Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: slippery slope (used idiomatically: yes)
Equality of opportunity — the idea that everybody should have a fair chance of doing themselves justice — is a notion that has been at the basis of public provision of education and indeed of much educational charity for a long time indeed . Usually , those who have espoused it as a goal have had little interest in the idea of equalizing all the pupils of a school or an educational system , or indeed all the people in a particular country . Williams attempts to show that if we examined the commonplace idea of equality of opportunity thoroughly , we find ourselves carried down a sort of ‘ slippery slope’ towards insisting that only if everybody has succeeded to the same degree can we be sure that there has been genuine equality of opportunity . Thus for Williams there is no difference between the right to enter a competition and the right to win that competition . Flew ( 1981)(3.2 ) , in the extract from his book The Politics of Procrustes , differs from Williams .
Idiom: on the cards (used idiomatically: yes)
Erm , a suggestion from Richard 's attached . There 's a suggestion here from Sarah . The application states that this procedure does not cover costings based on rate cards . We use rate cards in that excess but we still comply with the procedure which . It 's perfectly reasonable to follow the procedure book and the procedure .
Idiom: one and the same (used idiomatically: yes)
Our colour brochure gives full details of these magnificent cruises . A case for staying at The Lygon Arms . Country life and gracious living are one and the same at this 16th Century coaching inn in the heart of the Cotswolds . Rolling hills , mellow stone villages and historic buildings surround this rural retreat , which has brought a taste of the good life to connoisseurs and gentlefolk since the reign of Charles I. A member of The Savoy Group of Hotels and Restaurants , The Lygon Arms extends a special welcome to National Trust members with an exclusive invitation to stay at the hotel and depart with a case of specially selected wine from The Lygon Arms ' cellar .
Idiom: out of sight (used idiomatically: no)
Out of sight out of mind . When you 're separated you lose touch .
Idiom: hand in glove (used idiomatically: yes)
The inquisitive Warlord turned to realign itself with its mechanical peers which strode onward together in line abreast , to massacre Marines . Chapter Ten Biff 's whole right arm was encased in a flexible sleeve of slim sensor - studded steel hoops embedded in flexiplast , and his hand in a glove of the same . The weight of the ensemble was counterbalanced by the tug of transmission cables snaking up into the ceiling . In repose Biff 's arm hung in mid - air ; he might have been recuperating in a wing of the Apothacarion with his limb in traction …
Idiom: thick as thieves (used idiomatically: yes)
She shook her head . ' Roxie 's your friend , is n't she ? ' said Ben , who seemed determined to open up channels in Coffin 's mind . ' Thick as thieves . ' ' It must have been difficult for you , hiding Egan when Place was living with his sister . ' ' I never said and she never said .
Idiom: for good measure (used idiomatically: yes)
The same passion , pride and hurt is in the playing and , illuminatingly , the purpose and intricate invention of the blues suddenly starts to take shape . By the time we get to the man 's boisterous , almost redneck , version of Lightnin ' Hopkins ' ‘ Good Times’ the conversion is complete and a hunger for the music starts to take hold . To complete this , his second solo , JLP includes a couple of his own songs for good measure , both of which are high quality rock outings , with ‘ Go Tell The Mountain’ being the best of the bunch . His guitar here may stray towards free - form psychedelic freak out , but the pain remains the same . Pierce finishes off with a ghostly version of the great Skip James ' ‘ Hardtime Killin ' Floor Blues’ , one last acoustic cry before the tape runs out and proof positive that the blues has never been in better hands .
Idiom: out of the woods (used idiomatically: yes)
In my spare time I wrote stories , painted wonderful illustrations , and made magazines , with crossword puzzles and problem pages . I wanted to be an archaeologist and find exciting things in the mud . I also loved making gadgets out of wood , and my heart 's desire was a chemistry set . I thought chemistry sounded like magic . I organized the neighbourhood children into having jumble sales , cake sales and ' fe
Idiom: see the light (used idiomatically: yes)
But it did not trouble the invaders , for with it was the smell of horses . Round this yard was a lining of lean - to stabling ; it was the slight movement of scores of horses they were hearing . From here they could see a light from an inner window of the gatehouse . There was a second guard - chamber between the outer and inner baileys , but it was unlikely to be on the alert at night when the main gate was manned . The leaders approached it cautiously nevertheless .
