Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: slow but sure (used idiomatically: yes)
He was slightly deaf and it was only natural that when Jane asked him if he liked Dylan Thomas , he replied : ‘ Gin and tonic ? Yes — very much indeed’ . Then there was Mervyn : tall , dark and monosyllabic , with a slow but sure sense of humour which had to circle through his brain . ‘ Huh!’ he would chuckle down his shirt several minutes later when the funny side struck him , long after everyone else had forgotten the joke . His greeting was always the same ( and would have been , Jane was sure , in the middle of an earthquake ) : ‘ YOU AU ROIGHT?’
Idiom: in the sticks (used idiomatically: no)
I think it was , was it six fifty for one lot of meal and eight for another ? , it 's got the Just got erm , I mean was out in the stick I like to just half a dozen little flight of stairs perhaps with a dozen steps Do n't know , well what have you done with it ? Alright , well look , dear I can scrub that and I 'll , I 'll get it for you so all in all er can you see the boat , you look and see them in a minute
Idiom: bottom drawer (used idiomatically: yes)
She let go of the cabinet , coughing in the dust of ages that appeared to be lurking behind it , and smiled back at him as the February sun shone through the small window behind her , throwing into sharp relief the patches on the wall where her predecessor had hung posters , and the ingrained dirt on the flaking paintwork round the mean , narrow , metal window . ‘ Where do you want that put?’ McLeish advanced on the cabinet and shifted it authoritatively , ignoring the clip on the ankle dealt him by an unsecured bottom drawer apparently full of bricks . ‘ I should have unloaded it first,’ Catherine Crane said , apologetically , ‘ but I just could n't move in any direction with it where it was.’ ‘ I 'm here , just tell me if you want anything else shifted.’
Idiom: take root (used idiomatically: yes)
Such subject elements include : small things passing for large ( models , miniature sets ) ; large passing for small or normal sized ( eg an oversized set if normal people are supposed to be miniaturized ) ; animate for animate ( stuntman ; stand - in ; actor or child or dwarf inside animal or creature ) ; inanimate for animate ( from the cel of the animator to the monster or creature constructed in miniature or full scale and made to move by electrical / mechanical / hydraulic means or by stop - motion animation ) ; animate for inanimate ( pseudomechanical effects operated by muscle power ; the androids , played by normal actors , in Blade Runner ) ; composite for single images ( rear or front projection of the setting or alternatively the action , or one person playing two roles on screen simultaneously ) ; 2-D for 3-D ( glass paintings , painted backdrops ) . Slightly outside these categories are make - up , wigs etc , the major elements ( fire , water etc ) , and computer - generated graphics , which can vary at will from abstract to convincingly 3-D. The latter have not yet really taken root in movies , but may be one of the major developments of the 1990s . Editing Editing was born from the simple ability of the camera to stop and start at will , soon supplemented by the possibility of cutting and rejoining the film .
Idiom: see stars (used idiomatically: yes)
I hung around The Lyceum till early morning . Then , when the show was over and it was time for everyone to wake up and go home , they opened up the roof — the whole thing rolls back to one side . It was one of those gorgeous early mornings when the sun has just risen but it 's still dark enough to see the brightest stars . We watched that for a bit , then took the first tube of the day round to a friend 's place for a while . Four or five of us were Whiteleys regulars so we all turned up there promptly for work .
Idiom: hang by a thread (used idiomatically: yes)
It has made my day meeting her . ' She had this wonderful , positive attitude — she is determined to get herself back again . ' However , the parents of 12-year - old victim Tim Parry — hanging on to life by a thread in a Liverpool hospital yesterday came to terms with the fact that he is unlikely to survive . His condition has deteriorated in the intensive care unit of Liverpool 's Walton neurosurgical centre . Tim showed no brain response after being taken off sedative drugs .
