Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: at a loose end (used idiomatically: yes)
I mention this incident because it is typical of Burmese friendliness and hospitality , and during the retreat many people like myself experienced similar kindliness . Finally I reached Maymyo , to find my family camping out in a very small house , all three children down with scarlet fever . In Maymyo I was at first rather at a loose end , for most of the civilian families had left , and the Establishment chaplain was there to carry on the church services and to look after the few people left . So I began to visit the civil hospital which had been taken over by the military for wounded and sick men from the British forces further south . It soon became apparent that men were being discharged too soon , to make room for a growing number of casualties .
Idiom: out of the blue (used idiomatically: yes)
Shorebury Park who had a wedding cake made and she kept phoning her up and Alison was n't making cakes at that particular time . Oh when Louis was born ? Yeah , well before sh he was born , she stopped doing them and er she phoned up out of the blue and so said to her , no they live at Bognor I think or something . Bognor ? Yeah and they 're when they come up to London they 're going to
Idiom: give someone the slip (used idiomatically: yes)
' That is not a figure that we recognise , ' he said . Sex convict on the run A PRISONER was on the run last night after giving his guards the slip while he was visiting his dying mother in hospital . Police immediately launched a frantic hunt for Kenneth Lewis , 31 , who is serving seven years for indecent assault and threats to kill . He was granted compassionate leave to visit his mother in London 's East Dulwich Hospital yesterday .
Idiom: on the ground (used idiomatically: yes)
I stood frozen to the spot unable to do anything ; I could see soldiers diving for cover ; the Frenchman who was coming towards me with a smile on his bearded face was now lying on the ground . It must have been all over in a few seconds . They were now tending to the Frenchman as he lay on the ground . His face was the usual grey colour , his mouth was open and his eyes were staring upwards . As the medics were carrying him away I could see blood oozing out of the eye-holes of his boots and dripping on the ground .
Idiom: open someone's eyes (used idiomatically: no)
He had never come back . The longer she lay here , the shorter the odds became … … she tried to open her eye — the right one , the one that was still there — and found it glued shut . She had blood on her face , dried - up and mixed with grit from the road . The preacherman had hauled her out of the Feelgood and battered her face against the road .
Idiom: high and low (used idiomatically: yes)
The narrowness of the path means that they must always play ' follow the leader ' , and begin to learn something about position and ordinal number . First , second , third and last will stay in the same order unless there is a junction , when the line may divide and their positions change . Steps can encourage similar experiences of spatial order as children go up and down and there are also opportunities to make higher and lower comparisons . When trucks and trolleys need to negotiate the steps , children can experience weight , balance and the effect of sharing the weight between several children working together , under the careful supervision of an adult . Gardens
Idiom: put a foot wrong (used idiomatically: yes)
Did she ? Yeah . Never put a foot wrong ? No she was very good . Have you been in touch with that magician since ?
Idiom: lay odds (used idiomatically: yes)
( Rule of Life No . 5 : Always tell the truth ; not necessarily all of it , though , and not all at once . ) Yet as we talked and ate , he looked mostly at Werewolf and then at his daughter and occasionally you could see him thinking that maybe he ought to change his Will . I had n't asked but I just knew she was his only offspring , and I 'd lay odds there was n't a Mrs McInnes any more . Over the cheese , he picked up on something I 'd said about the PKB file on Cawthorne 's dealings . ‘ I do n't pretend to know what it all meant,’ I said .
Idiom: out of the blue (used idiomatically: yes)
In St Augustine 's interpretation of Trinitarian doctrine , Hilton also found a way of showing how sinful man could learn about the incomprehensible God and return to his creator . It explained the shape of the mystical experience that came to him in prayer . Mystical experience never arrives out of the blue ; it is always influenced by the religious milieu of the mystic , even though he may want to transcend the beliefs and attitudes that he found there . St Augustine taught that God had created man in his own image and so it was by looking at his own soul that man would discover God : ‘ May I know myself ! may I know thee!’ he had cried . There was a trinity within everyone , consisting of the three powers of the soul which corresponded to the three divine Persons : memory , understanding and will ; it enabled us to be , to know and to love what we are in the same way as God knows and loves himself .
