Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: have an eye for (used idiomatically: yes)
However , little by little , as Aspreys sold more and more of his artefacts , so Ernest bought up more and more land along the cliff and through the village . He ended by building his dream house in the cosy lee of a gentle hill and away from the roar of the sea . Ernest had an eye for detail , and Undertown displays this to the hilt . Every wooden door latch still lifts and drops perfectly , every moulded stone in the ingle - nook is smooth as silk . The architect was Robert Atkinson , a shrewd - looking man with sharp features and reddish hair .
Idiom: pass the buck (used idiomatically: yes)
APPLE TAKE POWERCD TO THE US MARKET Apple Computer Inc yesterday took the new PowerCD CD - ROM product , announced at Hannover last week , to the US market , saying that it expects to sell 1.5 m of the things by the end of this year ; it also said it has shipped more than 1 m copies of its QuickTime multimedia software since its launch in January 1992 , and has formed a new unit , New Media to increase market access to multimedia technologies , expand multimedia content and develop new markets for Mac technology ; the PowerCD comes with AppleDesign Powered Speakers claimed to deliver high - quality sound at half the price of similar stereo speakers . PASSING THE BUCK Overheard backstage at a UniForum party in San Francisco : AT&T Co 's Bob Kavner , speaking to Novell Inc 's Ray Noorda and Santa Cruz Operation Inc 's Doug Michels —'I've had it , dealing with this crap all these years — now I hope that you guys can make a buck out of it . '
Idiom: get to grips with (used idiomatically: no)
I 'm not one for doing things like that . I 'd rather have something there that I can look at and take hold of ideas , and actually get to grips with something that 's actually there . The language used by Nigel is particularly revealing : ‘ airy - fairy’ , ‘ beating about the bush’ , ‘ get to grips with’ . It reinforces the idea of science as more relevant , more concerned with reality and more certain . It shows a desire for an orderly and methodical way of examining the world , and a dislike of detached contemplation or philosophical and intuitive ways of understanding reality .
Idiom: pop the question (used idiomatically: yes)
Lisa Reynolds TV presenter Phillip Schofield is to marry his live - in lover Stephanie Lowe , friends said last night . Going Live host Phillip , 30 , popped the question yesterday and was ‘ thrilled to bits’ when 28-year - old Stephanie said yes . The couple , who live in Chiswick , plan to we d next summer when Phillip finishes his run in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat . Only last week he bought a £ 550,000 love nest in Henley - on - Thames , Oxon .
Idiom: green light (used idiomatically: yes)
The village hit the headlines , however , in a tragic way when an accident and fire happened on 13 October 1928 . The driver of the 10 pm LMS passenger and mail train seemingly overran a home signal at danger and plunged into the rear of the 9.15pm Oxley sidings to Bristol GWR fitted goods before finally colliding with another freight , the 4.45 Westerleigh to Gloucester empties , that was passing on the opposite line . Interlocking would have prevented the signalman putting the signals for the express at ‘ CLEAR’ yet it is strange that although both footplatemen on the express admitted not having seen the home signal on the approach to Charfield both men were equally emphatic that they had seen the proceeding distant signal and they said it was showing a green light and in the clear position . Immediately following the accident it was discovered that the instrument in Charfield box bore this out and investigation showed that the distant arm was slightly inclined due to debris in the signal wire but not sufficient to show a green light through the spectacle plate . It is strange therefore that the signal box instruments revealed it as clear , the signal must have been at green , or had a heavy weight been lying across the signal wire ?
Idiom: join the club (used idiomatically: no)
As she nodded , he went on , ' But first … ' He got up and walked over to the group of children and chatted with them for a moment . Merrill watched him covertly , wondering if she would have had the courage to sit here if she had known that he would come in ; wondering if she would have joined another and more distant club had she known that he was the commodore here . She saw him go to the bar and order a tray of Cokes and crisps for the children , and by the time he came back to her table carrying two mugs of coffee she had composed herself a little . ' Small world , is n't it ? ' he said softly .
