Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: point the finger (used idiomatically: yes)
This little old lady is not so innocent as she seems . Indeed she is not innocent in the least . ' And pointing a trembling finger at her he said in a steely voice of condemnation , ' Madame . J'accuse . ' Even as he uttered the words a strange noise could be heard from beyond the French windows .
Idiom: come to grips with (used idiomatically: yes)
This concept is shown in schematic form in Figure 1 . The socialists had concentrated — in their aim for a better world — on the contradiction points between the social relations of production and the productive forces and ignored those between human production and the natural world . The environmentalists in their attempt to come to grips with ecological problems have focused on the latter contradiction points to the detriment of those between the social relations of production and the productive forces . Both approaches are in my view incomplete . We need an approach that can come to grips with both the ecological and economic levels .
Idiom: on the make (used idiomatically: yes)
The wearer disappeared swiftly into the lift of the Old Intourist Hotel before I had a chance to speak . The predominant accent of the foreigners in the hotel corridors and restaurants is American , though English voices are sometimes heard and , it is said , the occasional Aberdonian . These are oilmen talking , on the make . Baku , capital of the newly independent republic of Azerbaijan , can fairly lay claim to being the father of all oil towns . Back in the 10th century they would scoop out holes in the sand to get at the crude for medicinal purposes .
Idiom: take a bath (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Frankly I do n't see any point in staying till morning and subjecting myself to yet another evening of arguments.’ She looked at him expectantly , but rather to her surprise he merely nodded for her to continue . ‘ I 'm going to go and take a bath , then I 'll pack . We may as well say goodbye now.’ His eyebrows quirked wryly .
Idiom: make someone's day (used idiomatically: yes)
There was a long silence — what I think might be called a pregnant pause . Now I am well aware that times have changed and in these more liberal - minded days such a remark might pass with only a raised eyebrow or two , but in 1944 men did not use four - letter swear words in front of girls , be they ever so lowly — and they did n't come much more lowly than we were . I did n't see why he should get away with it so I decided to make his day for him . I wandered round the end of the screen and sweetly asked him if he would like some coffee , and then watched the poor man 's jaw drop and his face go turkey red . Jim thought this was priceless and laughed so loud and so long that he brought the Duty Officer down from Flying Control to find out what he 'd missed .
Idiom: come to terms with (used idiomatically: yes)
I am only too well aware that few are fortunate enough to have a perfect body — very few in fact . That aside , we should try to be happy with the body we have . This 28-day programme should have given you the opportunity to come to terms with your body . I am still very critical of my own shape but I console myself with the fact that while it is far from perfect , it is better than it used to be . If I stopped exercising and ate everything I wanted , I know it would be a very different shape .
Idiom: ring a bell (used idiomatically: yes)
She sprinted across the playground , hampered by her satchel and tennis racket , just as the bus was about to pull away , and leaped aboard . The bus was full and the conductor grumpy . ' Hold on tight now ! ' he called , ringing the bell . Sally staggered down the aisle , trying not to bang the other passengers with her tennis racket . ' Let me take that , ' said a male voice and turning she found herself looking into a pair of startlingly blue eyes .
Idiom: in a nutshell (used idiomatically: no)
In fact , we did go down there for a week to explore the possibilities , and I admitted that it was n't what it was and that the rosy glow that still suffused me at the very name was probably nostalgia for my touring days , when it was the most prestigious of all the dates . A girl friend in the same show once remarked , ‘ I always pumice - stone my heels for Brighton.’ That put it in a nutshell . We would have liked to build , but planning permission in Snowdonia National Park was practically nonexistent . The authorities had become very protective , and one hardly blamed them .
Idiom: down at heel (used idiomatically: yes)
Afterwards an auction of icing sculptures , mostly of clowns but also of flags of the European Community — that EC subsidy again!— and then it 's time to pack away clown town for another year . On his death - bed , George V visited a royal curse upon the town with his famous final utterance ‘ Bugger Bognor!’ , from which the place has never quite recovered . Bognor today is a shabby , down - at - heel place . Like most of the rest of the south east , it 's now a satellite commuter dormitory of London . Its boom days as a royal resort are long gone , its slow downmarket slide sealed with the arrival of Butlins in the late 1930s .
