Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: behind closed doors (used idiomatically: yes)
So the structure in which policy is made erm of er in America is rather plural . British policy making and there are many similarities between our country , not in size but in terms of its democratic traditions , British policy making tends to be in the end more uniform . There tends to be , the differences tend to be hammered out behind closed doors and , on the whole , there , there tends to be erm a single voice , it does n't always happen , but there 's more of a single voice in British policy making than American policy making . Now both have advantages frankly , both have advantages and drawbacks . But the , the answer to the question then , are or is foreign policy making the same for all governments , again there are similarities .
Idiom: rock the boat (used idiomatically: yes)
These 50 places would be allocated to West Glamorgan , together with another 250 , consisting of 50 to be taken from the quotas of Gwent , South Glamorgan , Bangor Normal , Llandaff and St Mary 's Bangor . This decision , to cease teacher training at the Polytechnic while allowing it to continue at West Glamorgan seems to have been based on political rather than educational considerations . According to Dr D.W.F. James , the then Director of the Polytechnic of Wales , the government 's decision was a reflection of its desire not to rock the boat and was connected with arguments about the Welsh language , arguments which had already saved Bangor Normal College from merging with the University College of North Wales so that it could develop as a Welsh medium teacher - training college . It may also have been the political considerations involved which led both the WJEC and the University of Wales to remain silent throughout the argument . The summary way in which teacher education was disposed of at Barry also contrasts strongly with what happened in North East Wales : here , there was much lobbying to prevent teacher training based on Cartrefle College of Education , now merged into the North East Wales Institute of Higher Education , from contracting further ; it is indeed ironical that on the same day , 26 July 1977 , that Gordon Oakes , Minister of State at the DES , declared that Cartrefle should be spared the axe , predominantly on the basis of its geographical location , he should pronounce a death sentence at Barry .
Idiom: have an eye for (used idiomatically: yes)
She is compelled to preserve her image of them , and has difficulty abandoning anyone because of her own vulnerability . Even her envy is magnanimous . She is intelligent , sensitive , and has an eye for an elegant fabric . The best bits in the book , like the anecdotes of female literary suicides , have the engrossing quality that upmarket glossy - magazine articles could have if their obsessions were n't so self - consciously frivolous . Connie 's visions of her past are expertly merged with the present as she moves backwards and forwards in time , following an order of association , not chronology .
Idiom: come of age (used idiomatically: yes)
This victory was to delight the masses just as it brought little pleasure to the newly energized forces of the political left , but , just as significantly , it was now also an occasional delight to a growing audience drawn from amongst critics , intellectuals , and the more respectable classes generally . All the while Hollywood was winning new friends and gaining a new legitimacy for its methods and style . The English - language feature film came of age in the 1930s first because of its singularity as a piece of entertainment and then because it prompted responses which were important in defining cultural positions generally . The decade had started disastrously and yet it was out of this very disaster that Hollywood 's greatest era was to evolve . What had occurred was an unprecedented box - office slump in which eventually a third of America 's movie - houses were to close and giant film corporations were to plunge into debt .
Idiom: be my guest (used idiomatically: yes)
' Why do n't we sit down ? ' Dougal said . ' Be my guest . ' Dougal sat in the armchair and wrapped himself in the duvet . It was still warm from Lorton 's body .
Idiom: hold court (used idiomatically: yes)
At last , in a fit of anger , he gave John permission to invade the duchy and try to take it by force . Richard , of course , had been preparing for some such move . He had held his Christmas court at Talmont , north of La Rochelle , and distributed gifts on a lavish scale . But princely generosity could not buy everyone 's loyalty . It was safer to hire soldiers as well and it is at this time that we first come across the name Mercadier , a name that from now on was to be closely linked with Richard 's .
Idiom: on board (used idiomatically: yes)
These two reports remain the source of almost all the information about the eruption ; the Royal Society in particular went to great lengths to amass every possible scrap of information and even inserted a notice in The Times requesting anyone who had seen or heard anything to come forward . Part of the difficulty in compiling these accounts was that there were so few survivors from the coastal towns in the Sunda Straits which were most directly affected , and those who had survived were often too distraught and confused to give an accurate description of what they had experienced . The best eye - witness reports came from European officials living in the two important towns of Batavia and Buitenzorg , where there were even some useful scientific recording instruments — one of them at the Batavia town gasworks — and from the officers on board the various vessels that were on passage through the Straits at the time of the eruption . There were a great number of these at different points along the Straits , but there were three that found themselves right in the thick of things . First , there was the British ship Charles Bal , under Captain Watson , on voyage to Hong Kong , which was sailing eastwards through the Straits on 26 August , keeping to the south of Krakatoa , and passing about sixteen kilometres distant .
