Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: on the house (used idiomatically: no)
' Starter schemes ' or ' shell - housing ' , ready plastered - out but not finished , have often been built on this basis , for example in Ribble Valley District , some Devon districts and in Suffolk Coastal District . A number of the schemes have attempted to control speculative resale by using Section 19 of the Housing Act 1980 to restrict resale in rural areas . By and large , it appears that building societies and other financial ' gatekeepers ' are willing to advance money on houses built to NHBC standards , although this may exclude ' shell'homes . Under a self - build scheme , a group of seven or more persons can form a housing association to use their own labour to build homes for separate owner - occupation . Since the members provide their labour free , houses can be built cheaply and the members can register as a friendly society with the National Federation of Housing Associations ( rather than the Housing Corporation ) .
Idiom: take stock (used idiomatically: yes)
Fab Four themselves . In 1966 the Beatles had given up touring , a practice that had consumed their lives ever since they 'd been catapulted into celebrity in 1963 . It had left them some time to take stock of their lives . This helped them as a creative unit — in 1967 they came up with arguably their greatest single Penny Lane / Strawberry Fields Forever and with the album Sergeant Pepper 's Lonely Hearts ' Club Band which , though it has n't aged particularly well , was certainly a quantum leap forward for popular music at the time . And they took part in the first worldwide television broadcast , singing All You Need Is Love live to an estimated audience of 150 million .
Idiom: gather dust (used idiomatically: yes)
Barrage shelved as cash runs out By Malcolm Handley Regional Affairs Correspondent PLANS for one of the most ambitious civil engineering projects envisaged for the North West are to be left gathering dust . Studies for the £ 1bn Mersey Barrage scheme have been shelved with no immediate plans for further work . Ironically , the project has reached the end of the road as its counterpart in Cardiff Bay begins its final stages through the House of Commons .
Idiom: warts and all (used idiomatically: yes)
Kenneth Branagh 's own performance — correct , passionless , all intelligence -will be entirely a matter of taste.’ David Robinson , The Times . ‘ This Henry V is an achievement of some character and resource , warts and all . It deserves anybody 's attention.’ Derek Malcolm , The Guardian .
Idiom: stake a claim (used idiomatically: yes)
It has its roots in northern Europe , particularly Denmark , where more than 120 co - housing projects have been built since 1972 . Co - housing groups in other parts of America are watching the Winslow project closely . But the idea of staking a claim to a piece of land is deeply rooted in the American psyche . Americans successfully resisted a push towards cluster housing and common open space when those ideas were in vogue 20 years ago . A chicken in every pot
Idiom: down the tubes (used idiomatically: yes)
The process takes several months but eventually , when the tube is complete , a sperm cell is produced from the remains of the pollen grain . It is a majestic ciliated sphere , the largest known sperm of any organism , plant or animal , so big that a single one is visible to the naked eye . Slowly it makes its way down the tube . When it reaches the bottom , it enters a small drop of water that has been secreted by the surrounding tissues of the cone . There it swims , slowly spinning , driven by its cilia , as it re - enacts in miniature the journeys made through the primordial seas by the sperm cells of its algal ancestors .
Idiom: take a hike (used idiomatically: yes)
But I do n't like this one bit . Doing a whole scene in the dark ai n't gon na look too good on the screen . Deaf people will think the film 's over and take a hike before I get to do my roof - top ending.’ ‘ Ca n't help that , chief You got to stick to your four - set clause and I ca n't spare the energy to beam you up . Now take a step to the right here , there 's a —’
Idiom: come to a head (used idiomatically: yes)
It had the effect of driving all parties to the debate into separate corners : the employers wished to preserve the status quo . The union really wanted women out of the trade , but in public statements like Mr Battersby 's after - dinner speech , said that they were prepared to settle for equal pay ; while the women regarded the latter call as unrealistic if not hypocritical , since they felt ( and were daily told ) that they were not doing the equivalent of a skilled man 's work ( though even they thought the differentials too high ) . The debate became a dispute only in the 1900s , coming to a head in the famous confrontation of 1910 , to which we now turn . SLAMMING THE DOOR SHUT : THE EVENTS OF 1910 The 1910 dispute , when the male compositors finally succeeded in putting a stop to the recruitment of girl apprentices to the trade , was not simply a battle of the sexes .