Idiom: think the world of (used idiomatically: yes)
We could n't be married without their consent.’ ‘ I do n't see why my parents should be against our marriage,’ Madeleine said cheerfully as she snuggled against him . ‘ Daddy 's always thought the world of you , and I know Mummy likes you . So does Aubrey.’ She gave a sudden giggle .
Idiom: in spades (used idiomatically: yes)
Indistinct things , but somehow unsettling . ‘ Whassamatter , Jazzbie,’ Andrew Jean had asked , ‘ you a loca ladybug ? You 're spookola in spades this ayem … ‘ After a while , she began to get migraines . She took the glasses off , and thought about throwing them away , driving her cyke over them .
Idiom: see eye to eye (used idiomatically: yes)
This would at least have allowed the dollar banana firms , such as Chiquita , to import as much as they want , and it is not clear how the dollar banana quota is to cope with a possible increase in demand . City Diary : Unwanted splash for Goldsmith THOSE keen environmentalists , Richard Branson and Sir James Goldsmith , are no longer seeing eye to eye . My man in the sombrero tells me of an incident at Goldsmith 's Mexican estate two weeks ago which has severed relations for the foreseeable future . At an ecologists ' conference chez Goldsmith , one guest persuaded Branson to push Sir Jimmy into his own swimming pool to help him let down what remains of his hair .
Idiom: get off the ground (used idiomatically: yes)
But we do agree , I , it 's silly not to support money in the , the work they 're doing is good , certainly the er , the Bridgenorth , in the tourist areas did n't look really well into making enquir to promote those . One of the big items there is the bridge project is n't it ? Which is struggling to get off the ground . Did they ever get that under way ? Erm , I think it 's still under discussion .
Idiom: hack it (used idiomatically: yes)
The entrants presuppose a networked client / server architecture . Next year , in what will be co - founder Ed Frank 's third implementation of a commercial symmetric multiprocessor , it anticipates breaking into SMP . The boxes are currently in external alpha sites where the company hopes to validate some of the assumptions still swirling around NT and the Mips architecture such as whether a Mips NT machine can hack it in the Intel environment as a price / performance player . NeTpower machines are meant to look , feel and smell like a PC . They fit in a baby AT form factor and incorporate ISA expansion slots .
Idiom: on the blink (used idiomatically: yes)
I see Frank an ' me sat there , I repeat Till our bums wear through the three piece suite The Hoover 's on the blink but I don t care Polyester , teflon , tupperware Gets you nowhere — Such sweet damn all
Idiom: spill the beans (used idiomatically: yes)
And more of them were made in Britain : the Nissan Micra , Toyota Carina E and Honda Accord , soon to metamorphise into a new Rover . CARS WERE GETTING SMALLER , and two of the best were the Fiat Cinquecento and the Renault Twingo . NAMES WERE BIG IN 1992 and we had an exclusive on one of the most important when we spilled the beans on the Mondeo , new name for next year 's Ford Sierra replacement . Ford Mondeo broke cover THE GREEN SHOOTS never did appear .
Idiom: bark up the wrong tree (used idiomatically: yes)
Now she realised that if Travis got to Lori her cousin would say anything to land her in more trouble , thus playing right into Travis 's hands . At all costs , she had to keep them apart . ‘ You 're barking up the wrong tree . I 've already told you Lori is just someone I know , and has nothing to do with any of this,’ she countered . ‘ You brought the subject up , not me,’ Travis pointed out with aggravating coolness .
Idiom: off the hook (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ And did you really have to show them to everybody?’ While Prince Charles could afford to be amused , Diana was quickly discovering the exacting price of royal romance . She was telephoned in the early hours of the morning about stories in newspapers and yet dare not take the communal telephone off the hook in case any of their families became ill during the night . Each time she went out in her distinctive red Metro she was followed by a press posse . However she never lost control , giving polite but non - committal answers to endless questions about her feelings for the Prince .
