Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: move heaven and earth (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ It 's not just what you wrote that hurts us , Lizzy , it 's the way you 've been living a lie all this time.’ ‘ I had to live a lie ! If you knew what I was doing you 'd have moved heaven and earth to stop me . It 's my life , Mum , my life.’ Kate lit a cigarette .
Idiom: chicken feed (used idiomatically: yes)
Right , I mean the exceptions to , to the sort of , that general sort of rule of thumb are enterprises where variable costs account for a large proportion of total costs , things like egg production , pig production , they tend to be very short run supply elasticities tend to be very high in those type of enterprises , primarily because most of the costs , alright , are tied up in , in variable costs . Alright , you do n't need expensive machinery , large amount of land , right , to produce or , or pigs . I 've got a number down here , er , seventy percent of total costs of egg production are var are variable costs , and essentially that 's the feed , the chicken feed . Right again , horticulture is another enterprise where fixed costs only represent a quite small proportion of total costs . Alright , in something like horti horticulture , right , the main , the main cost is going to be harvesting costs , the labour , the labour costs , right , and this is why if you go into the er , into somewhere like Somerset when there 's been a bumper harvest , and just see the fruit rotting on the trees .
Idiom: crystal clear (used idiomatically: yes)
They used to say you can tell a man by the shoes he wears . And they were right . In the rest of Europe , what you wear on your feet is seen as a crystal - clear signal of your professional status . It was once true here too , but these days it 's a test many British businessmen regularly fail — ironic in the home of the best bespoke shoes in the world . Is it the fear of wearing in that stout new pair of shoes that keeps us in our old battered brogues ?
Idiom: by hook or by crook (used idiomatically: yes)
Yeah , mm if she 's refused about having something she 'll set she 'll get it by hook or by crook , that 's on the , wonder she 's not in jail though for not paying I heard how many time , how much she 's borrowed over Christmas , for at , for , for er , what they call it as well you know er , what they call it Beverley her daughter Mm you know , she 's only got two daughters and one of them , one of them 's a hairdresser .
Idiom: green light (used idiomatically: no)
Lady Macduff looks round at the sparkling sharpness of grass , whipped kerchiefs and castle battlements edged with green light and the primroses like a fall colder than rain , warmer than snow ,
Idiom: do me a favour (used idiomatically: no)
‘ But when the stranger has done one a signal service —’ ‘ None of that ! You have done me a favour , I told you so.’ ‘ It is kind in you to make such a pretence , but I saw the compassion in your face , and I am grateful for it . If I may make a return by listening to your troubles , I am very willing to do so.’
Idiom: short shrift (used idiomatically: yes)
It did not come naturally . Those who took a " negative line " , warning"You must n't do this . You should n't do that,"got short shrift . Eva was convinced she would get well if she was sensible but she had no intention of spending the rest of her life wrapped in cotton wool . If she lived — well and good .
Idiom: catch fire (used idiomatically: no)
Something was puzzling him . ‘ I 'm sure all the candles went out,’ he said . ‘ So how did the Drum catch fire?’ ‘ I do n't know,’ moaned Twoflower . ‘ It 's terrible , Rincewind .
Idiom: have a few (used idiomatically: no)
Tom takes the bus to work if he 's going to have a few drinks with his mates after work .
Idiom: on the nose (used idiomatically: yes)
We have n't used you very well , have we , Ellie ? None of us . ' Framing her tired little face with his warm palms , he dropped a kiss on her exquisite nose . ' We do n't deserve another chance … I do n't deserve another chance — but I 'm hoping , praying that you will give me one anyway . '
Idiom: in the flesh (used idiomatically: no)
' I know what you mean , ' said Gonda . ' For years I studied photos and maps of it . For two weeks Uli and I have spent every daylight hour gazing up at it , seeing it in its flesh and bone , so to speak , for the first time — yet so utterly familiar and loved . ' ' You 're right — loved , ' agreed his comrade . ' It looked small , too small for a camera .
Idiom: come to terms with (used idiomatically: yes)
For the English there are only two ways of coming to terms with the genius and the " great man " : either democratically in the manner of Buckle or religiously in the manner of Carlyle .
