Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: give someone pause (used idiomatically: yes)
Precise figures are hard to come by , because many European discount chains are privately owned , but no one doubts that they are taking a growing share of the $ 140 billion or so that Europeans spend on food each year . In Germany , where discounters have a long history , they control a quarter of the market . This should give Europe 's big retailers pause for thought . They are following a path that leaves them vulnerable to just the type of discount - retailing that has flourished in Germany . In many countries , big food chains are busy opening stores offering the convenience of one - stop shopping in giant , out - of - town sites with their own car parks and restaurants .
Idiom: lend a hand (used idiomatically: yes)
Example 1 : Two 3rd year juniors were engaged in design and construction tasks . One was having difficulty fitting wheels on his police car . The other left his work briefly to lend a hand . They talked together and worked out how to solve the problem . He returned to his own tasks .
Idiom: hold someone's hand (used idiomatically: no)
She clenched her fists , determined to suffer in silence . Everyone had told her she could n't be in a better place , but they kept saying she must be patient a little while longer — and she did n't know how much longer she could bear it . When Connor threw on some clothes and left the Watermen at a run , in search of a doctor , he left his mother to hold Ruth 's hand and try to comfort her . She had no idea how long they waited like that , with Mary O'Dell wiping the sweat from her face with a cool washcloth , speaking gently in her soft Irish singsong as if Ruth were a child , for by now her memories had blurred together ; faces swam into focus through waves of pain , then disappeared . She remembered Con coming back with a doctor she had never seen before .
Idiom: in the saddle (used idiomatically: yes)
Nine days later , on 28 September , there was an outing from The Kilns to Whipsnade Zoo . Minto and Maureen , accompanied by an Irish friend called Vera Henry and the dog Mr Papwoth , who had recovered his strength before going hence and being no more seen , were to travel by car . Jack and Warnie were to go by motorcycle — Daudel as Warnie called it — with Warnie in the saddle and Jack in a low - slung sidecar . It was a thick , misty day , but when the two brothers got beyond the small market town of Thame , the fog gave way to bright sunshine . They stopped far beer and then waited anxiously at an agreed spot for Minto and the others .
Idiom: for crying out loud (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Chicago pollution ? What are you on about ? Perhaps it has just got eczema , for crying out loud.’ ‘ Nope , nothing is ever quite that simple.’ ‘ Well , let 's pretend it is just this once all right ?
Idiom: take the liberty (used idiomatically: yes)
But admin . , that 's my right berth.’ The Royal Navy had left its mark . In Casualty we did not report for duty , we came aboard ; we worked watches , not shifts ; when we went off duty we went ashore ; on our days off we took the liberty boat . Sister Casualty off duty invariably wore a trouser suit , white shirt , and silk cravat in assorted colours . As she was just under six foot tall and very slim , wore her dark hair closely cropped , and her face though free of make - up was not unattractive , the result was certainly striking .
Idiom: free and easy (used idiomatically: yes)
For many Filipinos , there is more than enough poetry in this fact , and certainly more irony than Estrada ’s action - comedy movies of the 1960s ever mustered . There is no underplaying the significance of the court ’s unanimous decision to convict the first Philippine president ever to undergo a criminal trial . This is , after all , the Philippines , where Imelda Marcos is still living free and easy . Despite massive evidence of the widespread death , poverty , suffering , and dysfunction she and her late husband , the dictator Ferdinand ~ Marcos , inflicted on the Philippines , the only real disappointment she has subsequently endured has been losing the last presidential election she was allowed to contest . The Philippines is not a country used to seeing powerful people punished .
Idiom: put paid to (used idiomatically: yes)
All our matches were played on artificial or matting wickets . Unfortunately heavy monsoon rain caused our first game to be abandoned against Singapore CC Sunday XI — we were 87 for one off 12 overs ! The rain put paid to our next day 's match and consequently we did n't play until towards the end of the tour against the Jonor Rhinos , a team containing four Malaysian internationals , coached by a First Grade Australian ( who also played ) . They were too strong for us at this stage , and beat us by nine wickets . This gave us an overall playing record of four wins out of six matches played , with one defeat and one match abandoned .