Idiom: lose heart (used idiomatically: yes)
In fact , the essential concepts of science are very often neither . I am aware , though , that when some readers first open this book they may find a few of the ideas discussed superficially intimidating . I would advise such readers not to lose heart : there is nothing in this book which can not be grasped by an 11-year - old who employs a little application : I know , because I 've tested it on an 11-year - old . This book would be many times its current length had I explained everything in detail . In other words , in order to get across a general point I have often simplified the argument .
Idiom: point the finger (used idiomatically: yes)
A ' double whammy ' does not have a boxing origin . It comes from Al Capp 's cartoon strip Li'l Abner . One of the hillbillies , Evil - Eye Fleagle , could ' shoot a whammy , ' put a curse or jinx on somebody , by pointing a finger with one eye open , or a ' double whammy'with two fingers and both eyes . In this country , the Beano adopted the term in the late 1950s for Minnie the Minx 's devastating punches , which destroyed armies of boys . Clearing the house after a relative died , I came across what purports to be a passport to Hay - on - Wye .
Idiom: foot the bill (used idiomatically: yes)
The storms like the world wars of this century , brought people together . Trust staff from all over the country hurried to the aid of their colleagues in the affected regions ; foresters gained a deeper understanding of the gardeners ' problems , and vice versa . Public attention was focused on the force of nature as never before ; successful campaigns were launched to foot the vast bill for the clear - up operation . A universal chord had been struck ; people everywhere felt a physical loss . Even so , one of Britain 's foremost authorities on trees , Dr Oliver Rackham , warned in the Guardian in February 1990 : ' This time there will be no excuse or failing to learn from the former storm .
Idiom: up in the air (used idiomatically: yes)
That 's right . Well exactly . Because you know what , they 're up in the air are n't they ? Yeah , can you believe it ? Mm
Idiom: catch fire (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Try me,’ asked the sergeant . Marek eyed them up his nose for a moment , breathed in and recited two verses , his head flung back , his eyes damp . His toneless voice caught fire and was blessed with new colour and depth . The mottled old man two beds away stared at them with poached eyes . Nowak 's face glittered with febrile urgency .
Idiom: point the finger (used idiomatically: yes)
The twist of the wide mouth indicated that he had n't missed the reaction . ' Go on , what happened to the daughter of family friends ? ' she prompted , blushing slightly , and pulling herself a little further away from his male shape . ' Look up at those cliffs now , ' he murmured , pointing a casual finger towards the towering limestone rocks on their right , with the waves breaking in plumes of white spray at their base . ' The cave is up there . You get to it from the cliff - top . '
Idiom: on the rocks (used idiomatically: yes)
The men in brown shorts are not walking on the rocks beside a river
Idiom: in the flesh (used idiomatically: yes)
It would be a cold anthropological heart that would not respond to these stirring words . But the mind - stretching impact of the historian 's research tends to be limited by the fact that ( usually at least ) he is working within his own cultural tradition . Unlike the anthropologist he can never have the excitement of actually directly confronting his subjects in the flesh ; and he is dealing with people who , temporally distant though they may be , are ultimately his own kith and kin . The past that historians study thus normally embraces , and even plays a part in shaping , the world they themselves inhabit . As it unfurls the panoramic vistas of past periods and epochs within the European cultural tradition , history builds a view of ourselves as the inevitable continuation and culmination of everything that has gone before .
Idiom: by heart (used idiomatically: yes)
His ascetic determination led him to sell his non - Christian books . But a prodigious memory enabled him to retain to the end of his life a total recall , whether of a text of scripture or a line of the Iliad or a passage in Plato 's Dialogues . Learning by heart was standard procedure in ancient and medieval education . After his father 's death he was taken into the house of a rich Christian lady of liberal sympathies — for Origen too liberal since she had a Gnostic chaplain . Soon he set up his own lecture school .
