Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: nuts and bolts (used idiomatically: no)
' Unless this approach is changed , the Government will not survive and will not deserve to . ' In a dramatic personal speech , Mr Lamont disclosed that on Black Wednesday the Prime Minister wrote to him saying he was not resigning ' and I should not do so either ' . It was a shattering indictment of the day - to - day nuts - and - bolts operation of the Government . Labour MPs clearly relished the discomfiture which Mr Lamont was visiting on the man he helped to power as his campaign manager in the leadership struggle and who now had dismissed him . Speaking in measured tones from the fourth row back where sacked ministers traditionally have their say , he addressed a crowded chamber in an electric atmosphere .
Idiom: keep a low profile (used idiomatically: yes)
The crew of the yacht must have realised that the game was up by this time . Hastily mooring up in the Wareham Channel they rowed ashore to disappear rapidly westward in a fast car , followed discreetly by some of our Southampton colleagues . Our orders were to keep a low profile while keeping watch on the yacht which we did for about twenty four hours . Eventually the yacht 's crew was arrested near Bristol and we unloaded the yacht in their absence , taking off twenty four cases of whisky during a hilarious evening operation involving our respective motor boats to ferry the goods back to Poole Quay . Shortly after this Marty Stone , our second engineer , and I re - enacted the whole thing for the benefit of two Daily Mirror journalists who were supposed to be writing an article about the work of the Cutter Service , but nothing ever came of this .
Idiom: in the soup (used idiomatically: yes)
With his buzzing wings . ' But in 10 short years at the turn of the century all this changed and the ' common , innocent , friendly ' house fly was subjected to the most vicious of character assassinations . One of its main accusers , Rennie Done , a professor at Stanford University , California , warned : ' The fly which sups from our cups , swims in our soup , walks delicately over the beef steak and frosted cake leaves behind a trail of filth and bacteria . ' Flies , it was argued , were the main vectors of disease , carrying on their tiny feet the bacteria responsible for dysentery , cholera , tuberculosis and even smallpox . Nor was this transmission accidental .
Idiom: see stars (used idiomatically: yes)
You can see the stars with your naked eye , and even better through a telescope .
Idiom: run riot (used idiomatically: yes)
Pompey 0 , W.Ham 1 TONY STENSON POMPEY keeper Alan Knight turned in a spectacular display that stopped West Ham running riot . His one - man show yesterday failed to prevent the Hammers moving to fourth in the First Division but it saved Pompey from embarrassment . Knight made just one mistake and that allowed Clive Allen to score with his usual efficiency .
Idiom: dyed in the wool (used idiomatically: yes)
He has recently bought and shipped to the UK one of the rare remaining Mooney M10 Cadets , which he flew solo from Los Angeles to Miami , the 2,267 nm journey taking almost two weeks . Logically expecting the last of the breed to be the best of the breed , I was surprised to learn that the Mooney ' is n't a patch ' on the Aircoupe . Dyed - in - the - wool fabric - winged 65 hp - engined Ercoupe owners would appear to think the same about the metal Alon model in comparison to their own , if the Coupe Capers newsletter is anything to go by ! And me ? Well , all I can say , with hand on heart , is that I 'm personally very pleased that Fred Weick designed such a safe aeroplane .
Idiom: cold comfort (used idiomatically: no)
Sunseekers : Staff at Port Sunlight Heritage Centre have welcomed their 25,000th visitor this year . Jo Heaton , from Formby , was presented with flowers and gifts . Cold comfort : The average air temperature during October , 8.4C ( 47.1F ) , was the lowest recorded at Bidston Observatory since 1926 . It was also the dullest October since 1976 with an average of just 2.4 hours of sunshine a day . Man named : Police have named a motorcyclist killed in a crash on the A559 near Northwich five days ago as Gregory Bate , 24 , of Clegg Street , Warrington .
