatically: no)
Well , there are always possible alternative forecasts that we might make , but on the whole I think we know that we have to decide the best possible forecast that we can give , and , well , when I say ‘ the best’ , the most erm confident forecast that we can push out erm with the information that we have available . Because if we do n't do it that way , then our forecasts are of no use to anybody . We could easily quite often sit on the fence and say the sun may come out or it may stay cloudy all day . The rain may reach the area but on the other hand it may not . It 's much better , I feel , from the public 's point of view , for us simply to say ‘ Yes , I think although it will be cloudy until the latter end of the morning that we confidently expect the sun to break through , and then when it 's through it 'll stay with us through the afternoon .
Idiom: break the ice (used idiomatically: yes)
People who have helped could also be invited into the school at the end of the project to see the results of the children 's work . When carrying out interviews , artefacts or old photographs can sometimes provide useful stimulus . Showing an old photograph or object to an elderly person may be a means of jogging the memory , or breaking the ice , and may well prompt them to reminisce . The elderly person interviewed may take a delight in explaining to the children exactly how certain things were used or how they worked . It is also likely that interviews will generate further material ( old photographs , or old objects ) , which may be loaned to the school for the duration of the project .
Idiom: make tracks (used idiomatically: no)
World championships in several sports are already lined up for the Arena , as well as national and local sports events to drawn sports fans from all over Britain . The NIA is equipped to stage 30 different indoor sports with various configurations of seating . A six lane demountable running track makes the NIA Britain 's top venue for indoor athletics . Other top sporting events in the Birmingham calendar include outdoor athletics at the Alexander Stadium , the Dow Classic Ladies Tennis tournament at the Edgbaston Priory Club , the Royal International Horse Show , best and county cricket at the Warwickshire County Ground in Edgbaston , and top golf tournaments at the Belfry , the National Golf Centre . First division football is on offer at Aston Villa and rugby , speedway and greyhound racing are also regularly staged .
Idiom: from scratch (used idiomatically: yes)
There were few terms of reference for our operations and no previous squad activity to base our actions on . In effect we defined our own ‘ real work’ and those activities we felt should have credence were given priority , so the role we pursued simply evolved . Initially we had to start from scratch to find out about drug use and drug users , for we were not even one - eyed kings in this land of the blind ; and we quickly found we were delving into a new and complex social world . Many of our clients were from sections of society which had few previous dealings or contacts with the police . Some were embarrassingly naive about the rules of engagement and readily admitted their drug use even when we had little or no evidence to prove the point ; a most ‘ un - prig’ like quality !
Idiom: left and right (used idiomatically: yes)
So , we give them cause to fear , and reason to give attention to reproducing themselves . This is done not by more pruning , but by making life distinctly awkward . The long stems soon become woody and resistant to bending , so while they are still new , young and supple , the growing tips are bent repeatedly — at right angles , or thereabouts if you can — every foot ( 30 cm ) or two , left and right , up and down . You may be able to accommodate this bending by tying in to a longish pergola or trellis on a wall or fence . The bending and difficulty for the plant of getting sap through the restriction constitutes a threat , and the reaction to this is to try to make sure of the perpetuation of its own species by making seed — which , of course , has to be preceded by flower , and lots of it !
Idiom: for the time being (used idiomatically: yes)
Terminal ~ C at Duesseldorf airport remains closed for the time being .
Idiom: wither on the vine (used idiomatically: yes)
Arms could be sent to aid a victim of aggression , Saudi - Arabia might be wooed , and the Arab world split away from Nasser . But he shuddered at the military and political repercussions throughout the Middle East of a Western bid to defeat or overthrow Nasser . In the spring of 1956 both London and Washington decided that all they could do for the moment was to allow the Aswan offer to " wither on the vine " . Dulles also favoured American aid to members of the Baghdad Pact , though without American adherence . But the beginning of an Anglo - American dialogue was stopped short when the Egyptians suddenly pressed Dulles in July for an answer , yes or no , on the matter of financial aid for the dam .
