Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: break new ground (used idiomatically: yes)
When I first took him to toddler group I must admit to feeling slightly uncomfortable about being ( usually ) the only man around . now this does not bother me as my presence is usually taken for granted . However , my worst experience ( from breaking new ground point of view ) was attending an NCT Mobile Mums group in someone 's house . Everyone was really kind , but I must admit to feeling out of place in this intimate all - female atmosphere . It 's much easier to hide in a church hall !
Idiom: rough edges (used idiomatically: yes)
Place the second panel , right side down , on to the edge of the first panel so that their two cut edges line up . Lay one of the long strips of cardboard over this join and staple through card and fabric on to the batten . Continue all round the room , remembering that any staple marks and rough edges can be covered with lengths of matching or contrasting braid . Braid should also be used around the top and bottom of the fabric and around doors and windows . If you have rented accommodation and ca n't or do n't want to put fabric up permanently- or are not allowed to paint , for that matter - then you can hang fabric instead .
Idiom: press the panic button (used idiomatically: yes)
But it probably would n't help . Fifty is a toughie . ‘ The very thought of it makes me want to press the panic button , crawl under the bed and call for HRT,’ says one friend . The truth is that my women friends really would n't feel much better if they were 19 going on 20 , 29 approaching 30 or nudging the big Four - O. There 's something about those milestone birthdays that brings out millennial gloom rather than the gaiety in us all .
Idiom: carry a torch for (used idiomatically: no)
Graeme Donald THE torch — associated with burning desire and passion — is an attribute of the ancient god Venus . An extinguished torch held upturned in the hand of Venus 's son , that troublesome archer Cupid , represents unrequited love — hence we are said to ' carry a torch ' for someone . A development of this usage comes in the form of ' to take a shine to ' someone which indicates something short of adulation . The early torch consisted of little more than impregnated rushes twisted about each other .
Idiom: on the spur of the moment (used idiomatically: yes)
HvK In Saint - Moritz we were able to do things we could n't possibly arrange during the season . We would often decide what to play on the spur of the moment . If the weather was fine and we wanted to be out in the mountains , then we would only work in the evening . If it was wet , we might spend the day making music .
Idiom: on the face of it (used idiomatically: yes)
Ideally , the objective must be to have the accommodation returned to the same condition it was in before the lease . In any event , whether your company is considering sub - letting or moving , it is advisable to secure an independent view of the alternative options . This should take into account the physical , legal and market implications of what , on the face of it , might seem to be a simple process . It might be better to move software and systems
Idiom: spring to mind (used idiomatically: yes)
Which brings us to Plenty . I 'm sorry to say that when Tabitha came upon it , it was not at its best . The word ‘ sleazy’ is one that springs to mind . Of strategic significance only to the race that put it there , the shell was treated as a grotesque curio , a titanic folly . It was in a constant state of reoccupation , favoured only by marginal or twilight enterprises indifferent to a fundamentally inhuman environment .
Idiom: up sticks (used idiomatically: yes)
This is the exact moment that I started creating something called Tinkering School . Tinkering School is a place where kids can pick up sticks and hammers and other dangerous objects , and be trusted . Trusted not to hurt themselves , and trusted not to hurt others . Tinkering School does n't follow a set curriculum , and there are no tests .
Idiom: come to a head (used idiomatically: yes)
But a view of the world that divided it so sharply between good and evil could only increase tension and lead to some clumsy decisions . In the end , as a review of the major areas of American foreign policy in the 1950s suggests , Republican actions did not differ radically from those of their Democratic predecessors . The first test in Europe of the theory of " liberation " came as early as 1953 when , after the death of Stalin , unrest in the satellite countries came to a head with a rising by the people of East Germany . The Russians speedily crushed the revolt , with the USA unable to do more than stand by and condemn their action . The powerlessness of the Americans was underlined again in 1956 when they were unable to help the Hungarians in their rising ( CORE , pp . 91–3 ) .
