Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: carry the can (used idiomatically: yes)
But while Pygmalion ( 1938 ) had been directed by the reliable Asquith , Pascal himself took over the reins on Major Barbara ( 1941 ) . His pernickety attitude and lack of experience led to the film going almost 100 per cent over - budget . Rank , having carried the can on that occasion , then allowed spending on Caesar and Cleopatra ( 1945 ) to reach the mind - numbing figure of £ 1,280,000 , twice as much as The Red Shoes . The film is so dull and wordy that it bears out in every frame Powell 's assertion that Pascal ‘ knew as much about directing as a cow does about playing the piano.’ Rank was a company without the creative leadership to support its chairman 's ambitions for the world market .
Idiom: get away with murder (used idiomatically: yes)
We are in regular contact with the Israeli Government at the highest level on this issue . Ms. Hoey Will the Minister take time in the next week , as a matter of urgency , to meet the Israeli ambassador and tell him about the feeling in the country generally that the Israeli Government are literally getting away with murder ? I refer to the case of Mustapha Akkawi , who was killed after being tortured in prison just over a week ago . Just what does Israel have to do — what can it get away with — before the Government are prepared to do something internationally about sanctions and to treat Israel as we treat other countries that break the Geneva convention ?
Idiom: state of the art (used idiomatically: yes)
With the ageing of the original relay control system , the performance of the lifts was becoming progressively less satisfactory and therefore it was decided that the installation should undergo a major modernisation . Microprocessor control system To achieve maximum optimization of the existing lifts , it was agreed to combine all three lifts into a common group with a state of the art microprocessor control system . At the same time , the main drive units were to be thoroughly overhauled and the existing motor generator sets replaced . The existing passenger lifts operated at a contract speed of 2.5 m/s , employing a gearless DC motor drive system and the baggage lift employed a gearless DC motor drive system with a contract speed of 2 .
Idiom: make history (used idiomatically: yes)
From this formulation change in society will flow , not from the autonomous actions of individuals acting subjectively but from fundamental and objective changes in the economic base of society . Individuals acting as politically relevant actors will therefore have very little scope at all to shape the economic base of society or its political and social superstructure . For instrumentalists this is what Marx meant by his classic statement about men making history but not in circumstances of their own choosing . This account is clearly an attempt to develop an objective theory of how society functions , and it delimits the scope for autonomous action by individuals . Unlike pluralist and elitist accounts ? this Marxist theory denies that individuals choose freely and that political action can be based upon their subjective and value - free preferences .
Idiom: put two and two together (used idiomatically: no)
We find , in our day - to - day constituency work , that if we complain we are asked — quite understandably — to produce more facts : we are asked for the basis of the complaint . If we give the basis of the complaint , however , it is very easy for employers to look down the list and find out which employee comes from Linlithgow , Greenock and Port Glasgow , Aberdeen , North or Banff and Buchan . It is not difficult to put two and two together . I do not say that people’ have it taken out of them’for making a complaint at the time when that complaint is made , but there may be a problem the next time something happens . The hon . Member for Banff and Buchan mentioned promotion , for instance .
Idiom: keep a straight face (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Right , lie down on the couch and answer a few of these questions , and we 'll see what we can do for you . When did your problems start?’ How he kept a straight face Kath would never know . She turned her back to him and fiddled with a trolley , and bit her cheek till it bled . Finally he ground to a halt and stood up .
Idiom: in business (used idiomatically: yes)
There was a fascination with Britain 's self - made millionaires , like the former roller - skating rink proprietor , Charles Clore , whose empire included shoe shops and shipyards and even the shores of Loch Ness . There was the estate agent 's clerk , Jack Cotton , whose property developments in Birmingham made him big enough , in partnership with Clore , to take over the Ritz and Selfridges , to put up the $ 100 million Pan - Am office building in New York and to threaten to present Piccadilly Circus with a hideous skyscraper of advertising signs , while he contemplated his Rembrandt at the Dorchester . Isaac Wolfson , son of a Russian refugee in the furniture business in Glasgow , became lord of chain store after chain store in the Fifties . Vast benefactions brought these men knighthoods or baronetcies or honorary degrees from universities they had endowed but not had the chance to attend . Meanwhile Roy Thomson , once a Scots Canadian radio salesman , bought his way via The Scotsman newspaper and Scottish Television to the proprietorial chair of the Sunday Times and the ailing newspaper empire of Lord Kemsley , en route to The Times itself .
