Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: talk shop (used idiomatically: no)
But the plain fact is , and genuinely I mean this , er , er , erm , if it were as simple working across the boundaries between yourselves and the Health Authority , between yourselves and the private sector , with the voluntary sector , and the great army of unpaid helpers if it was that simple , erm , then we would have moved a long way along that line towards implementation of a humane and caring care in the community twenty years ago , when these debates first started . And I would suggest to you , it 's because it 's complicated , and forgive me if I have n't made it more simple , but that 's one reason incidentally , why in my document , I kept commissioning , the business of doing , and making the kind of hard choices that your committee 's had to make this morning , because resources will always be limited , separate from discussing everything that people would like to do , because they do n't always run together . You end up with talking shops , and that 's been one of the troubles I think , with the arrangements for joint planning . But thank you for giving me the hope , coat peg to hang some further comment . Okay well I think pro
Idiom: in the bag (used idiomatically: yes)
The damage was discovered on Tuesday morning . Detectives are investigating the theft of 90 compact discs , worth around £ 1,000 , stolen from a house in Ernest Street in the Rosemount area . The house was broken into in the early hours of Friday morning and the intruders carried off the rock and pop CDs in a Head sports bag which they also stole from the house . Detectives at Shantallow are anxious to hear from anyone who may be offered CDs in suspicious circumstances ( Tel . 367337 ) . In the Templemore area , two Velux windows were stolen from a building site at College Glen at the weekend , while a substantial quantity of cigarettes were stolen from a variety store at Spencer Road in the Waterside on Thursday night / Friday morning .
Idiom: bear in mind (used idiomatically: yes)
I want to take you shopping . ' ' Oliver , that 's very sweet of you , ' I said . Then , brisk again , ' I 'll bear it in mind . ' ' I love you , ' he said . I put the phone down on him .
Idiom: nine times out of ten (used idiomatically: yes)
And these were kept a in the yard , you had That 's right , all those were in the yard , that 's right , yes . Along with the bastion , the bastion u hung on the on the on the toilet wall , nine times out of ten . It was a big galvanized er sort of affair you know . That you hung onto this wall and that was brought in once a week for bathing in front of the fire .
Idiom: high and low (used idiomatically: yes)
I do the odd bit of d - i - y round the home , which I do n't find too difficult , being an engineer by trade . But my pet hate is woodwork joinery . When faced with a request for a garden seat , similar to the one on a recent DIY front cover , I searched high and low for one which I could buy , rather than make myself . But a well - built version cost over £ 100 , and one at about £ 50 seemed far too rickety . I eventually resolved to make one , but overcame the drudgery of all those mortise and tenon joints by developing the following method :
Idiom: stand someone in good stead (used idiomatically: yes)
it might have been permanently grounded , but I 'm sure it found life was n't boring ! Although I was still barely into my teens when I was spending this time with Maureen tending sick birds , I learned a lot about general care and identification — even if we failed to spot our Russian defector . Watching Maureen feed very small birds who were unable to do it for themselves was to stand me in good stead later , when I began breeding barn owls . I remember the over - eager , gaping mouths and outstretched necks , as well as those who could only just about lift their eyelids and had to have the food forced down their throats so that they would have the strength to keep fighting for life . The food consisted of seeds mixed with water , and various other delicacies , favourites of the particular species of bird — insects for the sparrows , caterpillars for the tits , nuts , of course , for the nuthatches .
Idiom: in the can (used idiomatically: yes)
Smooth - talking Pat O'Rourke said companies were clamouring for the rights to screen the yarn , Lifeboys . He claimed it came from his fully- equipped TV centre above the pub he runs in the centre of Liverpool A 45-minute show and six half - hour episodes were in the can . Anne Diamond was so impressed , she even featured advance clips on her TV show . But the project was all massively exaggerated by O'Rourke , a Walter Mitty conman just declared bankrupt .
