Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: on the shelf (used idiomatically: yes)
Not for this boy . Not for this son of a Sheikh . For Hamed , the eldest son of Um Hamed , who found himself on the shelf quite unexpectedly and yet was ready to marry . It was extraordinary . No NATO general could have organised the strategy so well , for what general can recognise and know by name over a thousand of his troops — even when masked ?
Idiom: lie low (used idiomatically: yes)
Residents who did not evacuate New ~ Orleans face a new threat as floodwaters race through the low - lying city through breaches in area levees . New ~ Orleans mayor , Ray ~ Nagin , says at ~ least 80 percent of the city is already flooded . The storm had blown out windows from many downtown buildings , and ripped holes in the roof of the Superdome arena , where some 10,000 residents sought shelter overnight from the storm .
Idiom: fly in the face of (used idiomatically: yes)
This helps it to spin up to speed quickly , which reduces turbo lag and improves that all - important mid - range response , although at the expense of outright potency . But then terrific top - end power and tarmac - scorching standing starts were not on the design team 's agenda . Flying in the face of today 's ubiquitous electronickery , the turbocharger uses nothing more than a simple spring - loaded wastegate to regulate boost , which is never allowed to build too high in deference to the engine 's life expectancy . Should the wastegate jam shut , the Bosch LH - Jetronic fuel injection senses an excess of intake air for the engine speed and throttle opening and cuts the fuel supply . Outputs rise from the standard SE 's lacklustre 111bhp and 117 lb ft of torque to a much healthier 155bhp at 5500rpm and 169 lb ft of torque at 3600rpm .
Idiom: on paper (used idiomatically: yes)
Candidates must have strong ‘ interpersonal skills’ . Headhunters are bound to find this one a challenge . Steve Gold , the computer wizard and former hacker who got into Prince Philip 's Prestel mailbox , still keeps names and addresses on paper . The astute Mr Gold comments : ‘ At least you ca n't hack a filofax.’ For those who want a little more than Dulux Silk Emulsion , may we recommend ‘ Colefax & Fowler , the Best In English Interior Decoration’ , a publication lauding the USM - listed interior decorator .
Idiom: get the picture (used idiomatically: no)
There are , of course , those who have infinitely more experience that Squidgey when it comes to caring and sharing with people who are spending their last days in AIDS wards and/or hospices . They are the nursing staff , who not only comfort but also empty the bed pans , wash bed sores , clean up the vomiting , often for an NHS wage which would n't keep Her Royal Highness in French blue mascara . It is to the credit of such workers that they rarely feel animosity towards a member of the Royal Family who puts on a designer frock , gets into a chauffeur-driven car , spends a couple of hours meeting the afflicted and , as a result , has her picture on the front page of most national newspapers with the word caring prefacing every mention of her name . Ropy And who as a result has acquired a rather topsy-turvy view of her own importance .
Idiom: tread water (used idiomatically: yes)
2 . Raising the rig ( Figs 55 & 56)The main points here are to swim vigorously into wind , which will help release the water off the back of the sail , and lift the sail upwards and diagonally into the wind . When raising the rig one hand is on the mast , while the other treads water helping the feet . 3 . Controlling the rig Once the rig is free the hands move on to the boom in the normal sailing position and the power is controlled by sheeting in and out .
Idiom: on board (used idiomatically: no)
The first peacetime , and civil , air disaster in Ayrshire occurred on the 20th October , 1948 . A Constellation aircraft of K.L.M. Royal Dutch Airlines left Schiphol Airport in Netherlands , bound for New York via Prestwick . On board were 10 crew members and 30 passengers . Weather conditions had deteriorated rapidly by the time the plane reached Prestwick and the pilot aborted his landing almost on touch - down . The control tower staff saw the aircraft making a sharp left - hand climbing turn before it disappeared into thick low cloud .