Idiom: on the back of (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Nothing for you , Monsieur,’ he said , putting the last letter back in place . My envelopes for posting were lying in a heap on the counter . I scribbled on the back of the one to Joan , ‘ Reggane 10.1.75 — still received no mail . Hope to arr ' In Salah 18.1.75.’ Reggane was a soulless place , little more than a hamlet inhabited by a handful of people and the wind .
Idiom: in light of (used idiomatically: yes)
Moreover , the considerations of Section 6 are based on yet a second assumption , which , in the light of a strict consideration , appears to be arbitrary , although it was always tacitly made even before the introduction of the theory ~ of ~ relativity .
Idiom: in someone's pocket (used idiomatically: yes)
She felt the thrill of sexual anticipation sweep over her body , wiping everything from her mind except Terry , herself , and their need . Inside the car he kissed her , long and hard . He fumbled in his pocket and took out a key . ‘ Do you see this?’ Maura nodded .
Idiom: have a few (used idiomatically: yes)
The win was a good one , in a season when confidence has n't been high . Games against second strings are n't easy . Gloucester had a few players out as well . Bath looked as if they were going to win , but Gloucester 's defence held out well . Voice over
Idiom: for the time being (used idiomatically: yes)
Fedorov clambered aboard the coach and shook the reins . It jerked into life and moved away . For the time being he was safe . But they would try again . He must remain on guard .
Idiom: get wind of (used idiomatically: yes)
She had read so much into Steen 's letter . Channelling all the pain of her loss into arguments to support her theory , she leapt on to the promise of provision for her and the baby , and to the sentence , ‘ I 'm sure he 'll turn out better than the other one.’ To her mind , these proved conclusively that Marius had decided to change his will in her favour , and that Nigel had got wind of this and forestalled his father 's plans by killing him . Charles put up all the arguments scepticism could muster , but somehow ended up agreeing with Jacqui that it was at least worth further investigation . Which was why , on Thursday 13th December , he was taking Gerald Venables out to lunch .
Idiom: free rein (used idiomatically: yes)
Asked why , knowing that such practices were illegal yet widespread , he had not made a stand against them , Sir Henry replied : ‘ Because we should not have got the players.’ The court upheld the FA 's verdict and Sir Henry left football for good . His successor at Arsenal , Sir Samuel Hill - Wood , was content to leave Chapman with a free rein to work out his grand designs . The manager 's rule was now complete , a state of affairs that has continued ever since . Writing in 1969 , Bob Wall says :
Idiom: in the swim (used idiomatically: yes)
Conversely , the colour may well be perfect but they may have had their fill before you arrived . The problem of location can get more complex as you fish bigger and wider drains . You can do all your homework and be in the right swim during a feeding spell and then still miss the fish if you , for example , put all your baits under the far bank and the pack is moving up and down the centre of the drain or close to the near bank which in my experience is quite common . Hedge your bets and position baits to meet as many options as is possible . This is obviously easier if you are fishing with a few friends who are prepared to let you move in if they locate the fish first .
Idiom: piping hot (used idiomatically: yes)
The vegetation became more varied , from date palms and prickly pear through argan forests and orange groves to almond and walnut spreads . A cheery old Berber made half his house ours at Tagmout . There was piping hot bread and honey with the welcoming tea and , at night , a huge tagine ( casserole ) dish containing a delicious stew . On the morrow we added three mules ( and their muleteers ) : Llacen , a wizened old man , Hussein , a lively character , and young Omar , all tousled hair and grin , who made the entire trip in flip flops ! You hurry slowly in the Atlas : at the highest village we were taken in for tea again , by a sister of Ali 's .
