Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: pure and simple (used idiomatically: yes)
BASI Trainers will work in conjunction with ENSA and Monsieur Pinquet ( the Secretary - General , who is tasked with pulling the member states of the European Community plus Austria and Switzerland together ) to formulate a European equivalence ( Chamonix , January 1991 ) . A more in - depth offpiste and mountain safety aspect will be introduced in 1991 to all BASI grades . Slalom will be re - introduced to Grade I syllabus with Grade II running gates to a lesser degree and at Grade III level a pure and simple gate introduction . It 's all looking much healthier now but time is still a major factor . Only after February will we have a clearer indication of the European equivalence.’
Idiom: go to the wall (used idiomatically: yes)
Lending of unused savings is vital to economic development . Most people agree that the moral law protects the weak . The trades unionist suspects that in competitive capitalism the weak go to the wall . The working man takes naturally to a creed which aims to help the weak . Similarly , the principle of the Law of Jubilee was that the rich should not be allowed to accumulate all property rights .
Idiom: in this day and age (used idiomatically: yes)
It 's extraordinary , really , but some of the best scientific brains in Britain are shut away there , at A.W.E. , and they 're paid peasant wages.’ ‘ Extraordinary.’ ‘ I tell you what,’ Pink said , ‘ I 'd prefer to be on a building site than be a government scientist in this day and age.’ ‘ In our country a scientist is treated with the utmost respect.’ His glass was refilled , too much gin , not enough tonic .
Idiom: way to go (used idiomatically: yes)
Wilko should try him out with either Frankie or White . When we signed him his ability to go out on the wing , but then at sheffield they had someone in the middle for the cross . On white 's debut we looked really good until wallace went off so that could bethe way to go … I reckon that wilko is probably waiting for Tinkler to get back for him to play the Batty / Fairclough role . He used to play centre back in the youth cup winning juniors team .
Idiom: get a grip (used idiomatically: yes)
DEMON ROBB TIM TAYLOR GRAHAM TAYLOR searches desperately for someone to get a grip of England 's midfield and you wonder if it is too late — at 28 — for Stewart Robson . His early - season form at Coventry has been spellbinding . He 's looked the full business as an inspirational skipper .
Idiom: at a stretch (used idiomatically: no)
BRITAIN was facing its worst flooding crisis for 22 years as torrential rain and gale - force winds swept the country last night . Red alerts are in force on 11 rivers and a close watch was being kept on the Thames as the National Rivers Authority opened a flood incident room . Emergency services in south Wales were at full stretch after the wettest November since 1970 . Weathermen say the drought - hardened ground can not absorb the water . ' There is a lot more wet weather to come so there is bound to be a lot of flooding , ' said a spokesman .
Idiom: cut the mustard (used idiomatically: yes)
The alchemy of Shield 's design is first contrived with paper and pencil , repeatedly cut and pasted , tried this way and that , fine - tuned , then finally executed on computer . Meanwhile , in a studio in north London , Geoffrey Winston of Thumb Design Partnership , seems to be doing much the same . He , too , is impassioned in his discussion of what does or does n't cut the typographical mustard , and is retained by BP to design its award - winning annual Statistical Review of World Energy . The process is one of envisioning on paper and then transferring the result to an Apple Macintosh computer system . Detailed type specifications , meticulous arrangement of tabular information and craftily co - ordinated use of colour help the reader to assimilate rapidly what data is to be found where : for this publication , these considerations are of paramount concern .
Idiom: word of mouth (used idiomatically: yes)
The Formation of Gospel Tradition In the earliest years of the Christian Church there was little need for a written record of the events of Jesus ' life , death and resurrection . They had been observed by the disciples and passed on by word of mouth . That was sufficient because the early Christians expected Jesus to return immediately and set up the reign of God on earth . ( This event is called the parousia . )
Idiom: seal of approval (used idiomatically: yes)
It appears to have been roughly analogous to , say , the investiture of the Prince of Wales . Having been baptised by John , Jesus had the ‘ seal of approval’ of an accepted and established prophet , a revered holy man — just as Saul , the first King of Israel , received a ‘ seal of approval’from the prophet Samuel . If John had been of the same family as Jesus , moreover , his ‘ seal of approval’ would have carried the additional authority of a royal warrant . One thing , at any rate , would seem to be clear , and this is that Jesus , after his baptism in the Jordan , undergoes a significant change . Prior to this ritual , he seems to have been incognito .
