Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: back to square one (used idiomatically: yes)
Buying a property is an exercise in frustration — always . From the time you fall in love with a property to the time you move in , you can count on it being an average of three to four months . It can be much worse if you are selling as well as buying , for you are then involved in a dreaded thing called ‘ the chain ' , which only moves at the pace of the slowest , if it does not disintegrate along the way and put you back to square one . When you find a place that is satisfactory , though , the first thing to do is to make an offer for it to the estate agent . This does not have to be the advertised price .
Idiom: on the game (used idiomatically: yes)
Was he that crap even then ? Ken has recently joined Bohemians in Dublin ( the team I support ) . I saw him play on Sunday and to be perfectly honest had he sat down in the middle of the field I reckon he 'd have had a bigger influence on the game . He was awful . Declan
Idiom: bits and bobs (used idiomatically: yes)
Well me dad 's needs an oil pump on it . Er and he wo n't pay out for it cos he 's a bit tight . Er there 's mine needs a few bits and bobs I ca n't do it though cos I have n't got enough money . Me mum 's me mum 's is alright , it 's just me dad g keeps saying oh there 's these noises and I 'll , and I 'll go in it and there 's no noise . But it 's
Idiom: for donkey's years (used idiomatically: yes)
That made me manic depressive . The bloke who made up those tests was the real loony if you ask me . Men and women have been choosing and wearing black for donkey 's years . It must be about the most popular colour of all . Anyone interested in fashion and elegance would put black first .
Idiom: catch fire (used idiomatically: no)
Voice over Dressed in protective body armour , a bomb squad officer walks into the River Island clothing shop in Gloucester city centre . He 's looking for the remains of a rucksack which caught fire on a shelf in the shop . The rucksack was part of a store display . The shop 's manageress says that staff saw it smouldering , so they evacuated the store as quickly as possible .
Idiom: dead wood (used idiomatically: yes)
Gaps filled up with fronds ; and little shoots Exploring over ditches twine around All spare pared dead wood they can clamber on Venturing forth as all things do this season . The tendril of the vine waves in the morning
Idiom: rock bottom (used idiomatically: yes)
I do n't know . Oliver and girls — it 's always been a trickier subject than he likes to make out . But this time he does seem to have hit rock bottom . The wheels really have come off . Oliver Ouf !
Idiom: on the house (used idiomatically: yes)
It is less easy to reconcile the " pervasive " approach with a more general and subtle type of stylistic shift which must be found , to some extent , in every novel . This is the adaptation of style , sometimes abrupt , sometimes gradual , to the ongoing narrative focus , with its changes of tone , mood , and subject . The variation of style with tone ( see 8 . s ) is supremely exemplified in Dickens ; and we may take , for illustration , four passages from the earlier part of Dombey and Son , in which style variation is intrinsic to the novel 's satiric - epic picture of Victorian urban society , concentrating on the capitalist house of Dombey . The book begins , with the description of father and son at the latter 's birth ; the following paragraph is so formal in its rhetorical design , balancing each element of Mr Dombey 's description against a similar element of the description of Paul , that we may set it out in tabular form ( reading the columns from left to right ) : This is a brief glimpse of one kind of language which recurs at intervals throughout the book , especially at symbolic and ceremonial points in the fortunes of the Dombey family : births , funerals , and marriages . It is poised between comedy and moral seriousness , and the dominant note of irony is struck in the balancing of father and son , and in the reiterated unmodified nouns Dombey and Son — appropriate references to individuals whose lives are respectively dedicated and mortgaged to the gods of family pride and commerce .
Idiom: on the level (used idiomatically: yes)
But first in the day 's programme must be Lost John 's Cave . Lost John 's Cave is found very easily by rounding the end of the wall on the right and walking back alongside for 180 yards to a hollow where a small stream enters a black cavity in a low cliff ; a few yards further over a small rise is another less obvious orifice . These are the two entrances to Lost John 's Cave , the best known and most extensive underground system in the Leck Fell area ; it is highly complex and has passages descending on various levels to a depth of 460 feet . Clearly this is no place for novices but it is possible for them , if armed with a torch and wearing boots and clothes that do n't matter , to go into one hole and emerge from the other , the two entrance passages converging after fifteen yards of stumbling progress . The passage continuing beyond the junction is absolutely out of bounds .