Idiom: take someone's word for it (used idiomatically: yes)
Turn right near the pig window for the snowy alley to the Cochons ' place . Pierre Alexis , quite the finest trough in town and with an outstanding collection of runs if you 're into that kind of thing , as Gioachino is , quasi unquenchably . I took his word for it and concentrated on enjoying the substance of Ino ( for Serafino ) Cosson 's offerings . Yes , Cosson : a sensitive forebear deleted the offending CH from the inscription on the pillar in the restaurant , which now reads CO ON and the Cossons lived happily every after . Ssamois with polenta the centrepiece of the Menu Gastronomico Valdostano , so I gave that a wide berth .
Idiom: behind closed doors (used idiomatically: yes)
Today there is little sign of the feminine touch in the Cabinet at Westminster . The sound of resolutely clicking heels in the corridors of power have been silenced . And behind closed doors and shuttered windows the boys in the big rooms are celebrating . If a woman can be relieved of her job as the nation 's nanny and replaced by a Chelsea fan , the possibilities are endless . The ‘ 90s could be the decade when the Empire strikes back .
Idiom: think twice (used idiomatically: yes)
And , according to a new survey by Friskies Petcare , we take our pet 's diet so seriously three - quarters of owners put as much effort into preparing and serving their animals meals as they do their own . The survey also showed : A fifth of British animal fans wo n't go on holiday if the pet ca n't come too . A third would think twice about moving home if it would upset their pets . Only six per cent would give up their priceless pets in exchange for £ 1 million . An eighth would be influenced in their choice of new jobs or plans to start a family by the affect it would have on their pet .
Idiom: break even (used idiomatically: yes)
According to reliable sources , however , Italy is paying only 0.25 per cent to its underwriters . Bankers close to the deal say that Morgan Stanley was forced reluctantly to accept a lower commission structure because Italy was being offered this by other banks competing for the business . The fear now is that banks will start to compete by driving commission rates lower and lower until they are prepared to arrange issues at break - even or worse . And this would vindicate those who believe that the market 's ills are not going to be solved by tinkering with new issue processes , but rather by a drastic cutback in the overheads — ie , sacking people — being carried by the industry . Major UK slowdown forecast
Idiom: dice with death (used idiomatically: yes)
JOHN HINTON Navigator Voice over Negotiating the Magic Roundabout in Swindon can be hair - raising at the best of times … for a Reliant Robin driver , it 's like dicing with death . For John Lawer — three - wheeled and proud of it — being treated like a second - class motorist is the price he pays for the car he drives . But now his gaily - coloured runabout 's being given the runaround by the Guiness Book of Records .
Idiom: out of this world (used idiomatically: yes)
I had a bit of trouble on the Underground with all those automatic machines but one of the station staff spotted that I was in difficulty and came to my aid . I negotiated my way to Piccadilly — those illuminations are a splendid sight — and after a few more adventures finally arrived at the Savoy . Well , the place was just a dream … completely out of this world . I was escorted to the fifth floor and shown in to a riverside suite which was named after Sir Charles Chaplin , because he always used to stay there when he visited London . I had an enormous bedroom , and a separate sitting room and bathroom .
Idiom: in black and white (used idiomatically: yes)
The story basically surrounds an ambitious clerk , and his strange home life , and private life , and work life basically . The story of an ambitious clerk , strange home life that he has with a a lover or two . Er so a U S film in black and white released in nineteen sixty , directed by Billy Wilder , and the story of an ambitious clerk and his strange home life . Which are we talking about ? Which film for Wednesday 's mystery movie ?
Idiom: hold the line (used idiomatically: no)
He looks like a toddler ready for ' walkies ' . Despite having a solid base , the rod is still contorted wildly beyond belief . Grant holds the leader line steady with a gloved hand . Legs up on the side , Doug looks like he is in childbirth . As the boat is reversing steadily , Grant gives it full throttle forward .
Idiom: grease the wheels (used idiomatically: yes)
Oil , unsurprisingly , is at the root of divisions over the Caucasus . Westerners seek to redraw the medieval " Silk ~ Road " with air and land routes , railways , and multi - billion dollar pipelines but also with wishful thinking . America believes oil can grease the wheels of democracy , insuring independence . Turkey sees its growing influence in the region as a card to play in bargaining for EU membership . Uncertain governments in the region think oil as a magic ~ bullet with which to buy prosperity and social peace without hard work and risky reforms .