Idiom: at the end of the day (used idiomatically: yes)
We are but we 've never been formally trained in them . And Jim genuinely feels , oh and again that element is examinable . Then at the end of the day you 've actually something to say , yes . This person has got these skills to carry out this . And that would sit quite well with our quality systems .
Idiom: turn something on its head (used idiomatically: no)
Section 25 relegates it to the margins of police practice . The section could have been summarized in the sidenote as ' arrest for non - arrestable offences ' , but the draftsman did not dare to risk such Kafkaesque accuracy . Rather than ignore Philips 's cherished necessity principle , the Government turned it on its head . The Act provides that where ' a constable has reasonable grounds for suspecting that any offence which is not an arrestable offence has been committed or attempted , or is being committed or attempted , he may arrest the relevant person if it appears to him that service of a summons is impracticable or inappropriate because any of the general arrest conditions is satisfied ' . There are five of these general arrest conditions:(a ) the name of the person is not known to the police officer and he or she can not ' readily ascertain ' it .
Idiom: off the wall (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Our reserve team manager Brian Sparrow is amazed at the accusations about damage to property . ‘ He asked the senior players if they 'd seen anything as they came away from the dressing - room and they said they had n't . ‘ Apparently someone said there was plaster off the wall . But before players go out they tend to kick the wall to make sure their boots are on properly . ‘ Most clubs have scuffs around the base of their walls where players have kicked them .
Idiom: with open arms (used idiomatically: yes)
Well , but right now women are n't allowed to join certain organizations , do you know which ones ? I mean how about , how about , say , for instance , the Rotary ? Are women welcome there with open arms ? Well I 've never tried , but I do n't know about the CRU clubs . I mean there was a big battle to get women into the Working Men 's Clubs , because they could only come in as men 's guests .
Idiom: on the pull (used idiomatically: yes)
The power of water . Was Sylvian still out there , floating with the galleons and flotsam ? In the morning Rachaela bathed and dressed , and tugged on the bell - pull so that Cheta miraculously appeared . Everything was superficially as before . Toast and tea .
Idiom: in a fog (used idiomatically: yes)
And wounded animals were always at their most dangerous when cornered . How much more dangerous a wounded mad animal ? Thirty minutes of fast driving , involving quite a few near collisions in the fog shrouded streets , had finally brought Curtis 's quarry and his unwilling chauffeur clear of the city . Even now they were travelling through sparsely inhabited country as they headed further upstate . The driver knew that the further north they progressed into the wild untamed uplands , the more remote the oases of human habitation would become , and the less likely the chance of any assistance in his plight .
Idiom: under the influence (used idiomatically: no)
Greek lyric poetry was ( literally ) musical : it was sung to music and inseparable from its music . The lyric poet ( in general ) is a composer first and foremost and , as such , a Dionysiac artist who surrenders his egoistic subjectivity to identify himself with the true metaphysical reality and reflect it in music . He now comes under Apolline influence and is therefore able to symbolize the music , in turn , in the form of specific ideas and language . This sequence of events is already prefigured in a claim made by Schiller that he used to conceive his own poetry in and through a " musical mood " . In other words , music precedes the idea .
Idiom: lame duck (used idiomatically: yes)
It probably has also escaped his notice that some of the BBC 's most cowardly - looking decisions — to drop the controversial film , The Last Temptation of Christ , to withdraw the Panorama programme on the economy and to decree that during the election campaign opinion polls should not lead the news bulletins — constitute genuflections to the Tories . HUSSEY has done a lot of good at the BBC , making it more accountable . But working near the top of the BBC is said to be a nightmare , with Checkland a lame - duck , Birt not speaking out and Hussey acting like an executive . Before new legislation , some sensible shorter - term improvements could be taken . The governors now meet every two weeks : that is too often for any non - executive board .
