Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: in the nick of time (used idiomatically: no)
A notice at eye level inside the bathroom door can jog your memory and avoid some trying mopping - up operations later . Now let us go into the kitchen . If you do n't hear the milk boiling over , you wo n't dash to the rescue in the nick of time . Perhaps you already use a ‘ milk saver’ , one of those thick glass discs which bounces up and down when the milk boils . The bang as it bounces may be picked up by a hearing - aid or by a vibrator , thus avoiding that sticky mess on top of the stove .
Idiom: thick and fast (used idiomatically: yes)
International equity offers are booming . In time , their success will transform domestic new - issue markets too THICK and fast the issues come . A $ 1 billion tranche of shares in Repsol , a Spanish oil company , was sold in March . A similar chunk of Argentaria , a Spanish banking group , will be sold to the world 's investors next week .
Idiom: out of order (used idiomatically: no)
square meat dish I have n't got a space space , space for it but I oh that 's out of order no spaces for it no spaces Robert excuse me
Idiom: make or break (used idiomatically: yes)
You can bet your bottom dollar on that ! Jesus wept!’ he continued , hackles rising . ‘ Mueller will have the power to make or break whole areas of Europe . He 's the last guy in the world who should be given such power . The bloody man 's power drunk already.’
Idiom: dead men's shoes (used idiomatically: yes)
A reversion was the grant of the right of succession to an office , made during the lifetime and tenancy of an existing holder . The earliest reversions to Exchequer offices were granted during the fifteenth century ; they became frequent during the sixteenth . In time it became customary to grant more than one reversion to an office , so that a queue of expectant administrators could be seen waiting to step successively into a dead man 's shoes . Reversionary grants were not necessarily harmful . They could well be given to an officer 's deputy or underling , assuring him of promotion when the time came .
Idiom: rub someone the wrong way (used idiomatically: yes)
' It 's just that … ' She stopped , looking puzzled . ' Well , he rubs me up the wrong way . Ian is OK — friendly and cheerful — but there 's something about Robert that makes me want to fight him all the time . ' Joanna looked at her friend curiously for a moment .
Idiom: over the top (used idiomatically: yes)
Dave had foreseen some difficulty and had moved back left to get into a better position to assist Steve , just below him . As Steve fell Dave attempted to hold him but was unsuccessful and both climbers fell into a sort of avalanche chute . Neither was able to brake and in seconds both vanished over the top of an ice cliff , falling on to the seracs below . ‘ Both climbers died instantly . Steve fell about 250 feet and Dave 450 feet .
Idiom: out of the loop (used idiomatically: no)
You must not exit a REPEAT … UNTIL loop with a GOTO . If you jump out of a loop with a GOTO ( How could you ! ! ! ) you should jump back in . If you must jump out of the loop , you should use UNTIL TRUE to " pop " the stack . For ( a ghastly ) example : See the keyword UNTIL for ways of using REPEAT …
Idiom: the die is cast (used idiomatically: yes)
He also mentioned an old bugbear — he thought Vincent should dress better . Vincent reported to Theo that though he had worries , he had a feeling of satisfaction at having accomplished the move . Now the die was cast he felt a certain calm . No use regarding recent events in terms of misfortune ; one had to show courage for anything worthwhile to be attempted . So he began , with his bits of furniture which were in the real ‘ village - policeman’ style , whatever that was .
Idiom: over the hill (used idiomatically: yes)
Ryan called it the Iron Maiden . Her mother insisted the device was essential to stop her skin from stretching , but Jo merely saw it as another strategy to make her ugly . She played those games — anything to keep the girls children as long as possible and not face up to the fact that she was over the hill . Most days Jo headed straight for the nearest john and took the hideous contraption off as soon as she was alone , muttering , ‘ If you got it , flaunt it!’ as she threw back her shoulders and felt the liberated flesh bounce free . Now , however , it was time to tie the tits down again before her mother threw a blue fit .