Idiom: spot on (used idiomatically: yes)
Among exceptions are Mark Cottrell 's ' Liteflite ' series and Terry Crumpler 's Windwalker / Gayla ' Wasps'which have lines ' A'and ' C'continuous and line ' B'of fixed length . There is a distinct difference as we will detail ; but for the moment we have to return to the basic check for symmetry . The slip knot should be marked with a spot of colour on the line . If the rings do not align symmetrically , look for a mark on either bridle . One should be on or very near the Lark 's Head itself so that will be the correct trihedron .
Idiom: wear the trousers (used idiomatically: no)
If the more intellectual middle - class members were titillated by such political discourse , the IFL had more mundane functions . Clothed in full dress uniform , the members wore a black shirt ( blouse pattern ) , khaki breeches , puttees , black boots and black beret . Black or grey trousers were worn on duties other than full dress parades , and a brassard showing a Union Jack with a swastika superimposed was worn on the left arm in conjunction with the uniform . This was usually worn when selling The Fascist and for other ceremonial duties . Some working - class members of the Legions also held open air meetings in Hackney and other locations in the East End of London at irregular intervals .
Idiom: drop the ball (used idiomatically: yes)
If the original stroke was played from the teeing ground , the ball may be re- teed . OPTION No.3 . The third option is to drop the penalty of one stroke , as far back as you wish , keeping the ball 's entry into the hazard ( marked B ) between the spot on which the ball is dropped and the hole . The ball may be dropped at any point along this line . Of course , these are the same three options for a ball in a regular water hazard , but from a lateral water hazard there are an additional two options .
Idiom: nothing to write home about (used idiomatically: yes)
He was looking really sharp , and winning everything in the air . But then it all went rapidly downhill . A few long-range efforts , but nothing to write home about . Someone else might remember more of the details — personaly , I was bored to death . Deano had a good chance about 5 minutes from time , but headed straight at the keeper .
Idiom: pecking order (used idiomatically: yes)
It is important to note that the law gives preference to certain debts owed by the company before non - preferred debts are paid off . Section 175(1 ) of the Insolvency Act 1986 states that the preferential debts must be paid in priority to all other debts . The expenses of the winding up must always be met first ; thereafter all preferred debts rank equally if sufficient funds are available to meet them , otherwise the following ‘ pecking order’ is observed : ( a ) debts owed to the Inland Revenue ;
Idiom: in light of (used idiomatically: yes)
The operation of the previous round of programmes is also very instructive in telling us what guidelines should not be about . They should not be about creating additional layers of bureaucracy and red ~ tape . They should not be about shifting priorities and policies halfway through project development , resulting in inevitable delays and underspends , particularly in the light of the new budgetary requirement . The implementation and operation of the guidelines can not be left to the personal interpretation of one or other desk officer , either in the Commission or in the civil service . There must be an internal coherence in the Commission directorate , while respecting the specific local and regional aspects of Commission programmes .
Idiom: in the running (used idiomatically: yes)
The judgement of basic physical and geometric phenomena have then — descending still further into metaphor — a perceptually - determined , evoked character , rather like the actions of younger infants . I will turn finally to experiments on what is now called the ‘ child 's developing theory of mind’(see Astington , Harris and Olson , 1988 ) . By this is meant young children 's explicit knowledge that they and others have mental states which are only ‘ in the running for truth’ , that beliefs held by people can be false and yet these false beliefs can determine their thought and behaviour . The phenomena studied in theory - of - mind research , I will argue , fill out the Piaget - Flavell picture of the child as a victim of cognitive salience . Here is one of the standard procedures that is used to test whether a child has an adult - like appreciation of false belief .