Idiom: think the world of (used idiomatically: yes)
Her kindness . And even all the pretentiousness that 's so horrid next to the real thing — well , it 's better than nothing . I used to think the world of her when she came to stay . I used to love staying with her . She backed me up when there was the great family war about my future .
Idiom: cold feet (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Think about it , laddie.’ This with a grin on a lighter note . ‘ There 's no room fur cold feet on the sort of expedition we 're embarkin ' on.’ He reached for the gear lever and we began to move slowly off the bridge . I sat back , wide awake now and cursing the man for goading me so unpleasantly .
Idiom: on the rocks (used idiomatically: yes)
I thought I 'd lost you ! Is n't it a wonderful climb ? Did you see me on the rocks ? I got to the top — it was easy!’ ‘ All the same , anything could have happened … ’
Idiom: kiss of life (used idiomatically: yes)
TAKE That 's heart - throb Robbie Williams come to a sticky end as he celebrates his band 's latest hit , A Million Love Songs . You can have your cake and eat it Robbie … just use a fork in future . It will save you from getting into another fine mess . Kiss of life saves Sade POOL DRAMA AS MERMAID VIDEO SHOOT GOES WRONG SULTRY singer Sade had to be given the kiss of life when a spectacular underwater scene for her new video went dramatically wrong .
Idiom: in light of (used idiomatically: yes)
In a more recent book , Law 's Empire , Professor Dworkin returns to this concept : political legitimacy — the right of a political community to treat its members as having obligations in virtue of collective community decisions — is to be found not in the hard terrain of contracts or duties of justice or obligations of fair play that might hold among strangers , where philosophers have hoped to find it , but in the more fertile ground of fraternity , community , and their attendant obligations . In the light of the revolution in gender attitudes in Western society in the past decade , it is perhaps ironical that the most significant application of British obscenity law in recent years , at least in relation to films and videos , derives almost wholly from the fraternal obligations which men owe to women . If fraternity is the foundation stone of the British approach to obscenity , through the courts and the public authorities , then it is relevant to discover the extent to which such a principle plays any part at all in the regulation of obscene matter in the United States , given the fact that the USA produces the vast majority of publications which appear before the courts of America Europe and the free world . The First Amendment of the Constitution stipulates that ' Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech , or of the press ' , while the Fifth states that no one shall ' be deprived of life , liberty , or property without due process of law ' .
Idiom: over the hill (used idiomatically: yes)
I exclaimed — as once I had exclaimed when reading the Electra . I read it twice , my hair ( like that of Henry Tilney in Northanger Abbey ) standing on end . I walked alone vigorously , churning it over in my mind , on our favourite Sunday walk — through Islip and Noke , over the hill to Beckley and back by Elsfield . I thought I should go mad if my brother did not come home at the appointed hour , for I longed to thrust it into his hands . Thereafter we eagerly obtained the precious four novels of the canon and she became our favourite writer .
Idiom: save someone's bacon (used idiomatically: yes)
Point the mouse cursor ( seen here as an arrow ) onto the required program and double - click on the left mouse button to highlight and operate the program . The BACKUP and RESTORE programs are opposite to each other , one will backup your programs to floppy disks and the other allows you to restore them to your hard drive . Also here is the UNDELETE command which will sometimes ( do n't rely on this as a guaranteed safety catch ) save your bacon if you have accidentally wiped ( deleted ) a file from a disk . There are many other DOS commands that you may eventually use ( some are shown listed below ) , but most of these should really not concern you until you have become more familiar with your new machine and it 's basic abilities . It is a good idea to make a BOOT disk in case you ever have problems when you first turn the machine on and it has difficulty reading the hard drive .