Idiom: get to grips with (used idiomatically: yes)
I do n't think it is I think it 's in all honesty the corporates have taken decisions and we have n't got to grips with the corporate market yet fully Yeah well I know that 's true erm and we 've been power fighting and that 's the problem I think those of you have genuinely erm defined what 's been said in two different ways and perfectly correctly because
Idiom: weather the storm (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Come on — we 'll be late.’ Leonora felt very subdued as she followed him down to the relatively peaceful little beach of Lee Haven , where years before Joshua Probert had built a safe anchorage for his boats . The Angharad , a sturdy fishing - boat with a fair - sized cabin , had weathered the storm safely , well out of harm 's way . Penry lifted her aboard , then untied the moorings and leapt on deck after her . She eyed the distant shoreline with misgiving .
Idiom: out to lunch (used idiomatically: yes)
Then life started to get back to normal . When I gave up my job I would try to do something positive every day . We would go out to lunch or perhaps look around a stately home — life became extremely rich because we could control Ruth 's pain with morphine . But three months ago Ruth 's energy went right down . She found it very difficult to get out of bed , so we moved life to centre it in the bedroom .
Idiom: pull a face (used idiomatically: yes)
Let 's go and see them , ' Cleo said firmly . ' I ca n't , ' he insisted . Cleo pulled an aggrieved face . ' Then you must wait here , ' she said . ' I 'm not going to miss it . '
Idiom: pull someone's leg (used idiomatically: yes)
The second change concerns cruelty to wild animals . The Protection of Animals Act does not include wild animals . It is quite legal to go out into the countryside , find a hedgehog and pull off its legs one by one . If a policeman observes you doing that he can not do anything about it because we have no law which makes it illegal to be deliberately cruel to a wild animal . The reason for that is principally to protect people who are hunting ; I think that is unreasonable .
Idiom: cheek by jowl (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ As daylight,’ she snapped , before giving a heavy sigh as she realised that , yet again , the horrid man had succeeded in putting her in the wrong . Because , of course , she could n't argue with the sense that lay behind his harsh words . For the twins ' sakes , she must put aside all her antagonistic feelings , the deep frustration she felt at having to coexist , cheek by jowl , with a man she fervently hoped would soon be her ex -husband . Although even the thought of a quick divorce from this man , when Liz and Owen had returned to full health , did n't seem to lift her spirits , somehow . But , for Emma 's and Sophie 's sakes , she really must try to do her best .
Idiom: get the picture (used idiomatically: yes)
Though we u that was over Stoke Worstead Road way , when we used to have the open air swimming pool there . Mm . Er I was , I think I 've got pictures about it somewhere or tha that was in the Evening Star not so very many years ago . They 've got pictures of it , of him preparing all greased up . It was our , our answer to cross channel swimming .
Idiom: sitting duck (used idiomatically: yes)
David Harrison FOOTBALL managers have asked the FA to take them out of the firing line of the terrace hate mobs . Dug-outs at some grounds have become chambers of horror , with visiting soccer bosses the sitting duck targets for verbal and , sometimes , physical abuse . The demand for action comes in a week when John Bond has been advised to stay away from his former club , Burnley , for Shrewsbury 's FA Cup tie this afternoon because of fears of reprisals from angry Turf Moor fans . Aston Villa manager Ron Atkinson could also run the gauntlet of hostility at Hillsborough today when he goes back to the club he left under acrimonious circumstances two seasons ago .
Idiom: make the cut (used idiomatically: no)
I / view Jo Osario Male speaker Pensioners will have to make cuts elsewhere , and go without television or telephone unless they are compensated properly . Voice over While it is certain that VAT will be added to domestic fuel from April next year , what is n't known is at what rate .
Idiom: way to go (used idiomatically: no)
In 1977 when Ponomarev announced this possibility , no experiments on muon catalysed dt fusion had been done . Each dt fusion released 17 MeV of energy , and so as few as eight sequential dt fusions are sufficient to release more energy than is contained in a muon at rest ( its ‘ rest energy’ or mass ) . The dt route suddenly appeared to be promising , though there is still a long way to go as it takes 20 to 40 times this to make a muon in a particle accelerator . V. P. Dzhelepov , who had earlier discovered the temperature dependence of muon catalysed fusion and stimulated first Gershtein and Vesman and now Ponomarev , organised an experimental investigation at Dubna ( a nuclear laboratory near Moscow ) . A crucial test was on 4 June 1979 , when a decisive experiment involving muon catalysed fusion in a pure deuterium - tritium mixture started .