Idiom: weak at the knees (used idiomatically: no)
He thrust it into the man 's hands and strode past him , making for the open doorway set in the centre of the long white portico that ran the length of the house . Gómez said something to the Indian , then hurried after him . A moment later the two of them had disappeared into the house , leaving me standing there in the sunshine , feeling suddenly weak at the knees . God ! I was tired .
Idiom: break cover (used idiomatically: no)
' The cairn 's surface is composed essentially of limestone screes stabilised for the most part beneath a shallow , fragile turf , ' said Andre . ' Susceptible to summer drought and sun scorch , this turf is easily damaged by visitor pressure . Once grass cover is broken the steep slopes render the screes unstable and they slip . It is made worse by wind , rain and frost resulting in erosion . ' He has been asked to draw up plans to stabilise the site for Welsh historic monuments body Cadw which is responsible for the preservation of Wales ' archaeological heritage .
Idiom: talk nineteen to the dozen (used idiomatically: yes)
A haze of water vapour hung overhead and dripped from the underside of the mushrooms , making the ground slippery and treacherous to walk on . Piper had to fight to maintain her balance as the chamber shook . The Doctor and Bernice were stumbling between the mushrooms of twisted metal , with the Doctor talking nineteen to the dozen and gesturing wildly with his still furled umbrella . Piper managed to catch Bernice 's eye , but the archaeologist only shrugged helplessly . Piper turned to where Bannen was clutching the slender trunk of a tall mushroom to keep his balance .
Idiom: have a heart (used idiomatically: no)
He is bowed in light , winged in a blaze of ghost : He is , or was , arms spread : nailed in red And the wings he has now began in his heart , And as he stands , he too becomes a butterfly . 39. for C.
Idiom: touch wood (used idiomatically: yes)
Yes . I know . But , touch wood , I think that 's all out the way . But Yes .
Idiom: run a mile (used idiomatically: yes)
Now that was , the reason that all this mileage was done because that mileage is the basis for which all statistical information is recorded . Speeds per mile , pence per mile , cost per mile and everything is erm referred back to the mileage run by an undertaking during its year , week or what have you . It also , in those days was mileage for the tyres was paid on the number of miles run per tyre , so at the end of the month you could record , you knew what tyres were on a certain bus , you knew of how many miles that bus had done , so you recorded that particular tyre on that bus had run so many miles and it was that that we paid for our tyres that way . I think it was round about a ha'penny a mile in those days . How many days it was out of service and this that and the other and erm they used to send us an invoice on the mileage run because at the same time we knew what tyres were on the bus we had to inform them of any tyre changes and they kept records the same as us .
Idiom: over the counter (used idiomatically: yes)
Papandreou reckons that this would allow EC governments which already ban or severely limit promotion of the killer weed to block imports of magazines which carry cigarette advertisements . In the name of harmonisation , and to avoid charges of unfair trading , she says all 12 countries must fall into step with the one with the toughest rules . In which case Brussels will ban or otherwise limit advertising throughout the EC for spirits , certain over - the - counter drugs and contraceptives , simply because it is banned or controlled in one country or another . If Papandreou wishes to continue her righteous quest , she should go back into the smoke - filled rooms of the Bâtiment Berlaymont and re - package her proposals rationally . There is , for example , health research which she may find useful .
Idiom: on the level (used idiomatically: yes)
Possibly this will mean changes in behaviour ( such as the role of the man in housework ) which violate the norms and values into which they were socialised . On the other hand , if they were sufficiently wealthy they might be able to afford a nanny or a private nursery school . This illustrates the crucial point that practical constraints affect people in differing degrees , depending on their level of material advantage . Power and reward are distributed unequally in most societies , and so the privileged will be much freer . They are relieved of many practical constraints on action .
Idiom: face to face (used idiomatically: yes)
He could hardly see now , the increasing smoke and heat choking him and making his eyes water . Stumbling forward blindly , he tried to recall the route the oriental had taken him after his capture on his previous visit . Then he blundered into the turning he wanted , limped down it and came face to face with the blank grey door leading into the four Turkey Pens . At that moment the lights went out . Grant 's hand darted for his torch , but even as his fingers touched it , the floor shook under him and he heard a tremendous rumbling crash in the corridor he had just left .
