Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: grasp the nettle (used idiomatically: no)
Yet too often English universities have made no attempt to relate to that community . They presumed that compulsory education up to the age of 16 would automatically provide both a regular supply of suitable undergraduates and an enlightened public who would understand why universities are important . The experiences of recent years have challenged this presumption , but the nettle has still not really been grasped . It may not be a comfortable fact , but there are clear signs that public appreciation of science and the humanities , of research and scholarship are perhaps worse than they ever were , and that most members of the public see these things as simply irrelevant to their daily lives . How can one communicate the importance of culture , the painstaking values of scholarship and of science in a society dominated by the superficial values of consumerism ?
Idiom: turn tail (used idiomatically: yes)
The bag was swung back and forth , then launched into the water . With a sudden bark the Labrador pulled free of Robbie 's too - gentle grip and in one bound made the towpath . The youths , startled by his unexpected appearance , turned tail and ran . Robbie had expected the dog to pursue them , but instead there was a splash and she realised he had gone into the water . Of course , a well - trained Labrador made a good retriever .
Idiom: easier said than done (used idiomatically: yes)
Although he talked about how ‘ we , as communists , essentially intend to work in harmony with nature’ , he made it clear that this meant ‘ understanding and controlling the laws of nature … to place them at man 's service’ . This would enable the regime to fulfil its greatest ambition : ‘ Now we want to improve nature 's best creation — man.’ This was , needless to add , easier said than done . Ceauşescu was aware that the ‘ moulding of the new man , the human prototype of communism , can not be accomplished within one , or several , five year periods’ . It was in fact going to be a ‘ complex’ process , since it would require ‘ permanent , steady and patient activity to delete from people 's minds the remains of the past , the obsolete conceptions , mentalities and customs , and to cultivate a new attitude towards work , life and society.’
Idiom: on the carpet (used idiomatically: yes)
for my glasses piles of clothing on the carpet none of it yours alone in the toilet
Idiom: laugh all the way to the bank (used idiomatically: yes)
Debt chasers coin it JOHN HUSBAND BRITAIN 'S biggest debt collection company is laughing all the way to the bank . Profits jumped by a third to over £ 6 million in six months . Intrum Justitia — latin for ‘ Justice for All’— employs 1,600 people to chase up debts on the doorsteps .
Idiom: turn someone's head (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ It 's a pity about the rain,’ he answered , with reference to the grey cloudy sky . ‘ It has to rain sometimes,’ she stated pleasantly , and loved it when , apparently amused by her philosophical reply , he laughed . His mouth was even more super when he laughed , she decided , and quickly turned her head to face the front — she could never remember noticing a man 's mouth so much before . It seemed a good idea to pin her thoughts elsewhere . ‘ Have you any brothers or sisters?’ she asked , so out of the blue , that she felt as surprised herself as he must be .
Idiom: have a few (used idiomatically: yes)
Another satisfied bookseller was John Elsley of Bookland . ‘ Distribution always seems to improve during the Christmas period,’ he said , ‘ but then we bypass inefficient distributors by going direct to the excellent wholesalers.’ Even Sue Butterworth of Silver Moon Bookshop in Charing Cross Road — usually a fierce critic of publishers ' inefficiency — had a few complaints . ‘ Publishers have got quite good at distribution . However , I still think that there must be an easier way for hotlines to work — if all publishers used the same system , for example , and if they did n't insist on choosing the titles.’
Idiom: ride high (used idiomatically: yes)
But where was he ? Twenty - One I opened my eyes to the sun riding high over Fair Hill . A rough horseblanket rubbed against my chin and a lacy canopy of cow parsley shaded my eyes from the bright light . I sat up and looked around .
Idiom: rise to the occasion (used idiomatically: yes)
But I 've learned to stop blaming my penis for getting into a muddle when attempting to decode my hidden desires . I 'm learning to live with its troublesome Jekyll and Hyde nature . When it fails to rise to the occasion , I no longer get rattled and threaten to chop it off with a pair of barber 's scissors , tie it up in a sack and drop it down a deep , dark well . Secretly , I might still yearn for a bumper - sized twelve - inch member . But I 'm not prepared to slice off six - inches for anyone .