Idiom: on the hop (used idiomatically: yes)
The production takes over at the Criterion Theatre from Making It Better starring actress and cake - maker Jane Asher , which is to close unexpectedly on December 5 . The expected run until February was curtailed by falling attendances , despite Miss Asher giving the performance of her career . Clinton win has marines on the hop By Tim Satchell THE rabbits in Regent 's Park have welcomed the presidential victory of Democrat Bill Clinton .
Idiom: by and large (used idiomatically: yes)
erm adjacent to the urban area . Are you saying that greenfield development on the edge of York would be in the greenbelt as you have defined it in the deposited local plan . I 'm talking about the the overshoot , and my comments about greenfield sites were related to period eighty one to ninety two , and it became quite clear during the eighties that the sketch plan green belt or development was at that time , through the eighties , was by and large abutting onto the urban area , that er through the eighties what everybody understood to the sketch plan green belt was tight up against er the urban area , so in resisting urban greenfield sites erm on the urban edge through the eighties the County Council were recognizing the greenbelt constraints . That is n't quite the question I asked . Unless you are telling me that the sketch greenbelt local plan is the same as the deposited greenbelt local plan
Idiom: over the hill (used idiomatically: yes)
Peace and quiet are to be found in abundance here with the lovely narrow streets being totally traffic free , apart from the odd herd of cows being led down the street by their mountain cowherd . It is reached by way of a beautiful mountain railway journey from Lauterbrunnen or by cable car from Stechelberg . Murren has a huge variety of signposted walks to take you over the hills and into the mountains . At the end of June , Murren is host to International Ballooning Week , and the skies fill up with myriads of colourful hot air balloons . Directly above the village rises the peak of the Schilthorn mountain which was featured in the James Bond film ‘ On Her Majesty 's Secret Service’ .
Idiom: call it a day (used idiomatically: yes)
She understood the true meaning of a phrase she had often heard but never defined : in her element . Incongruously , ridiculously , here in this Underground station , with musicians she did not know , playing to an unknown , only occasionally apprecia - tive and ever - shifting audience , she was in her own element . The fair man whispered to her , ‘ One final piece and then we 'll call it a day . Can you do the ‘ Entry of the Queen of Sheba’ ? They like that.’
Idiom: force someone's hand (used idiomatically: yes)
But that 's not an option locals here want to consider . Protestors argue that it 's the disadvantaged who 'll feel the loss of he library most . Gloucestershire County Council says its reluctant to make the cuts , and blames the Government for forcing its hand . Other options open to the council include reducing the opening hours of all libraries or cutting back on the money it pends on books . The final decision on how best to save the money will be made in the new year .
Idiom: one of those things (used idiomatically: yes)
That influence will be needed tonight as Wrexham bid to climb further up the third division table . Two defeats in their six home games is hardly what the fans expect but Flynn is n't pressing the panic button . ‘ Barnet were the best side I 've seen this season and we have to admit they were better than us on the day but Northampton was one of those things . They got a goal and hung on,’ he said . ‘ Nevertheless we have scored 12 league goals at home , so that 's not a bad average.’
Idiom: hit the headlines (used idiomatically: yes)
For the last hour between half - a - million and a million starlings — impossible to estimate accurately — had been flying in from every direction . From daytime feeding grounds up to twenty miles away , they converge on Abbey Park to roost for the night . The gigantic roost first hit the headlines in 1979 : ‘ 50,000 starlings … foul droppings piled high on paths … whitewashed bushes … branches broken … tremendous noise … disgusting stench … picnic tables ruined … Abbey Park a wasteland.’ The years passed and each winter the starlings returned , numbers building up to a peak in March .