Idiom: with a vengeance (used idiomatically: yes)
The sixth World Cup will be the biggest yet with 12 teams taking part . South Africa pulled out because of a crowded international programme and to host the World Cup would take resources and attention away from their development programme . Bok with a vengeance Tony Roche Midlands 9 S.Africa 32
Idiom: in the club (used idiomatically: yes)
' I think I will have that cup of tea . ' She took the mug and moved across to the worktop , aware of Hitch watching her every move . ' You must have done a thing or two working in that club , ' Hitch said , still looking at her . ' I 've seen some of the acts . ' She pushed the mug towards him and sat down again , trying to avoid his gaze .
Idiom: with a view to (used idiomatically: yes)
Only recently vice - president Quayle remarked that most of the refugees in Hong Kong are political — which , as the Secretary of State will be aware , led to a halving of applications for voluntary repatriation . No quantity of private representations in the relevant forums will make any difference . It is about time that the Government said something publicly to the psychopaths who run American foreign policy , with a view to achieving change . Mrs. Chalker The hon . Gentleman knows full well that United States Government policy is a matter for the United States .
Idiom: take heart (used idiomatically: yes)
Building conservation is environmentally friendly ; it is a way of using existing resources for an end - product that is unique and irreplaceable . One more question you might ask yourself is : Is it Worth the Fight ? If you feel that it will be too much of an uphill struggle to save a building , take heart from others ' achievements . Fifteen years ago , many of the cases SAVE was involved with caused ridicule amongst our critics . But the recognition since of the tremendous value of historic buildings of all types , the successful conversion of buildings for new uses and a public determination that history will not repeat itself in terms of the demolition and desecration that was then taking place , have inspired us — and many local amenity societies , preservation trusts , action groups and individuals — to carry on campaigning .
Idiom: sleight of hand (used idiomatically: yes)
In an amiable parody of an interview he once heard being given by Sir Adrian Boult , Gould spelt out the attitude to recording of that older generation : roughly , ‘ I do n't mind doing the occasional recording , old boy — not everyone gets to concerts — and we 'll do our best , but I do n't want any ‘ patching’ , we must keep the long line intact’ . As a master of the long line himself , Karajan would probably have endorsed some of Boult 's sentiments ( many of Karajan 's recordings have been put down more or less in a series of single takes ) , but he would also have agreed to an extent with Gould that ‘ good splices’ can also ‘ build good lines’ . Gould , in fact , saw the objections to tape - editing as being rooted much more deeply in the assumption that man is his own best advocate — the most unwarranted assumption of the post - Renaissance era , Gould adds — with a consequent belief that such technological sleight of hand was , if not immoral , then certainly dehumanizing . And moral outrage at the use of simple expedients can still run high . Not the least surprising aspect of the BBC radio documentary’ The Price of Perfection’was the space it gave to the aggrieved reminiscences of the Philharmonia Orchestra 's former first flute , Gareth Morris .
Idiom: too clever by half (used idiomatically: yes)
If the senatorial rules had not been used the effect would of course have been essentially the same . Out of every 100 votes given to Paisley 61 would have contributed to his election and ten to Craig 's election , leaving 29 that could have been further transferred . The arithmetic can not be faulted — and may well be judged too clever by half . Bill Craig 's cognomen Jas was elected thanks to the accumulation , in fourteen successive stages of the count after the first , of 1,246.83 votes plus 297.25 plus 4.75 plus 1.75 plus 111.25 plus 15.47 plus 13.79 plus 975.73 plus 15.26 plus 219.03 plus 2.39 plus 2.00 plus 305.65 plus 747.00 . Some advocates of the STV present the senatorial rules as an indispensable feature of the system .
Idiom: all over the place (used idiomatically: no)
He reports only to the President of the USSR.’ ‘ When the girl , Louise Taylor , and then Inspector Leeming were found , I do n't believe it did n't get back to the KGB . So why are n't they crawling all over the place?’ ‘ Ah , just my thoughts,’ Myeloski confirmed . ‘ It 's almost as if they 've been told to keep their distance.’
