Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: carrot and stick (used idiomatically: yes)
Two world wars had drawn them into close and cooperative contact with government . The post - war commitment to full - employment increased their bargaining power ; the strike weapon in the context of a complex and interdependent economy meant that they could exert considerable pressure " through their capacity to disrupt and delay ; and as inflation came to be seen as the problem ( and as a problem caused by " excessive"wages demands backed by strikes ) so trade unions found themselves in a new position of strategic importance and power . To try to preserve industrial peace and control wage inflation governments were forced to adopt a carrot - and - stick approach to the trade unions . However , the limitations of the stick forced governments to try and win voluntary cooperation through concessions and " social contracts " . The experience of the sixties and seventies suggested that the trade unions were a political force to be reckoned with .
Idiom: sour grapes (used idiomatically: yes)
NEWS at Ten bosses have axed the football results round - up from nightly bulletins . And last night they were branded spoilsports after claiming not enough viewers are interested in the national game . Programme chiefs denied it was sour grapes after ITV lost the battle with BSkyB to screen live Premier League matches . But the famous Bongs ! will have a hollow ring for millions of soccer fans anxiously waiting for news of their teams . Screen pundit Jimmy Greaves fumed : ‘ I reckon they should keep the football results and drop News at Ten.’
Idiom: have a screw loose (used idiomatically: yes)
In 1952 , CBS Television used Univac , the first commercial computer system in America , to do a Peter Snow for the Stevenson - Eisenhower election battle . At about 9 pm on election night , with just seven per cent of the votes in , Univac predicted 438 electoral votes and 43 states going to Eisenhower , and just 93 electoral votes and five states to Stevenson . Univac 's masters decided the machine had a screw loose : most human pollsters were predicting a close race . The programmers were called in and told to fiddle with Univac 's brain to make the prediction more realistic . Univac 's watered - down prediction went out at 10 pm .
Idiom: bear in mind (used idiomatically: yes)
Female competitors may also wear a plain white T - shirt beneath their jackets . Spectacles are not allowed , so if you ca n't see well enough without them but want to compete anyway you should either get a pair of soft contact lenses or see how you manage without glasses . Contact lenses often get lost during competition , so bear this in mind before you spend a hefty sum on them . Since karate competition is all about landing a controlled technique , it follows that shortsighted competitors may pose a danger both to themselves and to their opponents . You will not be allowed to wear a sweatband or jewellery such as earrings , necklaces , bracelets or rings .
Idiom: out of pocket (used idiomatically: yes)
' And before I go tomorrow we 'll compose a joint letter to the two of them , pointing out how well we get on without them and urging them not to hurry back . We will include this poem : I 've been saving it up for the right occasion . ' He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and declaimed : ' Love a woman ? You 're an ass !
Idiom: all over the place (used idiomatically: yes)
You 're not doing very well then are you ? I keep going wrong with me cable , I keep pulling it to front instead of back . I ca n't do that bloody thing , it goes arsehole upwards and all over the place . What cabling ? It 's easy .
Idiom: take the plunge (used idiomatically: yes)
Joining the Army at 17-and - a - half , the young Whittingham was really only interested in playing sport for fun . But soon his ability was noticed and a highly successful run in the Army team led to spells with non - League clubs like Oxford City , Waterlooville and , finally , Vauxhall Conference side Yeovil where he scored 20 times in just over half a season back in 1989 . That attracted Pompey , and Whittingham explained : ‘ I decided to buy myself out for £ 450 and take the plunge — I 'm glad to say Portsmouth did pay me back the money — and I 've never really looked back . ‘ If I 'd started at 17 or 18 , who knows what I might have achieved . ‘ But I have no regrets .