Idiom: on the same page (used idiomatically: yes)
Prison finds him longing to feel contrite , to feel he deserves his punishment , but only able to believe he has committed ' a simple blunder which might have happened to anybody ' . Then , as the notebooks put it , ' Sonya and love broke him ' . On the same page we read about a vision of Christ and a seeking forgiveness of the common people — two ideas which were abandoned . And it should be noted that the actual breaking point for Raskolnikov in the novel is the illness which induces his apocalyptic science - fiction nightmare of germs and Possessed -type madness and destruction , bringing him literally to Sonya 's feet and both of them to ' the dawn of a new future , of a full resurrection into a new life ' which will be the subject of another story . So having laid the weight of mystic , creative suffering on Sonya , the novel proceeds to hive it off into its own Epilogue where all strains and difficulties are waved away .
Idiom: take the plunge (used idiomatically: yes)
Many congratulated themselves on having found a new sense of purpose , a new realism : after years of drifting , of idle ebb and flow , there seemed to be a current . Tentatively , some dipped their toes to test the water . Others had already leaped boldly in the expectation that others would follow , that it would prove wise to have been seen to take the plunge first . Old opinions were shed , stuffy woolly shabby old liberal vests and comforters were left piled on the shore . Some shivered in the cold breeze of change : others struck out boldly , with a sense of freedom , glad to be unencumbered by out - of - date gear and padding , glad to cast off notions that had never seemed to themselves to be smart or necessary : naked into the stream , exhilarated , the new emerging race .
Idiom: go hand in hand (used idiomatically: yes)
Caligula was degenerate but , by all accounts , did not deign to hide the fact . Ceauşescu 's vices were mundane , but probably more damaging to his people as a whole than a debauched emperor 's capricious treatment of Ancient Rome 's élite . From the time of Stalin , at least , modesty and megalomania have gone hand in hand . Stalin 's humility was put on record in the official history of the Soviet Communist Party — at his own suggestion . Countless twentieth - century dictators have been defended from their detractors by pointing out the asceticism of their private lives .
Idiom: follow in someone's footsteps (used idiomatically: yes)
Conclusion Friedman was almost single handedly responsible for the emergence of the intellectual chasm between Keynesians and monetarists which grew increasing wide in the 1960s and 1970s . He had , of course , his followers , but they tended very much to follow in their master 's footsteps . Friedman 's Presidential Address to the American Economic Association , and the articles which followed it , radically changed the agenda for macroeconomic research . Friedman had breathed new life into the Pigovian theory of labour market adjustment which , until the late 1960s , most economists had regarded as defunct and thoroughly discredited .
Idiom: in someone's pocket (used idiomatically: yes)
Human nature , you see . Study human nature.’ And with that he stepped across Armstrong 's headlights and walked towards the Mimosa , right hand in his pocket . I had n't asked him how he thought he was going to get in and for one terrible minute I thought he was going to shoot the lock and kick the door in . No such dramatics .
Idiom: stand the test of time (used idiomatically: yes)
3 Form of conveyance or transfer ( a ) Unregistered land Where the husband and wife are beneficial joint tenants there are two methods by which the matrimonial home may be vested in the wife alone:(i ) the husband can release his interest in the legal estate to the wife ( Law of Property Act 1925 , s36(2 ) ) ; or ( ii ) the husband and the wife can convey the legal estate to the wife alone ( Law of Property Act 1925 , s72(4 ) ) . Method ( i ) has been criticised ( see Parker , Modern Conveyancing Precedents , Butterworths , 1964 ) but has stood the test of time ( see Kelly 's Draftsmancurrent 15th and earlier editions ) . It has been found in practice to be easy to explain to the lay client and easy for such a client to comprehend . So far as a tenant in common is concerned however , he or she can not release an undivided half share , as a tenant in common is solely seised of his or her respective interest .
Idiom: live a lie (used idiomatically: yes)
It can eat up your very essence . Again , choose , choose what is to be . Do you want to continue to live a lie ? Or do you have the courage to show your weaknesses and face the possibility of rejection ? Because after all , you built this edifice to be accepted by the world .