Idiom: every last (used idiomatically: yes)
You can adapt it for your own taste but keep the pointers in mind . Once you 've had your initial meeting , drawn up your central strategy and agreed your budget , individuals should be allowed to get on with their jobs with a reasonable amount of flexibility . Do n't put yourself in a situation where the treasurer has to come back to the committee to argue over every last penny . To take a simple illustration . If it 's been agreed that the treasurer spends £ 300 on publicity with £ 100 each for posters , leaflets and newspaper advertisements , he should be allowed the latitude to spend £ 150 on newspaper ads and £ 150 on leaflets if the publicity chairman thinks it necessary , and perhaps nothing on posters .
Idiom: do me a favour (used idiomatically: yes)
Had I proposed to keep working until the hotel was a hotbed of gossip , and leave only when I 'd made myself the centre of a tasty little scandal ? Would n't my dismissal , inevitable eventually , have been a whole lot more unpleasant at that stage ? In a way , without knowing it of course , the Old Man had done me a favour . But all the same , leaving was hard . I sorted my few things out slowly , and splashed them with valedictory tears .
Idiom: in the long term (used idiomatically: yes)
The measures include tighter limits on home purchases by non - locals in cities with excessive price gains , a reinforced 20 % capital - gains tax , mandatory 70 % down payments , and a 30 % benchmark interest - rate premium for second mortgages . While the previous round of housing - sector restrictions , implemented less than two years ago , dampened market sentiment temporarily , it failed to curb rising property prices . Likewise , although the latest measures might have some impact , cooling China ’s turbulent property market – which relies on cheap credit – in the long term will require addressing underlying monetary - policy weaknesses . In order to control the money supply , the People’s ~ Bank ~ of China ( PBOC ) has long used credit quotas as “ window guidance ” to banks . The policy is rooted in central planning , which , three decades ago , led to artificially low prices and , in turn , to shortages of basic necessities and key production inputs , such as grain and steel .
Idiom: behind the scenes (used idiomatically: yes)
By the time you read this we will have had the Gift Day and be well on our way with the Camphill Development Project . With a project of this kind there will be times when very little seems to be happening . That is inevitable when we are dealing with official bodies , but please be assured that a lot of work will be going on behind the scenes . It is important that we pray regularly for those who have the responsibility of directing the technical aspects of the project — Rodney Beaumont , Douglas Fergus , John Hilditch , Don McLean & Ronnie Martin . We are fortunate to have men of such commitment and expertise amongst us and we need to support them by our prayers .
Idiom: behind someone's back (used idiomatically: yes)
Vincent translated these to mean : Take my advice or I 'll use my influence with Theo to cut off your subsistence allowance . Then Vincent heard , in this nest of artistic vipers , that Tersteeg was laughing at Vincent 's absurd ambition to be a painter . He was going behind Vincent ' s back with his ‘ hatred , grudges , chicanery , sarcasm’ . And now Mauve too was suspect . Agitated , Vincent went running to a painter called Weissenbruch to see if he was another one who had been poisoned by the gossip circulating against him .
Idiom: sing the praises of (used idiomatically: yes)
I felt very proud , As Oliver lay on my stomach , O stroked him and introduced myself . Spouse was gobsmacked . After tea and lots of talking , I rang my Mum , singing the praises of epidurals . Then I phoned my ‘ natural birth’ best friend . My ‘ failure’ to do the same as her did n't matter any more .
Idiom: see red (used idiomatically: yes)
IT 'S outrageous that the takings of the National Lottery will go to the arts , heritage , sport and charities . All the money should be used to help this country 's hospitals , the poor and the homeless . Seeing red over green tax THE Government is considering yet another way to steal our money in the form of a tax on carbon fuels which you call ' a green crackdown ' . Minister Michael Howard says this is worth paying because global warming is ' an issue of concern to everyone ' .
Idiom: sick and tired (used idiomatically: yes)
He 's just one of the lads . You know , they I think to myself , they must be sick and tired of hearing him moan ! But er , I 'll buy a diamond . Can I go ?
Idiom: on edge (used idiomatically: yes)
Lucy watched him uncertainly , turning with him as he moved . He seemed to be out of scale with the rest of the room , as if his size and all of its angles had somehow been exaggerated . He reached out and turned the lamp so that it shone onto her face , seating himself on the edge of the desk so that he could study her . She winced when the unshaded light hit her , but she did n't look away . ' I reckon you are , at that , ' he said , and there was a slight sense of wonder in his voice .