Idiom: not all there (used idiomatically: yes)
Songs were getting written to accommodate guitar conceits , pointless feats and smotheringly unnecessary elaboration . And I never much cared for the bumptious , muscular side of The Smiths , so I welcome the spaciness Vini Reilly brings as new guitarist , whether it 's the lurid wig - out of ‘ Alsatian Cousin ' or the dew - and - moonbeam iridescence of ‘ Late Night , Maudlin Street’ . In American teen slang , Vini is a ‘ space’— a dreamer , someone not all there . Hailed by Paul Oldfield as ‘ the missing boy of pop’ , someone whose resistance takes the form of an absenteeism from life , it strikes me that Reilly 's mystical anorexia is unusually suited to Morrissey 's neurasthenia , his supine delinquency . Viva Hate ! , unsurprisingly , returns again and again to the Englishness which obsesses Morrissey .
Idiom: take the plunge (used idiomatically: yes)
Straight and narrow Part one of David Stevens ' new series sets out the plans for his transformation of a long , narrow garden . Houseplants Take the plunge Follow Daphne Ledward 's signposts to success with indoor bulbs for winter colour , plus our step - by - step guide for glorious hyacinth blooms on Christmas morning . Living with houseplants
Idiom: below the belt (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Why were n't you able to keep him for more than a few months?’ Eleanor 's perfectly shaped mouth registered a small smile of triumph as the colour slowly filtered from Jessamy 's face . That was definitely a blow below the belt ! Jessamy decided rather shakily . Perhaps it was n't a good idea to launch into open warfare against someone like Eleanor .
Idiom: ahead of the game (used idiomatically: yes)
You can never describe her as having a particular image . In fact , no one can keep up with her . ‘ As long as she can maintain the ability to keep moving forward that fast and stay ahead of the game , she is winning.’ Another tribute came from an independent source , and a man who knows what he is talking about . Lyricist Tim Rice , one of the forces behind worldwide musical smashes Chess , Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita , summed up : ‘ You ca n't fool hundreds of thousands , or millions of people at the same time with absolute garbage for record after record .
Idiom: early bird (used idiomatically: no)
I do n't care if the early bird gets the worm , I want to sleep .
Idiom: keep the peace (used idiomatically: yes)
Hall was probably sent to Rochester Gaol as in June we find Nicholas certified on his recognizance at Rochester Gaol to give evidence . Jan. 1587 , lie bound to good behaviour Elizabeth Watson of Halling 20 shillings and William Symons 10 shillings , also Henry Bray , Yeoman 10 shillings , all of Halling to appear at the next quarter sessions at Maidstone and in the meanwhile to be of good behaviour . In April of the same year William Symons and John Wood of Halling were bound over 10 shillings each to keep the peace against Richard Wissenden of Gillingham and Henry and Joan Jackson both of Gillingham . William Symons must have been a wild one for in July of the same year he and Elizabeth Cole also of Halling , were both bound over for twenty shillings to appear at the next gaol delivery . Another of this family , Thomas Symons of Halling together with Henry Huggins of Wouldham was bound to ten shillings to keep the peace against Roper Blundell of Rochester .
Idiom: larger than life (used idiomatically: yes)
Sqn Ldr Tommy Blair DSO , DFC Perhaps I should start with one of the most colourful characters that we ever had in the Pathfinder Force — unhappily now dead — Tommy Blair of No 83 Squadron . He was a very much larger than life character who it is understood , although it may not be strictly true , was sacked three times by his company for which he worked as a salesman . Although he was sacked he was taken back a fourth time and he did indeed die in harness . I can recall one memorable evening when we met in the Pathfinder Club just as soon as it had opened in the evening ; I was attached to the Air Ministry at the time and it was very soon after the war as we still wore uniform .
Idiom: born and bred (used idiomatically: yes)
For it was he who allowed Jews to re - enter Britain . He was motivated by the bankruptcy of the country , to be sure , and the poverty of the masses , not to mention the need for an injection of wise counselling ( unrelated to politics ) , and the revival of trade and commerce . As an ex - Gorbalite born and bred amidst them — a hotchpotch of races : Scots , Irish , Jews and Italians — I can speak with some knowledge of my colourful neighbours and fellow Jews . You may ask ‘ what made the Gorbals different from other centres of large Jewish populations in the UK?’ Indeed , cold facts and figures can be found in any public reference library .