Idiom: on the level (used idiomatically: yes)
We were immensely relieved to find , in her next book , that her powers were still unimpaired . My friend ( then , as British Council Representative in Greece , also my boss ) Roger Hinks was delighted with Plautus , and was much intrigued by the phrase ' This is excellently made … . I regard cooking on this level as an accomplishment . ' We used to speculate what the dish could have been . He wanted it to be an apple charlotte , but I did not want another in fiction after that in Howards End .
Idiom: catch someone's eye (used idiomatically: yes)
They were still waiting for the entertainment . Or just too tired to do anything but enjoy looking at the pretty lady . But Rose Williams caught his eye and her lips curved in a sardonic smile . ‘ What a lovely secure feeling that must be!’ exclaimed Miss Harker . ‘ And to know that you are doing something so useful Making cotton thread to be woven into lovely dresses!’
Idiom: in your face (used idiomatically: yes)
Sad claims , but nothing compared to an NME reviewer 's view that the band Flowered Up should n't be allowed to play in clubs , because black music has always been the mainstay there , and Flowered Up have their roots in rock . He probably could have argued that I do n't belong in these clubs either , because I have n't got a soul / funk background . Yes , I agree , ‘ if you mentioned clubs to most indie bands 18 months ago they would have spat in your face’ , but only because the elitists controlled it . When it became open house , more people were touched and inspired . A whole new generation of music sprouted up , the best I can remember .
Idiom: open someone's eyes (used idiomatically: yes)
She was to have the same dream intermittently for the rest of her life . Chapter Six Carla Ryan opened her eyes . The sun was streaming in at the windows of her room . She lay for a few moments watching the patterns it made on the ceiling .
Idiom: in someone's pocket (used idiomatically: yes)
But not really . ' Roland turned his eyes back to the shadowy desk . He did not feel the presence of the dead poet in the room , but he did have a vague excited sense that any of these containers — the desk , the trunks , the hat - boxes , might contain some treasure like the faded letters in his own breast - pocket . Some clue , some scribbled note , some words of response . Only that was nonsense , they would not be here , they would be wherever Randolph Henry Ash had put them , if they had ever been written .
Idiom: turn someone's head (used idiomatically: yes)
She put the baby in the small hammock hanging between branches in the shade by the hut , and came closer , put a hand to his cheek and stroked it . At the touch of her dry , quick hand , which he remembered on his back , his neck , his thighs , his cock , the bridge of flesh at the root of his balls , he felt a shiver run through his limbs of renewed longing again . She caught sight of it and put up her other hand , and with a finger stroked his bottom lip until he flinched and turned his head away , parting his lips as he did so however to bite her finger slightly , and close on it . Even as he felt the danger of his need sweep over him , he perceived another danger beneath it : he let the pleasure of her carry him off , but within his pleasure 's flow a small bitter seed remained , as it were stuck between his teeth , offering him warning . They sat down together facing each other , her face full of unaccustomed excitement , and then she rose to fetch him a dish to tickle his appetite , six pale gleaming molluscs like oysters , with wedges of lime around them , prettily , and a sprinkling of red pepper over them .
Idiom: get it up (used idiomatically: yes)
He 's got two of them that go in to his next room Yeah and then he got it up the back that far You can hear it and he got it turned up a bit and sounds bloody from the other room
Idiom: off the mark (used idiomatically: yes)
WILLIE CARSON is out to do a friend a good turn at Chester today and be a TV star as well . Carson opens up on Gipsy Fiddler in the high speed five furlong dash and Gispy Fiddler 's trainer Jonjo O'Neill is looking for his first win of the season . ‘ I ca n't remember riding for Jonjo before , but it would be great to get him off the mark and this horse certainly has a bit of a chance,’ smiled Willie who is closing fast on another century . Gispy Fiddler put Jonjo on cloud nine with a Royal Ascot win two years ago and was having his first run for almost a year when shaping well behind Bit Of A Lark at Haydock . Best bet
Idiom: life and limb (used idiomatically: yes)
We must put a stop to employees being put at risk , and being pressurized by ruthless employers to work unsafe , under the threat of if you do n't do it , then we 'll get somebody that will . We 've all heard have n't we ? We know employees are being blackmailed with their jobs to risk life and limb so employers can make a fat profit at our expense . But when companies are fined for breaking the health and safety laws , they only get fined a pittance , compared to what damage is caused to employees through companies ' neglect and law breaking . The new directives should go a long way to ensuring that employers do not abuse their employees in terms of unsafe working practice , practices .
