Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: under fire (used idiomatically: yes)
A joint Russian , Moldovan and Dnestr peacekeeping force had been deployed on July 29 to halt the fighting after an agreement signed by Russian President Boris Yeltsin and his Moldovan counterpart Mircea Snegur over the future status of the Dnestr region [ for July agreement see p. 39019 ] . On Aug. 21 Nikolai Zhurbenko and Pavel Creanga , the heads of the commission monitoring the Dnestr ceasefire , reported that large numbers of arms had been surrendered and that warring groups had mostly disbanded , although Zhurbenko said that it was too soon for peacekeeping forces to be withdrawn . Peacekeeping forces came under fire in isolated incidents . Some 47,400 refugees from the conflict were reported to have fled to Ukraine . Russia and Moldova agreed on Aug. 26 a two - month timetable for the removal of the 300th Russian Parachute Regiment from its base in Kishinev .
Idiom: under the table (used idiomatically: yes)
She might know . By the time the aged parents had arrived , Lisabeth was ensconced in my bedroom , the sleeping - bag ( which has seen me through three continents , two sit - ins , an eviction and a New Year 's Eve in Trafalgar Square , and which I called Hemingway ) in place on the sofa . Springsteen tested it for comfort , then hid under the low coffee table , partly because it 's the only table I have and partly because it 's the ideal place to ambush somebody coming out of the bedroom with no shoes on . I went downstairs to help the Binkworthys in with their bags , and also to get a look at them as I was mildly curious , not to mention nosey . Mr Binkworthy was a tall , dapperly dressed bloke who had parked his redundancy - money Ford Sierra behind Armstrong .
Idiom: game on (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ It 's only since we saw the video that we found out whose boot it was . I have given him some heavy sarcasm about it.’ Barnes , 30 , added : ‘ I knew fairly soon that I was out of the Test match and now I am struggling to be fit for the Taranaki game on Wednesday . It needed 12 stitches , big ones , and three injections and it hurts . ‘ It 's ironic that it should be a colleague who caused the wound , because I have now toured New Zealand three times and watched their style of rucking .
Idiom: go downhill (used idiomatically: yes)
I went there once . It 's in what was obviously quite a nice terrace at one time , early Victorian or something , with big fat columns holding up the porches and railings on the street and steps leading to the basement . But the whole area 's gone terribly downhill . The telephone boxes are all covered with prostitutes ' phone numbers , the street - sweepers probably have n't been since 1968 , and there are left - over hippies in attics playing mad music all the time . You can imagine the sort of area .
Idiom: for the time being (used idiomatically: yes)
Often such women have been married to strong , protective men who accepted and possibly even fostered their childish and dependent attitudes to everything in life , and when this support is suddenly withdrawn they feel completely lost . The temptation to put some kindly pressure on them to become more responsible and independent as quickly as possible is always great , but it has to be remembered that the habits of a lifetime in a basically anxious personality can not be changed overnight . If she is ever going to learn to stand on her own feet finally , when her grieving is over , she will need your acceptance , for the time being , that what she is experiencing now is something like the intense suffering of a child separated from the security of its mother 's presence , with all the feelings of fear and panic that brings . Her best hope of surviving it successfully lies in your maturity and willingness to act as a temporary crutch for her and as a quiet stabilising influence until she learns how to walk alone and unaided . There will , of course , be reasons why she has never ‘ grown up’ emotionally , and most of them will be no fault of her own .
Idiom: bear fruit (used idiomatically: yes)
INFORMATION & PUBLICATIONS Library and Information Service The promotion of the library and information service to members continues to bear fruit . Over 10,000 enquiries were handled by the team in the information office at Trinity Road during 1992 , an increase of 25 per cent over 1991 . The office now has two dedicated telephone lines as well as connection to the main switchboard .
Idiom: tie the knot (used idiomatically: yes)
So please sent your club donation of £ 20 to the Disaster Appeal , . Finding time to tie the knot … So busy are international players that they are lucky if they are able to find the time even in summer to tie the knot . However , England 's Simon Hodgkinson ( left ) did marry Fiona Radley with guests including Will Carling and Dewi Morris ( getting in some tackling practice ) , whilst Wales ' Garin Jenkins ( right ) and his smiling bride clearly enjoyed their big day . Right priorities ?