Idiom: on ice (used idiomatically: yes)
The book , you see , is about walking . Walking Britain 's Skyline , in fact . Yet my life on the hills has been as a rock climber and someone who enjoys winter climbs on ice - covered crags . For the purposes of completing this project and covering some grand skylines in Snowdonia , the Lakes and Scotland — I had to take time out from my more usual pastime to actually walk those mountain crests . My visit to Harrogate had been to gee me on .
Idiom: as a rule (used idiomatically: yes)
" They should not be allowed to arrange unchecked and uncontrolled the terms of peace and to decide alone the conditions which will follow it . " Other radicals demanded that foreign policy should no longer be at the mercy of " the ideas , valuations and methods of a sporting aristo - plutocracy " or " the obscure convolutions of diplomatic staffs " , that " there must be an end of the secret diplomacy which has plunged us into this catastrophe " and that the working classes should " lay down our own terms , make our own proclamations , establish our own diplomacy " . In this storm of righteous indignation few commentators made the important but disheartening point that , except in moments of obvious crisis , the man in the street was as a rule little interested in foreign policy questions . In spite of so many hopes of a new order the old one proved tough enough to survive essentially unchanged . Even the Russian revolution of 1917 could not escape its clutches .
Idiom: on the ball (used idiomatically: yes)
The French tight forwards won ruck after ruck in the opening spell and towering lock Olivier Roumat , captaining the side , won clean line - out ball with ease . The pressure told after 12 minutes when Eastern Province fly - half Greg Miller was slow to clear from his own line and had his kick charged down by opposite number Penaud . Penaud dived on the ball to score and two minutes later he squeezed through a struggling defence for a second try with third - phase ball . Centre Thierry Lacroix had an unhappy day with the boot , slotting one conversion and a penalty for France while missing five other feasible kicks . Marriage melts
Idiom: keep tabs on (used idiomatically: yes)
That they are sabotaging the deadline they have themselves imposed . I refuse to be mollified with coffee . I announce that I plan to throw one honey of a tantrum , complete with sound effects and meteorological events , if I am not instantly issued with a remote to keep tabs on my subject . It 's all bluster . My heart , or what passes for one in demonic physiology , is in my mouth , for fear that I am about to be exiled from Rainbow Rosenbloom , and from Chinese food , movies and other earthly delights , for evermore .
Idiom: keep your eye on the ball (used idiomatically: yes)
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Idiom: nothing to it (used idiomatically: yes)
He appeared suddenly bored . ‘ Stop making such a meal of it , Kate . You and I know there 's nothing to it , so why get uptight about a lot of Press comment?’ ‘ Because it 's my reputation!’ she answered fiercely . ‘ I 'm not one of your empty - headed bimbos grateful for any attention your ego can spare .
Idiom: come hell or high water (used idiomatically: yes)
Instead of this , the impression was given by ministers that their previous doubts about the Maastricht Treaty had been swept away by the Danish vote . In their place was a new , albeit frustrated , enthusiasm . Instead of conceiving what had taken place as the best that could be managed in the circumstances , the Treaty had become some sort of model of what needed , come hell or high water , to be put into effect . In response to this new determination by ministers , Government Whips began to huddle together in the Members ' Lobby and elsewhere , like American football players in a scrummage , to plan the retrieval process . I and a few others who only that morning had begun to look forward to a peaceful summer ahead , swiftly concluded that we must make some gesture of our own in order to demonstrate the feelings of many of our fellow conservative Members of Parliament .