Idiom: at the end of the day (used idiomatically: yes)
I left Will Peach to yet another night of work in the Park . ' You sound fond of those starlings , ' I said . Perhaps there are Leicester citizens who will feel just a little sorry if the bird we all love to hate were ever banished ; no longer to amaze us with squabbling antics in the garden , purposeful flight lines at the end of day , noisy pre - roost assemblies — and starling spectaculars at dusk . ' Starlings flew in to roost . MARCH
Idiom: every last (used idiomatically: yes)
Every Labour Government since 1929 have increased unemployment . Putting Labour in charge of reducing unemployment would be like sending a fire fighter to tackle a blaze with his hoses full of petrol . Their unpicking of our trade union law reforms , which would deliberately make strikes easier , longer and more frequent , their support for every last dot and comma of the European Commission 's social action programme , just one directive of which could add £ 5 billion to the costs of British employers — Mr. Blair For the sake of clarification , could the Secretary of State say whether his position has changed on maternity leave and the pregnant women at work directive of the EC ?
Idiom: all along (used idiomatically: yes)
Cheerio!’ , The bird vanished in a flash of blue . The dog scratched his head with a hind foot and looked all along the riverbank . ‘ Something funny is going on around here,’ he said . ‘ What is it?’
Idiom: on board (used idiomatically: yes)
I hope you officers are treating Chief Joseph as I am treated . ' According to Yellow Wolf , though , ' Joseph was bound hands and feet . They took a double blanket … rolled him in it like you roll a papoose on a cradle board … put where there were mules , not in soldier tent . ' When Yellow Bull visited his detained chief , Joseph told him , ' I do not know what they mean to do with me , but if they kill me , you must not kill the officer . It will do no good to avenge my death by killing him . '
Idiom: hold someone's hand (used idiomatically: yes)
" I certainly sha n't hold my hand , when I can get anything in it by reaching it out , for the sake of such a man as He was , I promise you , Joe , " returned the woman coolly .
Idiom: bleeding heart (used idiomatically: yes)
See what I mean about metal being unparodiable ? You could n't invent stuff like this . Confucius say : you can not wear silver studs and a bleeding heart on the same sleeve . MOODSWINGS ( FEATURING CHRISSIE HYNDE ) : ‘ Spiritual High ( State Of Independence)’(Arista ) Basically , this is just Chrissie singing Jon And Vangelis ' ‘ State Of Independence’ over a trippy , drippy background of psychedelic knob twirling .
Idiom: catch a cold (used idiomatically: no)
' If you are a smoker , you have trouble with colds whether you are a drinker or not , ' said Dr Smith . The study also found that people under stress , such as bereavement or divorce , are more likely to become ill . Half of those suffering from stress caught colds compared to one in four of those who had not had their lives disrupted . French trippers told to dump duty - frees TONS of French beer and wine were dumped on the roadside after a crackdown on coaches rolling off cross - channel ferries .
Idiom: odds and ends (used idiomatically: yes)
Thornton is remembered by Hayling , Lowe and the others involved early in the project as being ‘ difficult’ . His ‘ crimes’ , as they saw it , started when he insisted that if there had to be meetings they must be businesslike , properly chaired and follow the agenda . He had found the agendas clogged with ‘ all sorts of odds and ends , trivia and red herrings’ . And when he tried transparent tricks to pull up vital business buried at the end of the list , he found himself making a number of enemies in the group . Worse , although Thornton knew that Hayling saw himself as a potential chief executive , he demanded that the business side of the paper be immediately put under the direction of ‘ an upfront businessman with a solid track record’ .
Idiom: under the sun (used idiomatically: yes)
And suddenly it all just stopped . It vanished as the wide sweep of grey - blue sea fell beneath the rising ground behind the town , and as the bus trundled westward I looked out on a landscape of untroubled peace . The long moist furrows of the new - turned soil glittered under the pale February sun , contrasting with the gold stubble fields and the grassy pastures where sheep clustered around their feeding troughs . There was no wind and the smoke rose straight from the farm chimneys and the bare branches of the roadside trees were still as they stretched across the cold sky . There were many things that pulled at me .
