Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: into thin air (used idiomatically: yes)
What did the word ‘ delicious’ mean to someone who cared not a fig about cuisine ? Something to rend , to consume , to digest in her stomach acids ? Meh'Lindi had once mentioned a legendary Assassin who swallowed a rebel governor 's young son whole so that the child should seem to vanish into thin air . That heroine of Assassins had distended her jaws and throat and belly by means of Polymorphine , like a python . Disguised and obese , she had waddled away .
Idiom: on the rocks (used idiomatically: no)
The dog is standing with its two front paws on a rock in the field
Idiom: on the run (used idiomatically: yes)
I knew he had a wife , I did n't know whether he had children er and I knew that er he had previous history of er criminal nature . Yes I did . I knew he 'd used firearms in the past and because he was on the run from prison he obviously did n't want to be rearrested . Yes , you got the cards , you can therefore confirm ca n't you that neither man an associate of the other on the cards . Er yes that 's correct .
Idiom: play games (used idiomatically: no)
COPENHAGEN – A sense of panic is setting in among many campaigners for drastic cuts in global carbon emissions . It is becoming obvious that the highly trumpeted meeting set for Copenhagen this December will not deliver a binding international treaty that will make a significant difference to global ~ warming . After lofty rhetoric and big promises , politicians are starting to play the blame game . Developing countries blame rich countries for the lack of progress . Many blame the United ~ States , which will not have cap - and - trade legislation in place before Copenhagen .
Idiom: find your feet (used idiomatically: no)
When you enter VR it does n't feel crude . ' His company , VPL , is one of a small group of VR innovators in Silicon Valley , California , where advanced technologies appear to sit easily alongside research into human consciousness . After your early VR forays , you will want to expand as you find your VR feet . You notice a saxophone and start to play . As you play you create mountains in the distance ( remember that normal rules of reality do not apply in this field of dreams ) .
Idiom: under the sun (used idiomatically: yes)
The boy 's name was Asik . He had to look after his grandparents , bring them food and water and re - build the mud shelter . After a while under the hot sun the mud dried out and started to crumble . This meant bringing water in large water pots from the river two miles away . The journeys needed to be made twice and sometimes three times a day .
Idiom: fit the bill (used idiomatically: yes)
Ward said : ‘ I know the capabilities of Chris Marples , but I do n't yet know enough about Lance Key . I am going to play him in the remaining reserve games so that I can get a good look at him . ‘ I am likely to need another goalkeeper for next season if Marples joins another club and I want to see if Key fits the bill.’ Ford kept waiting SCARBOROUGH manager Ray McHale praised trialist keeper Stuart Ford for an outstanding display in the 1–1 draw at Fourth Division title favourites Burnley on Monday . But a cautious McHale yesterday refused to be drawn on Ford 's chances of landing a contract for next season .
Idiom: free and easy (used idiomatically: yes)
By Alex Brummer The most striking feature of British economic history over the last two decades has been the stop - go cycle . Several years of expansion with free and easy credit conditions , when bank loans and mortgages are freely available at affordable interest rates , are followed by periods of austerity . Interest rates soar , credit becomes more difficult , unemployment rises and asset values — most notably house prices — stagnate , or as most recently , tumble . A consequence of this destabilizing cycle is that most home buyers take on their mortgages when credit is freely available and when lending institutions , facing still competition , are offering the best interest rates .
Idiom: in the short run (used idiomatically: yes)
They were conscious of the ups and downs of working - class agitation for political rights , the vote — and more . In theory ( and in the long run ) liberals , such as J. S. Mill , were prepared to recognise that representative government based on the whole people was the best form of government since political participation would promote the virtue , intelligence and " development " of the people . In practice ( and in the short run ) , however , they wanted to see government by the " fittest " . Although they were keen to protect the governed from governmental oppression they were also anxious about the legislative implications of majority rule , fearing that popular participation would tumble into the chaos of working - class domination . Some were keen to shunt popular participation into the civic training ground of local government .