Idiom: out of order (used idiomatically: yes)
So like , I did n't have to be there for the phone at all . never turned up so Oh , that 's a bit out of order , they often do that though , do n't they ? Where 's your parents been then ? Oh , erm , they 're in Cyprus , so
Idiom: in the ballpark (used idiomatically: yes)
Small quantities are already being sampled and volume production starts to ramp in January . Pricing is being left to each of the six semiconductor makers . All are expected to be in the same ballpark . As an example , Toshiba says it will ask $ 1,330 for the PC , $ 1,610 for SC and $ 1,932 for the MC in quantities of a thousand during the first half of 1993 . MIPS believes DEC will upgrade its R3000-based DECstations to the new 4400 early next year .
Idiom: cross swords (used idiomatically: yes)
I walked out of the champagne tent in a dream or , rather , a nightmare and put two elderly customers , who were coming towards me and were obviously intent on a reviving glass or two , in peril as I blundered into them . I apologised and strode on and decided to seek out the man who looked after Martinez ' business in Europe . I knew Andrew Storey since we had occasionally crossed swords in the Halford Hewitt Cup — an extraordinarily friendly but highly competitive event for old boys of a select group of schools . It is held at two famous courses on the Kent coast in the early spring , when the cold is invariably at its most insidious and the winds at their fiercest . He seemed an unlikely executive for someone as American as Martinez since he was the product of an elite public school , followed by an equally elite advertising agency .
Idiom: point the finger (used idiomatically: yes)
The defender said : ‘ When we lost 5-0 at Liverpool a couple of weeks ago we all got together and had a heart-to-heart . We sorted a few things out then and now we have turned the corner . ’ A delighted Coppell agreed : ‘ Inevitably when you lose a game like that people point fingers and aportion blame . But everyone here now realises what it means to be in the Premier League . ‘ It 's nice to get four victories on the bounce , but I just hope Christmas has not come too early for us . ’
Idiom: play games (used idiomatically: yes)
Games look blurry and pixelated on monitors Make sure your Monitor is running on Highest resolution . Monitor the RAM usage when you play the games . Finally check Graphics performance .
Idiom: for a song (used idiomatically: yes)
I mean , I 'm not into things that happen for effect or for taste ; I like doing things that mean something . Different people write songs differently , and that 's my way of writing . ' But your writing does seem to be carrying a torch for the songs of the mid-'70s . ' Well , see , in the mid and late ' 70s I think the music industry dropped the ball , and I think that 's why there was rarely a good band in the ' 80s . I 'm speaking only of the United States , here , where there was a huge low in music .
Idiom: fill someone's shoes (used idiomatically: yes)
While Professor Koob Vermaak resigned from Eastern Province after problems with his University in Port Elizabeth . Steve Strydom , of the Orange Free State , has probably been seen to be too ambitious and Dr. Nick Labuschagne , until recently mentioned as the most likely successor to Craven , was ousted as his Union 's president in March . It is unlikely that any of the former SARU Executives or candidates from the lesser Unions formerly under the SARB could fill Craven 's shoes . They do n't have the resources or the clout , and the way in which the game has developed and has been structured in South Africa means they are dependent on the financial patronage of the six major urban unions — a new SARFU or not ! In rugby , as in most aspects of life in South Africa , we have agreed to let go of the old ways and leaders even though no - one can know where the new ways will lead us — or where the new leaders will come from .
Idiom: hit the bottle (used idiomatically: yes)
NORTHERN Ireland stands out as having the highest number of long - term unemployed . In Strabane , Co Londonderry , more than six out of ten people have been out of work for at least the last year . REGIONAL health trends uncovered in the survey show that men are least likely to hit the bottle in East Anglia , which has the lowest proportion of heavy drinkers . Waiting two - year - old Rhys Daniels in his mother 's arms outside the High Court yesterday Farming vital to help maintain rural life
Idiom: by the back door (used idiomatically: yes)
Coming in ? Just put it by the back door . Just put that by the back door . Gone without the eggs ai n't she ? Oh !