Idiom: raise the roof (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Well , it 's eivver mousetraps or a good mouser,’ Nellie had said . Aggie got the mousetraps , and the only thing they caught was her Harold 's big toe one night when he was hurrying down to the lavatory in the backyard . Aggie still would not contemplate getting a mouser and when Harold raised the roof about the lethal traps she threw them out and blocked up the holes in the flooring and the wooden skirting - boards with old newspapers soaked in lavender water . Far from dissuading the rodents , the smell of lavender positively encouraged them and they soon ate through the paper plugs . Aggie had then sought the services of a good ratcatcher .
Idiom: in someone's pocket (used idiomatically: no)
Out of the melting pot , into the mint ; next news I was loose change for a Leeds pimp , burning a hole in his skin - tight pocket till he tipped a husker by the precinct . Not the most ceremonious release
Idiom: come to mind (used idiomatically: yes)
Others remembered setting Greek , Latin , other foreign languages and mathematics ( subjects of which they knew nothing , but which were a matter of professional pride ) . The one author whom everyone remembered best was George Bernard Shaw , popular editions of whose plays were running off the presses in the early years of the century . " The flower girl " ( Pygmalion ) was the first book that came to mind for one very elderly survivor . " As compositors , one might be working from manuscripts ( in " difficult hands " ) or from earlier editions going to reprint . But — in common with many workers in manufacturing industry at the same time — none of the survivors I spoke to ever remembers having handled the end - product of her work , in this case the completed book .
Idiom: green light (used idiomatically: yes)
Mind you so does Derek Mind you so does Derek With his red light orange light green light GO ! Trainspotter trainspotter trainspotter train train
Idiom: child's play (used idiomatically: yes)
Practical PC Award Infogrames £ 44.99 CHILD 'S PLAY ( AND LEARN ) — the BEST OF BRITISH Good educational software for the PC used to be few and far between — the graphics were normally poor , the interface fiddly and most were totally over priced . This state of affairs has altered over the last 12 months or so , with some excellent ' edutainment ' products being released — like Broderbunds Kid Pix and Treehouse , and the high quality software from other US companies such as The Learning Company , Davidson and Sierra .
Idiom: larger than life (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ It 's a bit scary that he 's such a big star — I would n't want to be because you get so isolated from everybody , without much contact with normal people,’ she says . ‘ Craig has to be remote because of all the stuff that flies around about him and Rachel.’ But even though he strives to protect his privacy , Craig 's still larger than life at work , always joking , teasing and larking about . ‘ He 'll entertain a whole load of people watching while we 're out on location but he can turn it on and off like a light — the cameras roll and he 's totally into Grant Mitchell . He 's very professional .
Idiom: put a foot wrong (used idiomatically: yes)
Did you ? Yeah . And never put a foot wrong . It was lovely absolutely marvellous . Got ta be good .
Idiom: lay an egg (used idiomatically: yes)
Hazel grew tense with sudden misgiving . He knew that these beetles come to dead bodies , on which they feed and lay their eggs . They will dig away the earth from under the bodies of small creatures , such as shrew - mice and fallen fledglings , and then lay their eggs on them before covering them with soil . Surely Pipkin could not have died in his sleep ? Hazel sat up quickly .
Idiom: open someone's eyes (used idiomatically: yes)
She knew now she was not pregnant , but she was heavy with apprehension . A car approached , stopped , a door slammed . Rose opened her eyes . She saw a man and a woman walking towards the factory . She had no difficulty in recognizing the man as one of the policemen who had hovered around her and Steve .
Idiom: under the influence (used idiomatically: yes)
But that development involved the solution of theoretical problems and was not to be achieved without considerable theoretical labour . Newton himself , faced with a definite programme , that is , guided by a positive heuristic , made considerable progress . He first took into account the fact that a sun as well as a planet moves under the influence of their mutual attraction . Then he took account of the finite size of the planets and treated them as spheres . After solving the mathematical problem posed by that move , Newton proceeded to allow for other complications such as those introduced by the possibility that a planet can spin , and the fact that there are gravitational forces between the individual planets as well as between each planet and the sun .