Idiom: on the make (used idiomatically: yes)
Its specially designed mechanism can be attached either to the back of the bed or directly on to the wall . You can then pull the headboard out and rest it at any angle on the mattress for reading , watching TV or enjoying breakfast in comfort . On its own , the Laybak mechanism costs £ 29.99 ( including p&p ) , but is also available ready fitted on selected makes of headboard . 5 New from Marks & Spencer this spring is fresh hyacinth blue and white reversible bed linen in 50 per cent cotton , 50 per cent polyester . Single duvet cover , £ 16.99 ; double £ 25 ; king size , £ 29.50 ; pillowcase .
Idiom: in the offing (used idiomatically: yes)
There is no suggestion that people directly involved with Kingfisher profited from knowing that a bid was imminent . But company executives accept that there must have been a leak as they put together a financing package to back their bid for Dixons . After the price of Dixons shares staged a strong rise on Tuesday , Kingfisher felt obliged to broadcast a statement to the Stock Exchange first thing yesterday morning saying a bid was in the offing . Kingfisher says that even if there had been no leak , the bid would probably have been launched this week . Details of the takeover terms were announced yesterday afternoon .
Idiom: night and day (used idiomatically: yes)
Even if the child were ‘ demand fed’ , its environment and parents ' sleep would tend to decrease the likelihood of its waking and being fed at night in comparison with the daytime . Accepting that the rhythms of children in a structured environment appear to develop more quickly , is this advantageous to the child ? In one study , body weight as well as general development progressed more in a group of premature babies living in a hospital nursery which imposed light / dark and noise / quiet rhythms than in a group who had been in a ward with less emphasis on the differences between night and day . perhaps , therefore , a ‘ natural’ rhythmic environment is beneficial . It would be wrong to believe that the body clock develops only in response to a rhythmic environment and the effect upon the sleep / wake and feeding rhythms that this produces .
Idiom: spill the beans (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ You 'll need a solid week of ritual baths when you get home … if you ever do get home . That Anya 's a real nogoodnik . She might just decide to kill you , in case you spill the beans . Did you see yourself last night ? Wearing that perverted creature 's clothing ?
Idiom: in the hole (used idiomatically: yes)
Again , agoutis in south - east Peru store fruits of Astrocaryum , a palm , in hoards , which may lead to clumped distribution as well as to the ‘ clumped’ behaviour of white - lipped peccaries , which in turn disinter this food . By contrast , it has been argued by Janzen that species - specific ‘ predation’ of juveniles growing around their mother will lead to a progressive decline in density of successful saplings towards the mother . This might then account for the apparently non - environmentally controlled distribution pattern in which other species could insinuate themselves in the holes of the forest ‘ lattice’ devoid of the first species . This has been extended in the case of specific fruit and seed predators to account for the frequency of dioecy in some forests . In dioecious species , regulated in numbers by such predators , a high level of gene exchange could be maintained by the presence of a number of male trees that would not be attractive to these predators .
Idiom: off the record (used idiomatically: yes)
In two of the best - known cases — his description of John Biffen as a ‘ semi - detached’ member of the cabinet and of Francis ( now Lord ) Pym as the depressive wartime radio character Mona Lott — he goes out of his way to explain what went wrong . But first some background is needed . The ‘ lobby’ is the shorthand term for the club of political journalists who attend off - the - record briefings with the prime minister 's press secretary . These occur twice a day and may not , under rules drawn up by the journalists themselves , be mentioned in print . The source of the information and views , which are widely distributed just before evening and morning newspaper deadlines , is therefore hidden .
Idiom: nine times out of ten (used idiomatically: yes)
But er I knew that it was n't poss always possible for one to be at the branch meeting you see . So anyway , that was it , you had to go to your branch and complain , make your protest in writing , see , and the branch secretary would reply to your letter okay , And they 'd ask for maybe a few more details about the complaint . And then he would take that complaint , if the branch committee approved it , you see , or nine times out of ten if the branch secretary thought it was a valid case , he would send it in a letter to the sectional council . You see , from Portobello branch to the Sectional Council Scottish Region . Er stating the case you see , stating out the case .