Idiom: buy time (used idiomatically: yes)
This means that transactions are processed as they are entered by the operator , and not at some later date . Inevitably , the VDUs will be used frequently and unpredictably . All this effectively rules out buying time at a bureau . It is far too expensive , and involves an open - ended cost . The other end of the scale — micros — can also be ruled out .
Idiom: state of the art (used idiomatically: yes)
In situations of this kind provisions governing access and format may exert powerful constraints on the use that can be made of these data . The first four chapters in this part examine issues relating to geographic information handling in terms of four potential applications fields . The authors were asked to review the current state of the art in their fields with particular reference to the likely requirements of the future policy issues agenda in terms of the demands that they make on geographic information management . Authors were also asked to evaluate critically the state of geographic information provision in terms of the needs of users and to consider the impact of user requirements on the development of geographic information handling methodology . In this way the chapters in this part present a number of perspectives which essentially complement and amplify the discussion in the previous part .
Idiom: out of the woods (used idiomatically: no)
You see , we 've decided to go tomorrow night and we dare n't risk another trial before then . There 'll be no moon , and if this wind holds it should help us a lot . Also , the goons will hardly have had time to make anything out of those bits of wood by then . Now , do you think you can be ready ? ' ' I should think so . '
Idiom: by leaps and bounds (used idiomatically: yes)
And the prospect of that new century , and with it the hope for a better future , was something the people of Frome , like the people of Britain itself , sorely needed . It is easy — too easy , perhaps — to see the last decades of the 1700s as a time of unalleviated misery for a large part of the population of the British Isles . To attempt to bring up children in the 1780s and ' 90s was an unenviable task indeed — yet the number of such children was itself increasing by leaps and bounds . The population of Britain was to rise from between seven and eight million in 1760 to 15 million in 1820 — in other words , it doubled in a period of 60 years . Not everyone saw this as an ‘ explosion’ as such , but those commentators who did , like the much - quoted Thomas Malthus , prophesied disaster if the growth could n't be controlled ; how was the country to survive when there were hundreds of thousands of extra mouths to feed every year ?
Idiom: collect dust (used idiomatically: yes)
It is the belief that his work is making a difference to these people despite their appaling conditions that makes Neil MacDonald feel that his work for Oxfam is worthwhile . He said : it gives me hope for the future of the planet that people can work for a solution to poverty and problems and can enjoy life at the same time . Tomorrow we follow Neil MacDonald to another Oxfam project where the wives of out - of - work miners are forced to collect coal dust from the sea to earn enough to feed their families . Sales of Rover cars slumped last year by nineteen percent . But the company say they have n't done as badly as some of their competitors , and predict a better year ahead .
Idiom: take the plunge (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ In this country the safety regulations are very stringent,’ he said . ‘ Operators have been in discussion with the Health and Safety Executive for some time , and we have now come up with a code of practice accepted by the HSE and drawn up by BERSA ( British Elastic Ropes Sports Association).’ Every jumper goes through rigorous checks before they take the plunge , including a weigh - in to make sure they have the correct elastic rope for their size . Though people have been bungee jumping in Britain for 12 years , most notably from the Clifton suspension bridge in Bristol , it is only recently that commercial operators have begun to spring up . Yesterday Jonny , who originally comes from Piercebridge near Darlington and went to school in Barnard Castle , presented his business plan to judges in the county finals of the national Livewire competition , which aims to encourage young self - employed businessmen and women .
Idiom: few and far between (used idiomatically: yes)
Guides to the literature and techniques of information handling A major part of the effort in user education in university and polytechnic libraries is the preparation of guides to the subject literature , guides to individual reference works , guides to particular forms of literature , guides to techniques of information handling etc , and there are few libraries in these sectors who do not have at least a dozen in current production . In the tertiary colleges on the other hand they are few and far between , and where they exist they are integrated into the user education programmes as teaching handouts . The relationship of these guides to programmes in university and polytechnic libraries is unclear , although a minority are produced as teaching handouts . But the value of the guides to the student is less certain .