Idiom: lay an egg (used idiomatically: yes)
There 's some in the larder.’ ‘ It 's hot,’ he moaned . ‘ If Henry laid an egg , would it be hot enough to hatch it ? Or would I have to put it in the airing cupboard?’ ‘ Oh — go away,’ she said .
Idiom: watering hole (used idiomatically: yes)
Stegman , Sam Fawcett 's swan Sam was also a masterly shepherd and an expert breeder of Swaledale sheep , a most hardy animal which roams at will along the high fells and can live through all but the most brutal winters , even possessing the stamina to survive being buried for days under several feel of snow , so long as there is an air hole . The fells around Baldersdale are dangerous places , full of hidden ghylls — deep water holes — and moss bogs which can swallow a man whole . Sam knew every square inch of this territory , surefooted even on winter nights , and a recognized guide to those who had need to travel the moors . There was no one more adept at tracing and rescuing sheep trapped in snow drifts .
Idiom: in the long term (used idiomatically: yes)
Retaliation by loyalist gunmen must be avoided at all costs . After nearly a quarter of a century of violence , the plain people of Northern Ireland are surprised by nothing and shocked by very little . They are fearful today , however , that the republican machine that won more votes than any other party in Belfast is on a high , more hopeful than ever of blasting the Government into submission , in the longer term . Once again , Mr John Hume must justify continuing to devise an ' overall strategy ' with Mr Gerry Adams , who still has the gall to claim that ' peace'is a central part of his party 's platform . The only strategy Sinn Fein is interested in is whatever will bring about British withdrawal .
Idiom: make hay (used idiomatically: no)
WHAT would Amos Brearly make of it all ? Times certainly are changing down on the farm in the TV soap Emmerdale 's new calendar . Farmhand Michael Feldmann , played by Matthew Vaughan , makes hay with screen girlfriend Rachel Hughes ( Glenda McKay ) right and top left . Kim Tate ( Claire King ) , centre , appears in another provocative picture as does Rachel 's brother Mark , bottom , played by Craig McKay . He is also seen in a clinch with girlfriend Melanie ( Joanne Woodcock ) .
Idiom: on the wagon (used idiomatically: yes)
This is also the way Paolozzi works , continually reordering and reformulating a whole battery of shapes [ in wood , plaster and on paper]that he has himself created , altered or found . As he works on a new piece he is able to make a series of models , maquettes and drawings with this repertoire of effects to try out different emphases and viewpoints . New sculptures suggest themselves , such as The Road to the Isles , where , instead of us , the viewer , moving round the sculpture , the sculpture itself moves past us on a railway wagon on its way to other surroundings . The theme of movement is again explored in the twisting pieces of aluminium , that have been translated into bronze in the final sculpture . These act as formal devices linking together the separate elements of the work , forming organic curves against the geometrical masses , but they also refer back to the serpent in one of the most famous classical sculpture groups , The Laocoon .
Idiom: on the button (used idiomatically: yes)
Sister Casualty 's Instructions — ' I ran on . Dr Jones had the gates open . He slammed them shut and kept one finger on the top - floor button . With his free hand he reached inside the carrier - bag . ' Still breathing , but growing cold and his muscle - tone 's bloody poor . '
Idiom: in the black (used idiomatically: no)
SWOON ( Cert 18 ; W.E. ) is based on the true story of two Jewish law students in Twenties Chicago who kidnapped and murdered a young boy . Later it formed the basis of Alfred Hitchcock 's Rope starring James Stewart . Depressing , bleak , told in black and white documentary style , this is not a Friday night at the flicks with your favourite date sort of a movie . TOP 10 MOVIES 1 ( - ) Unforgiven
Idiom: hit and miss (used idiomatically: yes)
Greedy from childhood … Hard to credit that he had once fathered a daughter — and a beautiful girl she had turned out to be — like her granny … Funny thing , heredity ; hit and miss . Anna was twenty now , living with her mother and some randy young rooster who knew when he was well off . His thoughts returned to his wife 's portrait .