Idiom: hear things (used idiomatically: yes)
there seems to be more men than women eat your bakewell tart then probably you never heard any thing about that golf tournament that you won , have you ? no , I probably have to wait till the season starts I would of thought it was the end of the season
Idiom: give something a miss (used idiomatically: yes)
Amnesty admits this caused a problem last year , after two disastrous benefits at the Milton Keynes Bowl . Poor attendances were put down to lack of big names . Sting and Peter Gabriel had committed themselves to the Amnesty world tour later that year so gave the June concerts a miss , and Simple Minds had already said yes to the Nelson Mandela birthday celebration the week before . ' The problem is everyone 's after the same bands as us,'an Amnesty spokesperson said sheepishly . And other more established charities have been heard to mutter most uncharitably about newer causes stealing ' their'acts .
Idiom: out on a limb (used idiomatically: yes)
Five years ago people might have thought her greatest contribution had been to the British fashion industry . No longer . She has turned into a champion of the underdog , gone out on a limb to support unglamorous causes like AIDS victims , drug abusers and the mentally handicapped . She has worked tirelessly and helped raise millions of pounds for the charities she has taken on . She is now growing into a confident speaker , prepared to say what she thinks .
Idiom: take a back seat (used idiomatically: yes)
For years the fashion press regularly promoted ‘ the look’ for the year — or the season . Once upon a time that was just ‘ Paris’ which , in dilute form , finally filtered down to the local ladies ' modes . Then came the mythic sixties when young people suddenly acquired their own cash and really got into looking different from old(er ) people and when social class momentarily took a back seat . A ‘ look’ was as promotable to the Mary Quant / Biba / Bus Stop / Tuffin and Foale customers as the upper echelons were sold on Coco Chanel . There was high fashion , which like haute cuisine was largely indigestible to the majority , and there was swinging youth where , according to the breathless new pop mag pundits , fashion was at .
Idiom: in the pink (used idiomatically: yes)
In other circumstances Ronni would have been delighted to chat with them . As it was , she made a good show of appearing delighted . But she kept thinking of Guido and the girl in the pink dress . ‘ I used to have a tutee who lived there,’ she responded brightly when the professor 's wife told her in which part of London they had their house . ‘ It 's a lovely area .
Idiom: in cold blood (used idiomatically: yes)
I was simply too stunned to protest . I thought she must be unhinged by grief . It never occurred to me for a moment that she had planned it all in cold blood.’ ‘ I do n't find it particularly surprising that you allowed yourself to be seduced by her . What I do find surprising … ’
Idiom: join the club (used idiomatically: yes)
He 's a good listener , who learns very quickly , brings others into the game and he links the whole team together . Lethal ‘ He had the chance to join every top club in the country , but thankfully he chose Spurs . ’ Barmby was in the same England youth team as Ryan Giggs before the Manchester United winger decided he was a Welshman . And there is no disputing what the Spurs forward is about — scoring goals .
Idiom: forbidden fruit (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Nor will I be to God foreswore There let it hang for evermore , That sweet , forbidden fruit.’ He grinned wickedly at Lucie as if to say , ‘ There now . What are you going to do now , playmaster ?
Idiom: from scratch (used idiomatically: yes)
Fender ‘ 51 ‘ Custom Shop’ Precision Fender get on - line with a reissue of Leo 's legacy of genius . Review by Gibson Keddie . Although greater attention tends to be lavished upon Leo Fender 's 6-string designs , in the time between the releases of his Telecaster and Stratocaster , Leo demonstrated his ability to create without precedent , inventing from scratch the electric bass guitar . Today , it 's difficult to imagine how electric guitars were received in an environment where rock'n'roll did not exist . Never again , one suspects , will anyone witness the arrival of such revolutionary instruments — instruments which , within the space of a decade , wrought such changes in the way music was played , and did so increasingly thereafter .
Idiom: over the counter (used idiomatically: yes)
It 's quite common and there are often outbreaks in schools . Children pick up the eggs from contaminated food or pets , and the worms hatch out at night . There are several effective preparations you can buy over the counter , in the form of pleasant - tasting drinks or tablets . It 's important for the whole family to be treated even if symptoms are not present , as infection occurs very easily . To avoid reinfection , be very careful to wash your hands and brush your nails after going to the toilet , after handling pets , and before touching food .