Idiom: throw down the gauntlet (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ You have to play more than one way to win the Championship and having him back gives us more options . The worst thing we can do is become pred-ictable . ’ Meanwhile , Bobby Ferguson yesterday threw down the gauntlet to Sunderland 's Welsh international , Colin Pascoe . And he told top scorer Don Goodman : ‘ Get us more goals ! ’ Pascoe is back on Wearside after a four-month loan spell with Swansea and Roker No 2 Ferguson said : ‘ He should be bashing on the door to get into this side .
Idiom: easier said than done (used idiomatically: yes)
" Just go in and tell the boss you want a raise . " " That 's easier said than done . "
Idiom: on a shoestring (used idiomatically: no)
All rooms are air - conditioned and equipped with colour television , coffee and tea making facilities , mini - bar and radio . No . of rooms : 640 ON A SHOESTRING Miramar Singapore Centrally located close to Chinatown and the business district with Orchard Road just a 5 minute drive away , this hotel offers excellent value for money with a choice of good restaurants .
Idiom: pearly whites (used idiomatically: yes)
On his head was a fuzz — a fluff of pale downy hair , almost transparent . Through his translucent skin showed the blue veins , his insides as visible and vulnerable as a tiny transparent shrimp . His face moved continually , different expressions rippling and flowing across it as if he really were a sea creature , moved and swayed by the changing tide and currents in water , in continual motion — flickering from smile to grimace to pain to peace , eyelids half rising to reveal a sea - shell sightless crescent of pearly blue - white , lips parting then closing , breaths shuddering and shivering him as if air were too strong and coarse a medium . It seemed to Carolyn that there must be a vividly speeded up life flitting through the infant 's dreams , as if it skimmed in the air like a bird over the facts of its life and they were reflected as changingly and as unknowingly on its face as the moving bird would be in seas , rivers , lakes , in stagnant puddles on flat roofs , and silted - up canals . Each expression was as swiftly melted into the next as a tiny wave lapped by a faster following .
Idiom: close call (used idiomatically: yes)
You 're pretty burned out after interning . You seem fit as a fiddle , Mr Blake . Close call , though . Watch those almonds , eh ? ' And he disappeared out of the door , his white jacket flapping around him .
Idiom: win the day (used idiomatically: yes)
It was hardship in this , that er , perhaps the hardest time came after it when er , well it was called public assistance then , social security payments had to be payed back . All the things that you 'd had during the Strike , but things did get left , and er tradesmen were very considerate , there was no chasing for m hard for money and er I know we had an insurance that was n't paid and we used the book to have an imaginary shilling on a horse each day . Which put me off gambling for good , because whilst we won every day , it seemed , we 'd lost a lot of money at the end of the year . Theoretically we had n't done , but , of course , we had n't played anything , but it was good exercise . Mm .
Idiom: paper over the cracks (used idiomatically: yes)
Miraculously much of this does get done , but there are few teachers , if any , who can walk out the gates at four o'clock , knowing they are up - to - date , Stopgaps When there is n't enough time to do what must be done , you find yourself papering over the cracks and making stopgap decisions . Issues that should take at least an hour of discussion with colleagues , as well as with the pupil concerned , have to be dealt with in two minutes at the staffroom door during break . You were late getting in your order for the film ( though you swear the office forgot to send it on ) so on the appointed day , when it is n't there , you have to cobble something else together — and then show the film , when it arrives four weeks later , in the middle of a block of work to which it does not relate .
Idiom: way to go (used idiomatically: yes)
This positive momentum has accelerated over the last two or three years , though the Campaign is the first to recognise that it is only a modest part of a much larger movement . There are certainly more support organisations active in Wales than in any other country in the United Kingdom , and there are some very fine examples of effective local enabling structures , such as the network of the county - based development officers working on behalf of the Prince of Wales’ Committee . Yet I perceive there is still some way to go before voluntary and statutory bodies can claim to have made a serious break - through in mobilising action . Perhaps I might suggest three stages that should be considered as a route to achieving this goal . First , there would be much to be gained in promoting a more coherent debate about community environmental action in Wales .