Idiom: on the nose (used idiomatically: yes)
A Highland pony could carry the average six foot man easily , but he would still look long legged on him even allowing for these ponies ' generous girths . Ponies nearly always have the bonus of excellent temperaments and are much more agile than horses . A pony will often find a ' fifth leg ' when a big horse will fall flat on his nose , and although you do n't see any small ponies at the top in eventing , many riders like a bit of pony blood in their eventers ' to help them think more quickly ' . If you fancy your chances at bigger shows but ca n't afford to buy or keep a top class horse , think about a registered Mountain and Moorland for a fraction of the price . You could do in - hand and ridden breed classes , and M and M working hunter pony classes — and who knows , you could even end up qualifying for Olympia .
Idiom: have been around (used idiomatically: no)
THE NEXT STEP MS - DOS 6 will be essentially a holding operation , with no major advances . Amazingly , it only just noses ahead of DR DOS , which has been around for over 18 months . The big news follows in 1994 , with the release of a 32-bit DPMI - based DOS , codenamed Chicago , which is much more tightly integrated with Windows . This will let DOS apps break the 640Kb barrier on a 386 and access Extended memory , just as Windows apps do .
Idiom: break even (used idiomatically: yes)
Turnover Turnover comprises amounts receivable for invoiced sales , exclusive of value added taxation and similar levies . The Group 's entitlement to turnover proceeds from Indonesian LNG sales is included in turnover after adjustment to add back the Group 's share of transportation and liquefaction costs and debt service which is deducted on an incurred basis on loans raised by the owner to finance the construction and expansion costs of the Bontang LNG plant which is operated on a break even basis . Cost of sales is also adjusted to reflect these deductions , except that only equal annual charges for debt service are deducted so as to spread the financing costs over the remaining lives of the respective sales contracts rather than the uneven repayment schedules established for the loans . The resultant deferred debt service charges are included in debtors .
Idiom: ride shotgun (used idiomatically: yes)
Listen , I want to grab some supper . Coming up?’ ‘ What , and leave Amy and Joe without either of us riding shotgun?’ He chuckled . ‘ They 'll survive.’
Idiom: at the drop of a hat (used idiomatically: yes)
The Triumph company can continue marketing its flagship 125 bhp model in Britain but can not sell it in other EC countries . A class apart IT is too much to hope that John Major 's vision of a ‘ classless society’ can be realised at the drop of a hat but , if that what he wants , he might at least try to create a climate of equality . That not only applies to such distinctions as race and gender but also to work . ‘ Equal pay for equal work’ was a justifiable battle - cry of the feminist movement and that ambition was achieved some years ago .
Idiom: live it up (used idiomatically: yes)
When he came to Arsenal , James told Chapman in no uncertain terms that he did n't like his plan to make him a scheming inside - forward . He would question aspects of training and tactics , and in May 1931 refused to re - sign . But Chapman accepted that the short , stocky James was one of football 's great characters , an outstanding individualist who liked to do things his own way , like living it up at West End night clubs until the early hours . Even on the field he had his own personal trademark — flapping shirt sleeves and long , baggy shorts , which served both as a landmark for his colleagues and to help keep out the cold he felt so badly . And it was the long shorts that allowed him to wear waist - to - ankle underpants during a game without anyone noticing .
Idiom: lay odds (used idiomatically: yes)
She 's 32 years old . PITY you did n't sign your letter . I 'd lay odds your name is Mr J Spratt . Perhaps you do n't recall the old nursery rhyme , which went : ‘ Jack Spratt could eat no fat , his wife could eat no lean / and so between them both you see , they licked the platter clean.’ Sadly , I do not foresee a blissful future for you with this Mrs Spratt - to - be , any more than I see a joyous life ahead for her with you .
Idiom: twist someone's arm (used idiomatically: no)
Jon drew a rapturous response from the crowd on two occasions . First he did another of his long-range rocket ball shots , and the kop started the guru-arm-worshippping stuff and singing his name . In the second half he did an extremly dainty control of the ball by sort of twisting it off his middle with his arms up in the air , towards some nearby Leeds player . Stomach-spin , I suppose , or one of his renowned piss-taking imitations — Mr Motivator 's latest GMTV work-out routine , perhaps . Whatever , it got him a long , heartfelt , high-pitched ‘ Wooooooooooooooo ’ from about 20,000 people who 'd got little else to wooo about .