Idiom: up in the air (used idiomatically: yes)
They did n't say where it would be held though it 's thought the Soviet leader will visit Washington from the thirtieth May until June third . Our Washington correspondent Nick Peters has been telling Richard Dalling about the likely issues up for discussion . The land - based multi - warhead er missiles is a real issue that has to be tackled , er and they may either go for , this is very much up in the air , go for er distinct cuts in er Start one , or they may talk about limitations and then go for a Start two treaty . Er . As you know arms control negotiations are incredibly detailed and rather arcane subjects , er so it 's a little tricky to see the wood for the trees in this one , but er arms control , obviously C F E — the Conventional Forces in Europe — er is very much an issue that will be on the table .
Idiom: steal the show (used idiomatically: yes)
WIGAN swept into the final of the Greenalls Lancashire Cup with a merciless hammering of Oldham . Classy stand - off Frano Botica rattled up 20 points with a try and eight goals from ten attempts . Shaun Edwards chipped in with his 18th try of the season but it was the Wigan fans ' new hero — 18-year - old winger Jason ‘ Billy Whizz’ Robinson — who stole the show with two tries . Full back Joe Lydon also grabbed a couple in an impressive performance . And another of Wigan 's promising youngsters — second rower BarrieJon Mather — scored the final try three minutes from time , courtesy of Phil Clarke and substitute Martin Crompton .
Idiom: fall from grace (used idiomatically: yes)
My now dog - eared letter gained me admission again through the main gates and into the office of a Mr Saleb , a shabby fellow in slippers and an undershirt . " Mr Ahmed Ahmedi is at the airport , " he announced . I began to feel that this was a euphemism for " fall from grace " . I imagined Mr Ahmedi in some upstairs room , sweating in the glare of a lamp , being questioned by security men under orders from Khartoum . When I explained about the sleeping man and his promise of a visa , Mr Saleb looked at me as if ! was talking gibberish .
Idiom: basket case (used idiomatically: yes)
Secret Agent Sly Spy The Hit Squad , £ 3.99 cassette What a complete and utter basket - case James ' shaken and stirred ' Bond is . Still , he gets to shoot loadsa bad guys and snogs all the girlies , so he must be doing something right . With Walther PPK in shoulder holster and a lifetime enrolment in the Roger Moore school of eyebrow wiggling , MARK ' Q ' CASWELL investigates .
Idiom: out of the box (used idiomatically: yes)
That at least was the impression given by an exhibition in Birmingham last week at which schools throughout the country demonstrated projects in electronic control . There were any number of cranes , cars and mechanical arms fashioned from the modern equivalents of Meccano . Under the control of the ubiquitous BBC Microcomputer , these creations whirred through their paces , lifting polystyrene chips out of boxes , drawing pictures and finding their way around . Among the home - grown equipment were a number of cheap devices that are sold to schools . The most famous is the BBC Buggy , a box with two wheels and several sensors .
Idiom: in bed with (used idiomatically: no)
Switch it off . Yeah . And then erm and then er when we went out , mum was in bed with fl pneumonia , well near pneumonia . Wen er Wendy had gone . Mum had got Benjy so I thought we 'll pop up , see mum , get the dog .
Idiom: off the hook (used idiomatically: yes)
Why should international money be mobilized to pay for European governance failures ? And if , as appears to be the case , Germany is playing a dangerous game of chicken with some of its eurozone partners , why should the cost be shifted to the IMF for the benefit of Europe ’s largest and most successful economy ? Letting the ECB off the hook in this manner would simply validate for Europe as a whole the same moral hazard feared by German and other leaders who oppose ECB intervention .
Idiom: stand someone in good stead (used idiomatically: no)
People followed her leadership . Newcomer or not . It stood her in good stead when it came to the areas of change which are always necessary in an organisation approaching its centenary . For a start many of the buildings were nearly as old as the organisation . They had a Dickensian air with enormous dormitories and little privacy .