Idiom: over the hill (used idiomatically: yes)
They climbed not over but through the sun - red grass , among the awakened insect movement and the light ablaze . The grass undulated about them . They peered over ant - hills and looked cautiously round clumps of teazle . They could not tell how far away the ridge might be . They topped each short slope only to find another above it .
Idiom: on the level (used idiomatically: yes)
By Frank Frazer MOVEMENTS by tankers in the past two weeks suggest that leading oil exporters are sticking to new limits on production , according to the Middle East Economic Survey . The weekly trade newsletter said yesterday that the deal struck by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries last month called for shipments to be cut by about 2 million barrels per day on the February level of about 25.6 million bpd . ' So far , happily , tanker movements in the early part of March indicate a pretty good response from key OPEC members as regards production restraint , with Iran , Saudi Arabia and Kuwait all within their quota limits , ' the survey reported . The producers cartel set the quotas in an attempt to prevent over - supply of the fuel causing a price slump when demand falls with the onset of warmer weather .
Idiom: with a vengeance (used idiomatically: yes)
She hoped . Because the memories plaguing her were sending her quietly crazy , and it had only been a week since she had been out of his company . She set to work with a vengeance , losing herself in the difficult task of making all those fiercely vivid images of him that were swirling around in her head tangible . As the days meandered into each other she found herself spending all her free time painting , even though she had known almost from the start that painting him was not going to exorcise him . If anything , it made his absence more startlingly real for her .
Idiom: save someone's skin (used idiomatically: yes)
Little was achieved . Revelations of the Watergate affair , which dominated the world 's media in spring 1974 , did not help . The country with the largest single vote in the IMF , the largest recipient of OPEC funds and the key issuer of international money was being run by a president whose attentions were more and more focused on saving his own skin . Meanwhile doubts about the private banks ' ability to cope caused mounting worries . While recycling dominated economic discussions , developments elsewhere were hardly comforting .
Idiom: on the rocks (used idiomatically: no)
The first two pitches were traumatic . I could n't trust the boots , and was hanging on to any hold . By midway I was beginning to feel at home on the excellent , steep rock , placing my feet in a more balanced way and making smoother , les clumsy moves . The rigidity and traction of the EBs was far superior to spongy plimsolls . I also soon appreciated the ease and efficiency of the metalware in providing safe runners .
Idiom: one and the same (used idiomatically: yes)
That was puzzling Claudia , but a moment 's reflection gave her the answer . The detective would n't be expecting two of them and , when Dana had been appearing as a model in London , Claudia would have been in Solihull . It would be natural to take it for granted that the model and the dress designer were one and the same . ‘ I ca n't make you believe in Dana , but neither of us would hurt your sister,’ Claudia said . All at once she was n't so sure of her twin 's reaction .
Idiom: come to think of it (used idiomatically: yes)
And indeed , where was Brother Jerome , and why had no word been heard from him and nothing seen of him all this time ? When , until now , had he ever been far from the skirts of Prior Robert 's habit , attendant with ready flattery and obsequious assent to every word that fell from his patron 's lips . Now that Cadfael came to think of it , less than usual had been seen and heard of Jerome for the past few days , ever since the evening when he had been discovered on his bed , quaking and sick with bellyaches and headaches , and been soothed to sleep by Cadfael 's stomachics and syrups . A furtive swirl of movement troubled the rear ranks of the assembled household , and cast up Brother Jerome from his unaccustomed retirement , emerging through the ranks without eagerness , almost reluctantly . He shuffled forward with bent head and arms folded tightly about his body as if he felt a mortal chill enclosing him .