Idiom: under fire (used idiomatically: yes)
Five years after the world ’s first permanent criminal tribunal commenced operations , it has made its mark . The ICC has opened four active investigations , issued public charges against twelve people , and to date secured custody of four . Nonetheless , the Court has come under fire for three alleged failings . First , some argue that by interjecting itself into ongoing conflicts , the ICC has impeded efforts to secure peace . But the facts on the ground do not bear this out .
Idiom: get the boot (used idiomatically: no)
That also amused him . ' Is there something going on between you and Ellen , now ? Got your boots under her table , have you ? ' ' No , ' I said firmly , ' so get out . ' ' Did you know she 's a Catholic ? ' he asked me as though it really mattered , and he gestured with his cigarette at a crucifix that hung over the narrow bed , which I knew was there solely for sentimental purposes because it had belonged to Ellen 's dead father , but to McIllvanney it was a challenge .
Idiom: between a rock and a hard place (used idiomatically: yes)
Where are the bogey men ? John Hughes IN 1987 Labour 's local selection committee in this working class constituency had to choose between a rock and a hard place — either Hughes , a local Transport Union convenor with strong left - wing views , or the outsider , ‘ Red Ted’ Knight from Lambeth . They selected Hughes , who was duly elected with an 11,867 majority , but two years ago changed their mind and de - selected him . Hughes , 66 , alleges ballot - rigging and is defiantly standing as an independent against the Kinnockite Bob Ainsworth , a Jaguar shop steward and local councillor .
Idiom: for my money (used idiomatically: yes)
' I 'm the Great Anarch , ' Piper said conversationally , ' I order the spheres as they dance in the vault of space . ' Ellwood tapped the barrel of a syringe and pumped a little jet of sodium pentothal into the air . Almost inaudibly , he said , ' For my money , you 're the Great Pain in the Ass . ' Carey led Piper back into the other half of the room , but the old man seemed to have other things to do . He pulled away and began to wander towards the stairs .
Idiom: behind someone's back (used idiomatically: yes)
Long loops drawn with the accuracy and ease Of a lithe skater hands behind her back Who seems to be showing off but is half lost
Idiom: hear things (used idiomatically: yes)
That was one of the ways of training you or breaking you in to what was materia m the materia medica of the pharmacy . If he today er you do n't hear such thing as aconite liniment , belladonna liniment . Extract of bella belladonna . Dandelion juice , Succus delaxica they 've been replaced .
Idiom: down the tubes (used idiomatically: no)
usually made of rubber or soft polythene and draining into gauze or bags , they may be shortened or removed after 48 hours if the discharge is minimal . Drains are usually secured by a suture , and a sterile safety pin may be placed through the drain to prevent it retreating into the wound . When removing a drain for the first time , the suture must be removed , and the safety pin replaced about 1″ down the tube if it is to be shortened . This procedure is much easier if sterile gloves are worn . Actual dressing techniques vary enormously .
Idiom: on the ropes (used idiomatically: yes)
On all crucial passages of a rock ridge , the rope should be kept right . A question for the middlemen is the choice of which side to put the rope . Climbing steep snow in a series of zigzags as in ( Fig . 2b ) , the axe is held in the uphill hand and the rope goes on the downhill side direct to the next person on the rope . This prevents the rope getting twisted round the back in such a way that a downward pull rotates and dislodges the body . When the party changes direction , the middlemen step over the rope behind them and the rope is transferred to the correct downhill side .
Idiom: get wind of (used idiomatically: yes)
A couple of years later I was telephoned by a BBC producer called Ron Webster , who said he wanted to talk to me about Mountbatten 's obituary programme . A cheerful , boozy chain - smoker , who had started his career as a film editor , Ron had a cough that seemed to rise from the soles of his shoes , and a propensity for laughing hugely at his own , often very filthy , jokes . Ron said that he 'd been preparing an obituary of Lord Mountbatten for some time , that Mountbatten had somehow got wind of it and had approached the BBC with a view to taking part . ‘ In what way?’ I asked .