Idiom: pick up the pieces (used idiomatically: yes)
If you put them in the dustbin they will eventually find their way to a land fill site where some unfortunate animal might get caught up in a piece of it . During the warm weather I take the opportunity to sit in my garden where I often do my sewing up . I am careful not to leave even the smallest scrap of yarn lying around as mother birds pick up the pieces and use them for lining their nests . Unfortunately , most yarns these days are usually a mixture of acrylic or man - made fibres with tough , unbreakable qualities and they are also non - biodegradable . For this reason , these small pieces of yarn can be a hazard to birds and small animals — I have recently found a young bird firmly fastened to a branch by a very short length of yarn ( not mine I hope ! ) .
Idiom: make a move (used idiomatically: yes)
A SEX - SHY elephant was in the mood for love at last yesterday … thanks to a top orchestra . Five - ton Sahib turned from frigid to frisky during a specially - staged concert of rousing tunes . Keepers say he is making the right moves with five females at Cricket St Thomas Wildlife Park near Chard , Somerset . ' The orchestra seems to have scored , ' said park boss John Taylor . ' We hope he puts his prowess to good use . '
Idiom: catch someone's eye (used idiomatically: yes)
Piper had to fight to maintain her balance as the chamber shook . The Doctor and Bernice were stumbling between the mushrooms of twisted metal , with the Doctor talking nineteen to the dozen and gesturing wildly with his still furled umbrella . Piper managed to catch Bernice ' s eye , but the archaeologist only shrugged helplessly . Piper turned to where Bannen was clutching the slender trunk of a tall mushroom to keep his balance . The wind whipped droplets of condensation into his face , where they mingled with his tears .
Idiom: scarlet woman (used idiomatically: yes)
History The history of obscenity provides a rich and comic tapestry on the futility of legal attempts to control sexual imagination . The subject - matter of pornography was settled by 1650 : writers in subsequent centuries added new words and novel settings , but discovered no fundamental variation on the finite methods of coupling . The scarlet woman , pornography 's picaresque and picturesque prop , gained one dimension with the development of photography and another with the abolition of stage censorship , but the modern exploits of Linda Lovelace were old hat to Fanny Hill . The Society for the Suppression of Vice was born again in the Festival of Light , but its modern victims were to prove as incorrigible as those jailed and vilified by moral guardians of the past . The central irony of the courtroom crusade — what might be termed " the Spycatcher effect " — is always present : seek to suppress a book by legal action because it tends to corrupt , and the publicity attendant upon its trial will spread that assumed corruption far more effectively than its quiet distribution .
Idiom: take it from me (used idiomatically: yes)
It would take him away to a nice , warm mental hospital , where nice men would inject large quantities of Largactil up his bum . That was absolutely what he needed . ' Take it from me , Wilson , ' said the headmaster , ' you are nothing like Napoleon . I have never met anyone less like Napoleon . You are Robert Wilson , a.k.a .
Idiom: hold someone's hand (used idiomatically: yes)
I paid for the petrol and the mints , and the young chap said : ‘ It 's Geoffrey Boycott sat in that car , is n't it?’ ‘ Yes,’ I said , ‘ we 're on our way to the Benson & Hedges match at Cardiff.’ I held my hand out to introduce myself and I said ‘ My name is … ‘ I did n't get any further . He interrupted me with , ‘ Oh , we know you — you 're the chocolate mouse from Lancashire!’
Idiom: in broad daylight (used idiomatically: yes)
Civil servant who cut up the boys he lured back to his house , burned the pieces , buried them . Smell alerted the neighbours who suspected faulty sewers . Woman abducted on motorway in broad daylight while phoning AA . Later murdered . Man going berserk in Surrey commuter town , gunning down thirty .
Idiom: green light (used idiomatically: yes)
As Tallis focused her gaze on the young magic - man she could see that the newest skull was a blank - faced mask , crudely chipped out of a circle of rain - softened bark . She raised Skogen to her face and through it she saw Ghost of the Tree turn a quizzical and penetrating look upon her . In the damp dawn mist he radiated green light , tendrils of luminescence which reached from the points of his body into the canopy , and down to the earth . The soft light bathed him , poured from him ; the trees seemed to suck it in , like water . The Daurog prepared for their journey .
Idiom: go all the way (used idiomatically: no)
If you open a box with a penknife always do that . So that you have to So get it to go all the way . Cut the end that 's for . Do the contents the world of good !