Idiom: to boot (used idiomatically: yes)
But now , in the name of saving the planet from climate ~ change , environmentalists are proposing an immense global campaign to cut down and burn trees and scrubs in order to reduce fossil - fuel use . The initiative could be dismissed as a weird irony , if it were n’t for its phenomenal costs , which include likely destruction of biodiversity , increased water use , and reduced global food production . And it may end up increasing global CO2 emissions to boot . When most people think of renewable energy sources , they imagine solar panels and wind turbines . Globally , however , solar and wind are only a small part of total renewables – less than 7 % in 2010 .
Idiom: land of nod (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ What ’ Janice said brightly , slapping her hand down on Gavin 's bulky shoulder , ‘ — a good idea!’ ‘ Tell us how it ends , eh Prentice?’ Gav said , nodding back at the television as he was half hauled out of the room by Aunt Janice , en route to the land of nod after a lengthy detour through the territories of bonk . ‘ With you going ‘ Uh - uh - uh - uh - uh!’ ' I muttered to the closed door .
Idiom: take to the hills (used idiomatically: yes)
In coming here you would most certainly be at the hub of cultural , educational , recreational and political life . For those of you who feel the need to get away from it all , Edinburgh is uniquely placed to provide access to the untamed magnificence of the Highlands , a mere hop and a skip up the A9 . The university has an abundance of clubs which will enable you to take to the hills in good company . The University of Edinburgh has a long and distinguished history and at a time of difficulty for the institutions of higher education throughout the country , Edinburgh is in a process of constantly reappraising and improving standards to meet the growing demands of a changing world . There is determination to maintain strong links with other countries through a thriving International Office and as a result it plays a leading and responsible role in the global community .
Idiom: see red (used idiomatically: yes)
JOHN GARDNER Landlord Voice over You ca n't miss the ship Inn at newhnam on severn — it 's new bright colour has tickled some villagers pink — but left others seeing red . When landlord John Gardner bought the pub he decided it needed a new colour scheme . So he plastered on pink paint — but forgot to get planning permission first .
Idiom: on the ball (used idiomatically: yes)
He showed his speed , strength , and never - say - die attitude . ‘ He always looked stronger than the players around him . He also got a bit of bend on the ball for a magnificent strike.’ Pallister will play against the Boro for the first time , on February 26 , since his headline - hitting move three years ago . ‘ I am not sure whether I will get a hot reception from the fans when I run out at Ayresome Park .
Idiom: call someone's bluff (used idiomatically: yes)
She felt herself shrivel inside . Marc was certainly no fool . He was calling Peter 's bluff — but she was the pawn . ' And if I wo n't stay ? ' she managed to croak , the prospect of being imprisoned in this fortress of suspicion with a man like Marc Alexander Vila filling her with horror . ' Your disappearance , my dear , ' he said with a slight bow , ' would speak louder than words . '
Idiom: close but no cigar (used idiomatically: no)
Yet another multilevel game that , while enjoyable in most ways , lacks that certain something to make it stand out from the crowd . Being given the ability to practise each level is a bonus in some respects , but ultimately kills any trace of lastability . Close , but no cigar . COBRA Ocean , The Hit Squad
Idiom: no man's land (used idiomatically: yes)
We had an officer here wanting you to make a statement , but he 'll have to wait a couple of days . However , " he added unexpectedly , " we 're going to bend the regulations a little bit and let you see your children . " From the no - man 's land at the entrance to the ward , where the brown lino changed to blue , Tilda 's voice could be heard , asking whether she and her sister might be allowed to bring Mr Blake a bottle of Suncrush . " Is he your Daddy , dear ? " " He is , but we have n't seen him for many , many years , for more than we can remember . "
Idiom: on the horn (used idiomatically: no)
Jim edged left and the Ford was forced to brake . The Jaguar slotted in behind the green Renault . The Ford driver started a protest on his horn . ' Not too close , Jim . Just so that no one can cut in between us . '
Idiom: at the crossroads (used idiomatically: yes)
Luke jumped down from the trap . ‘ Leave it here and follow me,’ he ordered . He turned left at the crossroads , Sonny at his heels . A hundred yards further on he turned left again , striding down the rutted track that led to Johnny Boyle 's house . Johnny was sitting with his back to the window reading when the door was kicked open .