Idiom: night and day (used idiomatically: no)
Yeah Is it , it 's like a big eye , and it was black one side and white the other side and the black side had a white pupil and the white the other side had a black one Night and day Yes that was
Idiom: go places (used idiomatically: yes)
I want you to make something of it . I do n't want you to drop this exhibition , think what it could do for you . And all these projects — you could really go places.’ ‘ I know,’ said Jay . ‘ I do n't give a goddam .
Idiom: pull strings (used idiomatically: yes)
' Some father , ' Whitlock muttered . ' Talk to her , C.W. You 're the only person she 's ever listened to in the past . ' ' I 'm not using UNACO to pull any strings , Carmen . Let 's get that straight right from the start . ' ' Just talk to her , ' she replied softly .
Idiom: one and the same (used idiomatically: yes)
The Rottweiler 's fighting instinct is high . It is mainly inherited , although it can be learned at a very early age in the nest . Fighting instinct has a direct parallel with play instinct and in puppies can be observed as being one and the same . Play instinct is redirected into working ability and willingness to perform tasks . In Schutzhund work , fighting instinct and play are used to teach the dog to take the sleeve .
Idiom: come clean (used idiomatically: yes)
Mr. Cryer Is not the Polaris fleet plagued with cracks to the nuclear reactor , and has not the game been given away by Mr. Reg Farmer , a former member of the Ministry of Defence safety of nuclear warships committee ? Is it not time that the Secretary of State came clean and admitted to the House that the boats are dangerous , the cost of repair and renovation is beyond reasonable expenditure and the boats should be withdrawn ? By taking that action , the right hon . Gentleman would be conforming with the United Nations nuclear non - proliferation treaty for the first time . Mr. King
Idiom: turn heads (used idiomatically: yes)
And he 'll do all sorts of terrible things . Hasan is a sort of … magic child ! ' She turned her head and looked Robert full in the face . Neither of them spoke for several minutes . Robert thought about Hasan : about the strange , powerful stillness he carried with him , about his high , precise voice and his exquisite fingers , laced together on the desk at the back of Mass 1 .
Idiom: in the long term (used idiomatically: no)
Currently small business represents more than 25pc of UK turnover and accounts for one third of the total workforce . Taylor says : ' What we should be saying now is not what can Great Britain do for small businesses , but what can small businesses do for Great Britain . ' It 's a fact that in the first 12 months one in three firms will close and in the longer term 900pc of new companies will shut in their first five years . ' He believes the small businessman invests his whole life in a company and risks losing it all . ' When you realise that turnover for 80pc of small firms is often less £ 100,000 and many small businessmen often earn less than £ 10,000 a year one realises the difficulties many small firms are facing . '
Idiom: go to town (used idiomatically: yes)
I I went there for something and my car ooh I think it was and we had , you know Fair play , yeah . we went to town If I 'd Yeah .
Idiom: go by the board (used idiomatically: yes)
Your point sorry yes . Got local advantage to them but that never used to happen okay so why is it happening now ? They I mean in a time when it 's sort of been difficult to make money erm why is that one got not gone by the board and more amateur production put in there ? I 'm sure the people who 's actually used the studio theatre would willingly give up that week before it never used to happen . What you 're saying is you 'd like to see more amateur productions ?
Idiom: rare bird (used idiomatically: yes)
One or two of the excellent ones was spent , was spoiled by a little bit of er need to erm edit very carefully introdu introduction of concepts you must be careful not to , if you 've got a couple of hundred words only , but do n't introduce er concepts diversity of design must of been er a phrase picked up from the video itself because it appeared in two or three of them , but it 's no use talking about diversity and divine is it , de design as if , as if it 's a concept which everybody else is going to understand . The teacher that reads your review that wants to know shall I buy that review , hi hire that video rather or , or what , am I going to use it for my class , they are going to er want that information and they do n't want er concepts introduced which they do n't understand what is meant by it , so be careful in that er erm , we have species of bird , the brambling , which I , I think is a pub in Rare bird this is very swift , some of us when er I put on , on large number of them more editing is needed I , I think probably now going back , oh change of tenses obviously something you have to watch out for .