Idiom: keep tabs on (used idiomatically: yes)
IMPACT Moling : These machines have been used for some years to lay services and pipes up to 125 mm in diameter . 37A THE main drawback is an inability to keep tabs on the device during operation . A problem graphically illustrated in Swindon a few years 37B
Idiom: breathe down someone's neck (used idiomatically: yes)
So many buts . A sense of fatality gripped her . The obligation to alert Vitor to his paternity had stalked her since the day of Thomas 's birth , but now it was breathing down her neck . Breathing hotly . Her inherent sense of duty insisted that , whatever the risks , whatever the dangers , she must speak .
Idiom: have it both ways (used idiomatically: yes)
Paradoxically , the arguments in favour of higher taxes which brought the euphoria to an end have also been directly strengthened by a growing feeling of confidence that the recession is over and the start of a recovery is imminent , so that the economy can now stand some tougher treatment from the Chancellor . Indeed , the hard - liners who always argue that monetary stability has to be a higher priority than growth and jobs have claimed that the Chancellor would be irresponsible in not raising taxes as soon as there is scope for him to do so . The pragmatists , who would like to have it both ways , believe that raising taxes will bring any incipient recovery to a halt , by putting up prices and reducing the spending power of consumers , who already face the prospect of sharply falling pay settlements , which could well dip below inflation this year . One 's sympathies are with the pragmatists , but it has to be admitted that if the markets do get the impression that the Chancellor is taking a soft line on inflation to promote growth , then the pound could come under pressure , and the next move in interest rates could then be up not down . Recovery is the best medicine for the market , but it must be sustainable .
Idiom: in the long term (used idiomatically: yes)
Coal is not a popular investment area and the shares are 15p under their 250p floating price . But if RJB can start to make profits on these mines where British Coal could not , then this sceptical attitude could change in a trice . Zeneca to prove good in long term MANY shareholders in ICI 's spin - off company Zeneca must by now be tempted to walk away from the 600p a share rights issue . After all , they have their stake already through a 1-for-1 free basis for every ICI share held .
Idiom: hit home (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Certainly , your Highness,’ she bobbed in her mind 's eye . ‘ I would be delighted to design the flowers for your wedding … |’ The daydream was so engrossing that she almost did n't see the man and the girl struggling on the pavement opposite . But just then one of the girl 's flailing blows hit home , and the man swore savagely in a deep , and somehow unforgettable voice . His harsh words jerked Folly out of her fantasy and back to the real world . A world where the man with the voice was apparently attacking a woman much slighter and younger than himself — and , despite the victim 's blonde prettiness , none of the passers - by on the busy little London street was making the slightest attempt to stop him .
Idiom: go through the motions (used idiomatically: yes)
As for Zen , any day now he would receive a telegram from the Ministry summoning him back to Rome , and that would be that . But in the meantime , how sweet the fruit tasted ! And although the bureaucratic mice were invisibly at work , he still went through the motions of shifting hands and improving his grip on the branch . Thus his first action on returning to the Questura the day before had been to send his inspectors out to question the people living in the houses along the road to Cannara and talk to the local farmers , just in case anyone had seen anything . When he arrived at work that morning the result of their labours was waiting for him in a blue folder .
Idiom: in the hole (used idiomatically: yes)
Dirkin would be lucky if he was owed a ten - pound note . Someone opens the front door . I am into the kitchen like a mouse slips in its hole . I stand out of sight . The man closes the front door , passes through the hall , and enters the room that I just left .
Idiom: cut corners (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Please give me another chance . I love it here so much . I promise not to cheek Frances and cut corners . I just love the ponies and Cheffie — and you — so much,’ she could n't stop herself adding . In a year of working for him she had never cried or apologized .
Idiom: hold court (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Allo , guv,’ he yodelled . ‘ I 'm phoning from Lanagan 's.’ CHRIS TARRANT ( left ) holding court … and caught holding . ALL BETS ARE OFF ON SCREEN they were magic .
Idiom: under the microscope (used idiomatically: yes)
In her lifetime she was never known to cry , never known to complain . Cancer , most feared of illnesses , is now seen to be intimately related to our emotional life . The idea shocked many people who were convinced that the only cause must be genetic , or chemical , or a virus , something they could put under a microscope . These factors may indeed be present but are more likely to act as partners with unresolved emotional issues in people 's lives , rather than to initiate the disease . An American study from the University of Oregon showed that housewives had a 54 per cent higher incidence of cancer than the female population as a whole and 157 per cent higher than that portion of the female population who work outside the home .