Idiom: go without saying (used idiomatically: yes)
You 're familiar with the tragedies of antiquity , are you ? The great homicidal classics ? Matri , patri , fratri , soroi , uxori and it goes without saying ROS : Saucy GUIL : Suicidal — him ?
Idiom: above board (used idiomatically: yes)
He turned to the counsellor . ‘ Now I suppose you are going to say that I have not mentioned the word lover , but I always think it 's ludicrous to call one 's wife one 's lover . A lover is illicit — the whole point of being married , it seems to me , is that everything is above board and clean.’ The counsellor said , ‘ You are describing Sarah in a very loving and respectful way — but you sound angry when you say that you expect me to pull you up for not describing her as a lover , too . You say a lover is illicit .
Idiom: on the square (used idiomatically: no)
Britain is blamed by China for HK fears From ANDREW HIGGINS in Peking CONDEMNING Britain for its ' irresponsible actions ' and ' erroneous stand'on Hong Kong , China yesterday blamed London for the crisis of confidence that has gripped the colony since the military assault on Tiananmen Square four months ago . Emigration , perhaps the best gauge of public unease , has increased sharply since the 4 June massacre , an event that shocked millions of ordinary Hong Kong residents usually uninterested in politics . In sharp contrast to Britain 's refusal to publicly apportion blame for waning faith in the colony 's future , China 's representative to the Joint Liason Group on Hong Kong , Ke Zaishuo , suggested that Britain , not China 's trigger - happy army , was alone responsible .
Idiom: fight shy of (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I know what you are thinking,’ he said . ‘ Neither of them would have engaged you . Now that we have an escaped political prisoner on the loose , everybody is fighting shy of having anything to do with people like you . Of course it does n't affect the really big fish , but even important officials who recanted formally are looking over their shoulders at the moment . That these killings have happened at the same time does n't help’
Idiom: take a powder (used idiomatically: no)
I HAD EVEN WRITTEN : ONE , THE TRAVELLING COMPANION , WHICH WAS RETURNED BY AN EDITOR ON THE PLEA THAT IT WAS A WORK : OF GENIUS AND INDECENT , AND WHICH I BURNED THE OTHER DAY ON THE GROUND THAT IT WAS NOT A WORK OF GENIUS , AND THAT JEKYLL HAD SUPPLANTED IT . THEN CAME ONE OF THOSE FINANCIAL FLUCTUATIONS … FOR TWO DAYS I WENT ABOUT RACKING MY BRAINS FOR A PLOT OF ANY SORT ;– ON THE SECOND NIGHT I DREAMED THE SCENE AT THE WINK ) W , AND A SCENE AFTERWARD SPLIT IN TWO , IN WHICH HYDEPURSUED FOR SOME CRIME , TOOK THE POWDER AND UNDERWENT THE CHANGE IN THE PRESENCE OF HIS PURSUERS . ALL THE REST WAS MADE AWAKE , AND CONSCIOUSLY … ALL THAT WAS GIVEN ME WAS THE MATTER OF THREE SCENES , AND THE CENTRAL IDEA OF A VOLUNTARY CHANGE BECOMING INVOLUNTARY .
Idiom: on the level (used idiomatically: no)
Meanwhile , a joint committee of the NEB , Department of Energy , An Foras Forbartha , the local authorities and unspecified other bodies was being set up to monitor prospecting . The NEB 's stance that uranium prospecting was harmless was heavily criticized by the DUC . ‘ The NEB … sent up a few people to take samples and they produced an interim report on the levels of radioactivity in the area . Now that report was complete rubbish . It was very easy to discredit it .
Idiom: on the carpet (used idiomatically: yes)
There are , of course , other methods of carpet construction : . FUSION BONDED carpets employ a process which utilises almost all of the yarn on the carpet surface . The yarn is adhered , or bonded , to a pre - woven backing , not lost to view as part of the carpet 's construction . This process is unique to Stoddard Templeton in the UK , and produces exceptionally high quality and good value carpets such as Elgin , Oban and Highland Tweed .