Idiom: blow a fuse (used idiomatically: yes)
There is something so immovable , so enduring — yet I am perfectly aware that one day he will fall down — so mysterious about my old mate that although I ca n't say that I actually feel a surge of energy , I do feel some sort of ‘ reward’ . Perhaps it can best be described as a feeling of being ‘ earthed’ . No longer are my positive and negative leads just hanging free about to blow a fuse or allow my personal electricity to seep away . I am , in some strange way reminded of the enigma of mortality and immortality , of birth , life , growth and ultimately death . But there is nothing morbid about the death .
Idiom: beyond the pale (used idiomatically: yes)
There are many ways of getting back at you . But I am not worried . In some ways I am seen as beyond the pale , but it is the newer MPs who I feel most sorry for . I have popular support in the House , and the party can not manipulate me . But for some rebels and waverers they will become ‘ redundant’ to the party organisation .
Idiom: dog eat dog (used idiomatically: no)
Thus when endothelium was stripped from rabbit aorta in vivo prostacyclin production at the luminal surface of the vessel was virtually absent and recovery of prostacyclin production was slow over a period of 70 days coinciding with the appearance of neointimal cells ( Eldor et al , 1981 ) . Prostacyclin in contrast to thromboxane A 2 produced relaxation in most arterial preparations tested in vitro and was a potent vasodilator when tested in isolated perfused heart preparations ( reviewed by Moncada and Vane , 1979 ) . In addition , Dusting et al ( 1979 ) demonstrated increased blood flow in the coronary arteries of the intact heart in open-chested dogs following application of prostacyclin . Prostacyclin is a potent vasodilator in the microcirculation as demonstrated using the hamster cheek pouch preparation by Higgs et al ( 1982 ) and in the cerebral microcirculation of the cat by Ellis et al ( 1979 ) . In intact experimental animals prostacyclin has a vasodepressor effect and this was observed to an equal degree when injected intravenously or intra-arterially ( Armstrong et al , 1978 ) .
Idiom: come of age (used idiomatically: yes)
As early as the 1740s , scholars had deployed what we would now recognise as a valid historical methodology for questioning the veracity of scriptural accounts . Thus , between 1744 and 1767 , Hermann Samuel Reimarus , a professor at Hamburg , had argued that Jesus was nothing more than a failed Judaic revolutionary whose body was removed from its tomb by his disciples . By the mid - nineteenth century , German biblical scholarship had truly come of age , and a dating of the Gospels had been established which — in its approach and in most of its conclusions — is still deemed valid . Today , no reputable historian or biblical scholar would deny that the earliest of the Gospels was composed at least a generation after the events it describes . The thrust of German research was eventually to culminate in a position summarised by Rudolf Bultmann of the University of Marburg , one of the most important , most famous and most esteemed of twentieth - century biblical commentators :
Idiom: make history (used idiomatically: yes)
The eventual confirmation of Thomas , who succeeded black justice Thurgood Marshall , meant that the nine - member Supreme Court would be without a single liberal member for the first time in its modern history . The Senate resolution to confirm Thomas was passed on Oct. 15 by 52 votes to 48 , the closest vote in the 20th century for a successful Supreme Court nominee . He also made history as the first judicial nominee to be confirmed without the recommendation of the Senate judiciary committee , which held confirmation hearings on Sept. 10 - 27 , but deadlocked seven to seven when it finally voted on the motion to recommend the nomination , and then voted 13 to one to pass along the nomination to the entire Senate with no recommendation . Judiciary committee hearings in September In preparation for the anticipated tough hearings before the Democrat - controlled judiciary committee , Thomas , whose nomination had aroused opposition from a range of black , feminist , and liberal organizations [ see p. 38328 ] , received intensive coaching from members of administration .
Idiom: have a ball (used idiomatically: no)
Every weekend golfer knows that awful feeling of being within 20 yards of the green in two on a 500-yard hole and taking another three shots to get on to the putting surface . DUNES : To most people dunes are sandy hillocks to enjoy a stroll around but to golfers they are the enemy . Ask any player who has been unfortunate enough to fire a ball into the thick marram grass of a dune on a links and he 'll tell you there is only one way out — pick it up and start again . DUNHILL CUP : Played annually at St Andrews , the Dunhill Cup is a knock-out event contested by eight countries with three players on each team . Each player takes on another in stroke-play .