Idiom: in the hole (used idiomatically: yes)
Oh yeah , yeah , where the furniture was concerned yeah , we only liked it if people came in and said oh my god what have you done now , you know . What kind of curtains did you have ? Oh , I , I can remember when fibreglass curtains first came out we bought some of those terrible things they just went in holes , you know if you touched them too much they just went in holes . They were brittle ? Yeah
Idiom: have a heart (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ You know Harry?’ I knew Harry — pompous oaf , actor , so full of himself you wonder he can get any food in , comes to see us when he 's ‘ resting’ . ‘ He 's had a heart attack . Dad 's oldest friend — he may not make it.’ ‘ Oh dear , I am sorry.’
Idiom: dry as dust (used idiomatically: yes)
" Walking , " he replied briskly . " I reckon I walked twenty miles today . " " Your dinner'll be as dry as dust . " She rose , sticking her knitting needles into a ball of blue wool . Laughter emerged softly from the television set as a man hit another man in the stomach .
Idiom: on the hoof (used idiomatically: yes)
All their worries would be forgotten . Little did they realize that the individual was crucifying herself inside’ . Diana , an unwilling international media celebrity , was having to learn on the hoof . There was no training , backup or advice from within the royal system . Everything was piecemeal and haphazard .
Idiom: hands down (used idiomatically: no)
Looking after the copyright of an artist as prolific and popular as Magritte can be no easy task . His works travel the world , reproduced on postcards , posters and any medium which does not actually detract from the artist 's intention . As heir to the droit morale and guardian of the Magritte estate , Charly Herscovici explained that ' Inheriting this intellectual property makes me responsible for protecting the artist and his work , and ensuring that it is handed down for posterity . I have always been fascinated by Magritte 's work ; I have met all his friends , and I worked on his archives for six years . Nowadays , I am consulted on all matters pertaining to him , and I feel my role is to make him better known .
Idiom: plain sailing (used idiomatically: yes)
Caroline is a strong believer in keeping Christmas rituals going . The children , Katie , 12 , Liza , nine , Jamie , eight , and four - year - old Harriet , help with the cooking , stirring the cake mixture and putting 5p pieces in the pudding . As a professional cook , Caroline finds the Christmas meal plain sailing — but she knows it 's a task which sends many people into a flap . Her advice is to try and treat it as a normal meal . ‘ It 's really just like a Sunday roast with a bit of cranberry sauce and brandy butter thrown in — and you can make those beforehand .
Idiom: powder your nose (used idiomatically: no)
Then we go to the taboo language and if you talk about when you go to the toilet , if you Everybody excuses themselves to leave and that 's both men and women and then somehow you have to say where you 're going , so the women are more likely to use the polite sort of euphemistic kinds of things like they 'd say toilet or loo , whereas the men are more likely to say bog . And they actually say what they do when they get there . Oh , younger men are more likely to use coarser tones and be more explicit erm although they would n't use those sort terms to their father or elder men , and the women are more likely to use euphemisms like Spend a penny , Powder your nose and things like that . And then we go to grammar . Women tend to use more standard forms er and men are more likely to use regional dialect forms .
Idiom: off the record (used idiomatically: yes)
' I 'm going swimming on Saturday , ' said Willis , in an assumedly bored voice that was modelled on Hilary 's . ' My dad 's all enthusiastic about swimming , God knows why . Times me , and hands over a quid when I cut a fraction of a second off my record — can you imagine ? Then I suppose I 'll go to that disco over at Hadleigh . Everyone seems to be going . '
Idiom: on the shelf (used idiomatically: yes)
The number of cheese - making farms in Lancashire may be dwindling but the tradition survives , as Linda Fraser reports Farmhouse cheese has been made in Lancashire for centuries . In the past , the farmer 's wife or daughters made the cheese and then it was matured and ripened on a shelf near the cooking range . It was traditionally eaten after two months , when it was mild and soft . Nowadays , Lancashire cheese is kept for three months , so it has a slightly fuller flavour .