Idiom: warts and all (used idiomatically: yes)
A horse that has apparently recovered completely can remain a carrier for a considerable time and therefore should not be mixed with uninfected horses until nasal swabs are clear of any bacterial growth . Carolyn 's Diary warts and all ! In the third part of our series , Carolyn Henderson charts the progress of her four - year - old , Skipper . After a couple of days in his new home Skipper was much more relaxed ; he no longer jumped at every sound and soon learned that when I arrived on the yard in the morning , it meant food .
Idiom: put paid to (used idiomatically: yes)
In the post - war years , Karajan worked extensively with two of the world 's most enterprising record producers , Walter Legge and John Culshaw . Culshaw reckoned that Karajan , and Benjamin Britten , were his two most intelligent studio artists . Certainly , the multi - studio techniques used for the famous 1959 Decca Aida were meat and drink to Karajan ; and although he sometimes thought he knew more than he did , occasionally putting paid to expensive equipment , his mastery was of an order not previously seen in a working musician . In the studio , in the early days of tape and LP , Karajan and Legge took immense care , not only over microphone placing and instrumental balance ( some of their old mono recordings sound positively stereophonic ) , but also over the general artistic ambience . The perennial fascination of Karajan 's 1954 recordings of Mozart 's Così fan tutte and Strauss 's Ariadne auf Naxos lies partly in the exquisitely cast singing and playing , partly in the use Legge and Karajan made of studio conditions to create performances of radical intimacy , the music - making addressed to the microphone and the private listener rather than belted out across some putative theatrical footlights .
Idiom: out of the question (used idiomatically: yes)
Halappanavar suffered extreme pain on October 21 . She was miscarrying , and , according to her husband , repeatedly asked for a termination after being told that the fetus would not survive . But Halappanavar and her husband were then informed that Ireland is a Catholic country ; the fetus still had a heartbeat , so the procedure was out of the question . Halappanavar died from septicemia , which her family is certain would not have developed if the termination had been carried out . Protests in Ireland have put Prime ~ Minister Enda ~ Kenny on the spot , with activists there , like those in India , arguing that Halappanavar died because of a theocratic approach to health ~ care .
Idiom: play ball (used idiomatically: no)
Williams was one of those players who never learned to properly channel his aggression , never believed anybody knew better than him and always asked ‘ Why me ? ’ of critics rather than himself . A series of injuries slowed his progress but ultimately , it was attitude that cost him the chance of blossoming into a great player . He played only 95 full games for Arsenal and is now peddling the last of his talent at Exeter , where he 's rumoured to have fallen out with manager Alan Ball . Anxiety Temperament is already undermining the career of Wright , whom Graham Taylor reported to be in a state of high anxiety before England 's game against Norway .
Idiom: do a runner (used idiomatically: yes)
The whole thing was like watching snooker on a black - and - white telly . You know it 's all a load of balls but you ca n't work out who 's doing what to whom . And so , having carefully assessed the pros and cons ( mostly cons ) , the solution was clear : Do a runner . While Lisabeth was mainlining Cadbury 's Bournville I rummaged around for a sports bag ( one that advertised Marlboro fags , naturally ) and began to pack a spare everything . ( Rule of Life No . 6 : be prepared to survive on one extra pair of socks and knickers and a spare shirt .
Idiom: off the hook (used idiomatically: yes)
If Obama and Chinese President Hu ~ Jintao could agree about what actions their countries would take , and what explicit commitments they would make as part of a global agreement , the rest of the world would follow . Unfortunately , the two countries stand on opposing sides on climate ~ change . China speaks for the developing world in demanding to be let off the hook from committing to a specific national carbon - reduction target . The US , Europe , and other industrialized states caused the problem , the Chinese say , so they bear the most responsibility for solving it . On the ground , Chinese actions to address climate ~ change are impressive .