Idiom: spill the beans (used idiomatically: yes)
' That was Frobisher on the phone , ' he went on . ' Wants us to join him at the mortuary as soon as we can … Spill the beans , Will . What was it , a paperweight ? ' ' No .
Idiom: like the clappers (used idiomatically: yes)
The pass came , I had plenty of time and shaped to kick to the near touch - line . Then I changed my mind . All their backs were coming up like the clappers . So I chipped it into a little space over the scrum , ran round , picked it up and went up the middle of the field . I do n't recall beating the full - back .
Idiom: have no truck with (used idiomatically: yes)
Under the secret rules of Cabinet procedure , the prime minister has the right to be consulted about all chairmanships and deputy chairmanships of public boards and commissions of inquiry . Some politicians freely confess that they have packed supposedly ‘ independent’ inquiries , in the hope they will produce a congenial result . In her diaries , Barbara Castle admits that when secretary for social services in 1975 , she and her health minister , David Owen , deliberately appointed Alec Merrison , Vice Chancellor of Bristol University , to chair a Royal Commission on the Health Service , on the grounds that ‘ he was a dedicated supporter of the NHS and would have no truck with private financing and all that nonsense.’ What happened in the 1980s was , say opponents , of a different order altogether . To begin with , Margaret Thatcher dispensed with royal commissions .
Idiom: get the picture (used idiomatically: yes)
We were told to be very careful about what we said and done when you were around , like . But , quite frankly , what 's the point ? You 're here to see us acting naturally and I do n't see why we should change , because then you 're not getting a true picture , are you ? PC. 2 . I just fucking act myself anyway .
Idiom: go great guns (used idiomatically: yes)
yes , you were saying I just hope that I 've plugged it in properly . Oh it 's going great guns that I 've got Len coming I 'll take it home well and you can have , well there 'll be nowt bloody said at our house after five o'clock so you do n't I 've got Len coming round at half past twelve
Idiom: with a will (used idiomatically: no)
Well , of course the guy with the sixty per cent just kept saying , you know , up yours , in the nicest possible way , you know , it may work for you , but why should I do it when I get no benefit from it , and I own sixty per cent of this outfit . Go away . Now with the best will in the world , there is no way that that fellow could get this other party to change . Would you ? But he was sort of being destructive , quite a boss to go and get them to do it , and they would n't .
Idiom: change hands (used idiomatically: no)
But with the market price another 1p lower after Tuesday 's 7p fall , Hoare 's own market - makers were offering to buy Midland shares from the rest of the market at 362p or to sell at 367p . Other market - makers were buying only at 360p . Few were in the market for the Kuwaiti shares , but few were in the market at all with such an overhang : only 2.9 m shares changed hands compared with Tuesday 's 30 m . Hoare found buyers for nearly half the stake on Tuesday — but institutions agreed to take shares only on condition that all could be placed . The brokers thus started again yesterday , but while they apparently conditionally placed more than half this time , they still could not find enough buyers .
Idiom: cut corners (used idiomatically: yes)
A friend of mine told me that although he is a committed Christian , when he leaves home and goes to work he has to play by the rules of commerce . The aggressiveness and competitiveness of capitalism has little time for his Christian sensibilities . When pushed , he explained that in his line of work ‘ cutting corners’ , ‘ fudging’ , ‘ giving out disinformation’ and ‘ cheating just a little’are part of the rules ( unstated , but there ) of the job . The fact that so many Christians feel the tension between their private family and church life and their public performance at work exemplifies how far removed Christianity has become from modern institutional life . Anthropologists and sociologists agree that religion as a sacred world - view is virtually impossible in advanced industrial societies .
Idiom: do a runner (used idiomatically: yes)
oh , you look nothing like him , you 've got blond hair for starters I 'll dye it she 's done a runner , oh dear me , naughty , naughty innit ? Who 's she running off , some other bloke ? I do n't know
Idiom: on the make (used idiomatically: yes)
The same applies to changing your chairs or perhaps your kitchen fitments . If you are considering purchasing a piece of equipment remember many aids can be tried out first at Disabled Living Centres and at ' Dialability ' in Oxford . Here you may be able to try things , and get advice on several makes , try many makes and styles in one place . CONTACT DIALABILITY FOR FURTHER INFORMATION . Many companies allow you to try equipment and will demonstrate equipment to you in your own home .