Idiom: out to lunch (used idiomatically: yes)
For politics and political reporting are not only concerned with set - piece events in the House of Commons but with the gossip , nuances and flavour of what is going on . A brief aside from a senior Minister can tell you more about the real thinking of the Cabinet than half a dozen statements in Parliament . That is why reporters at Westminster spend half their time drinking in the bars or taking politicians out to lunch and dinner . Over the port , some hint or tip is slipped in , deliberately or by accident , which provides the basis of a story . Though such stories are also unattributed , they are not connected with the lobby system itself .
Idiom: out of the box (used idiomatically: yes)
We were going down there every day if possible , or every other day at least . This went on for well over a month , with the owls flying free in the barn , until we were sure they were confident and happy in their surroundings . When they first started coming out of the box they would just sit wherever they happened to land after stretching their wings . But as time went on they began returning to the box , which was what we wanted them to do . Now we knew they had accepted the box as their home and would probably come back to it even if they were allowed out in the open .
Idiom: have a heart (used idiomatically: no)
The pigs ! You 'll never take me alive , copper ! ( Suddenly he has a heart attack ) FLAVOR FLAV : Yo !
Idiom: come to terms with (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ They all know who is doing this but they just do n't want to get involved.’ A NURSE who suffered two miscarriages is launching a support group for others who have gone through the same tragedy . And to help mothers come to terms with their grief , cash from the Telethon appeal has bought a special leatherbound Book of Remembrance in which the names of their unborn babies can be recorded . Sandra Cooper , 33 , midwife and founder of the Darlington Miscarriage Association , said : ‘ Women who have had a miscarriage experience grief but they have no record of their unborn child . This book will be a focus for their grief.’
Idiom: anything goes (used idiomatically: no)
‘ Why did you say you were his secretary?’ asked Camille . ‘ They 're very proper out there,’ said Constance . ‘ His aunt would 've died of shock if she 'd thought there was anything going on . We even took a typewriter . I did n't use it much , though .
Idiom: move mountains (used idiomatically: no)
‘ It became a bit of an issue , ’ he told me . ‘ I rather felt if they were n't going to carry in those conditions , we were n't going to get anywhere — the winds are n't going to get any better . ’ Next day , in a classic Boys ' Own move , Neame and two other Britons — Jonathan Tinker and Harry Taylor — set the Sherpas an example by trudging off up the mountain , loaded with supplies . In no time at all , the Sherpas picked up their bags and followed . Yesterday , the great attempt was hanging in the balance .
Idiom: bite your tongue (used idiomatically: yes)
They now reached what appeared to be open country , but which soon became large areas of garden , each surrounding a single house approached from the roadway through magnificent iron gates . ‘ Be prepared to bend your knee , and keep your mouth shut . And yes , bite your tongue.’ He grinned at her . ‘ Well , I just might have to , might n't I ?
Idiom: in this day and age (used idiomatically: yes)
You might have ageing parents who you support and god knows how much other outgoings which are hidden and then you have to go down that road and say that you 're going to look at at financial status you 're going to have to say and exactly what are all of your outgoings in and now down going to get real unpleasant intrusion into people 's business . Horrible and I 'm I lived quite happily for long enough to remember certainly means testing and my parents . Who would have shu sh shuddered at the very thought that we are even considering such a time in this day and age . I think erm most of the points as I 've said before , have probably been made and I do n't want to make them any more but I would just make one other when we 're talking about means tested it 's interesting that you 're advocating means testing in that way . I think somebody mentioned mortgage interest tax relief , that is n't means tested as far as I am aware ..
Idiom: over the hill (used idiomatically: yes)
Do I ? To get the bus . What over the hill ? Oh no , no no , just keep to the road . Aha .