Idiom: on the money (used idiomatically: yes)
A national standard will also be set for outpatient waiting times . Mrs Bottomley 's first big test as Health Secretary will come this summer with the annual public spending round , which will be conducted against a background of concern over high Government borrowing and pressure from the Tory Right for public spending cuts . The Conservative manifesto contained a commitment to increase , year by year , the level of ' real resources ' committed to the NHS — though it put no figure on the extra money to be allocated . Mrs Bottomley , representing ' caring Conservatism ' , will face Mr Michael Portillo , the new Treasury Chief Secretary , who is equally keen to establish his Right - wing credentials by demonstrating he can keep keep a tight grip on the public purse strings . She acknowledged that there could be difficult times ahead .
Idiom: go halves (used idiomatically: yes)
FACT BOX A WEEK 'S self - catering in a Standard room at Somerwest in August will cost a family of four £ 504 . Children aged two14 go half - price . Half - board in a higher range County room is £ 723 . A six - night ‘ half - term special’ in October , Standard self - catering , drops to £ 207 for a family of four .
Idiom: lay down the law (used idiomatically: yes)
Now the haggling is over what portfolio she should have instead , and whether any replacement from her strongly secular party will be acceptable to the rabbis who run Shas . Mr Rabin , moreover , is trying to draw yet another ultra - orthodox party , the United Torah Front , into his coalition . The sages who lay down the law in this party have always said that if Ms Aloni left education , where she was ‘ poisoning the innocent souls of Israel 's children’ , they could contemplate joining Mr Rabin . Ms Aloni 's discomfiture is remarkable considering that Meretz has 12 seats in the Knesset ( parliament ) to Shas 's six . At a pinch , indeed , Labour and Meretz could rule on their own : the automatic support of two small Arab factions in the Knesset gives them 61 votes in the 120-seat chamber .
Idiom: catch fire (used idiomatically: yes)
That worked , temporarily at least , with the replacement of the poll tax , but in other areas it failed . It failed for the simple reason that no coherent principles or policies came forward to replace the old ones . Mr Patten 's ideas of European Christian democracy and social markets did not catch fire . The undeniable need to establish a personality clear of the shadow of Mrs Thatcher was confounded with the mistaken urge to repudiate what she stood for . The result was that the Conservative Party suffered an identity crisis .
Idiom: have a few (used idiomatically: yes)
Myopia , or short - sightedness , is the 24-year - old Liverpudlian 's problem — if indeed it is a problem for someone with 15 professional wins , all but one inside the distance , and one draw . But such is the pressure on professional boxers to prove their absolute fitness that the British Boxing Board of Control last month ordered Hodkinson to undertake full medical tests , and he was cleared only after being examined by four ophthalmic surgeons . ‘ I had a few sleepless nights,’ confessed Hodkinson , whose draw , which he later avenged , came against Thomas Arguelles two years ago . ‘ I have watched videos of Benredjeb and he will be a tough opponent , but he is just my height and should be perfect for me,’ he said after sparring with Arguelles at the Belfast gym of his manager , Barney Eastwood . Hodkinson , a fighter noted for accuracy and stamina , took the British title from Peter Harris of Wales 18 months ago and added the Lonsdale Belt with two successful defences .
Idiom: hang by a thread (used idiomatically: yes)
Design services will also be performed on a time and materials basis by Sparc Technology engineering consultants . Sparc Technology currently employs 30 to 40 people and is aiming for between 50 and 60 by the end of the year . THE FUTURE OF 88OPEN IS NOW HANGING BY A THREAD Motorola Inc has put its two cents in the unfolding downsizing saga over at 88open . According to 88open chairman Chuck Corley , Motorola 's man , the consortium 's budget is being ' adjusted ' because the test suites that are its raison d'etre are done and members have no requirements for more — despite talk of Unix System V.4 ES / MP .
Idiom: see the light (used idiomatically: yes)
The all - enveloping darkness made her progress difficult but in her emotional state she staggered on . Reaching the railway fence she climbed over and started across the tracks . In the distance she could hear a train coming and could see the yellow lights of the oil lamps in the signal box . The oncoming train drew nearer . She was gasping , but she knew she could beat it if she ran .