Idiom: laughing stock (used idiomatically: yes)
Mrs Margaret Beckett . As ministers are still proclaiming that back to basics is the lode star guiding government policy while the Prime Minister 's dodging all questions about it . Does n't this show yet again that back to basics is making this government a laughing stock ? Hear , hear . My er the right hon the right honourable lady I 'm er I do n't know whether I 'm sorry to say or not , it 's a bit out of date , my right honourable friend has just today given a clear explanation of the back to basics theme .
Idiom: keep your head (used idiomatically: no)
Yeah . Never mind ! Oh well , keep your head down . Yeah ! Yeah .
Idiom: in someone's pocket (used idiomatically: yes)
Is he your friend ? Well that was silly thing to do really was n't it ? You do n't put sand in people 's pockets do you ? I know You mean you never put sand in his pockets ?
Idiom: on the money (used idiomatically: yes)
It used capacity charges to directly recoup costs of building plant , and then it sold electricity by the kilowatt hour . In 1986–87 the CEGB charged area boards 10 for every kilowatt of basic demand plus 23 charge per kilowatt demanded during peak hours . These capacity charges were intended to cover the annual cost of the interest payments ( at the social rate of discount ) on the money used to build the plant . Peak users paid more because they force extra plant to be built . In addition , there were energy charges intended to cover short - run marginal costs of operating the plant .
Idiom: hand in glove (used idiomatically: yes)
There 's no other way to explain the fact that he 's been allowed to buy that land so cheaply . It 's just proving it that 's going to be difficult . Most of the councillors seem to be hand in glove with each other ; you ca n't make any one of them speak to you , let alone give an interview.’ ‘ I know . It 's some sort of fraud all right .
Idiom: on the level (used idiomatically: yes)
Besides , they are arguing to freeze the salaries in the East on the current level until the beginning of October and to delay the planned adjustment to reach western salary standards .
Idiom: lay down the law (used idiomatically: no)
‘ They called me Papa because I was the eldest , three years older than Gifford , six years older than Eddie.’ Then , wryly : ‘ There may have been another reason ; even as a young man I was a staid sort of chap and they were a bit wild at times . I suppose I was inclined to lay down the law.’ The old man laughed . ‘ I first met Eddie Garland at Lamorna , in 1931 , I think it was , when we were both in an outdoor painting group with Birch .
Idiom: to the letter (used idiomatically: yes)
All my love darling , JEAN A blue flimsy attached to the letter said , This is to tell you about those raw eggs on Kaarna and in the box from Pike . Viruses have a regular geometric shape .
Idiom: shut the door on (used idiomatically: yes)
Now the blue flames are What 's happening is this , there 's two reactions taking place in that coke fire . Down in the heart of the coke the limited supply of air is reacting with the carbon to form carbon monoxide . You shut the damper doors on the bottom of fire . This carbon monoxide comes up through the coke and then comes in contact with air at the top of the fire and then burns to give you carbon dioxide . The carbon monoxide burns with a blue flame .
Idiom: bring someone to book (used idiomatically: yes)
Reg . v. Jelen ( 1989 ) 90 Cr . App . R. 456 , C.A. explained . Per curiam . ( i ) It would be wrong for police officers to adopt or use an undercover pose or disguise to enable themselves to ask questions about an offence uninhibited by the requirements of Code C and with the effect of circumventing it ; were they to do so it would be open to the judge to exclude the questions and answers under section 78 of the Act of 1984 ( post , p. 237E – F ) . ( ii ) It must be a matter for policy and operational decision by the police as to how they reconcile and balance the need on the one hand to bring an individual offender swiftly to book and deter crime , and on the other , the desirability of apprehending a larger number of offenders and recovering property ( post , p. 238A – B ) . The following cases are referred to in the judgment : Associated Provincial Picture Houses Ltd. v. Wednesbury Corporation [ 1948]1 K.B.
Idiom: sign of the times (used idiomatically: yes)
It was not a line of conversation Manville wished to pursue . He lapsed into a sullen silence as the cab left the confines of the airport terminal and cruised up the turnpike onto the freeway . The attitude of the airport guard , and the careless banter of the cab driver were both a sign of the times and the rot which seemed to have set in . It was symptomatic of a system going soft , falling apart at the seams . There was too much freedom , too much spare information and too many underground , potentially subversive media only too willing to spread it around .