Idiom: up and running (used idiomatically: yes)
On top of this Ready Systems can add different layers for different implementations , the most powerful of which is a real - time Unix offering . The lowest layer is patented as the ‘ nanokernel’ and acts as a substrate for the other layers . It has been up and running for 18 months and was beta tested last summer by Japanese engineers from NEC Corp that built an I - Tron interface to it . So far it has been implemented for the 68000 , 88000 , R - Series and Sparc processors . The first product , to ship this September , is VRTXsa , which is a 100 % emulation of VRTX built on the nanokernel to provide upward compatibility , and the new toolkit .
Idiom: on the house (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I did Bob Roberts for about one twentieth . I 'll get by by the hair on my chin because I have another job starting in November . If not , I would n't be bankrupt but I would be taking out a second mortgage on the house.’ He lives in Greenwich Village in New York with Susan Sarandon , who is 45 , her daughter from a previous relationship , Eva , seven , and their sons , Jack , three , and Miles , newly - born . They have a simply - furnished home , a Volvo estate car and a loathing for being in the limelight .
Idiom: run riot (used idiomatically: yes)
Gordon Durie stole down the right and seeing the defences lack of organisation , he blasted in a low pass which McCoist drove home first time . But then Knup grabbed back the lead in the 72nd minute and ten minutes later , Georges Bregy thundered home a 30-yard free - kick . And as Switzerland began to run riot , Gough was sent off in the 84th minute for handling the ball as Knup threatened to break through again . Knup rocker SWISS forward Adrian Knup rises unmarked over the Scottish defence to head the opening goal . ADIOS TAYLOR !
Idiom: anything goes (used idiomatically: yes)
Quite a lot , it appears from the matches in this group , the results of which are starting to bring back disturbing visions of those horrendous days under Eoin Hand , when the baleful gods of fortune were using the Republic 's aspirations as a kind of exclusive latrine . At Wembley , a 3–1 victory would by no means have been a flattering outcome for Ireland . Against Poland at Lansdowne Road , the underfoot moon - rock masquerading as a soccer pitch put paid to anything going into the Polish net other than by fortuitous ricochet , or some such happy accident . And Ireland are currently on starvation rations as regards happy accidents . They still might have won by at least two goals , but it was never to be .
Idiom: follow suit (used idiomatically: no)
Quickly thrusting the thought away , she clattered the glass against her teeth , gulped a larger mouthful than she intended , and struggled desperately not to cough . Nathan returned his attention to his notes and began to eat , wolfing down the food . Setting her glass aside , Polly followed suit . His obvious hunger made her wonder how long he had been up and about . As he pushed away the empty plates she waited for him to make some comment about the meal .
Idiom: take the floor (used idiomatically: yes)
Again ~ Dan took the floor , violently protesting against the action of the Military ~ Revolutionary ~ Committee , which had sent a Commissar to seize the office of Izviestia and censor the paper .
Idiom: out of the box (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I 'll ignore that last bit , Myra ; all I want to do is get this apology for a holiday over and get back to work.’ She went on to talk about the shop , giving Myra no time to say anything else about Roman . The door of the phone box opened , giving her the chance she wanted to break off and , cutting short Myra 's eager question , she stepped out of the box almost into Roman 's embrace . She stifled an exclamation as he took her roughly by her wrists . ‘ Who did you phone besides Myra?’ he asked , a glint in his eyes saying it would be no use denying it .
Idiom: tit for tat (used idiomatically: yes)
This was the point that worried us above . It just so happened that in Axelrod 's original tournament about half the entries were nice . Tit for Tat won in this climate , and Tit for Two Tats would have won in this climate if it had been submitted . But suppose that nearly all the entries had just happened to be nasty . This could very easily have occurred .