Idiom: on the spur of the moment (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ You think they 'll find he was absent on the eleventh as well as the sixth?’ ‘ It 's a possibility.’ ‘ One visit to Heather on the spur of the moment could be innocent enough,’ Dysart said musingly . ‘ Psychiatrist concerned for his ex - patient , that kind of thing . There 's nothing sinister in her not having mentioned it to you .
Idiom: point the finger (used idiomatically: no)
Leeds 2 , Everton 0 JOHN EDWARDS HOWARD KENDALL pointed an accusing finger at defender Gary Ablett over the two - goal burst that sent Everton home empty - handed . Everton were surviving a Leeds siege thanks to Neville Southall 's brilliance when Ablett erred for the first time . The former Liverpool centre - back lunged in on Gary McAllister and sent the Leeds skipper sprawling for a penalty in the 61st - minute .
Idiom: make a move (used idiomatically: yes)
CHAPTER TEN The stunned silence lengthened . Luke made no move , just looked at her , his gaze one of incredulity and shock , and Robyn felt as bad as she had ever felt in her life . Telling Luke had given her no satisfaction ; there was no feeling of well - being or sweet revenge , just a cold , forlorn emptiness , where once there had been hope . She turned , wrenched open the door and hurled herself down the spiral staircase , pushing blindly through the group below , tears streaming down her face .
Idiom: presence of mind (used idiomatically: yes)
He is funny too . I liked him so very much . He — in his little bit , sitting on a different spindly chair — had the presence of mind to take the opportunity of delivering an onslaught on the Snow school of criticism , the stranglehold they have , their implication that there are worthwhile characters who ‘ matter’ and others that can not have any importance . ‘ I do n't give a damn for what is fashionable,’ he said , ‘ and I do n't want to write about characters just because they 're fashionable types . Not even scientists or Cambridge dons … .’
Idiom: do me a favour (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ You want me to be happy , do n't you?’ ‘ Yes.’ ‘ Then will you do me a favour?’ ‘ Depends what it is.’ ‘ I want you to take someone to watch the Somerset v. Kent match next Wednesday.’
Idiom: streets ahead (used idiomatically: yes)
Her age , according to trade pundits , is around 32 . Madhuri , who gave up her studies in microbio - logy to become a movie star , is about 28 . YET in the ratings they are streets ahead of the new teeny heroines . Sridevi commands a fee of around £ 40,000 a movie . Madhuri is paid nearly as much — £ 35,000 .
Idiom: cut the crap (used idiomatically: yes)
He was a fine man , Con Meredith - Lee . A brave sailor and a good friend . ' Milton repressed a familiar urge to tell an interviewee to cut the crap and drop the platitudes . Instead he said , ' Well , sir , this must all be very sad for you . You have my sympathy .
Idiom: fair game (used idiomatically: yes)
She shivered , knowing instinctively what would have resulted if she had encouraged Luke the slightest bit . And that , of course , she decided ruefully over a cup of coffee at the kitchen breakfast - bar , would have played right into his hands , seeming to justify his opinion of her . So far as he was concerned , she was fair game ; that accounted for his behaviour in her bedroom , the scene in the hired car last night . Bruges had certainly provided an opportunity for getting to know Luke better , and now Merrill could understand why Elise had fallen in love with him . And if he had meted out to Elise the same unpredictable treatment , the same highs and lows , then it was n't beyond the bounds of possibility that he was the kind of man who made a girl , driven beyond all logic , all reason , decide that life without him was no longer worth living .
Idiom: on the mend (used idiomatically: yes)
' How is your sister ? ' Robbie had asked the elderly housekeeper . ' On the mend , praise be . But she 'll never be very strong . ' A sigh .
Idiom: spill the beans (used idiomatically: yes)
The records got better - sounding progressively because of that.’ So what 's the end result of Stephen 's education ? The man himself is more than happy to spill the beans about how he goes about capturing a memorable guitar sound on tape … ‘ I sometimes use an ambient mic on guitars , but I find that it can make things sound a bit too boxy and I 'd rather have the choice on the mix if I want to add a bit of ambience . I tend to record guitars dry .