Idiom: catch fire (used idiomatically: no)
Lambert took in a long , shuddering breath . ‘ They damn near went up with the balloon,’ he said . ‘ They jumped , and I thought their parachutes were going to catch fire.’ He discovered the cigarette in his hand and examined it as if it were a mistake . ‘ You did n't kill them?’
Idiom: marching orders (used idiomatically: yes)
Terry exclaimed . ‘ But why?’ ‘ Because I 've been given my marching orders,’ Ellie said more shortly than she 'd intended . ‘ Because he wo n't believe that I 'm not a cheat and a liar … ’ ‘ Oh , he 'll get over that,’ Terry said with the confidence of a sister who did n't know her brother as well as she thought she did .
Idiom: at a snail's pace (used idiomatically: no)
TONY VAUGHAN / Snail Farmer Voice over This character moving at a snail 's pace on a table is Helix Aspersa Maxima … the Large Grey Algerian . And if you 're partial to munching the odd mollusc … he 's quite the tastiest morsel there is . Here at the L'Escargot Anglais snail farm in Herefordshire , Tony Vaughan produces four tons of snails a year … that 's around half a million individuals . He set the business up three and a half years ago after leaving the army . And now he 's supplying restaurants and supermarkets , as well as exporting to Eastern Europe : The snail is hermaphrodite … and as long as it enjoys the right warmth and humidity , each individual mates and produces about a hundred eggs which are laid on trays of soil . They hatch a fortnight later . And they 're fattened on a cereal diet … either in trays or in polyeurathane tubs . At the age of fifteen weeks , the snails are fully grown , and ready for the pot .
Idiom: take the fall (used idiomatically: no)
Board B is moving at 10 knots cross - wind . The resulting apparent wind blows at 45 degrees and the sail has to be sheeted in tightly Fig 42 Even the best sailors sometimes take catapult falls . Here it probably happened by sailing into the steep wave resulting in a sudden loss of speed . To avoid being thrown when sailing in waves , look ahead to choose the best course and allow the waves to flex over the waves .
Idiom: stand up and be counted (used idiomatically: yes)
The Bill looked like being reasonably successful despite a reported last - ditch effort by the Bill 's Conservative opponents . According to the Observer on 6 February 1966 , it was revealed at a meeting of the Conservative backbench 1922 Committee that a ‘ private and anonymous circular’ had been distributed with the warning that it should be destroyed immediately after reading . It simply appealed ‘ to all Conservatives to stand up and be counted against Humphrey Berkeley 's Bill in favour of homosexuals’ . At its second reading in the Commons , the Bill passed by 164 votes to 107 and , just as its progress seemed assured , a General Election was called and Parliament dissolved . When Parliament sat again , the government announced that there would not be a ballot for Private Members ' Bills in the first session , and therefore there was no possibility of homosexual law reform , a decision which prompted the Earl of Arran to reintroduce his Sexual Offences Bill into the House of Lords to keep up the pressure .
Idiom: on someone's mind (used idiomatically: yes)
So perhaps the laibon 's pebbles , worn smooth by his hands and his predecessors , right back to the great Mbatian , had told him . The laibon asked me to sit in the boma , and pointed to my tape - recorder . He had much on his mind . I lie down on my bed and remove my socks before looking at the folder . Letterman would like to see a first draft by the time I meet him in London .
Idiom: on a roll (used idiomatically: no)
Roll On / Roll Off Ferries Mr. Terry Davis To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects the higher standards of residual stability recommended by the steering committee of the roll on / roll off ferry safety research programme to be applied to all roll on / roll off ferries using British ports . The Minister for Shipping ( Mr. Patrick McLoughlin ) The maritime safety committee of the International Maritime Organisation has agreed that the higher standards referred to by the hon . Gentleman should be phased in , starting in October 1994 .
Idiom: high and low (used idiomatically: yes)
2 . If there are regular fluctuations ( e.g. weekly , seasonal ) , these will be eradicated by using a period equal to the length of the fluctuation . On the other hand , if , for example , the data follow a 2-year cycle , a 3-year moving average will follow an inverse cycle since alternate averages will contain two lows and one high or two highs and one low . 3 . Odd - length periods have the merit of being centred on the middle observation of the period ; even - length periods provide a smoothed value that must be placed midway in time between the middle two observations of the period .