Idiom: get stuck in (used idiomatically: yes)
That 's right , This was like quarter to twelve , he should have been there at eleven o'clock . No he got stuck in London the night before because of the bad weather , and he started saying oh I 'm sorry I do n't think I 'm going to be able to make it . Well I said , I was a bit concerned , I said it would be nice if you could let us know and Especially since you travel er , er , twenty or thirty to get there .
Idiom: go public (used idiomatically: yes)
In fact it 's only recently we had anything on paper telling u in fact we 've had nothing on paper other than police committee minutes . And er er sort of phone call one afternoon at half past four from the deputy , oh by the way , in fact if we had n't been talking to any Brummies on a we would 've been interviewing people and telling them that they 'd got a three year and these are all points that are gon na be brought up next week , but I do n't see there is any possibility of them doing an about turn because they 've gone public on it . And they went public on it before consultation . I L O 's than C P O 's . they 've been doing that anyway .
Idiom: as a rule (used idiomatically: yes)
Their skeleton is made of cartilage — bone has not ‘ grown into’ the cartilage , as in the higher vertebrates . Their true jaws are of obvious advantage for grasping prey . Cartilage does not preserve as fossil as a rule , so most of the evidence of the shark - like fish rests upon teeth . Sharks of essentially modern type go back to the Jurassic . In the later Palaeozoic a number of shark - like fish include some related to living forms , others whose zoological position is still a puzzle .
Idiom: tip the scales (used idiomatically: yes)
There was undisguised contempt in his voice . Realising this was the only concession he would be likely to get , Grant nodded his acceptance . The knife did not tip the scales much to his advantage , but even a slim chance was better than none . ‘ Good . We will begin the exchange,’ Angel One told him .
Idiom: beg the question (used idiomatically: yes)
685 , 694 : ‘ I take it that’ the tenant ‘ has a right as against all the world to remain in possession until he is turned out by an order of the court.’ The difference between the literal meanings of those two statements of the law is illustrated by this case . I agree with the county court judge , in that I do not think that Lord Greene had in mind what we have to consider here , namely , the position of a tenant , a person who has been a statutory tenant ( I am not begging the question by using the word ‘ tenant’ but it is a convenient expression ) between the time when the order for possession is made and the time when it falls to be executed having regard to a suspension granted under section 5(2 ) of the Act of 1920 . I do not think that that point was in the mind of either Lord Greene or Scrutton L.J. , but the former in the words above quoted , expressed something with which I respectfully agree , and which seems plain , namely , that an absolute order for possession made against a tenant fundamentally alters the position . Somervell L.J.
Idiom: game on (used idiomatically: yes)
Anton Joyce hit a century in 25 minutes ( 36 balls ) for Woodhouse against East Leeds in the Leeds League during July . Cricket benefited by about £ 750,000 when the July awards of the Foundation for Sport and the Arts were announced . The National Cricket Association received £ 350,000 to provide non - turf pitches ‘ in areas where schoolchildren should be given the opportunity to learn the game on good surfaces’ , while among grants to some 50 other cricket organisations were sums of £ 90,000 for Irthlingborough CC , £ 26,000 for Shanklin CC and £ 20,000 for Halstead CC . South Africa 's multiracial Under-15 team , the first national side from the Republic to play in England since 1965 , lost the first match of their tour , to the Prime Minister 's XI at Finchley on Aug 3 . The team went on to play three matches against England 's Under-15 side .
Idiom: look the part (used idiomatically: yes)
Later , bumping something against the bannister in the house of Beth 's mother , he says , ‘ Sorry , madam , you know how it is . We take no pride in our work these days.’ As a young romeo , Crawford had to look the part . ‘ I wore my first suit , combed my hair flat and tried to look as near Cary Grant as possible,’ he recalled , ‘ but I came out looking more like Lassie.’ So self - conscious was he that he was banned from seeing the ‘ rushes’ , the daily lengths of film shot .