Idiom: lame duck (used idiomatically: yes)
Sunset industries present different problems . For example , the government may or may not attach importance to local unemployment when industries with a heavy geographical concentration are allowed to go under all at once . It may be desirable to spend what could otherwise be dole money on temporarily subsidizing lame ducks to ease the transition . Sometimes , however , a sharp shock is required to signal the extent of the adjustment eventually required and the government 's commitment to seeing that adjustment is actually made . Strategic considerations may be important here too .
Idiom: steal the show (used idiomatically: yes)
Penetrating no man 's land in a fracas which left three British U N peace keeping soldiers injured , before tear gas from the Greek police dispersed them . Later John Major urged Commonwealth heads to drive on world trade talks and pledged a crusade to ease poor countries debts . Apartheid arguments over , the Commonwealth 's now seeking a new role spreading democracy , but the assembly lacks stars and so far the Cypriots have stolen the show . Robin Oakley , B B C News , Cyprus . John Prescot has been given one of the key posts in the new shadow cabinet .
Idiom: second nature (used idiomatically: yes)
INSIDE ILLUSTRATION ANIMAL MAGIC The art of bewitching young imaginations is second nature to Tracey Boyd . She reveals to Robin Loerch what illustrating children 's books is all about . PAGES 10–13
Idiom: out of this world (used idiomatically: yes)
Then , over a light lunch , which had set her mistreated tastebuds drooling , she had planned her strategy . The hotel had its own high - class shopping area , and it took only one telephone call to arrange for an assortment of clothes to be sent up . By the end of the afternoon she had replaced her wardrobe from top to tail , had acquired an evening dress that was out of this world , and had had her hair freshly washed and styled . Her hair now fell in a glossy blonde swath about her ears , feathering back delicately from her face . Make - up she applied with care , using plenty of moisturiser on her abused skin .
Idiom: for Africa (used idiomatically: no)
Membership:51 countries , including Namibia from independence in March 1990 . Main 1990 meetings : 26th Assembly of heads of state and government , Addis Ababa , Ethiopia , July 9 - 11 [ see p. 37604 ] ; ad hoc committee of heads of state and government on southern Africa , one - day meeting , Lusaka , Zambia , March 19 , and fifth ordinary session , Kampala , Uganda , Sept. 8 ; permanent steering committee , ministerial meeting , Addis Ababa , Dec. 1 , when a draft treaty on establishing an African Economic Community was approved for submission to the Council of Ministers and the Assembly in 1991 . Other organizations : UN Economic Commission for Africa ( ECA ) , executive secretary Adebayo Adedeji ; African Development Bank , president Babacar N'Diaye ; Francophone states including France [ for June 1990 summit in La Baule see p. 37524 ] ; Franc zone — members of the Union monétaire ouest - africaine use the franc of the Communauté financière africaine ( CFA franc ) whose central issuing bank is the Banque centrale des états de l'Afrique de l'ouest ( in Dakar , Senegal ) , while central African countries in the franc zone use the franc of the Co - opération financière en Afrique centrale,(also known as the CFA franc ) with the same parity of 50 to the French franc , but whose central issuing bank is the Banque des états de l'Afrique central ( in Yaoundé , Cameroon ) ; Lusophone states — Portugal , Angola , Cape Verde , Guinea - Bissau , Mozambique , Sao Tomé and Príncipe — whose Foreign Ministers met on Nov. 24 , agreeing to hold a first summit in 1991 . Sahelian countries Permanent Inter - State Committee on Drought Control in the Sahel ( CILSS ) .
Idiom: point the finger (used idiomatically: yes)
Invented words Sir Nicholas Fairbairn , in his letter today , points a finger at the use by the Scottish Secretary , Ian Lang , of an invented word , Europartenariat . I share his dislike of the practice , but he should be aware , as he points his finger , that there are three more pointing back at him . I like to understand the meanings of words and always refer to a dictionary when I come on a new word . While reading Sir Nicholas 's biography , not one new word I looked up was in Chambers .