Idiom: follow suit (used idiomatically: yes)
This was substituted by a new clause which stated that ‘ parties , mass organisations and mass movements are set up under a procedure established by legislation , and function within the framework of the constitution and law’ of the republic . Along this trail , blazed by Lithuania , others will also tread . The next is almost certain to be its fellow Baltic republic of Estonia , whose Communist Party is determined to follow suit , according to its ideology secretary , Mr Mikk Titma . In an interview with the Tallinn weekly Maaleht , he said the Estonian Party would do this even though it ‘ will obviously find itself in conflict with certain forces in the Soviet Communist Party’ . Reports from Tallinn yesterday said that the local party 's central committee had approved the measure , which will be brought before the Estonian parliament .
Idiom: from scratch (used idiomatically: yes)
A Peacock 's Tale Anyone familiar with Peacock Gobies will know there is very little information available on them . FRANK FREEMAN had to start from scratch . Top : Both fish display all finnage when breeding . The male is to the front .
Idiom: on board (used idiomatically: yes)
Borland International Inc and Wordperfect Corp say they 've not yet sorted out marketing of their Borland Office for Windows $ 600 Wordperfect Paradox Quattro bundle outside the US , but are working on it . AMERICA ONLINE ISSUES CHALLENGE America Online Inc is challenging Prodigy Services Co , which just announced plans to charge usage fees for the most heavily - used databases on its viewdata service , by cutting prices to its own 250,000 subscribers : the company says it deliberately waited until after the Prodigy announcement to disclose its new pricing , hoping to maximise attention for its move and woo subscribers away from the IBM Corp - Sears , Roebuck & Co joint venture ; under its new plan , subscribers will pay $ 9.95 a month for five hours of access to all its services , a rate that it claims is less than half the price of Prodigy 's new tariff ; extra hours will cost $ 3.50 each ; at Prodigy , subscribers pay $ 14.95 a month for unlimited access to many of the features but from July 1 will pay surcharges after spending two hours on widely - used bulletin boards . FORMER DEC PLANT PROVIDES SPRINGBOARD HOME The former Digital Equipment Corp plant in Springfield , Massachusetts is host to a new company formed and staffed by former DEC staffers , SpringBoard Technology Corp , which will specialise in the refurbishing and low - volume manufacturing of tape drives , disk drives and modules : SpringBoard is scheduled to open on May 24 and is expected to grow to over 100 staff .
Idiom: left and right (used idiomatically: no)
If you are by nature a defensive fighter , then by adding on the abilities of an attacking fighter you will effectively double your capability . Put an aggressive fighter onto the defensive by attacking strongly Perhaps the first step towards achieving this balance of ability is to be able to use both left and right sides with equal effectiveness . Few of us are naturally ambidextrous but in terms of karate technique this can be achieved through training . Be prepared to train twice as hard on your weaker side and each time you feel fed - up through lack of progress , switch to your stronger side to give yourself a boost .
Idiom: part company (used idiomatically: yes)
Full reports , Page 24 Scots Ferranti boss to quit GEC Ferranti and the managing director of its Scottish operation for the last five years , Ron Dunn , are to part company , writes Marcello Mega . Mr Dunn , who is based in Edinburgh and joined Ferranti in 1962 , confirmed last night that his departure was imminent but declined to offer any explanation . Rumours of a split between him and the company had been rife at its plants yesterday .
Idiom: cut loose (used idiomatically: no)
The captain lit a long cigarette and ordered more tea . " Tell me , " he said , " do you have a river and barges in England ? " At midnight we cut loose from the barge , and dropped astern . The orange rectangle of light from its engine room grew rapidly smaller and smaller on the wide river . We drifted ashore and the bow whispered on to sand .