Idiom: put down roots (used idiomatically: yes)
Some of the newcomers — weekend cottagers , holiday - home dwellers — are highly transitory and may take little interest in village social activities . The commuting population also contains its proportion of ' spiralists ' — upwardly and outwardly mobile young professional and managerial people — who alight on the village 's new private housing estate as a relatively brief transit camp in the progress of their careers . Because they arrive with an expectation of moving on within a few years they refrain — ; if only for reasons of emotional self - defence — from putting down ' roots ' and involving themselves too closely in village affairs . It is important to remember , however , that the village has declined in significance as a social centre for even the ' locals ' among the population , thanks to the growth of largely privatized forms of leisure , such as television . Moreover , former farm workers and other locals who have ceased to work in the village but who remain resident there and commute to nearby towns , may also involve themselves in leisure activities over a much wider geographical area than hitherto .
Idiom: fall short (used idiomatically: yes)
Foreign involvement in US carriers , Mr Skinner argued recently , could compromise response to a national emergency . ‘ Civil aviation must have a clear commitment to America,’ he said . KLM 's part in the NorthWest deal falls short of the 25 per cent limit placed on foreign ownership by the Federal Aviation Act of 1958 . But the Dutch airline has had to agree to reduce its $ 400 m investment in NorthWest to about $ 175 m , or about a quarter of the equity involved in the takeover being led by Los Angeles businessman Al Checchi . The $ 3.65bn buyout will increase the airline 's debt - equity ratio from less than 50 per cent to 585 per cent and NorthWest operates one of the oldest fleets in the industry , but Mr Skinner 's chief concern was the citizenship of KLM 's representative on the NorthWest board .
Idiom: go it alone (used idiomatically: yes)
Mixed in with the plea for self - empowering was this justification by appeal to natural justice . It is n't what I expected to find . I had imagined go - it - alone people to be temperamentally independent - minded and even rebellious — and perhaps to feel a kind of robust roguishness at cheating the taxman on principle . But that was n't usually the case . Rarely did tax - dodging come over as a matter of pitting wits against the authorities to win a joyful , if surreptitious , psychological dominance .
Idiom: rule of thumb (used idiomatically: yes)
A suggested rule of thumb might be 1 % of the population aged 65–74 , 10 % of the population aged 75–84 and 25 % of the population aged over 85 would have moderate / severe dementia . In one of our satellite towns with a typical population of 10,000 , 2,000 may be over 65 . Applying the above rule of thumb , the figure for moderate / severe dementia would be around 120 . Of these some would inevitably have been admitted to long - stay residential or hospital care , but perhaps 80 would still be living in the community , 30–40 on their own . Although formalised assessment is useful , other factors such as physical illness , family support , degree of isolation , concurrent psychiatric symptomatology etc are likely to determine an individual 's need for day hospital attendance .
Idiom: speak volumes (used idiomatically: yes)
She could tell he was relieved to be let off the hook if even for only a few minutes , despite his words as they 'd come downstairs . She squeezed his hand underneath the table and he gave her a darting smile in response . Marc , of course , letting nothing slip his notice , raised one eyebrow the merest fraction , a gesture that spoke volumes . Sarella felt her cheeks begin to burn , as if caught out in some way . All in all it made for an uncomfortable meal , despite the chef 's first - class skills , and Sarella at least was pleased when it was all over and Marc , with deliberately precise timing , pushed his chair back to signal that they could now follow him out .
Idiom: bring up the rear (used idiomatically: yes)
In the case of Dorling Kindersley , there is the prospect of strong profits growth from its existing businesses . More importantly , in terms of investor enthusiasm , there is the potential that the association with Microsoft Corporation is seen to offer through multimedia publishing . In terms of valuation , Quarto brings up the rear . This owes much to the static profits expectations . It is also influenced by the fact that the company is incorporated in the US and has dual US and UK residence for tax purposes , a refinement that may actually preclude investment by some UK funds ; more generally , complications of this nature are a deterrent to investors .