Idiom: turn something on its head (used idiomatically: yes)
One result of the exercise was that pupils urgently needed further evidence . Only early photographs and documentary and other materials could begin to resolve some of the arguments and questions and it was at this point that material from the archives , old maps , early photographs , traveller 's descriptions , census records , trade directories , window tax or hearth tax assessments , and so on could be meaningfully introduced to children hungry for further knowledge . The history of the town or village : turning history on its head The history of the pupil 's own town or village is also a highly popular topic in the primary school . Rather than trying to start in the depths of prehistory , when local material may be scarce , or difficult to interpret , a better approach may well be to begin in the present and work backwards .
Idiom: fair game (used idiomatically: yes)
The ends to which they might properly be put would be severely limited by these considerations . They exist ‘ merely as a means’ which is only to say that , lacking language and self - consciousness , they are unable to plan and debate projects of their own as do moral agents . In this sense , Kant argues , ‘ the dog can not judge’ , which does not mean that it is fair game for any purpose we might devise . This brings us finally to the vexed sentence which sounds so anthropocentric : ‘ That end is man.’ This , again , is no declaration of open season ; it points merely to the obvious fact that moral agents must necessarily set the agenda .
Idiom: with a view to (used idiomatically: yes)
I could hear people groaning and calling for help.’ The car driver , in his thirties , escaped with a bruised knee . Police said : ‘ He has been reported with a view to prosecution.’ Mid - life crisis at thirty THIRTY something men are suffering mid - life crises , says a psychologist .
Idiom: have words (used idiomatically: no)
Yeah . Yeah if they only wh wheeled it down and then they 're allowed on the paths I 'll have a word with him . round . And er but not where there 's houses , it 's like a car
Idiom: old hat (used idiomatically: yes)
The Special does , however , have the same sort of neck joint and cutaways as before , resulting in a similar finger squash at the top of the neck . IN USE Anybody who thought that P90s were a little bit old hat would be sure to think again when confronted with this guitar , because they sound just right . The natural warmth of the mahogany is a perfect foil for the P90s’ tonal characteristics and recalls almost precisely the sound of an old Les Paul Junior . The neck is very good to play ; the balance is about right and I 'm slowly getting used to the weird control arrangement .
Idiom: go hand in hand (used idiomatically: yes)
Monetary tightening was forestalled only to the extent that another source of foreign capital ( either private or ECB ) could replace the outflow . The point at which credit risk becomes exchange - rate / redenomination risk is ambiguous . But the metamorphosis tends to go hand in hand with localized monetary contractions that exacerbate the correlated risk of sovereign default and bank failures . In Spain , as in Greece before it , the monetary squeeze has become chronic as banks run short of ECB - eligible collateral . Under the OMT program , the ECB can replace foreign outflows from sovereign - bond markets through direct purchases , putting Spain on par with non - eurozone countries like the United ~ Kingdom .
Idiom: do the right thing (used idiomatically: yes)
I 'm perfectly happy , mum ; and not everybody needs to be married , you know,’ Cassie said , remembering Jenny 's words . ‘ No , of course not , Cassie dear . And your father and I thought you did the right thing about David . Thoroughly nice lad ; but not the one for you , in my opinion . Anyway , how is the young man in question ?
Idiom: in the final analysis (used idiomatically: yes)
He has made his suggestions , not statements , and now it 's up to readers to interpret them as they will . And I always look on a writer as only a beginner . In the final analysis you 're really only as good as your next day 's work . So , how do you feel about the hostile reception given to your play , especially by Irish critics ? I 've been a professional writer for 30 years now and I 've been slaughtered before so one can only bow!(laughs ) .
Idiom: go public (used idiomatically: yes)
Not until the anonymous informant had rung again on 4 August and there had been more calls to Lawrence , and they had finally made contact with John Lewis , did the Panel begin to find out what had really happened . On 22 July , the Water Authority had admitted for the first time that aluminium had been involved by placing a small advertisement in the local press saying ‘ that the water was no more acidic than lemon juice’ . From 14 August onwards the Water Authority’ went public’and issued numerous statements and explanations . On 18 August it met with the Health Authority 's officials and asked them to conduct a public health survey which it would pay for , mainly to reassure the public that , although the EC limits for aluminium had been exceeded over 500 times , and those for sulphate , copper , zinc and lead had also been broken , there was no long - term harm . A number of people who were previously healthy now reported difficulties with their memory , digestion , concentration and muscle control .
Idiom: out of order (used idiomatically: no)
Barlaston QC Facilitator Margaret Scott explained : ' The problem was that there was simply no system to allocate these orders . ' They were coming in and going round and round in the system . ' Faxfinders ' work means that a computer print out of all outstanding orders of odd lids and bases is produced and sent out to production areas . Location ' There is a new stock location in the warehouse from which these orders can be sent out .
Idiom: under the table (used idiomatically: yes)
I do said this before had n't I ? Erm that erm about erm me father coming down from the top of the ah ah well , this was January the thirty first , nineteen hundred and sixteen and er me father had been up to look after the horses , pigs etc you know , and about eight o'clock he came back and said to my mother that there was a big fire out at Wensbury Me mother and all of us went up there , and er we could see these blazing buildings over there , and er mother immediately said that 's no fire , that 's the Zeppelin 's , and er that 's what it turned out to be , of course . So , course a bit later we all went off to bed and er well I , the next thing I remember were was er me father coming grabbing out to me and me brother , and chucking us more or less out of ou get off downstairs and get under the table ! And er , as there were seven of us you can imagine that was a bit of a problem . But anyway , that 's what we did .