Idiom: second nature (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Give Drifter a good gallop.’ We went up to the Downs and at least I stayed in the saddle , and felt indeed a new sense of being at home there , of being at ease . The strange and difficult was becoming second nature in the way that it had when I 'd learned to fly . Racehorses , helicopters ; both needed hands responsive to the messages reaching them , and both would usually go where you wanted if you sent the right messages back . Drifter flowed up the gallop in a smooth fast rhythm and Tremayne said he would have a good chance at Worcester if his blood was right .
Idiom: to boot (used idiomatically: no)
Norma got a huge big chip with chicken dip and then we brought Fred back something to eat as well , we were starving , and I got home last night and I was gon na make myself a sandwich but mummy - in - law was in bed so I says och I 'll just go to bed myself . I was starving yesterday ! It must go right down to your boots . I think it does somehow . Sticks round my arse though
Idiom: have words (used idiomatically: no)
lucky with their I was gon na say jolly lucky whether they er , whether they all turn up on Friday to er , have a word with Eileen I do n't know Ah yes I think they all know he 's coming now . Does Steve know ?
Idiom: every man for himself (used idiomatically: yes)
Some Christian girls took her to live with them in a tiny flat where she slept on a sofa in the cramped living room . They did n't preach to her , but they did love each other . What a contrast to the previous student flats she 'd shared , where it was every man for himself ! These Christians served each other , did not fight each other , laughed with one another , and did each other 's washing - up ! Soon afterwards , Annie became a Christian .
Idiom: take someone for a ride (used idiomatically: no)
' Save your breath , ' Nutty said . Nails actually smiled . It struck Nutty that he had no time to take cars for joy - rides any longer , content to flake out in the thick straw in a corner of Firelight 's box after evenings of running and riding and swimming . Although nobody ever remarked upon the fact , it was tacitly acknowledged now that Nails slept with Firelight ; he had been discovered by them all at one time or another early in the morning still asleep . Firelight was now as gentle as a lamb , and would lie down and sleep beside him instead of pacing round her box all night .
Idiom: talk shop (used idiomatically: yes)
And while irrational resentment abounds in Russia ( and the Congress ) about the way in which economic reform has created several battalions of dollar - millionaires , many of Yeltsin 's problems stem from the sharp practices that have allowed these small fortunes to accumulate , mostly unhindered by taxation . So what should Yeltsin now do ? Forbidding though the prospect may be , he needs another talking shop — a commission whose function would be to draw up a definitive Russian constitution that could then be entrenched against the amending whims of the Congress . ( Amendment only by referendum would make sense . ) Legislating for seemly relationships between the government and the Congress may be the most urgent need ; creating the circumstances in which the patchwork of titularly and hopefully autonomous regions that make up the Russian Federation have an incentive to hang together is , in the long run , more important .
Idiom: on edge (used idiomatically: yes)
Because it did not reflect Scottish Office policy its development went unrecorded , such work being undifferentiated from normal outpatient sessions for statistical purposes . This type of work represents a hidden shift of resources into the community because its considerable costs are generally attributed to the budget for psychiatric hospitals . Victorian asylums were often built on the edge of towns and have subsequently been overtaken by urban development . Gartloch Asylum in 1899 The development of psychiatric services in Scotland has been influenced greatly by the sites chosen for the Victorian asylums .
Idiom: by the same token (used idiomatically: yes)
Piaget 's work is important because it provided one of the first developmental accounts of the emergence of logical thought . For Piaget , the adult 's ability to think logically , to manipulate symbols in meaningful ways and to solve complex problems can be traced directly back to the infant 's first attempts to make sense of her surroundings . And , by the same token , the emergence of language is made possible by the developmental achievements of the first two years . Piaget viewed the emergence of intelligent thought as a process of construction , in which the infant actively seeks to make sense of her surroundings and , more particularly , the relationship between her own actions and the contingent events in the environment . However , unlike Skinner , Piaget believed that development is best explained by describing the ways in which children understand such relations .