Idiom: have words (used idiomatically: yes)
The New Democrats ' distortion is nationalism : not the reasoned nationalism of the anti - federalists in today 's European Community , or even the relatively disciplined nationalism of 19th - century Western Europe , but something much more primal . This has shown itself most vividly in the miserable business of Macedonia . When the Macedonians broke away from ex - Yugoslavia last year , the man who was then Greece 's foreign minister , Antonis Samaras , told his EC colleagues that the new state could not have the word ' Macedonia ' in its name . His prime minister , Mr Mitsotakis , did not stop him , either because he did not know what Mr Samaras was about to do or because he thought he could fudge the issue . He could not .
Idiom: good Samaritan (used idiomatically: yes)
She would have needed to have lain on the floor beside it and leaned into it . Clearly a woman with good nerves . Had she been prompted by curiosity or the instincts of the good Samaritan , Theodora wondered . The Inspector was pressing on . ‘ Constable Yallop responded to the call in person .
Idiom: tell it like it is (used idiomatically: yes)
Trash sci - fi alert , Skipper ! Kirk finds God in the slightly rubbish STAR TREK V : THE FINAL FRONTIER and Jane Fonda gets her kit off for the evil Duran Duran in groovy pop - art romp BARBARELLA . Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy tell it like it is to ANDY KERSHAW before Kitchens of Distinction and Babes In Toyland join JOHN PEEL . SUNDAY 13 Something of a drought today , in pop - yoof - electronic - media terms .
Idiom: off the wall (used idiomatically: no)
A 21-year - old man , from Keynsham , who had serious head and arm injuries , and another man with minor injuries were taken to Bath 's Royal United hospital . Horrified taxi driver Brian Fox , 61 , witnessed the accident . ' I saw this Fiesta shoot past me sideways , bounce off the wall and pile into this group of kids , ' he said . ' They all went down like skittles . Some were thrown high into the air .
Idiom: get the picture (used idiomatically: yes)
Fine . Er I was , I was quite happy , I take the point er missing the points about the squash club , the tennis club because these are opportunities to get other names . Erm tt whether that 's appropriate , you know , I 'm thinking of it as a first appointment just to get a general picture whereas you might be coming back to stir his memory for referrals by saying er , you know , er you mentioned here you 're a member of the squash club , do you remember I said I 'd be looking for introductions , maybe we 'll learn whether at the beginning of the second appointment you jog the memory there er you know in other words what I 'm do doing is keeping that in my mind , that you are remembering the squash club or whatever club it may be and use that later , although I did n't er elaborate on it at that , that er because I think you can go off at a tangent Yeah I think at that point .
Idiom: lose heart (used idiomatically: no)
' Not if you want to keep your job ! ' he snarled , and , on the brink of all - out warfare , ' Do you have some secret understanding with him that I know nothing of ? ' ' How do you mean ? ' The only secret she had with Travis was about Rosemary , but , since Naylor had never heard of Rosemary , he could n't have sensed that Travis had lost his heart to her neighbour , could he ? ' How else would I mean ? Are you two - timing me ? '
Idiom: make ends meet (used idiomatically: yes)
LABOUR 'S Darlington candidate Alan Milburn claimed yesterday some schools had to use lotteries to help pay for basics like books and pencils . ‘ Parents are contributing £ 55 m a year for the basics of their children 's education,’ he said . ‘ And I know of one Darlington school which is running a lottery to make ends meet . They sell tickets for 10p each to help buy pencils and books.’ He said Labour would invest £ 600 m in education , reduce class sizes to below 30 pupils , modernise old schools , and restore student grants , housing benefit allowances and hardship allowances .
Idiom: take liberties (used idiomatically: yes)
In their excessive respect for the text they may fail to bring their own ideas and their own critical attention to what they are reading . In this way the text is restricting not liberating . The mature reader , of whatever age , takes liberties with the text : ‘ Proficient readers can go directly to the meaning of the passage being read , only sampling the print for confirmation of the hypotheses they have made about the meaning intended by the author . In no way is the process conceived of as moving sequentially along the lines of print’(Chapman , 1987 , p.6 ) . The mature reader of literature knows when the author is taking liberties with him or her .