Idiom: turn the tables (used idiomatically: yes)
Norris writes : Certainly it has been a main object of Derrida 's texts to show how philosophers , from plato to Husserl , have striven and failed to suppress the signs of rhetorical disruption in the discourse of philosophic reason . But he has also been careful to repudiate that facile misreading of deconstruction — prevalent among literary critics — which thinks to turn the tables on philosophy by proclaiming that ‘ all concepts are metaphors’ , or that philosophic truth - claims are really metaphorical through and through . Such readings or misreadings tend to originate in Nietzsche . For Norris , and , as he claims , for Derrida , deconstruction is
Idiom: hit the hay (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ It 's true . It 's true.’ She thrust out her jaw , pursed her lips and in a deep voice said , ‘ Come on old girl , up the golden stairs ; let 's hit the hay.’ And her voice changing to a sad tired note , she added , ‘ I was twenty , you know , Charles , when I married . And as you remember I was a silly young twenty .
Idiom: claim to fame (used idiomatically: yes)
With regard to the debate about c and Doppler shifts in the letters pages , light ( velocity c ) reflected or emitted from a surface moving with velocity v towards an observer appears to be blue shifted , or red shifted in the case of a receding surface . As a non - physicist I have often wondered if the difference in photon energy ( E ' — E = hf ' — hf ) of the shifted and unshifted light could be wholly accounted for by the effect of the surface velocity ( v ) acting together with the particle equivalent mass of the photon . The extra energy not being allowed to be expressed as an increase in c appears as a commensurate increase in f , that is:(formula included ) where m is the photon equivalent mass ( yes I know it is related to E but I am trying not to confuse myself),E is the energy , and h is Mr Plank 's claim to fame . I write this letter in the hope that someone will explain the errors of my ways , forgive me for mixing relativistic and Newtonian physics , and enlighten me . Steve Bennett IDT Europe
Idiom: off the mark (used idiomatically: no)
That she 'd lost the ability to concentrate on anything longer than two minutes at a time ? Candy would think she 'd lost her mind . And she probably would n't be far off the mark either , Rory realised grimly . ‘ It 's Adam , is n't it?’ Candy said suddenly , making her start in surprise .
Idiom: join the club (used idiomatically: yes)
and she said er , and I said , I said Dave said you were a bloody fool to go up there , you let mother talk you into going , Terry had a job here , he , alright you had your house , you had your ups and downs , it was a bit small , you persevere with it , I said your kids are nearly going to school all of them , so I said , you do n't need a big house No , no . and I said alright so what you 've got to struggle for five or six years , everybody else , join the club Quite . and erm , but they ca n't , they just ca n't except it
Idiom: down the drain (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ We are going out . We 're lunching with Simon and Prunella in their new home.’ He threw a bottleful of his pills into the kitchen sink and tried to get them to go down the drain with the handle of a dishmop . ‘ I hate the word ‘ home , ’’ he said . ‘ It 's like ‘ doggy.’
Idiom: on the square (used idiomatically: yes)
They retained this patch when they left the Division in Tunisia . The patch currently worn by 4th Armd . Bde . in the Gulf is ( 5 ) , 2⅝ in . wide — a revival of the wartime shape , in black on pale fawn or khaki ; but somebody forgot the jerboa 's eye , and one foresees the inter - brigade humour , with consequent violence , on the theme of ' the blind 4th … '(6 ) , 1½in . wide , is the tank commander 's patch worn since spring 1990 in The Queen 's Royal Irish Hussars : an emerald green shamrock bearing a black tank , on a dark piper green square . A similar B1 Class Tradesman 's patch has a black shamrock , veined dark green , on the dark green square , and without the tank symbol . We are very grateful to Brian L. Davis for access to his collection for this article .