Idiom: shuffle off this mortal coil (used idiomatically: yes)
Barbedette concluded that the only thing to do is to ‘ maintain an intrepid virtue.’ He quoted Cardinal Rancé , whose last words on his deathbed were : ‘ I am not leaving you , I am only preceding you.’ If artists have to address the fact that AIDS - sufferers shuffle off this mortal coil faster than most of the rest of humanity , perhaps the arts most closely linked to the body can express the idea best . Literature is made up of words . Not so dance .
Idiom: over the hill (used idiomatically: yes)
The castle , the garden , and the spires of Vienna vanished behind me in the morning mists ; far above me countless larks exulted in the air ; thus , past gay villages and hamlets and over green hills , I wandered on toward Italy .
Idiom: split the difference (used idiomatically: yes)
' You do n't want to go wasting that on a taxi . We can get a number nine easy enough . Split the difference on a cuppa , shall we ? Let 's pop into the Corner House . ' She lead the way through swirling traffic .
Idiom: hand in glove (used idiomatically: yes)
Members of the British Cabinet actually considered restoring a member of the old Qajar dynasty to the throne ; unfortunately it emerged that the man in question did not speak a work of Persian . Even in London this was thought to be a drawback . Some British officials Muhammad Reza a weak Playboy " hand in glove with the German Legation " . But in the end they and the Russians decided to install him on his fathers throne ; They reasoned that the could always be replaced if he did not do as was required . After all , he would have no real power .
Idiom: out of pocket (used idiomatically: yes)
Hand flying to mouth , she gave a queer , trembly laugh and looked at her children . They stared back and saw the colour come and go in her face . She took a pair of dark glasses out of her pocket and put them on . Eyes safely hidden , she said , ' I 'm sorry , I ca n't . I really ca n't Really . '
Idiom: the icing on the cake (used idiomatically: yes)
The Goodison striker was finally substituted after 73 minutes . Arsenal paraded the FA Cup and Coca Cola Cup around the stadium before the start of the match . Wright 's magnificent second goal was just the icing on the cake before a near 30,000 crowd , and proves that they will certainly be in with a shout when the title race really hots up . DYNAMITE … That 's Arsenal 's England striker Ian Wright who scored twice in yesterday 's comfortable win over Everton
Idiom: pull strings (used idiomatically: yes)
A fortnight ago , the Norwich Union East Champions lost to Redbridge and Ilford , who Chelmsford have beaten this season , but form would count for nothing in a derby game , he insisted . Peaked Anchorians peaked at just the right time to win Division A of the Peroni League , while Oxford University have one of the country 's best outdoor coaches pulling the strings . Gavin Featherstone , an ex - England and Great Britain player , is a professional , taking seminars and making videos . Clarke said he had ' an enormous CV ' , having managed the U.S.A at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984 .
Idiom: in the red (used idiomatically: yes)
On the day they were accompanied by their area manager , James Burford and his secretary , Cherry . I 'm sure he wanted to join in the fun but maybe he did just want to make sure they all got down safely . With butterflies in their tummies [ for extra lift ] , they each in turn took their position in the red and white striped glider to be winched gently high into the air . Then the moment came when the tow line was released and they savoured the eerie feeling of riding the rising thermals . Gliding silently through the air with the spooky thought that there was no engine to assist the descent and the craft is completely at the mercy of the air currents .
Idiom: full marks (used idiomatically: yes)
More trivial gossip from Buxton . Ian MacNaught Davies , you future president , arrived at the post - thrash climbing session at the Roaches in a huge G registered Mercedes . Full marks for style , but how on earth is he going to cope when environmental matters are on the agenda ? Tomo Cesen , the man who almost certainly climbed the South Face of Lhotse but forgot to take any pictures , arrived for his session with a highly professional career package . His state - of - the - art audio - visual was stunning , and he already has the book of the film of the climbs in print .
Idiom: tie the knot (used idiomatically: yes)
60 Button catcher For this team game , get two paper cups and make them into button catchers by piercing a hole in the bottom with a needle or pin and threading through a length of reasonably strong cotton . Tie a knot in one end of the cotton , so that it does not get pulled through the cup , and attach the other end to the button . Each person then tries to toss the button in the air and catch it in the cup . As each succeeds she or he passes the cup to the next person until everyone has had their turn .