Idiom: on the money (used idiomatically: no)
‘ Well , I do n't have anything scheduled until this afternoon , so I thought I 'd try getting in to see Signor Silvio and see if I can pry my money free of his sticky grasp.’ She filled her cup with fresh coffee . ‘ Honestly , how they get away with such stuff — it 's bad enough they take a large commission , but to sit on the money as long as they do … ’ ‘ I did n't mean that , and you know it.’ Caroline turned slowly .
Idiom: out of sight (used idiomatically: yes)
She was trembling now from head to foot . He nodded , and started to ride away . When he was almost out of sight she called after him . ‘ They leave tomorrow!’ He did n't look back .
Idiom: hot air (used idiomatically: yes)
With a 46 hp Rotax max speed is 190kph , range 400 km . It is road - transportable , with assembly with two helpers put at 15 min . Right : tethered hot - air balloon rides were popular . Below : model of the sleek Kamov Ka-62 , a fan - in - fin mainly composite 12-seater , to be offered in the West with R - R / Turbomeca RTM322 Turboshafts . Israel 's IAI are collaborating ( David V. Stephens photos ) .
Idiom: take a bath (used idiomatically: yes)
Perhaps she had acknowledged his wartime exploits , up there in his Spitfire inflicting those severe losses she had read about . But when the dog - fights and the killings were over … what then ? She had never imagined him doing the ordinary things of life : taking a bath , shaving , going shopping , or sitting in a bar somewhere with his friends , laughing and telling jokes . What did he like to eat ? What were his hobbies and interests ?
Idiom: on tenterhooks (used idiomatically: yes)
Cambridge United 1 , Oldham Athletic 0 CAMBRIDGE caretaker manager Gary Johnson was unable to take a full part in his side 's celebrations last night . He was still on tenterhooks waiting for his directors ' decision about the manager 's job . Despite the well-deserved victory against the Premier League outfit , Cambridge chairman Reg Smart said that nothing would be announced for at least another 24 hours . Johnson revealed : ‘ It was a great result for Cambridge and I hope it helped my position , but all I can do now is wait and see .
Idiom: good riddance (used idiomatically: yes)
" I 'm not standing here all day bickering about this . My mind 's made up . To - night you marry Manfro Draper and to - morrow you 'll be on your way and good riddance . " " I wo n't do it . I 've told you a dozen times — I wo n't have him . "
Idiom: throw in the towel (used idiomatically: yes)
Imagine a conglomerate with 44 subsidiaries . Each has a chief executive who , though he sits on the board of nearly 600 directors , is not accountable to the head of the group . Add to this the facts that each chief executive has only limited authority over many of his staff and that much of the finance of this complex body is handled by a separate company accountable to Parliament , and it might well be enough to make Lord Hanson heave or Tiny Rowland throw in the towel . The unenviable job of heading such a body falls to the Archbishop of Canterbury . It 's not entirely fanciful to suggest that the Church of England is a kind of conglomerate .
Idiom: on the ground (used idiomatically: yes)
Widnes 16 Wakefield 10 JULIAN O'NEILL 's 62nd minute try denied Trinity their first victory at Naughton Park for 16 years . Darkness fell on the ground seconds before kick-off when a floodlight failure delayed proceedings for 40 minutes . Then Trinity , inspired by two tries from outstanding scrum-half Geoff Bagnall , roared into a 10-6 half-time lead . But John Devereux raced in for two tries to keep Widnes in the game before O'Neill scampered through score the winner .
Idiom: on the level (used idiomatically: yes)
The South ~ China ~ Sea , for example , is now churning with competing claims to its islands , atolls , and sea bed , including China 's bold assertion that all of it is Chinese sovereign territory . At this year 's ASEAN summit in Bali , it was agreed that these territorial disputes be settled through bilateral negotiations . But the scope of Chinese claims doomed that agreement from the start ; indeed , China now insists that the sea constitutes a core national interest , on a level with Taiwan and Tibet , for which it is prepared to fight . China 's willingness to throw its weight around amplifies the grave imbalance in size , and leverage , between it and the other countries bordering the South ~ China ~ Sea . This has made bilateral negotiations to settle these disputes unviable .