Idiom: under fire (used idiomatically: yes)
The presence of foreign armies — including their female personnel — in Saudi Arabia was not a development with which the more conservative elements were entirely comfortable , some of them describing the country with its Holy Places as being under the occupation of unbelievers . One notable sequel reported in the Sunday Times of 6 January was a demonstration mounted by a number of Saudi women , not normally allowed to drive , who sent away their drivers and drove their cars around Riyadh . Away to the north , Israeli cities had come under fire from Iraq 's Scuds , with Tel Aviv and Haifa being the first targets . Washington meanwhile was acutely concerned to discourage retaliation by Israel and its being thus drawn into the war . This prospect was seen as likely to destabilize the Alliance , because Arab members might well have had difficulty in explaining to their constituencies what amounted to an alliance with Israel against a fellow Arab state , Iraq .
Idiom: have a heart (used idiomatically: yes)
Tom 's the last person I would ' ve expected to have a heart ~ attack .
Idiom: get the picture (used idiomatically: yes)
Okay fine . Do you think it works ? Well I c I I 've seen so many things over the year I just do n't believe it until I actually see it and th literally four weeks ago , I 'd just got back from Germany , went on a meeting the following morning and it 's that gentleman there , Steve , and h he 's got some pictures in his pocket which will prove exactly what we 're talking about . Because when this guy put his head down , I just did not believe that that was You 've grown your hair doing this ?
Idiom: play games (used idiomatically: no)
Only the Weak Survive TOKYO – The risk of global currency and trade wars is rising , with most economies now engaged in competitive devaluations . All are playing a game that some must lose . Today 's tensions are rooted in paralysis on global rebalancing . Over - spending countries – such as the United ~ States and other " Anglo - Saxon " economies – that were over - leveraged and running current - account deficits now must save more and spend less on domestic demand .
Idiom: pull a face (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ It 's hard on men , too . It ca n't be much fun , catching the same train every morning to the same dull job.’ Flora pulled a face . She would n't know anyone , man or woman , in a dull job . She walked ahead of me on the narrow path ; she had slender legs and pretty ankles .
Idiom: behind bars (used idiomatically: yes)
Bullingdon prison , near Bicester is hailed as a prison of the future . Members of the public took the opportunity to see for themselves in a unique open day . Almost 3,000 people have been shown what it 's like behind bars . Many wanted to see , from the inside , an institution built on their doorsteps . He says it 's a good education for the children .
Idiom: from pillar to post (used idiomatically: yes)
There are two symbols which appear in many of Pakenham 's works . They are very different in their purpose : the women and the ventriloquist 's dummy . The dummy appears , like a lost boy from another world , pushed from pillar to post , always wearing the same inscrutable smile , an innocent victim of other people 's desires . Pakenham relates personally to this curious theatrical prop . ‘ He 's only what people make him say .
Idiom: cut and thrust (used idiomatically: yes)
Hillary Clinton has made it clear that she would have her own part to play after husband Bill was swept to power . Not for her the gentle , feminine title First Lady and a background role choosing the Oval Office curtains . Hillary will be called the Presidential Partner — and she intends to make her own mark in the cut and thrust of American political and national life . In fact the 45-year - old lawyer , a fiercely independent career woman in her own right , has been so determined to secure victory for Clinton and an influential role for herself that she has almost re - invented herself in the process . As Bill has sharpened his image to match his growing political fortunes , so Hillary cast aside her intellectual reserve to transform herself from a dowdy schoolma'am type in heavy glasses to a glamorous , designer - dressed head - turner who would grace any State function .
Idiom: easy on the eye (used idiomatically: yes)
Here it is tranquil , there is a rarefied atmosphere — still deep blue waters . The pace of life slows and it is easy to unwind . The resorts are elegant and easy on the eye , the hotels are stylish and airy . When you need to escape from it all — Citalia have just the holiday for you . CRUISING
Idiom: out of thin air (used idiomatically: yes)
I was going to do so Yeah yeah . erm I was slowly sort of pulling a few ideas out of thin air . And Yeah yeah well it sounds sounds as though it 's possible you know you may have to I mean in the end you might have to sort of compromise it and actually do this valuation thing .