Idiom: have words (used idiomatically: no)
' Damn Vera , ' Irina said under her breath . Taking extra time off because I was n't in till late this afternoon . I 'll have a word to say to her when she gets back . She took the envelope and stepped into the lift . It was special delivery .
Idiom: up to no good (used idiomatically: yes)
Why should Adam bother to do that ? He does n't benefit from the trust … ’ ‘ Adam 's up to no good,’ Buzz said firmly . ‘ But we wo n't worry about that now . What 's important is to get you out of here .
Idiom: in the loop (used idiomatically: no)
He 'd forgotten the stamp hinges . He 'd go and get them . It had really been wonderful out , soft on the face with a little breeze moving things about a bit , the streets busy , everyone moving around , cyclists swerving in loops — no hands . He should have gone out earlier . Then it clouded over , purply and menacing .
Idiom: bear in mind (used idiomatically: yes)
I have found much more concern with status in industry than I expected — it 's just not so easy to identify for a newcomer . When people move from the armed forces into civilian life , they often need to make considerable adjustment to the way status operates . If you choose to dispense with conventional displays of overt status , bear in mind how conformist , conservative and resistant to change many people are . The managing director who suddenly assumes a very friendly , familiar manner may be regarded with suspicion ; the accountant who turns up to work in his track suit may be ridiculed . Non - conformists are often regarded as mad , bad and dangerous to know .
Idiom: sour grapes (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ We were happy , we were delighted and we were singing . They came in and asked us to stop . ‘ It 's probably sour grapes after they 've been beaten 4 - 2 by nine men . They ca n't be enjoying their football down there at the moment if that 's the only thing they 've got to moan about . ‘ Our reserve team manager Brian Sparrow is amazed at the accusations about damage to property .
Idiom: come full circle (used idiomatically: yes)
Once the new house had been built is was often blocked in with a single course of concrete blocks and curiously enough today thirty five years later the modern method of building houses is to construct them all of wood and then surround them with a single course of concrete blocks . So were we in fact years ahead of our time in house building I wonder . By the end of the nineteen fifties life in Orkney had come full circle and like everyone else we had acquired a taste for the material things in life . And then on the twenty second of December nineteen fifty eight twentieth century technology arrived with the opening of the B B C television transmitter at Nether Burton in Ham and this electronic window in the world was to influence and change our lives beyond our wildest dreams . It 's quite a while now since I 've bored you with a few observations about our friends the dumb animals who share their lives with us on the planet and the more you observe them the more convinced you become that they 're anything but dumb .
Idiom: under fire (used idiomatically: yes)
' Tiny kid , daughter of the Chairman . We Zed - bombed the barriers and went in with shielded skimmers . Corporate lawyers went in under our covering fire to deliver the paperwork . ' She turned the ear until Ardamal could see the crust of blood beneath it . ' They wanted the Chairman 's retinal print for the waiver forms , ' she continued .
Idiom: think twice (used idiomatically: yes)
If that happens , UEFA will determine the winners on the aggregate score of the two matches involving the rivals — so whoever wins on April 7 will almost certainly go on to contest the European Cup final . Cloud looms on NIE share sale BRITISH Telecom 's plans to release a third block of shares this summer could force investors to ‘ think twice’ about taking a stake in Northern Ireland Electricity , a leading stockbroker warned today . The NIE flotation is likely to take place on Wednesday June 9 , less than a month before the launch of ‘ BT3’ , one of the biggest - ever privatisation issues . It 's expected that the Government will off - load most of its 1.35 billion BT shares in late June or early July .
Idiom: night and day (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ No . I must see whatever there is to see.’ And she thought she knew about pain anyway , because there had been pain in losing Fergus , there had been nights and days and weeks of aching torment . Raynor said gently , ‘ There are different levels of pain , Grainne,’ and Grainne looked startled , because he had heard her thoughts . ‘ I think you are acquiring the Samhailt , Raynor,’ she said , and saw sudden delight flare in his eyes .