Idiom: the whole shooting match (used idiomatically: yes)
But if a writer were more like a reader , he 'd be a reader , not a writer : it 's as uncomplicated as that . Thirdly , what is the thrust of the complaint as far as the books are concerned ? Presumably the regret that Flaubert was n't more involved in life is n't just a philanthropic wish for him : if only old Gustave had had a wife and kiddies , he would n't have been so glum about the whole shooting - match ? If only he 'd got caught up in politics , or good works , or become a governor of his old school , he 'd have been taken out of himself more ? Presumably you think there are faults in the books which could have been remedied by a change in the writer 's life .
Idiom: hit home (used idiomatically: no)
They got it just in time . It has been instrumental in rescuing cats out of trees who might otherwise have starved or drowned , ’ a local resident tells me . In the worst flooding in the States for decades , thousands of homes have been flooded , with New York and New Jersey also badly hit . It has left more than 130,000 houses and businesses without power . Miss Hepburn , 85 , retired last summer after 60 years as an actress .
Idiom: round the bend (used idiomatically: yes)
He just sat there , scratching his head with those black fingernails and telling my mother there was never anything like that on his side of the family . It was all her fault , if you could believe him . Maybe it was , too , because anyone would want to be a little round the bend to marry him … It was easy now to write to Vincent about his father 's visit in a flippant , amusing way , but it had n't been like that at all . ‘ You 'll disgrace us all,’ Arty 's father had said .
Idiom: out of thin air (used idiomatically: yes)
By that time Luib had gathered his men from the outer gates and was attacking the enemy rear . We joined in with a will . It must have seemed to Bragad 's minions that we were falling on them out of thin air . Many died , Marsco among them — and Lionan , and Mullach . They will not be mourned .
Idiom: make a meal of (used idiomatically: yes)
He glanced irritably at the man 's corpse , still on the slab . ' Come now , Burney , ' he trumpeted . ' Surely you are making rather a meal of this one ? ' ' Ah , Sir Rufus . ' Burney put down his scalpel and held out his hand .
Idiom: for Africa (used idiomatically: no)
Teresita Hermano , WACC 's Director of Communication Education , will also attend the workshop . Most of the participants will be women who are involved in journalism and communication training . One of their tasks at the workshop will be to assess media education resources used on other continents and to select those that are relevant for Africa . They will then be in a position to identify the additional resources that are needed for Africa , and to discuss how these should be created . Another aim of the workshop is to set up a group of media trainers and professionals in eastern and southern Africa .
Idiom: in someone's pocket (used idiomatically: yes)
This was that his dad did not say please come back and he did not say that he loved him . Sean decided to take the money because he realised that it would be difficult to live with no money . He put this in his pocket . He then went to the kitchen and ate some food . He then took some food which would last for a while and packed it into his bag .
Idiom: make a move (used idiomatically: yes)
After weeks of deliberation and three domestic trial runs , a third umpire making decisions from the stand after studying TV replays will be in place for the rest of the Ashes series . The trio will make contact via radios , with the men in the middle physically giving the final decision . The chief innovation is allowing the third umpire to make the first move in decision - making , which the TCCB admits could lead to : ' Suspension of a decision already made ' . BOTH the weather and Viv Richards frustrated Surrey 's victory bid at The Oval as Glamorgan retained joint leadership of the county championship with Middlesex . Glamorgan , needing 427 to win after starting the day on a 16 for three , were grateful the weather permitted only 17.1 overs .
Idiom: from scratch (used idiomatically: yes)
Is not it true that the Government 's attitude towards CTCs is private affluence and , towards the rest of the education system , public squalor ? Mr. Clarke The Mickey Mouse figures on CTC expenditure that critics in Bradford tend to use compare capital expenditure on schools starting from scratch with that for existing schools that do not have to be built . The funding of CTCs is on a par with that of other local education authority schools , and their recurrent funding will not be different from that of other schools in their areas . CTCs offer education opportunities to children of all abilities — particularly those drawn from the most deprived parts of the cities that they serve .