Idiom: to all intents and purposes (used idiomatically: yes)
A general war weariness , grievances over high taxation , and a deep fear amongst the Anglican majority of the population that the Church was now in greater danger from Protestant Nonconformists than it was from popery , all worked to the Tories ' advantage . Under Anne , it was only in 1708 , which saw an attempted Jacobite invasion of Scotland , that the Whigs were able to play the " no popery " card with any success . The fact that by the early eighteenth century the Whigs had become to all intents and purposes a Court party , whilst the Tories were increasingly associated with Country concerns , also helps explain the relative shift in the support base for the two parties . Several contemporaries suggested that the reason why the modern Whigs were losing support was because they had deserted old Whig principles . As the Whigs gradually began to retreat from their erstwhile espousal of populist causes , the Tories increasingly appeared to be the party with more to offer ordinary people .
Idiom: in the club (used idiomatically: yes)
' But I do n't always speak up or shout from the roof tops . I 've been called the quiet man and I would n't argue with that . ' Explaining the philosophy which has been his strength from his earliest days in the Ledley Hall club with Herbie Young and his former employer Bill Robson he said : ' If you want anything from this sport you have to work exceedingly hard for it . ' Nothing will be handed to you on a plate . ' ' Two weeks before the European title fight I packed in my job and it was the best move I ever made .
Idiom: foot the bill (used idiomatically: yes)
William Dexter White , the US Treasury official entrusted with the management of that department 's foreign interests , had his own vision of a future international economic order . In his experience the British — and especially the noted economist , Lord Keynes — seemed too addicted to unorthodox and inflationary experiments . At the same time he was rightly sceptical of the readiness of the American taxpayer to foot the bill once the war was over . Indeed the enthusiasts in the administration for the creation of a liberal , multilateral international economic order were increasingly impeded by all sorts of objections from protectionist and tax - conscious Congressmen and business interests . Further opposition came from isolationists and the inveterate critics of Britain and her empire .
Idiom: at sea (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ But Mr Lascar — did n't he suspect?’ ‘ Mr Lascar is dead . Buried at sea . The … flux is no respecter of persons.’ Joe Spriggs frowned , dissatisfied , and was preparing to ask a good many more questions when Miss Jarman cut in :
Idiom: come full circle (used idiomatically: yes)
Running a modern garden though means less digging and more paperwork for those in charge . But there 's still time to remember tall stories from previous superintendents . Since the early days when the entire collection was catalogued in one small book , the role of the Botanic Garden has come full circle . People are again looking at plants for new drugs to fight illness and disease . And botanists fear a quarter of the world 's flora could vanish in the next century , so it 's vital the garden continues to help the plant kingdom grow and flourish .
Idiom: all along (used idiomatically: yes)
Seeing jelly fish like wilted Dali watches all along the shore , who can tell what dispensations
Idiom: fall short (used idiomatically: yes)
The intention was to reduce it to that rate which would constrain aggregate demand to grow at a rate which could be met by increases in real output . In the long run , this was thought to be about 3 per cent per year . However , since inflation was well established in people 's expectations and was therefore reflected in their price - setting behaviour it was thought that a sudden reduction in monetary growth might cause demand to fall short of nominal output and cause a rise in unemployment . What emerged , therefore , was the ‘ Medium - Term Financial Strategy’ in which annually decreasing targets were set for monetary growth . For reasons we shall look at in Chapter 9 , it proved almost impossible to limit monetary growth to these target ranges and yet inflation still fell .
Idiom: have been around (used idiomatically: no)
I do an erotic Avengers kind of look . Dressing up is part of going out . Leather trousers have been around for two or three years now , but PVC 's a good alternative and it 's cheaper’— Catriona Smith Shot at the Milk Bar by Patrick Harrison Text Camilla Deakin Walking into a club these days , it 's easy to get the feeling that you 've accidentally come across the local Hell 's Angels chapter double booked with a Skin 2 party .