Idiom: state of the art (used idiomatically: yes)
Richard Page , who co - founded Next Computer Inc with Steve Jobs and was its top hardware executive , has resigned from the company , one of at least six departures in recent months , saying he 's ' burnt out . ' Page 's departure has stoked fears in some quarters that Next is preparing to abandon the hardware market , favouring instead an emphasis on software publishing . Other rumours doing the rounds have Next preparing to announce staff layoffs and contemplating the closure of its state - of - the - art manufacturing plant . Rumours are starting to circulate again about Microsoft Corp porting NT to Sparc . This time we went to Microsoft itself .
Idiom: eat your heart out (used idiomatically: yes)
First the women - only porn mag , For Women , now Sh ! , an underwear , sex toys and props shop run by women for women . They also offer made - to - measure clothes ( including leather trousers ) as well as safer sex info . Find them at 22 Coronet St. Cynthia Payne , eat your heart out The film has n't even arrived yet , but people are already going OTT with Malcolm X T - shirts , hats , necklaces — anything they can print an ‘ X’ on . If you want the real deal , go and track down Spike Lee 's original Forty Acres And A Mule merchandise
Idiom: catch someone's eye (used idiomatically: yes)
' But the funniest thing of all , really , was that until just a few hours ago Eddy had been , and now he was not . That , thought Dyson , really was the funniest thing about death ; that 's what really took some getting used to . He looked up and caught Bob 's eye . ' God strikes again , ' said Bob thoughtfully . 7
Idiom: set eyes on (used idiomatically: no)
Providing the teacher retains an open mind , an extraordinary drama can evolve from this . Here are two examples of the beginnings of stories which evolved from questions like the above : l. Class of Year Three children The " Keeper " is a guard who has been blinded to stop him ever setting eyes on the magic jewels . He is armed with a silver sword , and spends most of his life in the dungeon beneath the castle where the jewels are kept ( the circle of children being the walls of the dungeon ) . The " thief " is the rightful owner of the jewels who wants to get them back in order to free the prisoners in the castle .
Idiom: hold court (used idiomatically: yes)
Shannon shook her head . ‘ Not at all.’ Her eyes were drawn back to the set , where Dane was still holding court . Somehow he was able to dwarf everyone else around him , not just by his size , though that was considerable , but by sheer presence , so that , even though he was surrounded by half a dozen or more people , the casual onlooker would be aware only of him . It was always the same wherever he went — people were drawn inexorably to him , as though some of his charisma could rub off on them if they could just get close enough .
Idiom: out of sight (used idiomatically: yes)
And the names he called me turned the air blue ! I could only stand quietly and scratch my poor head . ' Out of my sight , do you hear ? ' he said . As a P.C. I felt I was not a success . ( Police Review , 1937 )
Idiom: pass the buck (used idiomatically: yes)
The spokeswoman also called for the area of beach where they became stuck to be clearly signposted . ‘ In parts where there is soft mud , it can be pretty dangerous and should be signposted . People around here have taken it up with different parties but everyone seems to pass the buck . ‘ I think there was a sign at one time but it was knocked down.’
Idiom: in full swing (used idiomatically: yes)
THE IRA planted a bomb in the heart of London last night , bringing the West End to a standstill . The device , discovered inside a Ford Transit van , was made safe after controlled explosions carried out by bomb squad officers . A coded telephone warning led police to the van in Tottenham Court Road , just 100 yards from the Dominion Theatre where a performance was in full - swing . An area stretching from Oxford Street to Euston Station was sealed off and bomb squad officers carried out a first controlled explosion at 10.10pm . The blast blew the window off the van and bomb disposal experts found a device planted inside .
Idiom: out of line (used idiomatically: no)
The limited ‘ defence’ of mistake about the girl 's age , available to young men under 24 , was explained above , and the reason for creating such a limited ‘ defence’is that in general it has been held that the crime does not require any fault element as regards the girl 's age . For many years the decision in Prince ( 1875 ) , in effect that the man is strictly liable when the girl is under 16 , has been paraded by academic lawyers as the acme of injustice . The decision may certainly be said to be out of line with the recent trend , that a defendant should be judged on the facts as he believes them to be ; and this led the Criminal Law Revision Committee to recommend that the rules should be harmonized and that the prosecution should prove that the man realized that the girl was under 16 . Once again , one must question whether consistency is the highest value here . Critics argue that the whole point of this offence is to provide protection for young girls , and that this will be undermined if it is open to men to seek an acquittal on the ground that the girl looked 16 .