Idiom: hear things (used idiomatically: yes)
Her hands trembled as they fluttered to rest against his shoulders . He murmured something , but she did not catch the words . The thundering in her heart had grown so enormous that she would not have heard a thing had there been an earthquake . But she saw his lips move and her eyes fixed on them , for suddenly she had n't the courage to look into his eyes . There was something in their depths that seemed to devour her — and her own eyes , she feared , revealed the torment of her soul .
Idiom: cheek by jowl (used idiomatically: yes)
It is understandable if we consider the wide diversity of marine invertebrates how difficult it can be to read from their behaviour just what is going on . Fish demonstrate their aggression quite plainly and it is obvious when they do n't get along . The seemingly constant serenity of the invertebrate aquarium mirrors the harmony of the coral reef where masses of weird and wonderful creatures appear to live cheek by jowl quite happily together . Most are , after all , sessile non - moving creatures formed into an intricate tapestry of living organisms often closely interwoven with one another . A form of harmony therefore no doubt exists as the animals , fixed to one spot , have learned to make best use of their environment to carve their own small niches in exploiting the possibilities of their habitat to the full .
Idiom: forbidden fruit (used idiomatically: yes)
Was this omission by accident , or design ? Because those old boys knew their business . The tastiest forbidden fruit should be concealed , ignored , left to rot on the branch — not offered to the customers on a plate . Nevertheless , though she may not recognise the name it goes by from any catalogue of thou - shalt - nots , our Riva knows an abomination when she sees one . But a second phantom chorus sings louder than the first .
Idiom: in the saddle (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ In the last two years I have missed nearly everything,’ he said . ‘ It just sums up my recent life that on the day my son announced his engagement and wanted me to meet his new in - laws I was in Strasbourg . ‘ It is good fun and it was a job worth doing but I do n't want to die in the saddle . ‘ Last night I went to an art exhibition in my sister - in - law 's gallery and then went to dinner to celebrate my brother - in - law 's birthday . ‘ This afternoon I am going out to do some Christmas shopping and I am enjoying every minute .
Idiom: win the day (used idiomatically: yes)
Rab Stewart , Scottish textile organiser for the Transport and General Workers ' Union , said the Employment Service had withdrawn its objections to payments being made , and was now supporting all the claims . According to his records , about 50 workers had been compensated , which meant 125 people had still received nothing . In his view it was disgusting that the union had been forced to battle for four years to win the day . Gerry Skelton , Borders district secretary of the TGWU , said that when the benefits agencies had mistakenly paid out extra money to claimants they had not been prepared to wait four years for the cash to be handed back . Walkerburn families had experienced severe poverty when the factory closed , yet the welfare state had failed to come to their rescue .
Idiom: stand someone in good stead (used idiomatically: yes)
He pressed on , encouraging his army from the top of his great caparisoned war elephant . Around him the Rajputs regrouped . The superior numbers of the Imperial army stood them in good stead : within a few minutes , Dara 's forces had broken through the rebels ' artillery and put to flight the infantry . It was then that Aurangzeb 's cunning saved the day for the rebels . His agents within the Imperial army managed to assassinate three of Dara 's generals as they sat exposed on their elephants .
Idiom: across the board (used idiomatically: yes)
Educational is not seen as a vital part of national right , that must be somebody The wages earned by unskilled workers in Germany are twice as high as those earned by teachers here likely do n't it ? across the board trouble is when you get these differential spend all the interpretation on them , not that you 're rewarding the good teachers but that some teachers are not worth rewarding . Now if you really are a weak teacher out .
Idiom: seize the day (used idiomatically: yes)
Bernard took the matter of the offending questionnaire to the union forthwith : the local dispute quickly turned national : Bernard spoke to the press , rallied his colleagues ; but alas , all too many wanted no more than a quiet life : Bernard confided that sometimes he had to eat alone in the staff dining room . ‘ The point is not to be liked,’ said Ellen . ‘ The point is to seize the day ! There were times when even Lenin stood alone ! If we stand firm , the bosses will collapse .