Idiom: in the works (used idiomatically: yes)
It could mark the beginning of a new North - South confrontation that replaces the old East- West confrontation as a way of organising global relations . The war muffles the voices of humanity , of ordinary people who care about democracy , material well being , the protection of nature , and above all , human life . WE CALL UPON ALL THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION TO JOIN US IN WORKING FOR THE FOLLOWING GOALS : An immediate ceasefire , retaining sanctions until Iraq withdraws from Kuwait A Middle East peace conference which will address the full range of problems in the region and promote democracy , respect for human rights and reconciliation between the different communities .
Idiom: Jekyll and Hyde (used idiomatically: yes)
But between his outbursts , says Dr Forward , he is liable to be as charming as the moment you met him . She adds : ‘ That encourages a woman to be hopeful things will improve but , unfortunately , there is no way of knowing how he will react to anything.’ Steve McQueen was a typical Jekyll and Hyde , according to the two wives who survived him . He was angry when wife number one Neile Adams had a baby girl : ‘ He went into total shock . He became angry , as though I had personally betrayed him by not giving him a boy.’
Idiom: come to a head (used idiomatically: yes)
It was a tragedy that he should have died so young . She bit her lip , remembering that awful time when the news had come that he had lost his life in the fire that had demolished his holiday hotel — and how the tragedy , for her , had turned into a nightmare . For it had been when Ryan had died , three years ago now , that the situation between her and Jake had come to a head . The disapproval she had sometimes sensed from him , and that had bothered her fleetingly from time to time , had erupted into a torrent of burning hatred at the discovery that , in spite of the fortune his father had showered on him , Ryan had died in a state of virtual penury . To Shiona 's absolute horror , Jake had blamed her .
Idiom: a pretty penny (used idiomatically: yes)
Aggie drew in a long breath , bowed her head slightly and said , ‘ Aye , I know you did , love ; but come and sit down a minute.’ And she took the child by the hand and walked her to the settle , and when they were seated she looked at the small figure by her side , at the hair , like a golden halo round the oval face , and the limpid grey eyes gazing so trustfully at her . And as she stared , there was interposed on the fair skin face of a man , a thin man , and he was leering at her as if in triumph , as he would do if he were to get hold of this unusual - looking child , for he 'd make a pretty penny out of her , no matter what channel he sent her along , his nursery , the street , or the boat . Any one of them would bring in a good profit . as if the child were sensing her dilemma , she said , ‘ I am going to see Mama today , am I not , Mrs Aggie?’
Idiom: at the crossroads (used idiomatically: yes)
When I returned to Moose Jaw about mid - August I had a long talk with Fred Workman , who told me he had noticed a certain restlessness in me as if I were hoping for a change of scene . He agreed that I had gone about as far as I could go in Moose Jaw , and together we composed a night - letter telegram to Gladstone Murray in Ottawa requesting a reply to my job application . I have always been particularly grateful to Fred for this generous and helpful boost when I was at the crossroads . Three days later I received the following telegram : ‘ DUNLOP TIMES - HERALD MOOSEJAW THANKS REMINDER IF BASIC TERMS AGREEABLE REPORT VANCOUVER CBC 15 SEPTEMBER’ . BY THE BEAUTIFUL SEA
Idiom: with a will (used idiomatically: no)
' I watched for every little sign of a rift between you both . I longed to prove you were unfaithful to him so I could make him throw you over — I felt like a monster with every ungenerous thought that flickered through my mind . I was awash with ill - will . ' He raised his head . ' It was like the past being relived — the same feelings , that is , but a different protagonist .
Idiom: on ice (used idiomatically: yes)
( ad lib ) Red for Danger : Anti nuclear group says waste drums are a hazard . On ice . Coca cola plant is halted before it 's built . And just not fare : Cabbies take a stand over rank bad planning .