Idiom: get someone's goat (used idiomatically: yes)
Yes , we went fucking mad Was he insured ? So you see I could n't fight with them too much cos I thought they 'd take it out on dad , so I said look I do n't want him here , I do n't need all this but I said another thing that got my goat , you asked my mum to help turn my dad , they asked my mum if she could help turn him because they did n't have enough staff or he could n't be turned and when my mum turned him she come out and was sick and cried her eyes out cos he had no skin from the top of his spine to the bottom , and he had a water blister like that Joy yellow on his arm , his penis was nearly the width of my arm pouring with blood , and septic from the catheter , oh and the smell , you 've never smelled nothing like it from the sores and the wounds , cos he was cut from here right the way down to here and they had a , all his legs were festering and gangrene in his legs They 'd been better off just giving him an injection and put him to sleep Yeah and Mike 's seen him like that and mum went round the ward and she made all the beds to help them and all , we had to bribe them to look after him , but was he looked after in the end , on Saturday I said look , I said do n't fucking come over here and tell me my dad 's gon na be turned in a minute I said because a minute is a minute , I said but when you come over here three and a half hours later to my dad that 's like three years , he 's in excruciating agony , he wants to turn him when you tell him you 're gon na turn him
Idiom: now or never (used idiomatically: yes)
Luck — and the element of surprise , since neither man knew she was there . If she was going to catch Adam 's uninvited guest completely off guard , she 'd have to do something suitably dramatic , and the thought sent a rush of adrenalin pounding through her blood , mixing giddyingly with the nerves already churning in the pit of her stomach . It was now or never . Hearing the stranger 's voice become louder and angrier still , she raised one long booted leg and aimed an almighty kick at the door . She knew a quick surge of satisfaction when the door flew open , but there was no time to revel in pride at her own achievement as she took in the scene beyond the door .
Idiom: high and low (used idiomatically: yes)
In this second document , then , the Secretary of State showed himself aware of some of the differing demands : breadth with no sacrifice of depth ; practical content that will not displace the theoretical ; the maintenance , even the raising , of ' standards ' , with a welcome none the less for those who might have approached learning and assessment in a new way . The extent to which pupils at school progressing from the GCSE to A levels will find an unbridgeable gap will depend on the way in which ' differentiating ' the curriculum and the assessment of pupils is interpreted in different schools , and for different courses . If , as seems probable , most teachers will sort out their pupils into the high and the low fliers at a fairly early stage , and if there is a whole separate set of papers in some subjects for the high and the low , then the difference between the higher grades of GCSE and O levels will not turn out to be very great . Despite all the detailed criteria set out for assessment , despite the emphasis on course - work , in the end ' high ' GCSE will be familiar enough , and the transition to A level not a matter of genuine difficulty . As now , the decision who will proceed to A level , and thence to higher education will in effect have been taken at the end of the third year .
Idiom: know the ropes (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ The Labour party were very sorely wounded by their first public defeat and ran a campaign claiming most people were in favour of the project,’ he added . ‘ We collected several hundred signatures on the petition and our opposition will continue . We know the ropes this time and we will fight on.’ MIDDLESBROUGH goalkeeper Stephen Pears is set to maintain his ever - present record for the season in the Second Division promotion clash against Charlton Athletic on Saturday . Pears was back in training yesterday after his weekend operation on a cheekbone fracture .
Idiom: out of the woods (used idiomatically: yes)
Against the wall of the changing - room extension , Private Boyd leant against the door with her head bowed , trying to control the giggles . I would never have a better diversion , I thought , then it did get better . Another player came out of the wood and began to jog across the Paddock . Even from this distance it was clear he 'd been hit several times in the chest and there was also red paint all over his visor . Werewolf seemed to be conducting some sort of slaughter out there .
Idiom: live a lie (used idiomatically: yes)
While Sussex , Avon and Somerset , and Surrey are among the most dangerous 20 counties , the built - up area of Cleveland is near the bottom of the list with 57 rapes and 174 sex attacks . My guilt and my lover , by Marje IT was the guilt of living a lie for 50 years that forced agony aunt Marje Proops into confessing her secret love affair . ‘ The guilt was becoming too great to bear,’ she has confessed . Marje now admits that her carefully nurtured image has been torn apart by revelations from a new biography .