Idiom: by heart (used idiomatically: yes)
I learned English words by ~ heart ~ all day yesterday .
Idiom: get on someone's nerves (used idiomatically: yes)
Yeah bleeding right and I do n't think they were because the school It was getting on everyone 's nerves out there . They was younger than your Mandy . Yeah .
Idiom: under the microscope (used idiomatically: yes)
The sores are usually relatively painless , and this procedure , like the urethral investigation , need give no cause for alarm . Following the genital tests and examination , there may be a general examination and a blood - test will be carried out . There will then be a wait while the various samples are examined under the microscope , and finally the results will be given by the doctor , and treatment prescribed as necessary . The male is lucky in that he is more likely to leave the clinic with a diagnosis at the end of his first visit . Because urinating tends to wash out the urethra , and because the urethra can be such a rich source of diagnostic material , the doctors will always prefer a male patient to have held his urine , if possible , for three hours or more before attending for tests .
Idiom: go with the flow (used idiomatically: yes)
Do something if and when it feels right . Follow your sense of joy and enthusiasm . When you are ‘ going with the flow’ , tasks become easy and effortless . Trust that you have a deeper self which can handle your day better than ‘ you’ can , and see what happens . LISTENING TO NATURE
Idiom: play games (used idiomatically: yes)
' Why not ? ' ' Because my men tracking Tweed have reported a complication . Someone else is playing the same game — following him with a series of cars . I found out who they are just before I left to see you . Gave me cause to think , pause . '
Idiom: tit for tat (used idiomatically: yes)
It indicates that the stock in the libraries in that authority , for as long as that local party rules , will reflect the politics of the majority of the voting electorate , in spite of the disclaimer that the policy will be carried out ' in the context of wider statutory provision across the authority ' . Such a selection policy is clearly professionally and publicly unacceptable , from any political grouping , and if pursued over a period of time , will surely replace education with propaganda as one of the purposes of the public library service . Moreover this policy positively invites tit - for - tat measures if or when another political party takes over , and this eventually and inevitably leads to an escalation of censorship . The pendulum swings from right to left , and from left to right , each side overcompensating for the perceived aberrations of the other . The tragedy of the situation is that their aims , their social aims , are often similar .
Idiom: rank and file (used idiomatically: yes)
This reactive violence is thus justified by its subjects and the justification subsists in consciousness along with their Roman catholic profession of faith and identity . The provisional IRA 's commitment to violence against the British and against the protestant — loyalist alliance , which the provisionals rhetorically and conveniently subsume under the term ‘ the British’ , is frequently assumed to be based on either Marxist or nationalist principles and in both cases to be secularist or areligious . Yet some provisional leaders and rank and file members are committed to their Roman catholic religious belief and practice . These beliefs can in fact contribute to the motivation of their struggle . As Gramsci points out , the religion of the clergy is not necessarily the religion of this or that social group of laity , whose religious interpretation is also related to their own concrete world of experience .
Idiom: in bed with (used idiomatically: yes)
In other words , lack of financial resources can contribute to homelessness and it does . And in all our consideration about homelessness to which the report rightly refers , we must remember that lack of financial resources is a contributory factor and how many in the assembly know that while we naturally think , in homelessness , of our tragic young people , five per cent of the homeless are elderly . Like the exiled Scots sitting up in bed with his cap on in Sidney Royal Infirmary , asked by the retired sister who visited people like him who had no friends how old he was , he says ninety two . Oh where do you live ? Central station , platform six .
Idiom: cold comfort (used idiomatically: yes)
Those who thought it would fall to pieces within 5000 miles were confounded , even if those who hoped it would sail the test with BMW - like dependability could hardly crow about its reliability record . In truth there were too many small problems for us to recommend it as exclusive , everyday transport . Caterham 's one - year warranty made sure these proved merely inconvenient , but for those covering such mileage over four years this will prove cold comfort . Then again , stretch the list of failures over four years and it does n't seem that long at all . Optional leather looks appropriate