Idiom: across the board (used idiomatically: yes)
So to that extent , it is not unreasonable to hold the courts largely responsible for the current crisis . for in the final analysis both the remand and the committals explosions appear to be largely the result of excessive caution in the way magistrates exercise their discretion in relation to bail and venue decisions . Similarly , the explosion in the population of sentenced prisoners , which was an ongoing phenomenon for most of the 1990s , appears to be largely attributable to the persistent practice of ‘ over - sentencing’— both in the sense of using custody unnecessarily for minor property offenders and others , and of imposing longer sentences across the board than is required for strictly reductivist purposes — for which responsibility rests mainly , but not exclusively , with the Crown Court . The Way Ahead ? Faced with a deepening penal crisis on the one hand , and continuing intransigence from sentencers on the other , there was growing pressure throughout the 1990s from a broad constituency — comprising not only penal reformers but also senior civil servants , prison visitors , and prison governors — for the government to accept the need for more effective techniques for the control of sentencing discretion than it had been prepared to concede in the past .
Idiom: out of the woods (used idiomatically: yes)
He and Pam had taken off on the very day the fair ended — a fact that did not go unnoticed by the locals . Jane found solace in the humour and support of the local people : Davyd , Meryvn , the clever Henry , aged sixty - eight but very spry , who had run away to sea at fifteen , and did everything so well and systematically — shipshape , in fact . He could solve every practical problem , and made Jane some superlative furniture , just out of odd pieces of wood which were lying about the estate . ' You could have been a great cabinet maker , ' she told him . ' It 's too late now , ' he said .
Idiom: change hands (used idiomatically: yes)
A parliamentary by - election was held in Eastbourne on Oct. 18 to fill the seat left empty by the murder of the Conservative MP , Ian Gow , by the Irish Republican Army on July 30 [ see p. 37623 ] . The result was a surprise Conservative defeat and a victory for the Liberal Democrat candidate , David Bellotti . The campaign of the Conservative candidate , Richard Hickmet , was criticized for the way in which it dwelt on the controversial claim that it would be a " moral victory for terrorism " if the seat were to change hands as a result of the killing of Gow . The Conservative vote dropped from 59.9 per cent of the valid vote at the 1987 general election , to 40.9 per cent . The Liberal Democrats won 50.8 per cent(29.7 per cent for the Liberal / Social Democratic Party Alliance in 1987 ) , and the Labour vote fell from 8.8 to 5 per cent .
Idiom: in the red (used idiomatically: no)
Fernande Olivier , Picasso 's mistress , described him as stingy , but he was a good friend to Modigliani , encouraged him to paint and lent him colours , brushes and canvas . More in love with art than an artist himself , he later became a museum curator . Modigliani painted him in tiny brush strokes of colours reminiscent of the Divisionist style , in vibrant reds and blues , as if he was celebrating a return to the colours of the spectrum . Yet despite the vibrant colours Modigliani captured something of the wistful yearning of his nature . Ilya Ehrenburg knew Modi better than most ; he said , ' Of course he could have painted portraits that might have pleased the critics and buyers …
Idiom: in your face (used idiomatically: no)
AFGHAN WHIGS SLIPPERY CUSTOMERS , these Cincinnatti guys . You think you have Afghan Whigs figured out as more hairy , never - do - well Sub Pop screwfaces with a nice line in ( yawn ) grunge and they proceed to stuff your preconceived notions back in your face . Worse still , as the proceedings unfold , each time you think you 've got the right handle on them , another different - coloured cat is let out the bag and there 's no use trying to spot the genre / influences . Merely saying ‘ they rock’ is like just calling The Mona Lisa ‘ a painting’ .
Idiom: second nature (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ You 'll think me catty , but you asked for it . She 's a man - hunter . It 's second nature to her to check that she 's still attractive to men with every one of them she meets . And she wants you . Maybe permanently .
