Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: with a vengeance (used idiomatically: no)
He would outrun the horrid things who had stood leering at him , because there was never a being yet created that could catch a Gruagach once he put his mind to running . By the seven beards of his ancestors , Balor would run , and they 'd see who could run faster ! It certainly would not be the sinister Treelike beings who had regarded him with such terrible vengeance in their unnatural faces ! Floy and Snodgrass stared at one another and then Floy said , ' We 'll have to follow them . ' ' Why ?
Idiom: stake a claim (used idiomatically: yes)
Following the great betrayal of 1882 , when Gladstone presided over the annexation of Egypt , they could not even rely on the Liberal party to resist the imperialist tide . Imperial expansion was driven forward not only by the collapse of order in extra - European societies , but also by intensifying competition from Britain 's European rivals for ' a place in the sun ' . British Governments staked their claim to disputed areas by formalizing imperial control . As British diplomats manoeuvred to protect extra - European spheres of influence against foreign rivals , they found themselves inexorably drawn into taking sides in the hardening alliance system on the European continent . Early in the new century , agreements to resolve imperial clashes with the old rivals , France and Russia , drew Britain into close association with the anti - German Dual Entente .
Idiom: sleight of hand (used idiomatically: yes)
The cash was promised to local authorities in last year 's budget to ease the impact of poll tax bills . Coun Carr told the policy and resources meeting , which set a tax of £ 353 : ‘ We have been short - changed £ 800,000 by the Government and that has inevitably had an effect on the level of the charge . ‘ This is financial sleight of hand of the worst sort , typical of the spivs currently running our economy . In effect , it makes the Government the biggest non - payer of poll tax of all and they must act to remedy this situation.’ He said the biggest element in the rise from last year 's £ 309 was the Government 's withdrawal of the ‘ safety net’ , which adds £ 14.87 to each bill .
Idiom: square the circle (used idiomatically: no)
It is the mineral planning authorities ' responsibility to determine the acceptability of specific projects through the planning system . ' Nevertheless , ' the government is firmly committed to the protection of the environment ' though ' this need not be incompatible with ensuring that adequate supplies of opencast are produced ' . The circle is squared with the statement that ' environmental controls are vital to the acceptability of opencast coal working and must be adhered to if sites are to meet current environmental standards ' . It is accepted that ' noise from mineral workings is often a particular concern for those living near a site ' , but a ( non - mandatory ) code of practice ' will provide useful guidance ' . The draft circular is enthusiastic about recent progress in reclamation , and ' proposals for the restoration and aftercare of sites to a subsequent beneficial use should always form an important part of the information submitted with a planning application and in earlier informal discussions ' .
Idiom: under the table (used idiomatically: yes)
He , too , was being provocative , quite deliberately making it a clash of wills , but still smiling as he told me to get the bags into the Toyota . ‘ And do n't let that briefcase out of yer sight.’ He nodded to the case , which was under the table , and strode out . The route we had taken through the cordillera from Cajamarca had brought us virtually into the outskirts of Tmjillo and we had put up at a hotel in the centre of the city , all three of us more or less out on our feet . Now , in the brightness of a cloudless morning , the air clear after a night of rain and surprisingly dry , we started out thoroughly refreshed .
Idiom: and then some (used idiomatically: no)
the rest was all gifts . Erm then on the seventeenth erm we had our part at my house , it was very enjoyable as always , but to be honest I almost collapsed , I really had had it by then . And they entertained us and then some carol singers came and we asked them in and they sang carols and the food was nice and everybody really was very happy and that was the start of our Christmas holiday . And then I came back on the forth to start off with the stocktaking which is not on the agenda I think . But let me just tell you we it 's all counted , it 's all written down .
Idiom: join the club (used idiomatically: yes)
' Gordon , there 's something else . ' She licked her lips before she spoke . ' Were women allowed to join The Hell Fire Club as members ? ' Could Suzanne Regan have introduced Chris to the others ? ' No .