Idiom: in the black (used idiomatically: no)
Olga Craig KELLY Good painstakingly glued a gold bow to the front of her pink velvet jewellery box and stuck down a Christmas label . In black felt pen Kelly , 11 , wrote : ‘ To Nanny . I loved you . Love Kelly . ’
Idiom: new blood (used idiomatically: yes)
But when he uncovered the picture , he gave a cry of pain . There was no change . The face in the picture was still terrible — more hateful , if possible , than before — and the red on the hand seemed brighter , like new blood . He stared at the picture with hate and fear in his eyes . Years ago he had loved to watch it changing and growing old ; now he could not sleep because of it .
Idiom: up for grabs (used idiomatically: yes)
THE WHEELY GREAT CONTESTS ARE IN YOUR RED - HOT MIRROR WE'RE moving smoothly into gear with our great series of phone - in car contests . Up for grabs today is a K - Reg Metro 1.4s , worth around £ 10,000 on the road which will come to our winner fully taxed for a year and with a full tank of petrol . You 'll love driving the 1.4s . Outstandingly agile , it has a grip and steering response which the most demanding driver will enjoy .
Idiom: get stuck in (used idiomatically: no)
The reason why people prolong the information loop is because it is a relatively ‘ safe’ way to pass the time . Exchanging information is not as risky as sticking your neck out by suggesting an idea , so people tend to prolong information - swopping and postpone idea - having . The answer is to recognize that the conversation has got stuck in a circle and to take an initiative to break it . The most obvious initiatives are to seek an idea from someone or to put an idea yourself ( see Seeking ideas on page 152 and Idea - having on page 86 ) . Groups
Idiom: make history (used idiomatically: no)
But it is a different story when we focus on phonological change . As Dr Johnson observed : ' sounds are too volatile and subtile for legal restraints'(Bolton , 1966 : 152 ) , and the history of English phonology is not a history of the standard at all , but a history of vernaculars . Thus , the most general consequence of concentrating on standard English here is that a multidimensional history of phonology is made to appear as unidimensional — it becomes ' a single - minded march ' towards RP and standard English ( Lass , 1976 , xi ) . This unidimensionality is imposed on history by a backward projection of present - day standard phonology on to the past , and according to the theory of language standardization that we have tentatively advanced elsewhere ( J. Milroy and L. Milroy , 1985a ) , it can be seen as an attempt to historicize the standard language — to create a past for it and determine a canon , in which canonical forms are argued for and unorthodox forms rejected . This in itself is part of the process of legitimization of the standard language , in which the accepted norms are determined , not primarily by consensus amongst speakers , but by legislation .
Idiom: come to think of it (used idiomatically: yes)
Is n't he in his room ? " " He has n't been home all night , " I said , trying to keep the anxiety out of my voice . " Now I come to think of it , I have n't heard him moving about . Well now , fancy that , I wonder where he could have got to ? Perhaps he 's gone to visit one of his friends — he does that sometimes . "
Idiom: turn heads (used idiomatically: yes)
Nothing would ever be said , but the activity would be seen as part of a clerical decline . It would sadden Mr Peniket and the older parishioners and it saddened Quentin to think it would , but he saw no point in sitting in a chair and meditating all day . His name was called , and he turned his head and saw Lavinia waving at him from the porch . Beside her stood a child , not either of the twins . He turned the engine of the lawnmower off and waved back .
Idiom: on the mend (used idiomatically: yes)
IN THE current economic climate , the definition of an optimistic businessman has been one who irons five shirts on a Sunday evening . But recently , including today 's CBI distributive trades survey , there have been a few straws in the wind suggesting things really might be getting a little better . So The Scotsman asked several leading businessmen whether they thought the economy really is on the mend . The results were a very mixed bag , with some of them so gloomy they refused to be quoted . On the other hand , in the important housing sector , stirrings in the undergrowth have definitely been sighted .