Idiom: lock horns (used idiomatically: yes)
Wallabies tap a rich seam BEFORE the two - pronged Antipodean attack on the Springboks few South Africans were prepared to anticipate a plummeting fall from grace . If he had known what fate lay in store for his beloved Boks perhaps State President F.W. de Klerk would have decided against holding a midweek reception for the three teams about to lock horns for the supremacy of the Southern Hemisphere some 200 metres down an old mine shaft on the Johannesburg Reef — Shaft 14 , Gold Reed City , to be precise . It was , of course , not the Springboks but Nick Farr - Jones 's Wallabies who were to emerge from the restored gold mine shining as brightly as a 24-carat nugget to inflict on South Africa their worst - ever defeat in international rugby . Thankfully the old saw that ‘ you ca n't call yourselves world champions until you 've beaten the Boks’ has been laid to rest and now , politics allowing , the South African game can get on with the long overdue task of putting its own house — in particular its over - powerful domestic unions — in order .
Idiom: come to think of it (used idiomatically: yes)
' Yes , but you do n't have to give me the oranges . You can take the picture anyway . ' ' Come to think of it I 'd have given you the oranges even if you 'd said no . ' He pointed over his shoulder with his thumb . ' My camera 's in the car .
Idiom: open someone's eyes (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I hope I shall be strong enough to stick by my principles,’ she said . Her voice was less controlled now . Tug could tell that she was desperately in earnest by the way she opened her eyes wide and by the little sudden lift of her eyebrows . It was a characteristic movement . ‘ But I also hope that people will understand what it 's like standing outside your own house , knowing that your son is a prisoner in there and not being able to get in .
Idiom: apples and oranges (used idiomatically: no)
( If you find it difficult to diet without enjoying a moderate amount of alcohol , refer to Chapter 11 for advice and guidance on how this can be made possible . ) 5 Have two whole fresh fruits each day , either an apple or a pear , and an orange . No need to weigh these fruits ; day - to - day variations will tend to balance out the calorie and fibre content . Subtract another loo calories from your daily total for this fruit and add 5 g to your fibre total .
Idiom: on the button (used idiomatically: yes)
How do I connect to a hangout on Google+ ? The right side has a button that says , " Start session . " Click on this button .
Idiom: watering hole (used idiomatically: yes)
Memorial services are still held here and strong links are maintained with the 351st Bomber Group Association . 11 . The 16th century Woolpack Hotel in the village of Islip was a traditional watering hole of wartime airmen stationed nearby . ( Islip , Long Island in the U.S. , was founded by the son of a Northamptonshire emigrant who became the first mayor of New York City in 1671 . ) Today the hotel also contains the Visitor Centre of Rockingham Forest , an area which encompassed many of the local airfields .
Idiom: once in a while (used idiomatically: yes)
I have discovered for example that the acute stress of being interviewed makes me sweat a lot , an afternoon of difficult telephone calls leaves me with lower back pain , while the run - down - at - the - end - of - a - long - hard - term kind of stress makes me irritable and forgetful . We may show the same kind of symptom but with different degrees of severity or persistence . You can imagine , for most types of stress reaction , a scale running from mild / everyday / once - in - a - while / not - much - to - bother - about through to severe/ debilitating / chronic / better - do - something - quick . Occasional raised blood pressure is normal ; long - term high blood pressure is a killer . A drink or two extra on a Friday night may be OK ; a glass of vodka before you can face school in the morning is more worrying .
Idiom: to say the least (used idiomatically: yes)
When it became clear I was a success he tried to get rid of me permanently . When that did n't work he cooked up this present plan … ’ She looked at his expression , which was ambivalent to say the least . ‘ Why is it so difficult for everyone to believe me?’ she demanded through clenched teeth . ‘ I do n't tell lies … ’
Idiom: go through the motions (used idiomatically: yes)
He was known in every bar and diner in town , and tolerated in most . Like everyone in the City , he had been as one dead . His creator had fashioned him from clockwork and set him to go through the motions of living without giving him the actual breath of life . He had followed his script , fulfilled his stereotyped purpose , but never really acted of his own accord . He had been one of the supporting players of the City , a Harmless Eccentric .