Idiom: fly the flag (used idiomatically: yes)
Treaty ( principle of non - discrimination on the ground of nationality ) and article 52 ( right of establishment ) , and whether the answer to that question was affected by the existence of a power to dispense with the nationality requirement in the case of individuals and by the existence of national fishing catch quotas allocated by the Community pursuant to the Common Fisheries Policy . On the reference : — Held , ( 1 ) that under Community law member states could determine in accordance with the general rules of public international law the conditions under which vessels could be entered in national registers and granted the right to fly their flags , but that in laying down those conditions the member states had to comply with Community law ( post , pp . 338F – G , 343A ) . Pesca Valentia Ltd. v. Minister for Fisheries and Forestry ( Case 223/86)[1988]E.C.R. 83 , E.C.J.;Hellenic Republic v. Commission of the European Communities ( Case 57/86)[1988]E.C.R. 2855 , E.C.J. and Commission of the European Communities v. Hellenic Republic ( Case 127/87)[1988]E.C.R. 3333 , E.C.J. applied . ( 2 ) That , irrespective of the existence of the present system of national catch quotas , it was contrary to Community law , and in particular to article 52 of the E.E.C.
Idiom: for the time being (used idiomatically: yes)
In a game the pain of life can safely be recaptured , encountered and switched off as required , for as we have seen , a game and all other forms of playing including the arts are deliberately created second - order experiences , removed from the rawness of living . The substance of the playing is an abstraction . In hide - and - seek , a number of people agree for a period of time to abstract from living what they know of the ‘ hiding’ function ( i.e. that people can be ‘ hiders’and ‘ seekers’and that places can be ‘ hiding places’ ) and to behave , for the time being , as if only that function mattered . In drama a number of people agree to abstract from what they know of the ‘ hiding’ function and to combine that knowledge with what they have understood about a particular ‘ hiding’context , say , King Charles and his followers hiding from the Roundheads ( hiders are therefore labelled Cavaliers , and the seekers Roundheads ) and to behave ‘ as if ’only that function mattered . ( The prime difference between the two is that in the drama there is no need actually to hide — the hiding experience is evoked but not practised .
Idiom: in the running (used idiomatically: yes)
He returned to action just over a week ago to show an impressive turn of foot in winning the Prix du Prince d'Orange . Cash Asmussen is likely to be on board the unbeaten colt . Racing : Shellac still in the running By JOHN COBB THE SENDER of the letter threatening Luca Cumani with violence unless he saddles the heavily backed Shellac in Saturday 's Cambridgeshire will have been appeased , temporarily at least , by the fact that the colt was one of 42 horses declared yesterday at the five - day stage for the race , writes John Cobb .
Idiom: lame duck (used idiomatically: yes)
Mr Clarke has large presentational advantages . As a fellow minister put it , ‘ Norman had become beleaguered and defensive and jumpy . Everybody knew he had become a lame duck.’ His Treasury officials were infected by the gloomy whiff of failure clinging to him since September . It had become impossible for him to convince in Parliament , in the party , or in the country at large .
Idiom: give someone grief (used idiomatically: yes)
Wales also filed a clean bill of health after their stint at the National Stadium yesterday with Mike Hall and Tony Clement , who had been struggling with groin and ankle injuries respectively , satisfying the medics . Hall commented : ' I 'm relieved that nothing is really wrong . The muscle is giving me some grief but as long as there is no long - term damage then I am willing to play through the pain barrier . ' Damian Cronin : sidelined after flu scare Pittodrie stand 's royal opening
Idiom: on the stump (used idiomatically: yes)
Equality before the law , certainly , but last in for God 's sake slam the door . Despite the underlying racism of so many , a deliberate effort had been made to attract the ethnics into the Party , if only to deny their votes to others . Hence John Taylor 's unlucky candidature in Cheltenham , with all its resultant difficulties , and the arrival on the stump of several Asians , many of whom sounded more Sandhurst than Sandhurst itself . Morris , Hoggart and Hudson agreed that the afternoon 's debate on press and public relations would be a doddle as far as the platform was concerned . Wool would be pulled over seven thousand pairs of eyes .