Idiom: turn the corner (used idiomatically: yes)
JOHN HUSBAND PROFIT HITS A ROCCO ROCCO Forte , boss of hotel giant Forte , claims the group has ‘ started to turn the corner . ’ Since July profits have picked up slightly for the first time in 18 months . But they have a long way to recover .
Idiom: odd one out (used idiomatically: yes)
ANSWERS Odd One Out : The odd one out is Hare — all the others are names of animals spelt backwards . Quick Quiz : 28 days .
Idiom: dog tired (used idiomatically: yes)
It was the first food that any had had since arrested . Beattie slept for the rest of the day . He had had little sleep from the commencement of the strike and was dog - tired . At night , the police served tea and toast . They also gave out their own cigarettes and were exceptionally considerate .
Idiom: to the letter (used idiomatically: no)
The very strength of some of the characteristics of bureaucracy may in some cases be turned into a cause of weakness . Responsibility may be avoided by using the rulebook , although the rules are established to enable efficient decisions and actions . By sticking to the letter of the law , the spirit of the law may be lost . Bureaucratic red tape may prevail , and risk- averse officials become ‘ sticklers’ for the rules . There is frequently a tendency to ‘ pass the buck’ .
Idiom: keep a low profile (used idiomatically: yes)
As I suppose was inevitable , the story gradually became that Eric would set fire to them , not just their pet dogs ; and , as was probably also inevitable , a lot of kids started to think that I was Eric , or that I got up to the same tricks . Or perhaps their parents guessed about Blyth , Paul and Esmerelda . Whatever , they would run from me , or shout rude things from a distance , so I kept a low profile and restricted my brief visits to the town to a taciturn minimum . I get the odd funny look to this day , from children , youths and adults , and I know some mothers tell their children to behave or ‘ Frank'll get you,’ but it does n't bother me . I can take it .
Idiom: oil and water (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ By all means do spell it out,’ he retorted caustically . ‘ Oh , well , if you insist … The fact is that — that we 're oil and water . Or had n't you noticed ? As I said , I love the work , but working with you is another matter .
Idiom: rise through the ranks (used idiomatically: yes)
Next time I 'm down in Surrey I shall have to have words with my mother . I 'd no idea she was such a fast lady . She always led me to believe my father was a solid company man — rose through the ranks to become managing director , or so I understood.’ He paused , his eyes narrowed in speculation . ‘ I wonder if he knows ?
Idiom: at the drop of a hat (used idiomatically: yes)
With hindsight , of course , it is now possible to question the glamorizing of drug - taking in such films as Easy Rider , Psych - Out and The Trip and others ; the in - built health warnings were seldom noticed and there was a certain drugs bandwagon rolling , anyway , largely created in the pop industry where drug usage was not only referred to , even poetically eulogized in song , but physically demonstrated by some of its more tragic exponents like Brian Jones , Jimi Hendrix and Janice Joplin , to name but three in a long line of fallen idols and heroes . Nicholson was always quite adamant in his own mind that his films did not encourage drug taking . If anyone was to blame , it was the anti - drugs policy of successive governments , and especially president Richard Nixon 's , but that 's another talking point on which he would hold forth at the drop of a hat . What Easy Rider and Nicholson did capture was the mood in America and elsewhere at that time . It was not a ‘ brilliant’ movie ; the script was flawed and the premise was suspect , but the underlying presence that Fonda , Hopper and Nicholson caught , perhaps without even realizing it , was an air of tension that prevailed among youth right across the world in 1969 .
Idiom: go public (used idiomatically: yes)
Stories like this became commonplace in Manchester clubs were Morrissey gained a ‘ Pope of Pop’ image that did little to maintain the stability of his early followers . Most such tales are unworthy of inclusion here and , in general , people tended not to believe them . But the ‘ no smoke without fire’ theory remained in people 's minds , all of which was a direct product of the band 's status and a residue of success which leaves initial followers with a sense of loss as ‘ their’band goes public . Like Morrissey in 1977 , many in Manchester felt left behind and even fairly close friends found it difficult to gat close to the band . Taunts of ‘ Bloody Superstars’ bear this out , but the sense of loss can ne eased by deliberate attampts to spread bad rumour .