Idiom: bear fruit (used idiomatically: yes)
Never play with or excite a baby before bedtime … Half the irritability and lack of moral control which spoil adult life originate in the first year of existence . The seeds of feebleness and instability sown in infancy bear bitter fruit afterwards . ( Truby King , 1937 ) Masturbation — This is a bad habit …
Idiom: to the bone (used idiomatically: yes)
His cheeks were hollow , and his hands scarred and soiled . ' I see he starves his boys , ' she said , ' as well as working them hard . ' Her measuring glance moved to the corner of his mouth , where the line of his lips was prolonged in a short red scar , and then to his cheek - bone , which bore a suggestive blue stain . ' And beats them , ' she said . ' What 's that to you ? ' said Harry haughtily , turning the bruised side of his face away from her .
Idiom: cut and thrust (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ such material is an unreliable guide to the meaning of what is enacted . It promotes confusion , not clarity . The cut and thrust of debate and the pressures of executive responsibility , the essential features of open and responsible government , are not always conducive to a clear and unbiased explanation of the meaning of statutory language . And the volume of Parliamentary and ministerial utterances can confuse by its very size . Thus the reasons put forward for the present rule are first , that it preserves the constitutional proprieties leaving Parliament to legislate in words and the courts ( not Parliamentary speakers ) , to construe the meaning of the words finally enacted ; second , the practical difficulty of the expense of researching Parliamentary material which would arise if the material could be looked at ; third , the need for the citizen to have access to a known defined text which regulates his legal rights ; fourth , the improbability of finding helpful guidance from Hansard .
Idiom: till the cows come home (used idiomatically: yes)
We can talk about this till the cows come home , but I ' m not going to change my mind .
Idiom: at sea (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I know . I 'm fed up too but I suppose we should n't grumble,’ Sarah said and Anne agreed that other people had worse troubles . Several families they knew had sons or fathers missing or drowned at sea , and men were being sent to France with the British Expeditionary Force . Sarah had been able to attend the caelidhes again , warned by her mother that she must not do more than two dances , but she found them greatly changed . Some of the men they knew had gone home to Ireland to escape being called up for the forces , but many more were serving in the Army , Navy or Air Force or were at sea with the Merchant Marine .
Idiom: mend fences (used idiomatically: yes)
This is the lesson of the Khrushchev years , and this lesson is simple : if the subservience of Eastern Europe 's Communist rulers is ensured by their dependence on the Soviet Union , then the Soviet Union had best be dependable . Moscow can not repudiate the orthodoxies imposed upon its clients without repudiating its clients . In the 1950s Khrushchev 's attempt to do so by de - throning Stalin and mending fences with Tito torpedoed two client regimes , Bierut 's in Poland and Rákosi 's in Hungary , whose authority derived as much from venerating the first as from anathematising the second.is Today 's Communist ruling circles may no more believe in Party infallibility than latter day absolute monarchs believed in the divine right of kings . The Holy Alliance which ties them to the USSR and to one another is the principle of Party infallibility , not the fact , and the certainty that the principle will be upheld — if necessary , by Soviet tanks .
Idiom: have other fish to fry (used idiomatically: yes)
Some are said to be getting cold feet . The sensitivity of the initiative is underlined by the fact that it took at least five months for Unix Labs and Santa Cruz to agree on a basic specification drawn up by UK firm IXI Ltd and edited by Unix Labs . IBM and Hewlett - Packard appear to have other fish to fry . Others are said to be re - examining their positions in light of the latest industry consolidations and have baulked at a large scale media event to mark the signing of a common Unix document . Unix Labs favours a meeting of the parties , planned for Thursday March 18 .
Idiom: economical with the truth (used idiomatically: yes)
This would stop Muslim and Croat forces moving into the areas vacated by Serbs , and so meant that the fourth objection to the plan had been removed . This was a big concession by Lord Owen , which went practically unnoticed at first . In insisting that no changes had been made to the original plan , his team was being economical with the truth . The concession to the Serbs was , in one sense , justifiable . The areas in question , especially in the north and east , have been ‘ ethnically cleansed’ of Muslims and Croats who once made up most of their populations .