Idiom: slip of the tongue (used idiomatically: yes)
Until bribed to surrender Kyrenia , the Sicilian admiral had been one of Carlotta 's closest advisers . ‘ The Queen?’ said Nicholas . ‘ A slip of the tongue . The lady Carlotta . The pity is that you married this lady , dear sir .
Idiom: now or never (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ And moreover , could I know how long the prince would stay here ? It might have been no more than two or three days . I had to strike now or never . And you had best be grateful to me , for if you had left it to the little men of law he could buy better and shiftier than you , and you would never have got your money at all.’ The old man — she was the child of a second marriage , and he had been well past forty before she was born — snorted his disbelief , but she knew he was doing little more than vent the nervousness of the past hours , now that the suspense was over .
Idiom: round the clock (used idiomatically: yes)
Chris Horn and his CCG staff of some 110 joined in the celebration last December , when the UK and French tunnel engineers broke through to link up the Channel Tunnel Marine Service Tunnel . The CCG team started work on the Channel Tunnel site in September 1987 and have built up until they are now catering for some 6,000 workers at two locations — Upper and Lower Shakespeare Cliff . It has been a hectic three years , operating a round - the - clock snack bar , and restaurant service for 17 hours every day . A normal day menu means the provision of 1,500 and 2,000 meals and snacks , covering TML staff as well as the men driving the tunnel itself — the so - called ‘ Tunnel Tigers’ . Any worker may eat at any of the canteens or special selection dining rooms .
Idiom: make light of (used idiomatically: yes)
It would be less at the equator ( perhaps half a degree ) and more at the poles perhaps six degrees ; certainly enough to melt a great deal of polar ice . The greenhouse gases : methane ( CH 4 ) from cattle , termites , and swamps ; chlorofluorocarbons ( CFCs ) from aerosols ( and fridges ) ; and carbon dioxide ( CO 2 from everything that breathes and burns . Some politicians have made light of these effects , suggesting , for example , that Britain would be a pleasanter place if its climate was more Mediterranean . This is naive . Because the poles will heat more than the equator , there will be a tremendous imbalance in energy over the next few decades , which seems bound to produce enormously turbulent and changeable weather , including gales , floods , and late frosts .
Idiom: go to the wall (used idiomatically: yes)
It had looked as though Barnet 's days were numbered , only weeks after winning promotion from division three . A cash injection now followed by income from transfer tribunals would guarantee their immediate future and dash Halifax 's hopes of escaping relegation to the Vauxhall Conference . If Barnet , reportedly £ 1.3 m in debt , went to the wall , Walsall would probably go up in their place and Halifax would remain in the League . Players and management at Underhill are still owed wages and bonuses for winning promotion and Beller says the club also needs to spend six figures on ground safety this summer . USA … 2 England … 0
Idiom: make the grade (used idiomatically: yes)
The project director of Tindle Enterprises , Duncan Campbell , explained a special factor about the enterprise centre — no rent is charged to the tenants . Businesses pay a proportion of the rates , heating , lighting and costs . Then the firm are given one year to make the grade . Sometimes Mr. Campbell can extend the licence for another nine months and about 40 to 50 percent of businesses started at the enterprise centre have gone on to greater success . Ani and Paul regularly display their work in Farnham — including the monthly market in Farnham Maltings .
Idiom: follow suit (used idiomatically: yes)
Cowley responded almost with a shout , ‘ I know damn well what you were doing ! And you should have put it in writing if you 'd wanted to make anything of it!’ Bodie calmed down , and Cowley followed suit . There was a strained pause as temperatures lowered , then Cowley said , ‘ Okay . Let 's run through it again .
Idiom: do a runner (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I did n't manage to make up any ground on him whatsoever.’ Sharpe , of Jarrow , denied assault causing actual bodily harm outside The Venue pub in South Shields in July . He also denied doing a runner . ‘ I was just jogging,’ he said . ‘ I stopped when a police car pulled up because I thought it was stupid to go on running.’
Idiom: in the black (used idiomatically: yes)
Dan Yeah . imagine that but just done in complete black with white lines , yeah , like sort of like if with white lines going down Yeah . picture of just like that yeah but this geezer 's like got skiing glasses on and this huge joint and like all these attachments just going like that look like broccoli but like that yeah .