Idiom: face the music (used idiomatically: no)
CAR : Di yesterday LISTEN TO SINATRA AS PUNISHMENT TEENAGERS who misbehave in teacher Bruce Janu 's classes have to face the music of Frank Sinatra . Half an hour 's detention listening to Ol' Blue Eyes is enough for most of them . ‘ They 're miserable,’ said Bruce , 34 , of Chicago 's Riverside Brookfield High School .
Idiom: go all the way (used idiomatically: no)
Yeah I think that 's what I do . And where d'you come out ? You go all the way down Kings Hall Road . And then you tu- you go all the way down all the way down , and then you turn right at Bridge Street . You go over the bridge and then you turn and then if you 're coming here , you go turn right again into umm d'you know I can never remember the name of the road , another road anyway you turn right .
Idiom: no man's land (used idiomatically: yes)
Now we await the entry into the Promised Land , the turning of the people into an independent nation of some renown ( you will remember that was the vision implied by the terms of the promises made at the start of Genesis 12 ) , and their becoming a source of blessing for ‘ all the families of the earth’ . Our chosen passages speak of the time between fulfilment and fulfilment . In more senses than one they belong to no man 's land . In order to compare them more easily , we will set them out side by side , using the text of the RSV . There is one complication .
Idiom: toe the line (used idiomatically: yes)
Graeme Donald THE gentlemanly art of boxing has clouted so many expressions into common usage that it might be time to ' throw in the towel ' . Back in the days of bare - knuckle bouts the referee scratched a line in the dirt and fighters shaped up to each other by ' toeing ' this line . After a knockdown the fallen fighter had so many seconds to make it back to the starting stance and the less able were those who did n't ' come up to scratch ' . It was from these old fights that the boxing ring became square .
Idiom: on the nose (used idiomatically: no)
erm Yet the distinction is one on which Proust repeatedly insists , at least for critical purposes , and elsewhere I think he puts the same idea quite succinctly , when he says and I quote , ‘ The man who inhabits the same body as a great genius has very little contact with him.’ The dualism implied by this statement can be related I think directly and appropriately to Proust himself . At the same time it seems fair to say that until recently , writing about Proust , particularly perhaps in England , but in France , too , has concentrated too much and too exclusively on the social element in the dualism , has concentrated too much , if you like , on the nose and the beard . Reminiscences have been published , dwelling lovingly on the Belle Époque , and Proust 's place in it . Octogenarian titled ladies have provided accounts of Proust dining at the Ritz and dispensing ridiculously large tips , playing the tables in various fashionable casinos , entertaining the Faubourg Saint Germain with his gossip and his apparently outstanding powers of mimicry , or even cautiously testing the air , at one of the Normandy seaside resorts , wrapped in his fur - lined cloak on a summer day .
Idiom: on the face of it (used idiomatically: yes)
' You lead such an exciting life meeting interesting people . I feel as if life has passed me by . ' On the face of it she was right . A stranger might look at her home routine and compare it very unfavourably with my busy 9 to 5 in the city . What is n't obvious is that work for the over 50s is an acceptance of life as a minority and often an unprivileged minority at that .
Idiom: on the level (used idiomatically: yes)
Horbury boasts its own concert society , the Horbury Band , and the Horbury Pageant Players . The Horbury Chrysanthemum Society keeps the place floral with early and late shows . Horbury 's motto ‘ Pro Bono Oppido’(for the good of the town ) lives on , as does the slogan of the Ossett Chamber of Trade : ‘ Come to Ossett where the shopping is on the level.’ They 're different and proud of it . Queen Street , Horbury
Idiom: pull the plug (used idiomatically: yes)
That includes the beleaguered MIPS chip , which failed to increase its 9 % market share between 1990 and 1991 . SOLBOURNE APPOINTS UK DISTRIBUTOR Solbourne Computer Inc , following its grim decision earlier this year to pull the plug on its direct sales European operations,(UX No 396 ) , has appointed Aylesbury , Buckinghamshire - based , Computer International Ltd to distribute its wares in the UK . Solbourne , forced to reorganise its operations after struggling in an already overcrowded sparc - compatible market , cut its losses and now sells its Sparc - based systems through indirect sales channels only in Europe . PARSYS SUPERNODE 2000 IS ORACLE - OPTIMISED VARIANT OF 1000
Idiom: make light of (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ And at times it has almost seemed as if everyone has had something to say about me , and it has often been those people who have never read The Satanic Verses who have had the most to say . And more recently there seems to be a tendency for people to say , ‘ he has been seen out a few times , he must be OK’ , when the threat to my life is unchanged.’ This tendency to make light of Rushdie 's predicament was well illustrated when the American edition of Esquire recently published a vicious personal attack on the novelist , which angered many of his friends and supporters . ‘ The Esquire article was a disgraceful attack on a man who needs defending in a way that few of us can imagine.’ wrote Melvyn Bragg in the Guardian on Tuesday .