Idiom: crystal clear (used idiomatically: no)
It was interesting to note that as the election results came through , political commentators were readily able to offer a viable explanation : ‘ Labour made no headway in Battersea due to the local authority , plus change in electorate profile’ . Or ‘ Labour won Pendle because of poll tax resentment’ , and so forth . They were very wise and crystal clear — after the event . But in no way were the results properly analysed and taken into account by those who seek , and are paid , to quantify such matters , before the event . Of course , continuous and insatiable demand for ‘ immediate’ opinion - poll results in the run - up to an election can lead only to inadequate , inaccurate and misleading data .
Idiom: all in a day's work (used idiomatically: yes)
Some weeks later , I receive a note of thanks along with an engraved beermug . Home visit : chances are many of Widgery 's elderly patients , once hospitalized , will be marked ' Not for Resuscitation ' All in a day 's work : since Aesculapius , doctors have enjoyed complaining . About the hours , the stress , the resources , the bureaucrats and , most of all , about the incessant and insatiable demands of patients Desolation row : Despite a concerted public campaign , the Bethnal Green Hospital ( opposite ) was geriatrified , then closed .
Idiom: pick up the pieces (used idiomatically: yes)
Well , this was the greatest challenge of her life and she would damn well face it if it killed her . She would get through the next few days of being in the same house as Piers and then she would leave , and she would somehow get through the rest of her life without him . She picked up a piece of paper and began drawing little cameo pictures of the bowl of fruit on the sideboard , of the flowers in the garden , bending under the wind . Maybe she would take up her art again , and when she had polished that rusty talent perhaps volunteer to teach handicapped children . Her heart was n't in what she was doing , though .
Idiom: hit the road (used idiomatically: no)
In response , the British Mountaineering Council is proposing a Pen Trwyn style scheme of abseil points and lower - offs , and is to apply to the Sports Council for a grant to help pay for a geological survey of the rock . In the first accident last October , climber Wayne Gladwyn dislodged a telly sized chunk from a ledge 40 feet above the Horseshoe Bend , unfortunately arriving on the deck at the same time as the rock , which narrowly missed giving him a potentially fatal bashing on the head . The second incident took place in November when two climbers from Liverpool Polytechnic , also climbing above the Horseshoe Bend area , dislodged another huge block which hit the road within 18 inches of one of the estate 's senior guides . The problem , notwithstanding the alarming nature of such rockfalls ( of which this correspondent has had an uncomfortably close experience ) , is how best to stabilise the areas open to climbers . Under the present access agreements climbing is banned in the gorge from April until October , with climbers required to have third party insurance .
Idiom: on the face of it (used idiomatically: yes)
He suggests that section 8(3 ) will probably be ' sensibly construed as an attempt to strike a realistic balance ' and points out that there will be ' room for legitimate differences of emphasis among the various agreed syllabuses , as at present ' . Ealing LEA 's syllabus , which has been challenged by one parent for failing to give sufficient attention to Christianity , apparently states that , ' whilst our children need to understand that Christianity is a living faith which has shaped the history , institutions , art and culture of Britain , they also need to explore the other living faiths in our borough so that the richness of our religious experience can be shared and appreciated ' . On the face of it , this approach is consonant with the requirements of the Act . Moreover , the law continues to require that RE syllabuses should be non - denominational ; RE must not be given ' by means of any catechism or formulary which is distinctive of any religious denomination ' . The law now explicitly states that the study of any such catechism or formulary is not prohibited .
Idiom: grind to a halt (used idiomatically: yes)
’ You 'll be pretty busy then , what with one thing and another?’ The sound of our approaching train discouraged any response . With a roar it emerged from the tunnel and ground to a halt along the platform . We forced our way on and found suitable straps to hand on to . We said nothing after that , except to nod goodbye when Tom got off two stops ahead of me .