Idiom: add insult to injury (used idiomatically: yes)
And I remind this council of something I said a few years ago of an incident , incident concerning the Atherstone hunt in my ward where the hounds attacked the dogs of , a couple of dogs of a constituent of mine in his back garden totally uncontrolled , they were running amuck right across land in Ellistown this is nothing the hunt could do nothing the hunt tried to do they were too busy off still dashing ahead chasing the fox or what they thought was a fox . Meanwhile the owner the person who lived a small terraced property , whose garden backs onto the fields tried to get the hounds several dozen hounds off these two dogs who were being savaged to death and he had a heart attack in the process , Chairman and was hospitalized for several weeks That Chairman is the effect of the hunt on one of my constituents whose job it is for me to defend the rights that I was elected here to defend the rights of my constituents , not to be harassed in this manner . Of course he was released from hospital and he recovered and of course we we , he , we protested to the hunt and they had the audacity to off to offer him some fifty pounds compensation , which was a adding insult to injury . So that 's how I can speak from direct experience . I 'd also like to say that I 've received some twenty nine representations from constituents in my ward all of whom live in my ward who are opposed to fox hunting and have asked me today to vote to ban fox hunting on our land and I 've only received two representations from official bodies the video and , and a representation from the British Field Sports Association erm , in favour of fox hunting .
Idiom: follow suit (used idiomatically: yes)
The ministry ’s forecast answers the perennial “ who is to blame ” question very clearly : the slowdown reflects Russia ’s own “ internal problems . ” The ministry ’s baseline forecast assumes that the price of oil – Russia ’s main export – will grow at 9 % per year in real terms over the next 17 years , or more than three times the forecast for Russia ’s annual GDP growth . A week after the ministry ’s forecast was released , the European ~ Bank for Reconstruction and Development – Russia ’s largest foreign direct investor – followed suit , cutting its growth forecast for Russia to 1.3 % in 2013 and 2.5 % in 2014 .
Idiom: foot the bill (used idiomatically: yes)
It becomes law on June 16 . Banks and building societies are estimated to have paid out more than £ 50 million to cheque cheats last year . In many cases , genuine customers footed the bill under old laws governing cheques . One of the main problems was ‘ endorsing’ . Anyone could pay any cheque into their account provided the original payee had signed the back .
Idiom: rank and file (used idiomatically: yes)
He referred to the Bible that had been presented to him by the people of Memel St on July 10 at the opening of their march . He said that ‘ the powers that be’ had presented him with a summons and the Protestant people had presented him with that book and he thought a parallel could be drawn between the two . The rank and file of the Ulster people are still loyal to the core , but he declared ‘ we have been badly led , both politically and religiously’ . He then declared that he and those with him on the platform had pledged themselves to pay no fines and refused to be bound over , ‘ and we have authorised no one to pay these fines for us . Any Protestant who does so will be a Lundy and a traitor .
Idiom: hit the jackpot (used idiomatically: yes)
YOUR MONEY JOHN HUSBAND SCOTTISH TV has hit the jackpot with profits nearly doubled to £2.2 million in six months . The station which renewed its licence for only £2,000 a year made bumper sales to the ITV network with Taggart and Wheel of Fortune . THE Halifax reports that because it is so hard to move house , 41 per cent of borrowers made major improvements last year compared with 37 per the year before .
Idiom: nuts and bolts (used idiomatically: yes)
Mr Levin says that the Time Warner - US West deal needs only to win ‘ some fairly minor approvals’ from regulators . Really ? The nuts and bolts of the deal have been put together cleverly to comply with the 1982 Cable Act and with the specific terms of the 1984 consent decree from Judge Harold Greene that set up the Baby Bells . But the point of the TWE deal is that US West and its other owners could share stakes in a multimedia venture and build up competitive telephone services across America . However desirable , that might fly in the face of everything the 1984 decree was about .