Idiom: close to home (used idiomatically: no)
I will confirm to the right hon . Gentleman , as I am sure that he will be pleased to hear what the European Community has to say , that the United Kingdom is the only country where signals of a sustained economic recovery are discernible , by contrast with a tendency towards gradual slackening of growth continuing in Germany , France , Italy , Spain , the Netherlands and Portugal . Mr. Kinnock Slightly closer to home , is the right hon . Gentleman aware that the British chambers of commerce today report that this is the seventh consecutive quarter in which the United Kingdom economy has suffered from recession , with levels of economic activity continuing to decline ? Is not it clear that the recession caused by the Prime Minister 's policies is continuing because of the Prime Minister 's paralysis ? The Prime Minister
Idiom: fair game (used idiomatically: yes)
Andy Medhurst locates as ‘ the central visual themes of the 1950s male pin - up in Britain what one could call the hegemony of the tweed jacket or the ideology of gentrification’ . The dominant male of the period , like Kenneth More or Michael Dennison , was sexless , full of ‘ common sense’ , above all , decent : the exaggerated nature of the Edwardians ' dress , its appropriation from middle - class roots , and the obsessional nature with which they pursued it , all spoke of people who did not know their place . Having transgressed these invisible , but powerful , boundaries , the Teds were fair game for anything that could be thrown at them . ‘ A similar interpretation of a sexual twist ( homosexuality ) in the make up of Teddy Boys could be ascribed to their excessive interest in their own and each other 's clothes and hair - styles , such as the habit of the early Teddy Boys of having their hair waved.’ To contemporary commentators like Fyvel , the only other section of the population who behaved in such a way were the homosexuals ; what he did n't know was that this pursuit of pleasure , and concentration on self , were exactly those traits that would become desirable , and eventually , socially acceptable , with the extraordinary success of Elvis Presley and the Teen age that followed .
Idiom: heart and soul (used idiomatically: yes)
I wish you could prove your love in some way.’ ‘ Will this prove it more?’ cried Tess desperately , holding him close and kissing him . For the first time Clare learnt what a passionate woman 's kisses were like , on the lips of one she loved with all her heart and soul , as Tess loved him . ‘ There — now do you believe?’ she asked , wiping her eyes . ‘ Yes .
Idiom: take root (used idiomatically: yes)
It is especially important to get SMEs involved in the planning and implementation of programmes . Our Group also considers it important to take greater account of remote and peripheral areas and wishes to increase interaction between towns and rural areas . We oppose the excessive control the central administration of the Union and its Member States exercises and we are calling for a reduction in the bureaucracy that has taken root in the drafting and implementation of programmes . Projects implemented with support from the Union have had their effect watered down all too often by slow decision making and complicated administrative processes . Funds have often been granted for projects which have had no lasting benefit for the area concerned .
Idiom: tongue in cheek (used idiomatically: yes)
Baryshnikov , in pink pyjamas , danced with a hoop , a length of ribbon , a hat and a chair , compensating for the inevitable choreographic cliches by a highly polished performance . A primly sober pas de deux for two men ( Baryshnikov and John Gardner ) , the Duet from Concerto Six Twenty - Two by Lar Lubovitch , looked uneasy and undeveloped out of its context in a longer suite . Mark Morris 's Canonic 3/4 Studies however , a lively ensemble work , was full of tongue - in - cheek wit with plenty of jokes that depended on clever timing or neat contrasts between popular romantic music and unexpectedly awkward steps . The most wildly eccentric offering of the evening was Nocturne , a solo choreographed by Martha Clarke , in which Carol Parker depicted a disabled sylphide whose pathetically spasmodic and halting movements were incongruously linked to one of Mendelssohn 's Songs Without Words . Peterborough :
Idiom: cost the earth (used idiomatically: no)
The example is taken from the feature story in the tabloid newspaper The Sun , which claims to be royalist but which delights in uncovering royal gossip . In the issue of 3 December 1971 The Sun commented upon a parliamentary report that the members of the Royal Family should be granted large increases in their allowances . The headline set the tone : ' Sure , It 's the Greatest Show on Earth — But Need It Cost the Earth ? ' The newspaper was demanding that the public be given a good show for their money : ' It is still necessary to ask ourselves whether we are getting value for money . And The Sun for one is not convinced . '