Idiom: tread the boards (used idiomatically: yes)
For the 24 students on a new Performing Arts Course at the Gloucestershire College of Arts and Technology , it was a first day they would never forget . They were expecting the finer points of drama and theatre management … instead they were introduced to the skills of the big top . And rather than treading the boards … they were teetering two feet above them . Coping with stilts was one of the more popular activities … although getting the hang of it was n't easy : Mind you , mastering the stilts was nothing compared to the challenge of remaining astride a unicycle :
Idiom: blaze a trail (used idiomatically: no)
Tracks make for much easier travelling in thick jungle , and the soft soil greatly aids silent movement . In thick undergrowth , not even a leopard can avoid making some noise . If you could follow a leopard as it makes its way along such a track or even through the jungle itself , you would see that the animal blazes its own trail every 20 yards ( 18 m ) or so by spraying trees and bushes with its scent mark . As with the tiger it is the male 's warning to rivals to stay off its home range . Females declare their presence or availability when in season in exactly the same way .
Idiom: get the better of (used idiomatically: no)
Rocks have durability and dewdrops have ' generatability ' . ( I 've tried to think of a less ugly word but I ca n't . ) DNA gets the best of both worlds . DNA molecules themselves , as physical entities , are like dewdrops . Under the right conditions they come into existence at a great rate , but no one of them has existed for long , and all will be destroyed within a few months .
Idiom: mean business (used idiomatically: no)
Dening criticised the inconsistency and failure to clarify objectives on the part of the United States ; he conceded that there could be difficulties over Chinese representation in talks between the powers , given the collapse of the Kuomintang and the imminent proclamation formally of the communist government in Peking . On 17 September Bevin and Acheson met in the State Department ; Acheson stated that the American government had decided it was necessary to proceed with a peace treaty within the near future . MacArthur remained sceptical and told Gascoigne he doubted whether Washington meant business on the treaty : in his opinion it was a ' smokescreen ' intended to mollify those allied countries who had made representations . MacArthur was the better guide where actual progress was concerned , since Acheson was unable to advance as he had notified Bevin , owing to basic disagreement with Louis Johnson , the Secretary of Defense . The joint chiefs were unwilling to support a treaty at this juncture for strategic reasons .
Idiom: come to mind (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I was utterly miserable,’ she recalls , ‘ I was in the position where I could actually get work to a standard that was good enough to attract support but there were n't any funds.’ She started looking at ways of securing financial support other than grant - funding . The two that immediately came to mind were running a charity and looking at whether any of her work was commercially viable which , since it is biotechnology - based , there was a good chance it would be . Three years later her efforts have not gone unrewarded : both companies have been awarded the Small Firms Merit Award for Research and Technology ( SMART ) by the Department of Trade and Industry and the charity , Research in Cancer Immunology , has built up a capital base of £ 35,000 . Beverley 's achievements made the headlines last year when she was named outright winner and Science and Technology Section winner in the Cosmopolitan /Clairol Achievement Awards , a competition which aims to highlight women who have attained excellence in their professions .
Idiom: at a stretch (used idiomatically: yes)
Waiters dressed in pale blue gowns — male and female , Han and Hung Mao — hurried between the levels , carrying broad trays filled with exquisite ceramics , the bowls and pots a pure white , glazed with a blue marking . At strategic points about the house the ch'a masters , specialists in ch'a shu , the art of tea , sat at their counters preparing their special infusions . At a stretch the Dragon Cloud could seat five thousand . More than enough , one would have thought , to cater for the surrounding levels . Even so , it was packed when they got there , not a table free .
Idiom: rough and tumble (used idiomatically: yes)
The vivarium and aquarium soon followed , with parallel changes in fashion . Changing fashions in popular natural history did not affect those who were doing research in botany and zoology directly , except through the demand for books . But indirectly the growing public awareness of science and its potential shaped the professionals ' world by exposing it to the rough and tumble of political life . ‘ Big science’ on the model provided by Paris required funds that were only likely to be provided by governments , and some governments were more willing than others to get involved . Where there was reluctance — as in Britain — middle - class pressure had to be brought to bear in order to convince the politicians that something ought to be done .