Idiom: get a life (used idiomatically: no)
To this end he called on Congress to approve his tax changes — particularly the increased personal exemption of $ 500 per child per year — in order to help families . Within this context he also criticized families for whom welfare assistance had become a way of life . He expressed approval for the concept " that when able - bodied adults receive government assistance , they have responsibilities to the taxpayer : a responsibility to seek work , education , or job training , a responsibility to get their lives in order , a responsibility to hold their families together and refrain from having children out of wedlock , and a responsibility to obey the law . " Bush ended his speech by returning to the Desert War theme and informing his audience that"We are still the freest nation on earth ; the kindest nation on earth ; the strongest nation on earth ; and we have always risen to the occasion . We are going to lift this nation out of hard times inch by inch and day by day , and those who would stop us had best step aside .
Idiom: heart and soul (used idiomatically: yes)
Wordsworth , he reported , There is other evidence of a thawing - out during the 1830s . Of course he opposed the Reform Bill itself , yet said in a letter to Crabb Robinson ( 5 February 1833 ) : ‘ You mistake in supposing me an Anti - Reformer —that I never was , but an Anti - Bill man , heart and soul.’ In 1836 , the Bill now having been passed , he suggested to Gladstone that there ought to be more enfranchisement to cure the effects of it ; if the pyramid were extended at the base and the lower classes given some power , this would counter the preponderance of the manufacturers . In fact , Wordsworth 's position begins to look surprisingly consistent , if one considers what he is against ; he is prepared to use any weapon to attack liberal commercial values and the new affluent middle class .
Idiom: out of the blue (used idiomatically: yes)
So whether he did n't believe that I , I 'd got them right or not I do n't know but the answers were there . And then he picked one particular line out he said , where did you get this figure from ? Now as you know when we used to do the sums we used to have a little bit of paper and , and work it out on this separate bit of paper , but he said to me out of the blue he said , where did it , how did you get that figure ? Well at that particular time I could n't tell him . I says er , I do n't know Sir .
Idiom: off the record (used idiomatically: yes)
Long jumper Anthony Mason , of Ipswich Harriers , cleared seven metres for the first time in his career to smash the junior men 's record by 34 centimetres , and 16-year - old Keith Davis shaved a tenth of a second off the under-17 400 metres record with a time of 52.0 seconds . Ipswich Harriers ' young sprint star , Laura Seston , 14 , had an amazing afternoon , clocking 12.4 seconds to win the under-15 100 metres , and then running a 25.8 seconds 200 metres . Seston 's 100 metres time knocked six - tenths of a second off the previous record , while her 200 metres time was 1.2 seconds faster than the old mark . There was some impressive middle distance running , with West Suffolk 's Daniel Madams gaining a narrow victory over club mate John Cross in the senior men 's 1500 metres , and Gyamfi Kyereme ( Lowestoft ) gaining an exciting win in the under-17 800 metres . Winning double
Idiom: with a view to (used idiomatically: yes)
Nothing matters , so long as you 're all right . Nothing at all— just come back , and we'll … ’ This dream : I had it the night after Mum - in - the - mud , the night after English Lit when I 'd sat and stared at these dead simple questions — I mean , ‘ Examine Mark Antony 's friends , Romans , Countrymen speech with a view to its effect on a modern audience’ . I dreamed . I 'm in this room , and it 's totally dark .
Idiom: put your foot down (used idiomatically: yes)
Car . Constant acceleration car . Erm no frictional resis resistance , you just put your foot down and it 's , you know where a car accelerates from rest Mm . and then after a while the acceleration reduces ?
Idiom: send someone packing (used idiomatically: yes)
Yet she knew that the ordeal to come must tax all her strength and , not impossibly , exceed it . Nor was a reckoning with her grandfather 's shade the only sentence imposed by the spread . Another and equally disconcerting presence had materialized there — one which she had attempted to diminish some time ago and send packing packing from her thoughts . Yet there the figure remained and was , in a way , still less acceptable , for the mean spirit it betrayed lacked stature . To acknowledge it — as the cards insisted that she must — a portion of herself , was to recognize features which were paltry and despicable ; it forced the reluctant awareness that she was , in part at least , a smaller person than she believed herself to be .