Idiom: rule of thumb (used idiomatically: yes)
People 's vulnerability at this time can be very great , and it is a poignant reflection on our society that there are many other people ready to prey on this . They have devious ways of making money from bereaved people 's misery , whether by knocking on the door after a death , offering to clear the house for cash , including any objects of value ; or by offering solace in exchange for cash or fees . It seems a reasonable rule of thumb that any genuine offers of help and support from people or organizations will be accompanied by a name and address , and a willingness to be checked out as to their motive in making contact . It is inevitably a part of the normal grieving process that people search for the dead person in a multitude of ways , but it is very necessary for friends of the bereaved to help them choose carefully . It can be one of the most helpful and long - lasting things that a friend can do .
Idiom: make history (used idiomatically: no)
This form of lowest common denominator drinking haunt defies the charm of quirky or unconventional pubs . They add little to the cultural identity of Darlington and are guilty of attracting some unsavoury characters and behaviour to the centre of the town . BLIND radio presenter Mark Turnbull made broadcasting history over the weekend . Mark is believed to have become the first blind presenter to host his own radio show when he took to the airwaves at BBC Radio Cleveland yesterday . And veteran broadcaster Mark Page , who is back with the station , popped into the studios to wish his colleague good luck before the first broadcast of the Mark Turnbull Sunday Phone - In .
Idiom: lose face (used idiomatically: yes)
Young people are best able to withstand the danger of alcohol abuse if they have been taught : the danger to health of too much alcohol — and how much is too much how to say No without losing face with their peers that drinking too much is not clever or a sign of being grown - up that alcohol is not a problem - solver or a sexual stimulant — the opposite in both cases
Idiom: seal of approval (used idiomatically: yes)
INTERNATIONAL AUDITING PRACTICES COMMITTEE IOSCO to endorse auditing standards The International Organisation of Securities Commissions is to give its seal of approval to international standards on auditing ( ISAs ) at a conference to be hosted by the Securities and Investments Board in London later this month . This means that multinational accounts which are audited in compliance with the standards will be acceptable to securities regulatory authorities around the world . It will also make transactions , such as cross border offerings , a great deal easier and less costly than before .
Idiom: spot on (used idiomatically: no)
Mr Dalrymple will be also be buried tomorrow after 12.30 Mass in St Mary 's Church , Rasharkin . Police have set up a special incident room at Coleraine RUC station and have appealed to the public to help catch the murder gang responsible for the seaside slaughter . Detectives want to hear from anyone who saw a light blue Ford Transit van , registration number GIB 915 , in Castlerock yesterday morning or between the village and the secluded spot on Springburn Road , Milltown , where it was burnt out at 9.35am . Police believe the gang may have transferred to a waiting car . The RUC are anxious to speak to the driver of a maroon Maestro car which was close to the murder scene yesterday morning , in order that they can eliminate them from the murder investigation .
Idiom: speak your mind (used idiomatically: yes)
Rights are a central issue in being assertive ( see page 8) , since a decision to be assertive , as opposed to aggressive or submissive , is in effect a decision to stand up for your rights in a way that respects other people 's rights . Behavioural rights are more a matter of belief than legislation since they tend to be based on conclusions which you have reached about yourself in relation to others . You may believe , for example , that you have the right to speak your mind and from this will follow certain ways of behaving that will differ markedly from someone who believes they have the right to remain silent . The problem with beliefs is that they can often be unrealistic and stubborn ( see Beliefs on page 21 ) but reasonable behavioural rights are such things as : the right to express your opinions , views and ideas
Idiom: play it safe (used idiomatically: yes)
Even if I cast through this gap accurately , the speed of the cast must be faultless too , for the gap between the branches and the roots is a mere two feet : too far and I am in the roots , too near and my bait will not be lying where I want it . Any errors could ruin the fishing , for if I snag on the overhanging branches or the roots , the subsequent pulling to free the tackle , or to break it , will not go unnoticed by the chub . I decide to play it safe , so I tackle up with a ¼oz bullet stopped only 1½ inches from the number 4 hook . Bait will be a piece of crust about half the size of a matchbox , torn from a new loaf . My idea is to cast as close to the branches as I dare , then allow the current to carry the bait into the roots .