Idiom: hot air (used idiomatically: yes)
Science and education may have been on the minds of the panel , but the youngsters preferred to range over topics such as nuclear disarmament and the ethics of energy . On the other hand they did n't ignore education , and there were the usual perceptive comments on the science curriculum in Britain 's schools . Balloons featured elsewhere in the programme , with a competition for model hot - air balloons in the main hall of the Geological Museum . Practical matters also reared their head when 15 teams were given three hours and a selection of Meccano , paper cups , cotton reels and other bits and pieces to make a machine that would take a bag of coins all in one go , and dispense them one at a time for sorting . Could it be that the sponsor of the competition — Lloyds Bank — expects to revolutionise its money sorting system ?
Idiom: by a long chalk (used idiomatically: yes)
Plus there is an excellent range of luxury equipment as standard : power windows and mirrors ( also heated ) , central locking , sunroof , heated front screen , heated washer jets , RDS stereo and sports steering wheel . Impressive , but appropriate ? No , not by a long chalk . I have thought long and hard about this , and even now hesitate before saying it . I reckon you 'd have to look long and hard through the history of the hot hatch to find a more unconvincing sporting package for your money — a hefty £ 10,990 in standard form .
Idiom: take a dim view of (used idiomatically: yes)
To hell with that . It 's nothing to do with smoking . Spike is an amateur gynaecologist who has broken the code and does not deserve a delicacy like Little Liz , a Soho Bunny if ever there was one , all ankle - boots and skin - tight black ; it 's enough to make a judge take a dim view of things . Mind you , Little Liz got off lightly . All Spike did was call her back from Greece on St Valentine 's day to say that he had to find out who he really was .
Idiom: break even (used idiomatically: yes)
Kvaerner tips small gain at Govan yard By Clifford German CITY EDITOR GOVAN shipyard should make a small profit this year after coming close to breaking even in 1992 , according to its owners Kvaerner , the Norwegian - based shipbuilding , shipping and oil and gas equipment - makers . Labour costs per head are still 50 per cent above Scandinavian levels but are falling steadily and with work for the next two years all Govan now needs is a substantial new order before the middle of 1994 to ensure its future . Kvaerner 's group turnover rose 7 per cent to £ 2 billion in 1992 , but operating profits fell 9 per cent and , after offsetting net financial costs of £ 1.4 million in 1992 compared with net financial income of £ 6.8 million in 1991 , group profits fell 16 per cent to £ 93.2 million .
Idiom: catch someone's eye (used idiomatically: yes)
Her eyes , her nose and her mouth were all round and definite and soft , and her hair surrounded her head like a designer 's hat , Afro - styled and aggressive . Her dark - brown skin picked up the deadening light inside the train and reflected it strangely so that her face looked almost silver . She caught Lee ' s eye and Lee felt an electric shock pass through her . I 'm too highly strung , she thought : I must contain myself , not stare . perhaps Philippa was right ?
Idiom: get off the ground (used idiomatically: yes)
Suggestions that Boeing might collaborate with the Japanese on another jet development project have raised protests in Washington about the transfer of technology in an industry where the US maintains a strong lead over the Japanese . A Boeing spokesman , Craig Martin , said that finding an equity partner for the 777 project was not a prerequisite to launching the new plane , and that the company might fund development costs from its own cash resources . Attempts to revive the buyout of United Airlines are meeting with little enthusiasm on Wall Street and a new bid — possibly with the support of Jay Pritzker , the Chicago financier — is unlikely to get off the ground before early 1990 . Representatives from developers Olympia&York and high street retailer Marks&. Spencer yesterday inspecting progress in the construction of the main shopping block at the £ 4billion Canary Wharf development , which will include a new 13,000-square foot M&S food hall .