Idiom: all and sundry (used idiomatically: yes)
So what if it is somewhere well out of the way of your day - to - day life , you 're paying , are n't you ? Well then . But what if — well , what if you 're out on the floor at some gay club , thrusting your valuables at all and sundry , and you spot — or ( CALAMITY ! ) are spotted by — some workmates who are injecting a buzz of decadence into their boring night out by visiting a queer disco — what then ? It is now , at the instant of eye - to - eye contact , that considerations of the employment prospects in Australia will cross your mind , as will whether God will , in His infinite mercy , cause a Black Hole to appear on the dance - floor , immediately beneath your feet for preference . For what you decide to do now will influence whether or not you turn up for work — and what your likely reception will be if you do .
Idiom: on the ball (used idiomatically: yes)
Subject : Chris Whyte I think Chris Whyte was a victim of the new back pass rule last season . He did play really well in the Championship year but any time I saw him last year he seemed to be nervous on the ball , surely not a good thing for a Centre Half . Still 200 K is n't a lot of money for a player of his class at only 31 . At 31 Centre Halfs should only be coming into their prime , Paul McGrath is a case in point .
Idiom: hit home (used idiomatically: yes)
HEAVEN DOWN HERE NIRVANA : ‘ Nevermind’(Geffen Records ) THERE 'S A nice little guitar strum courtesy of Kurt Cobain , then David Grohl hits home with the sticks , Chris Novoselic 's bass grinds in and before you know it you 're powerless against the euphoria of one of the year 's truly excellent songs ; ‘ Smells Like Teen Spirit’ . Nirvana 's second album is a world beater . There 's a purity to ‘ Nevermind’ that all but defies description , it washes over every tune , every note even .
Idiom: drop someone a line (used idiomatically: yes)
Since you like to write letters , why do n't you drop her a line ?
Idiom: anything goes (used idiomatically: yes)
One would be the version to be found in the published research papers , those strange constrained pieces of writing whose conventions are as rigid as a sonnet , whose scientific account is always a set of clearly designed , unambiguously conducted and conclusive observations , building from earlier data and , in their final paragraphs , pointing the way to future experiments ( ‘ more research is needed to … ’ ) . Or I could tell the story behind the papers , a chronology in which I described the sequence of experiments as we actually conducted them . This would reveal an untidy to - and - fro between problem areas and techniques , from biochemistry to behaviour ( our lab is much more magpie - like in picking up techniques than most others I know ; for us , anything goes , provided ( a ) we can afford it,(b ) it moves us forward on our central question , and ( c ) we can find out how to do it — or hire someone who can ) . Some obvious and important matters were left to one side for years because I could n't see a way forward , or had no time to do the experiments — or could n't find the funds to buy the equipment or chemicals needed . Others were picked up opportunistically because a visitor or student arrived with just the right skills or interests to move ahead on a front I might otherwise have neglected .
Idiom: crocodile tears (used idiomatically: yes)
Mr. Nicholson As a former Social Security Minister , my right hon . Friend will be aware of the importance attached by the retired to occupational pensions and to the great and successful expansion of those over the past 12 years . Given the crocodile tears on those matters from the Labour party , is not it essential that my right hon . Friend should as soon as possible launch an inquiry into how people 's pensions were protected by the prominent Labour party members who were directors and trustees of the Mirror Group Newspapers pension fund ? The Prime Minister It would not be proper for me to comment on individuals who may be trustees of that pension fund .
Idiom: in the club (used idiomatically: no)
Their first cassette , ' Live in the City ' , was released on CD a few months ago . Another excellent bass player will be on stage tonight as Niamh Parsons teams up with husband Dee Moore and a five - piece band —'Loose Connections ' . Niamh 's beautiful clear voice was first heard here in the Harp Folk Club last year in ' Turn Down The Lamp ' . Since then her work with the band has taken her on a Scottish tour which included the Edinburgh Folk Festival , and she also performs with the four other ladies who make up Belfast 's first close - harmony vocal group ' Cuigear Ban ' . In between all this activity , she took time off to have her first baby in July , and to record her first CD , which will be launched here tonight .