Idiom: one of those things (used idiomatically: yes)
ARE YOU HAPPY WITH YOUR HAIR ? When I was younger I hated having red hair . It was one of those things you know , when you get called names . I love it now and apparently it 's quite fashionable to have red hair . Some of the super models like Linda Whatsername have actually dyed their hair red , so I guess I must have set a trend!.
Idiom: under the sun (used idiomatically: yes)
As editor of The Colonial Magazine , Kingston 's Magazine and The Union Jack ( the last - named started in 1880 , the year of his death , and taken over by Henty ) , Kingston could claim all the space he needed to express his views on the importance of colonisation and use the experience he gained from working for the Colonial Land and Emigration Board . His address to the prospective readers of the first issue of Kingston 's Magazine in 1859 is significant : My great aim is to give you a periodical which you will not throw aside as soon as read , but which you will value and look over years hence as an old familiar friend , when you may be battling with the realities of life under the suns of India , in the backwoods of Canada or the United States , or the grassy downs of Australia , over the wide Ocean among the isles of the Pacific , or on the distant shores of Columbia . The imperialist attitude was accommodated in his books all the more easily because he put the emphasis on service and sacrifice rather than on nationalist domination or material gain : an approach that may seem hypocritical to present - day readers was sincere enough in a man who set out to be a philanthropist and reformer and became a best - seller . He was fortunate in that his choice of subjects and his robust story - telling were perfectly in tune with his reading public .
Idiom: for the time being (used idiomatically: yes)
Say Alex Household had n't murdered the star , then who else might have had motive and opportunity to do it ? Michael Banks had been a man who inspired love , but even so Charles could produce quite a list of people who might have had a grudge against him . Whether any of the grudges was strong enough to justify murder was another consideration he put on one side for the time being . Paul Lexington resented the money he was having to pay to Michael Banks since Bobby Anscombe had backed out o the production . His sums worked better with the star out of the way .
Idiom: carrot and stick (used idiomatically: yes)
Instead , sanctions could sometimes be avoided by using the organization 's rules against a superior —'working to rule ' has a long and honourable tradition in labour history , especially where industrial action is prohibited . REWARDS : THE CARROTS All organizations work on a carrot - and - stick policy . Punishment and rewards go hand in hand . Police forces are no exception .
Idiom: head over heels (used idiomatically: yes)
He caressed her sides with gentle hands , gloveman 's hands . She turned a naked somersault in his lap , bouncing lightly off the cabin wall to return slowly feet first , straddling him , locking them together . They went into a spin , wheeling head over heels about their warm , wet mutual centre . Marco gasped . He groaned .
Idiom: behind bars (used idiomatically: yes)
Not that I 've any time for that widow of his . Puts on airs as if she were running a literary salon . ' Alf Ackroyd behind the bar pricked up his ears , as if some rival establishment to his own were under discussion . There seemed , though , a general lack of enthusiasm for the second Mrs Machin . ' She 's basking in all the glory , ' said one man , ' but it had bugger all to do with her .
Idiom: hot under the collar (used idiomatically: yes)
Based on the crime novels by the Oxford author , Colin Dexter , Inspector Morse would be sold worldwide and attract an audience of millions . Central 's cameras have also captured a good deal of real - life drama thanks to the Cook Report . And people can also get pretty hot under the collar on Central Weekend . Indeed , Central has always brought you the unlikely . Ken Dodd says:’ We are all buffoons , that 's like a spitoon , only more polished!’
Idiom: out of pocket (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ So sickness benefit is going up again ! I have kept myself fit all my life , avoiding infections , abstaining from drink , tobacco and hazard - ous pursuits . Now , it seems , I am to be out of pocket … ’ ‘ Very nice to be an unmarried mother and live on social security . As a mere wife , I live on what my husband chooses to give me … ’