Idiom: at sea (used idiomatically: yes)
Seventeenth July — I joined about 20 Commandos from the various units around the village on a trip to a quiet part of the beach a few miles from our front-line positions . I put on my kilt , picked up my bagpipes , clambered aboard the truck , and we were off to the beach . About one hour later we sat on the sands staring at the cool sea in front of us , thinking how long it was since we had had a bath . My last bath had been on the evening of 4th June ; it was now 17th July . Surrounding us on the beach were a large number of French civilians who had come down to the beach to look at the British Tommies .
Idiom: on the face of it (used idiomatically: yes)
In the first place , there was not only a sex difference but a gap of glaring dimensions politically , socially and even of age , between those who promoted the introduction of women to printing and those who opposed it . Emily Faithfull , young , confident and securely middle - class , appears to have been Operating from first principles rather than speaking or understanding the language of journeymen printers . On the face of it , hand - composition in letterpress printing seemed to be well suited to women 's " dexterity " . And since literacy was a prime requirement , type - setting was of all the manual trades the nearest to teaching , governessing and clerking : traditionally the only hopes for educated girls who needed to earn a living . It seems indeed that the social categories Emily Faithfull had in mind as " compositoresses " were the educated daughters of respectable tradesmen : the only ones whose origin is known for sure , and who were ideal for the experiment , were the daughters of master printers ( rather different from the daughters of journeymen ) .
Idiom: in the works (used idiomatically: no)
If you act for the seller of a building estate , even though it comprises no more than a dozen houses or flats , it will repay you to have printed as many documents as possible ( drafts and engrossments of conveyance or lease , contract , etc ) and to anticipate as far as you can a buyer 's preliminary requirements . Now , of course , the word processor or computer can take over much that used to be printed . In many cases it will also repay you , in subsequent work saved , to register the title to the property . The preparatory work is considerable and demands the attention of an experienced conveyancer ; but this preparation makes possible the delegation of much subsequent work , the smooth running of every sale , and an enormous overall saving of time . When the purchase price includes fixtures or furniture , these should be specified in detail in the draft , and if their value is substantial it is sometimes useful to agree and state the value at which they should be taken in order to reduce the consideration , and the stamp duty payable thereon , in the ultimate conveyance or transfer of the property .
Idiom: over the top (used idiomatically: no)
Semi - ripe cuttings of many shrubs root better with a ‘ heel’ . Choose a sideshoot of the current year 's growth that is hardening at the base , then tear it away from the main stem with a sliver of wood . If you do n't have a propagator or frame , root cuttings in a pot on the windowsill , but pop a polythene bag over the top . Keep this off the leaves , and turn it periodically to prevent condensation . It pays to use a sterilised rooting compost , or a medium such as horticultural vermiculite , rather than garden soil , but these may contain minimal nutrients , so pot up into a potting compost as soon as they are well rooted .
Idiom: to say the least (used idiomatically: yes)
This alarming error had been spotted by his Deputy when it was too late to do anything much about it . She had telephoned Lynda Chalker at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to ask her opinion of Grunte , but the alumna had been abroad , organising the delivery of powdered milk to Ethiopians . Of Grunte , little was known , and the entry in Who 's Who was gnomic , to say the least . He had been the chairman of the Party 's backbench Europe committee until he had been ousted , with the help of the whips , by Sir Norman Fowler . The fact that he had once been the President of the Midlands Motor Traders ' Association , and was a director of Harry Greenway plc , was not considered to compensate sufficiently for Sir Ralph Howell .
Idiom: get it up (used idiomatically: yes)
where I think we 've er lost track of about eight or nine people . So er we 're still hovering around a hundred but instead of being four over the hundred the present total is ninety six by my reckoning . Er we 'd dearly like to get it up to three figures again obviously because a amongst other things this affects the number of representatives that we get for conferences and so on . If you get over a hundred you get an extra extra one there . Hopefully we may be able to do that .