Idiom: take the liberty (used idiomatically: yes)
His political career bears out Sir Alan Walter 's thesis . As chairman of housing in Lambeth in the early 1970s , he was every inch the small - minded functionary . Last autumn , Roof magazine provided the following glimpse of Cllr Major in action : some tenants had taken the liberty of painting the stonework around their front doors and he ordered its removal . ‘ The purpose of this , Mr Mayor,’ the future premier wrote stiffly , ‘ is to ensure that there is similarity between the standards of exterior decorations for the general benefit of all our tenants.’ This may have been a late flowering of the ‘ badinage’ that he used to partake in as a Young Conservative with Brixton locals , but so sensitive is Major about his background , that the public is permitted to hear only the Authorised Version .
Idiom: on the same page (used idiomatically: yes)
Woodcuts made on the side grain had become obsolete for scientific illustration by the middle of the seventeenth century . The splendid and spirited pictures in the early printed herbals had been done this way , but as increasingly detailed and accurate illustrations were demanded , plates etched or engraved on copper became the norm . Woodcuts can be mounted with type , because what is to print black stands up from the surface ; so it was easy to put pictures on the same page as descriptions , and herbals and bestiaries were liberally illustrated . Copper engraving or etching is not a relief process , but an intaglio one ; what is to print black is cut down below the surface , and the copper is wiped before printing . A different press is needed , and a different paper is desirable , so to print pictures and text on the same page is awkward .
Idiom: basket case (used idiomatically: yes)
Given the high economic costs of a banking crisis , governments are likely to take on the liabilities of their financial sector when a crisis hits – as recently occurred in the United ~ Kingdom and Ireland , and in financial crises in Latin ~ America and Asia in the 1990s . The same is probably true when key business sectors near insolvency . A country with sound public finances can thus become a fiscal basket case practically overnight . Given the increasingly close financial and economic linkages between euro - zone members , rising government debt in even one EMU country can have serious consequences for all members , because no member state will allow another to default . Thus , EMU members indirectly share the liability for fellow countries ’ private - sector debt , which for this reason should be monitored within the EMU ’s surveillance framework .
Idiom: over the counter (used idiomatically: yes)
The principal uses of explosives are in mining , quarrying , the building industry and seismic exploration . The deal is the latest step in a steady series of disposals and acquisitions under ICI chairman , Sir Denys Henderson . Within the last 18 months , the company has sold : its European silicones business to Rhone - Poulenc for £ 30million ; four businesses from its Canadian offshoot CIL ; a computer software company to managers ; a West German printing inks business ; its over - the - counter drugs business in the US and Savlon in Britain ; a Canadian building products business to Trafalgar House ; and its Coopers Animal Health , which it owned with Wellcome , to Chicago - based Pitman - Moore ; During the period it has bought : Cambridge research Biochemicals ; a privatelyowned US acrylics company , K - S - H ; Rayca Chemical Corporation , which makes chemicals for the US textiles industry . It has also taken full control of its Spanish pharmaceuticals business , ICI - Farma , announced a £ 150million investment in a Taiwanese chemicals plant making the raw material for polyester fibre and trimmed its UK fertiliser business . The business league proves more interesting than sport Outlook .