Idiom: brass monkey (used idiomatically: yes)
COLLIAS In future I must make it a rule never to use those cold , wet , good - for - nothing days for looking at crags . After two days of torrential rain the Mistral was blowing the Gallic equivalent of brass monkeys and the sky was the colour of Hammer funerals . The Gardon was so full of silt ( plus the occasional dead sheep or cow ) that looking down from the third floor of the Pont du Gard it looked more like a flow of molasses than a river . No wonder Collias did n't really enthuse me .
Idiom: fair game (used idiomatically: yes)
Quite the opposite . He thought Birbeck scrupulous and likeable . But the fact was that when it came to practical jokes , he regarded anybody as fair game , from the most fleeting acquaintance to the dearest friend . This was Richard Branson in his manifestation as cheerleader — a manifestation which some found charming and amusing ; others intensely tiresome . It was the Richard Branson that would throw anybody in a swimming - pool — literally and metaphorically — often forgetful of the cost , be it of a junior employee 's ruined wristwatch or an editor 's dignity ( the watch could be paid for afterwards : dignity was harder to repair ) ; the Richard Branson that , when playing wicket - keeper in a company cricket match , would tie cotton round the bails and then ‘ when the batsman has been in long enough’ yank them off with a roar of laughter , all the more resounding for the look of fury on the fallguy 's face .
Idiom: take the liberty (used idiomatically: yes)
The breakwater had given the kids the precious time they needed . By sprinting like Olympic champions on the hard sand they had managed to cross the almost empty trough on the far side of the breakwater before the flood arrived . But it had been close and the children had never taken liberties with the river again . On that occasion their predicament had been spotted and a boat had been sent out from Sharpness on a wild goose chase . Yanto 's father had got hell from the harbour master and Yanto had got hell from his old man .
Idiom: by the book (used idiomatically: yes)
East and south - east Europe show declines much less sharp than the industrialized north and west . An estimated German N.R.R. of 1.48 between 1907–12 , for example , had sunk to 0.98 in 1940 , while Poland , whose N.R.R. in 1927 was 1.30 , still enjoyed a rate of 1.11 in 1934 . Most east European countries seem to have had N. R. R. s of above unity for most of the years covered by this book . An example of regional differentiation within a country was Italy , where a strikingly sharper drop in fertility appeared in the north than in the south in these years . England already showed evidence of significant differences of fertility between classes in the 1880s .
Idiom: green light (used idiomatically: yes)
The TUC called for a one year moratorium whilst its future was reviewed . Both have since shifted further against the nuclear option . But the nuclear industry had by this time received yet a further green light . The report by the inquiry inspector , Sir Frank Layfield , into the Sizewell PWR had recommended that it should go ahead . ‘ The expected national economic benefits are sufficient to justify the risks that would be incurred,’ Layfield concluded .
Idiom: clear the decks (used idiomatically: yes)
We spoke of Russian music , and Major Hal declared that Tschaikowsky 's ‘ 1812 Overture’ was ‘ just great’ , while I preferred Rimsky - Korsakoff and the modern Russian composers , Khachaturian and Rachmaninoff . The evening was one of international good will , ending with another round of vodkas ‘ for the road’ . During the next few days I saw a lot of ‘ Deemy’ and it was he who suggested that Major Hal could clear the decks for me to accompany him on his next flight back to Siberia . He said if Hal would get the American clearance , he would look after Russian permission to carry a Canadian journalist and radio man into his country and back . The red tape always seems less voluminous the farther away from headquarters you are , and Fairbanks was apparently far enough away from both U.S. , and U.S.S.R. officialdom to make the approval possible .
Idiom: stroke of luck (used idiomatically: yes)
All I want to know is , will he be all right?’ ‘ Yes , I suppose he will . But it 's a stroke of luck . Whatever implement it was that hit him went a long way round his skull but did n't penetrate very far , for which he should thank his stars.’ ‘ He … he wo n't die then?’