Idiom: bear fruit (used idiomatically: yes)
They were not . Emboldened by an alliance with Britain made in 1902 , Japan attacked Russian forces in January 1904 and proceeded to inflict a series of devastating defeats upon her by land and sea . In Russia the war aroused no more than a brief flicker of patriotic enthusiasm : years of nationalist propaganda under the last two tsars failed to bear fruit . The war was widely regarded , not without justice , as the product of intrigue at court and among a handful of entrepreneurs . Mobilization was unpopular : there was serious disaffection within the armed forces , dramatically highlighted by the mutiny on the battleship Potemkin in June 1905 .
Idiom: do the trick (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ That 's a pretty hefty bump you have there , but it wo n't need stitches.’ He looked at Jill . ‘ Butterfly sutures should do the trick , though obviously we 'll need to check on it again . A dressing should help to keep it clean.’ One small hand emerged from beneath the sheet to probe the area where a large bruise was already forming .
Idiom: out of your mind (used idiomatically: yes)
In the words of one interviewee : You 're just too busy . If you 're not robbing , you 're selling what you 've robbed , or getting stoned out of your mind . You just do n't get time to think . Time just zooms .
Idiom: head south (used idiomatically: yes)
Using Fresno as our base , the next two days continue on a grand scale with a visit on Wednesday to Ruanne Dairies , where more than 3000 cows are milked in one herd , and to the Harris Beef Lot where over 100,000 head of beef cattle are finished every year on just 16 ha ( 40 acres ) . The visit is completed by a meal in the Harris Ranch restaurant to sample the final product . On Thursday morning we leave Fresno and head south into the Sequoia National Forest , home of the country 's largest redwood trees . Our fascinating day among the gentle giants is completed by a drive down to Los Angeles where we will stay for the next two nights in the Anaheim area of the city . Our last day of farm visits will be spent in the Chino Valley when one of the ports of call is Alcadena Dairies , milking 8000 cows on the edge of an ever expanding Los Angeles .
Idiom: cap in hand (used idiomatically: yes)
That 's point number one . Now point number two is a general charge of this kind will affect different families in widely differing ways , and quite clearly there will be some families who can well afford to pay that charge , and there will be other people who can not , and maybe the case that you were quoting me is an example of that . And there 'll be a lot of families in the middle , where they 're not sure whether they fall in one category or the other , but they dislike having to take their cap in hand and go ask for another subsidy . Right . These are very emotional things , very difficult things to debate coolly .
Idiom: rock the boat (used idiomatically: yes)
The trio of vessels ( with a combined weight less than one of today 's jumbo jets ) passed the tip of a small island where it was dear the two oceans ' waters met — the point is now named Crosstides — and through the Paso Tortuosa . Then , deciding boldly not to enter another beguiling - looking passage which , had he done so , would have wasted very many miles and many days ( it is now called Canal Jeronimo , and leads into an immense maze of lakes and passageways ) , he sailed directly north - west , up the Paso Largo and finally into the Paso del Mar. Here huge surges of Pacific water — sensed as mere vibrations once they had rounded Cape Froward — now rocked their boats from stem to stern . Stiff westerly winds made forward passage difficult , and the little boats had to tack this way and that within the narrow confines of the Strait 's exit , before the funnel began to widen and the open sea to present itself Magellan , now perfectly confident of his discovery , named the waters Estrecho do Todos los Santos — All Saints ' Strait . It was a name that would swiftly give way to his , once his heroism and navigational skill were recognized back home .
Idiom: kiss of death (used idiomatically: yes)
Conditions were better for fishing now than they 'd been all night . A flat - calm water , clear sky and a bright quarter moon are not the sort of conditions we associate with good catches . Yet the onset of daylight , with its much better conditions , brought the kiss of death . I never had another bite . Normally this water fishes well from first light for a couple of hours or so .
Idiom: get cracking (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Come on , Silvia.’ He turned away . ‘ Let 's get cracking.’ Guido was silent until he and Ronni reached the car park . Then as he pulled open the door of the Alfa Romeo and invited her to climb inside , he suddenly caught her arm and looked down into her face .