Idiom: break even (used idiomatically: yes)
The file designer will find it worthwhile to examine every direct processing application of an indexed sequential file critically . When batches are large , overall throughput will be much improved if any runs can be converted to batched and sorted operations . The break - even points between the two modes of processing can be seen clearly in Fig . 7.22 ; for numbers of records for which a sequential curve is above each straight line that represents the time required to process a record directly , direct processing is faster . After the curve is below any given line , batches of that size or greater should be processed by batching and sorting when that is possible . 7.10 The impact of software on indexed sequential files
Idiom: perish the thought (used idiomatically: yes)
Things from er data whenever can take ages and ages and ages to And you know doctors get sued every now and again , perish the thought , Oh Perish the thought but when y w you when you keep hearing reports in the medical journals about doctors being sued , and it can be several years after the event that the case comes to court . Now it wo n't be that long in your case , but it just goes to show how lengthy the whole thing can be .
Idiom: drop a hint (used idiomatically: yes)
By Our Business Editor British Telecom is planning more job cuts that could lead to the loss of 80,000 staff over five years , unions fear . The company has dropped strong hints to union leaders that the current programme involving cuts of 24,000 over the next year will be followed by a further rundown , although at a lower rate . But the National Communications Union believes BT will be forced to introduce compulsory redundancies for the first time this year because it will be unable to find enough volunteers . BT believes it still has some way to go before it can match the performance of American telecommunications companies and is also anxious to stay ahead of European public sector rivals .
Idiom: with a view to (used idiomatically: yes)
But friends said yesterday she now felt she owed Wyman no further loyalty . An action could force their ill - fated relationship back into the courts just weeks after Mandy received a £ 500,000 marriage settlement . Mandy 's lawyer Joe Wood said last night : ‘ Papers are presently being looked at with a view to proceedings being taken.’ As Mandy was speaking to lawyers , her ex - husband was revealing more of their secrets in a newspaper . This time he complained of rejection and lack of sex from his 19-year - old bride during their French honeymoon .
Idiom: argue the toss (used idiomatically: yes)
He certainly gets more out of Kelly than Rocastle did . Look this is getting silly . Nobody will ever tell me Strachan should nt be 1st name on the team sheet when he s playing as he is . there s no point arguing the toss because you obviously feel different . All Ill say is I suggest you get hold of a video of any match he s in , and try and concentrate on him . He leads by example .
Idiom: kill two birds with one stone (used idiomatically: yes)
Desktop publishing lets you produce books quickly and cheaply . It 's like killing two birds with one stone .
Idiom: in a fog (used idiomatically: yes)
Soft top- and front - designs could also be developed to minimise pedestrian injury once a collision has occurred , such as impact - absorbing bumpers , recessed windscreen wiper spindles , and hard junctions between bonnet and wing moved to the sides rather than the top of the car . This approach is typified by Mackay , who has argued that because injury reduction was more realistic in the short term than accident prevention , one should think of the front end of a car ' primarily as a structure with which to hit a pedestrian ' . Vehicle lighting systems could be improved too , though it is true to say that much could also be gained by improving the conspicuity of pedestrians at night and in fog and rain . Secondly , much effort over the years has gone into education for road safety , though the concentration on advice to adult pedestrians and training for children has the unfortunate effect of apparently placing on the victim the principal responsibility for avoiding an accident . The OECD has recently recommended instead that education for improving safety of pedestrians should be aimed at motorists as well as pedestrians , perhaps via mass - media campaigns .
Idiom: go overboard (used idiomatically: yes)
Your skin was like white silk … October 13th " Gone a bit overboard this time , has n't he ? Poor old Pete . " Sue laughed .
Idiom: not know you are born (used idiomatically: yes)
' Lovely village , ' Mike Vinson said , ' smashing . I grew up in Harlesden . You do n't know you 're born , growing up here . ' Courteously , he drove to the far end of the green and let Luke out by the church . ' Really kind of you , ' Luke said , getting out .