Idiom: lend a hand (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Oh.’ ‘ Actually , I 'm not doing anything special this morning . Suppose I could lend a hand . Could be quite a useful way of revising what we 've learned.’ ‘ That 's great!’ exclaimed Gedanken .
Idiom: on ice (used idiomatically: no)
The difference in Germany will be that ailing developers will not risk pulling bankers down with them . Swedish investment abroad On ice OVER the past two years , Swedish investors have come in from the cold . After the last exchange controls were lifted in July 1989 , Swedes rushed to invest abroad .
Idiom: every last (used idiomatically: yes)
That way they raised rather a lot of money . That is how she was able to leave such a large amount of cash to you , my dear.’ ‘ So she got rid of every last one?’ Jenna felt rage rising . This smug man who had nothing at all to do with her life had helped to wipe out her father 's existence for her .
Idiom: do the trick (used idiomatically: yes)
He 's a bit old - fashioned.’ They chatted on until they came to the Bramley Arms . The water and the Juicy Fruit seemed to have done the trick because she felt great . And better still , the big hunk of man beside her made her feel terrific . He stopped the car and turned to face her .
Idiom: lend a hand (used idiomatically: yes)
But it 's too late now ; there , as in most parts of what used to be the Eastern bloc , telecommunications are being upgraded post - haste . In eastern Germany itself , subscribers are being linked via cellular or microwave radio to newly - installed digital networks , and similar patterns are emerging all over Eastern Europe . These countries are recognising that a decent communications structure is a prerequisite for economic survival , and the western telecommunications companies , seeing Eastern Europe as a profitable market , are only too willing to lend a hand . The result is that the countries are , in some respects , leapfrogging their more advanced neighbours . Malcolm Duckett is director of European marketing with telecommunications equipment specialists Telematics International .
Idiom: on paper (used idiomatically: no)
Canada is officially a bilingual country but , with nearly 60 % of the population speaking English as their mother - tongue , and only 24 % speaking French as their first language , some people are questioning whether Canada is truly a bilingual nation or rather , a bilingual nation on paper only . French is not the only linguistic minority in Canada , and some of the languages spoken , in order of popularity , are Chinese , Italian , German , Polish , Spanish , Portuguese , Punjabi , Ukrainian , Arabic , Dutch , Tagalog , Greek , Vietnamese , Cree and Inuktitut .
Idiom: out of line (used idiomatically: yes)
Eva had no hesitation in continuing the tradition . The girls knew exactly where they stood . " Ah , but mufundis you are a real father to these girls , " declared one elderly parent whose daughter had stepped out of line . Major Burrows had dealt with the matter so effectively the father did not need to administer any further punishment . Mother ?
Idiom: have a ball (used idiomatically: no)
By Giles Smith ANGLO-Pakistani cricketing relations were strained again last night after the Pakistanis formally objected to Tom Graveney — the match referee for their Test series in the West Indies , writes Giles Smith . The latest flare-up between the two countries — following last summer 's ball-tampering claims and counter-claims — is a direct result of Graveney 's remarks following the infamous Mike Gatting-Shakoor Rana row in 1987 , when he said : ‘ They have been cheating us for 37 years and it is just getting worse and worse . ’ Last night Graveney confirmed that he 'd made the allegation but was ‘ obviously very disappointed ’ at the bid to veto him by the Pakistan Board . ‘ It is a decision that has to be made by the International Cricket Council and , under their rules , I am basically not allowed to say anything , ’ he said .