Idiom: break even (used idiomatically: yes)
Ing C Olivetti & Co SpA has reported a net loss for 1992 of $ 437.7 m , up from a loss last time of $ 309.6 m , on turnover that fell 6.8 % to $ 5,405m . Conversion at $ 0.0006735 to the Italian lire . US RECOVERY STALLS Those green shoots of economic spring here in the UK are beginning to feel a mite lonely as the gross domestic product figures from the US yesterday brought more evidence that the recovery there seems to have stalled , and analysts are redoing their sums on IBM Corp in light of recent information : Furman Selz removed the company from its recommended list and analyst Peter Lieu said he lowered his 1993 and 1994 earnings estimates because of the extreme gross margin pressure on the mainframe business ; Bear Stearns & Co analyst Cliff Friedman cut his 1993 and 1994 earnings estimates on IBM , but bravely maintains a hold rating on the stock ; he trimmed his 1993 estimates on IBM to break - even from $ 1.25 a share and cut his 1994 estimates to $ 2.25 , from $ 3.25 , again citing weak mainframe demand . IBM FINANCE CHIEF SPECULATION When Christopher Steffen , reportedly a slash and burn merchant when it comes to cutting costs and staff , quit Eastman Kodak Co on Wednesday after just seven weeks in the job of chief financial officer of Eastman Kodak Co , saying that the team was agreed on the objectives , but had irreconcilable differences on how to get from here to there , IBM Corp shares jumped for joy in anticipation that he was about to be named finance chief — but the joy subsided and so did the share price , off 87.5 cents at $ 49 when nothing happened yesterday ; word out of IBM is that there is an appointment already to be announced , but unless the fact that Steffen is now at a loose end causes a last - minute re - think , he is not the man that IBM has in mind .
Idiom: batten down the hatches (used idiomatically: yes)
Thirty clerical and secretarial staff are going at Mildenhall pharmaceutical company Schering - Plough as it moves its management team to Welwyn Garden City , Hertfordshire . The 80 Suffolk production staff will not be affected . Yesterday , Marchant boss Philip Marchant said : ‘ We have had to batten down the hatches . We feel 1993 will be a tough year.’ A shift at one of the company 's two neighbouring plants had been axed and staff levels on a shift at the other had been cut , he said .
Idiom: unknown quantity (used idiomatically: yes)
The settlement at West Stow has produced indirect evidence for manufacture in the form of large quantities of pottery , antler pot dies and ‘ a reserved area of day’(West 1985 , p. 129 ) . The general absence of kilns has normally been accepted as negative evidence for the use of bonfires for firing pottery during the period . A certain , if unknown , quantity of the pottery was coil made , and the decorated pottery tends to be finer and thinner - walled than the undecorated . A typology of the forms of cremation vessels has been produced by Myres ( 1969 ; 1977 ) and a simplified version by Hurst ( 1976 ) . Research on the shape of cremation vessels incorporating measurement indicates that a more logical means of sub - dividing the material is possible .
Idiom: green with envy (used idiomatically: yes)
We have kept ticket prices as low as possible , and any profits will go to Age Concern 's Golden Years Appeal , our charity of the year . Prices : adults , £ 7.50 ; under-16s , £ 6 ; group ticket ( three people ) , £ 16 . Space is limited so fill in the coupon on page 188 ( before May 11 ) to book a place at the most entertaining and educational event of the year — or risk being Green with envy ! tons of treats THAT 'S MAGIC !
Idiom: beggars can't be choosers (used idiomatically: no)
' Busybodies , the lot of them . Worse than Air Raid Wardens . ' ' Beggars ca n't be choosers . Anyway , you never know , you might find something there . You want her to look as though you care , do n't you ?
Idiom: do the honours (used idiomatically: yes)
You 'll have to do the honours . Pour me one too , dash of soda , do n't drown it.’ Markby ‘ did the honours’ and settled down in a vast , chintz - covered , feather - cushioned armchair . The walls of the room were hung with sporting prints and photographs of men and women in riding garb . A dull grey winter Saturday morning was kept out by tall windows hung with faded velvet drapes .
Idiom: put your oar in (used idiomatically: yes)
If solitary sailing in a dinghy is more your style , check out the Royal Yachting Association , which runs a five - level National Dinghy Certificate Scheme with courses available on inland and open water nationally . ROWING Cast out the rowing machine that sits gathering dust in your bedroom , put your oar in and the real thing — you do n't have to be an undergraduate at Oxbridge . And rowing is ideal for building stamina and endurance . Daniel Toploski , former coach to Olympic , World Championship and Oxford University teams , recommends joining a club that provides training and coaching facilities for novices and then arranging personal coaching for maximum benefit .