Idiom: good offices (used idiomatically: yes)
The Minister of State , Foreign and Commonwealth Office ( Mr. Tristan Garel - Jones ) No . The EC has made clear its continuing full support for the United Nations Secretary - General 's mission of good offices , which offers the best hope of progress towards a comprehensive , just and lasting solution to the intercommunal dispute . We shall continue to give full and active support to the United Nations . Mr. Dunnachie
Idiom: have a ball (used idiomatically: no)
are now considering awarding them a permanent memento . The Sappers achieved their triumph with two goals in the first half , by Lockwood ( 11 minutes ) and Alex Nangle ( 31 minutes ) . David Sargent , managing director of the competition 's sponsors , Wilson Hogg Robinson , presented the trophies , which included the Bill Wilson Memorial award for ‘ Man of the Match ’ , chosen by Alan Ball . That went to Nangle , creating another hat-trick , as 28 A.E.R . players had received it in the past two years as well , now four times overall since it was inaugurated in 1985 .
Idiom: serve someone right (used idiomatically: yes)
Get out , get out , bastard What are they playing at for crying sodding loud Come on serves them right Fuck it serves them right my makes you wanna fucking cry do n't it , ah ?
Idiom: win the day (used idiomatically: yes)
Curry , from London , outshone allcomers to retain her British title for the third year running . But Hutchison , a captain in the Royal Engineers , faced a much closer battle between World Cup skiers fighting for the top four places in the men 's event . Thomas Jensen , from Denmark , had the fastest time and Dutchman Robert Binnenweg was best in the air but it was Hutchison 's overall control on the steep 250 m course that won the day . Alain Baxter , 19 , from Aviemore , won the junior men 's giant slalom at the STS British Children and Junior Alpine Championships at Alpe d'Heux . BRITISH ALPINE CH'SHIPS ( Alp d'Heux , France ) .
Idiom: out of kilter (used idiomatically: yes)
If Lovesexy is Prince 's strongest record to date , it 's because its strength lies in coherence . There 's none of the dazzling leaps or appalling lapses that gave previous albums a dynamic range . There 's nothing on Lovesexy as supersaturated as ‘ Adore’ , as out of kilter as ‘ Ballad of Dorothy Parker’ or as vacant and cretinizingly compulsive as ‘ Hot Thing’ . The songs on Lovesexy are fullbodied , throbbing , for sure , but the unnatural excitation of tissue , the swelling and the morbid flush that characterize Prince 's peaks , are nowhere to be seen . The dominant tone is of jubilation , not the hysteria that makes me swoon in Prince .
Idiom: in the flesh (used idiomatically: yes)
And ye shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin ; and it shall be a token of a covenant betwixt Me and you . And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you , every male throughout your generations , he that is born in thy house , or bought with the money of any foreigner , that is not of thy seed … And the uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin , that soul shall be cut off from his people ; he hath broken my covenant . Henceforth , and unlike the earlier period , this was to be the dominant aspect of the rite . Now it was not simply the male , but the circumcised male who was to be the full participant in his nation 's covenantal law and cultic activities .
Idiom: by the book (used idiomatically: no)
More than a tenth of the world 's soils have lost a substantial amount of their natural fertiliser in the past 45 years , according to the first results of a 15-year Global Assessment of Soil Degradation , funded by the UN Environment Programme . Some of the worst losses are in Europe , where 17 per cent of soils have been seriously damaged by human activity , including mechanised farming and the fallout of acid rain . The findings , published for the first time in the latest volume of World Resources by the World Resources Institute , were described by the book 's Editor Allen Hammond , as " far more shocking than the loss of rainforests " . They are based on assessments by more than 250 specialists around the world . Other high figures come from Central America and Mexico , where 24 per cent of soils are seriously degraded , and Africa , with 14 per cent soil loss , much of it from wind erosion from overgrazed pastures in arid areas such as the Sahel and much of South Africa .
Idiom: weak at the knees (used idiomatically: yes)
JESTER JIM GETS FRESH WITH HIS DAUGHTER - IN - LAW CATHERINE O'BRIEN SEXY Sara Crowe turned veteran comedy actor Jim Dale weak at the knees as they made a passionate bedroom scene for Carry On Columbus . Blonde Sara , best known as the ‘ Ooh lovelee’ Philadelphia cheese girl in the TV advert , was making her movie debut as a superspy . She had to seduce Jim by whipping off a false beard disguise and transforming herself into an exotic belly - dancer .