Idiom: point the finger (used idiomatically: no)
His wife was having it off with another man . ‘ That 's enough for me . He 's the man to watch for the moment — until we can point the finger at somebody else.’ ‘ Yes,’ said Blanche , ‘ in a case like this there 's always a husband , is n't there?’ Dexter was unable to decide whether her wistfulness was caused by sympathy for the victims of adultery or knowledge that the majority of murders were committed by close relatives of the dead .
Idiom: get lost (used idiomatically: no)
‘ Your geese never got lost,’ he said . ‘ How did they manage it?’ ‘ They just did not get lost,’ said Pion . ‘ They knew always where they going.’ ‘ It can be like that with animals,’ said Masklin .
Idiom: work wonders (used idiomatically: yes)
As our pictures show , careful make - up and styling can take off more years than the surgeon 's knife . So can losing a few pounds if you are overweight . And as Brigitte Bardot has shown recently , even the glow of a new love affair can work wonders . Since 1985 enquiries about cosmetic surgery in Britain have risen by more than 800 per cent . Only this week a survey by Gallup showed one in five would like to go under the knife , despite the attendant risks of internal bleeding and excessive scar tissue from poorly performed operations .
Idiom: come to a head (used idiomatically: yes)
He was perfect company in every way until it came to discussing music , and recording in particularly,’ says Allison . By the end of 1987 the group were growing tired of the quarrelsome situation . Matters came to a head in a break during the sessions for the first LP . Gedge and Charman were playing pool when an argument broke out . ‘ Shaun was getting really worked up and red and actually came at me with a pool cue,’ says Gedge .
Idiom: pigs can fly (used idiomatically: yes)
They saved our bacon ! ' cried Middle . The piggies blushed even pinker than usual as they were hoisted onto the shoulders of their friends and carried round the room . ' Who said that pigs ca n't fly ? ' they said with a grin . Quietly the wolves sloped off into the woods , drooling hungrily . Enaye Islands
Idiom: jump through hoops (used idiomatically: no)
I can tell from Lil 's face , she ca n't decide whether to be diabolically proud of her achievements , or mortally ashamed . For that flicker of uncertainty , I begin to like her again , better than I have since the days of the Great Succubus Strike . This does n't mean I wo n't make her jump through a hoop or six before I let her know it : in the craft of dybbukry revenge and forgiveness are merely two sides of a single coin . ' And what do we all do for a living now ? ' sighs Nick , wreathing himself , and the rest of us , in a chilly , mournful mist . ' We might as well just lie down and call in the exorcists . '
Idiom: on the rocks (used idiomatically: yes)
Until then I stay . ’ And the chairman of selectors , whose decision to pick South African rebel Mike Gatting instead of Gower for the winter tour of India sparked a storm of protest , warned : ‘ These people may have won the first battle , but they are approaching a lee shore and there are plenty of rocks on that shore . The protest will flounder on those rocks . They wo n't win the war . ’ Defiant
Idiom: catch someone's eye (used idiomatically: no)
I wanted to grab people by the throat and confront them with this terrible situation that was being allowed to continue . I saw a Greenpeace advert in the paper . It was extremely effective , did n't pull any punches , but had caught my eye and made me think . ‘ That 's what we 've got to do,’ I thought , ‘ just make people think.’ Working in the WTN news room for the past four years had opened my eyes to how the media worked .
Idiom: lose the plot (used idiomatically: yes)
With J & S 's affection for shoving their ( and other people 's ) music through a hallucinogenic Tardis , the collision with Moby 's spooky , twisting chords borrowed from Twin Peaks is almost predictable really . The ‘ Delirium mix’ is as much as could be expected — but not at all disappointing — with the original ingredients rinsed out through stringy synths and a shipment of cosmic awareness ( loads of that in our house ) whilst the ‘ In Dub Mix’works up through minimal effects before an unexpected dub bassline rumbles in and you realise you 're travelling at half - speed . Unfortunately , halfway through it loses the plot and its authenticity and sadly slips into excruciatingly painful white boy reggae mode . Grab the CD with five extra mixes where you 'll also be the proud owner of the most original mixes and a couple of new gems . VOLUMINA : Alright