Idiom: drop the ball (used idiomatically: yes)
All heads turned to watch him as he reached into his pocket and took out three multicoloured balls . ‘ You 'll like this.’ He began to juggle , making it look as if he was just on the verge of dropping the balls each time he caught them . ‘ There is nothing up my sleeves but my arms , there is nothing down my trousers but a ferret.’ People started laughing : nervously at first , and then with real amusement .
Idiom: out of the blue (used idiomatically: yes)
The sky in the west was hazy . A few evening wisps of cloud were curled high , tranced over the stillness of the world . Then once more out of the blue he said quietly , ‘ Are you elect?’ ‘ Elect?’ ‘ Do you feel chosen by anything?’
Idiom: see the light of day (used idiomatically: no)
In the inch wars , Ryvita helps you win — so goes the old advert punch line , but which of the two main Graphical User Interfaces is likely to be the one to give you the best operating environment ? David Dorn considers Windows vs OS/2 V2.0 Since 1981 , when the IBM PC fist saw the light of day , its users have always had DOS , in one flavour or another . Current trends , though , are towards the Graphical User Interface ( GUI ) , which , it 's claimed , make computing tasks easier , makes applications easier to learn , and increase productivity . In the beginning , the Apple Macintosh showed the way to do things , with its whole operating system being based on Windows , Icons , Mice and Pointers ( WIMP ) .
Idiom: pull strings (used idiomatically: yes)
Daddy knows quite a lot of people in the cinema . Yes . Charles felt sure that Daddy could pull the odd string on his daughter 's behalf Sir Lionel Newman put a great deal of money into film production . Charles even had a feeling that he was a major shareholder in Steenway Productions . ' And how come you 're not doing your secretarial course today ? ' he asked in the Morningside accent which he had drummed into the cast of his production of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie ( ' Slow - moving ' — Evening Argus ) .
Idiom: catch someone's eye (used idiomatically: yes)
I found it in an unexpected place . Crabtree and Evelyn is not a name I would instantly associate with culinary excellence — though I always knew they could make you smell nice . But a large plate of bread slices , nearly invisible beneath a glossy coating of dark red jam , caught my eye as I walked past their stall . Having tasted one or three of the strawberry , I tried a couple , or maybe half a dozen , of the raspberry . The jam , it turns out , is home made .
Idiom: off the beaten track (used idiomatically: no)
To the east of Nafels is an entry / exit to the motorway N3 which , running west - east , links Zurich with the southern shores of the Walensee ( flanking for part of the way the Linth canal referred to above ) and on to Chur in the Grisons . For motorists who intend to travel west by road on N3 to Zurich or beyond , a short side - trip is to -be recommended . The famous Benedictine abbey of Einsiedeln Switzerland 's greatest place of pilgrimage , set in the pre - Alp country of canton Schwyz can not be described as " off the beaten track " but it would be unthinkable to omit the possibility of visiting it when in this neighbourhood . Carry on along the N3 motorway west beyond the exit for Rapperswil and Pfaffikon to the exit indicated for Einsiedeln and Schwyz . Turning south in some 6 km ( 4 miles ) the Biberbrugg crossroads are reached .
Idiom: keep the peace (used idiomatically: yes)
Life with mother ( or mother - in - law ) If we apply the yardstick of affection and respect to all our dealings with the elderly and they feel this in everything we say to them , most of the small problems which are bound to arise when we are living together stand a reasonable chance of solution . Provided they are not mentally impaired , and we are able to exercise tact , the truth , spoken in love , will always achieve more than saying nothing in order to ‘ keep the peace’ , and harbouring resentments which fester in the mind and inevitably make us bad - tempered towards them for reasons they do not understand . Even if , in the end , we have to agree to differ on some matters , grievances should be discussed , not camouflaged . If the elderly relative is your own mother , frank discussion of problems is usually ( but not always ) easier than it is with an in - law .