Idiom: have an eye for (used idiomatically: yes)
Whatever the weather , in Herefordshire and Shropshire , our reporter , Peter Green became firm friends with some people for whom time had stood still . Villager , Dennis Crowther welcomes viewers to the Clee Hills in Shropshire . And our reporters had an eye for many a shaggy dog story . Geoff Meade tells the story of the woman from Chinnor in Oxfordshire who made a coat from her dog 's hair , the woman from Swindon who moved house several times because her cat was homesick , the dog from Aylesbury with an aversion to music . The couple from Swindon who invited 50 strangers to their wedding .
Idiom: to die for (used idiomatically: no)
NOVEMBER CROSSWORD WINNERS News Hound CONDEMNED TO DIE FOR A DRINK A Pit Bull Terrier has been sentenced to death by magistrates , because her owner loosened her muzzle to allow her to drink from a puddle in the street . Stell 's owner , Gary Morrison , had complied with all the other requirements of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 , and had registered , insured , tattooed and electronically tagged his pet , but the court in Bristol stated that they had ' no option ' but to order the destruction of the dog .
Idiom: do me a favour (used idiomatically: yes)
To come down easy . ' ' What are you , Eva — some kind of social worker ? ' ' Do me a favour ! None of that official crap . We help our friends , you know ? '
Idiom: no man's land (used idiomatically: yes)
If you can drive his car over I get it , it 's no problem , it seems we might all be talking above ourselves Yeah , as soon as we know something we can start making decisions ca n't we ? Otherwise we 're , we 're in no man 's land Oh well they , they , give them time , it wo n't be till Yeah
Idiom: play for time (used idiomatically: no)
Dauberval 's exclusion from the Académie Royale ( later the Paris Opera ) was justified by those in charge because they felt his idea of making farmers , peasants and the like the heroes and heroines of his ballets was beneath the dignity of an opera house whose stage had hitherto been occupied with the deeds of noble heroes , heroines and courts . Bournonville coloured his ballets with movements characteristic of many different personalities and nationalities . In his particular style of demi-caractère dance he used classical footwork for most of the time but , from the waist upwards through the body , arms and head , he tried to convey how his performers worked and played in the environment to which they belonged . for example : in Napoli they were Italian , in Far from Denmark they were Danes influenced by the dance of South America . This way of creating more plebeian characters is fully demonstrated in Ashton 's comic masterpiece La Fille Mal Gardée , where this style of dance is shown in two different aspects , the light-hearted yet technically highly expert dancing of Lise and Colas and the comically eccentric work of Alain and the Cock and Hens .
Idiom: way to go (used idiomatically: yes)
The Wickhams live in the clockhouse which was the old brewery and laundry for the big house opposite . They planted shrubs and flowers in beds where the walls were , and put gravel inside the rooms and pieces of slate where the staircase was . This was how it looked two years ago — now there 's more height in the garden , but there 's still a long way to go . She says it is coming on slowly — it 's a long - term job … an awful lot of work … we never envisaged how much time we 'd spend weeding the gravel and general tidying up all the time . The Wickhams do n't garden strictly by the rules — where the poppies they 'd sown in beds spread into the’ rooms’ … they're left to flower …
Idiom: behind bars (used idiomatically: yes)
Bob Ivie and Tony Marinello were running the bar , having a great time , and making themselves easily popular ; they were ignoring Dizzy 's Women in favour of the locals , leaving the Sloanes to stand around looking remote and faintly embarrassed in a way that displeased Diane not at all . Bob Ivie 's speciality was his Hawaiian Punch , made to a secret Hawaiian recipe which became less secret every time he mixed up another batch before an audience , and which changed in its details anyway . Tony Marinello 's speciality was to escape from behind the bar whilst Ivie was holding forth , and to ask any unescorted woman for a dance regardless of her age or her inclination . The agency girls were doing an excellent backup job . They were zeroing in on the wallflowers , splitting up couples and effortlessly getting them to mix .
Idiom: pass the buck (used idiomatically: yes)
Well that 's extremely advisable , because if you have a problem in the middle of your morning 's run of sending out invoices , you may not know whether it 's a software problem in the programs , or a hardware , hardware problem in the actual electronics . It 's much better to be able to have one telephone number of somebody to ring up and say , ‘ Hey , the screen 's gone blank and I do n't know what to do next,’ and have somebody , initially over the telephone , giving you advice , helping you to get round the problem , or , if necessary , sending round a service engineer quite smartly . But what you do n't want is a series of conversations with two or three different people all of whom really want you to go away and are just trying to pass the buck to someone else . And it 's quite possible to arrange for demonstrations of suitable equipment to be given to you , is it ? Oh yes .
Idiom: under lock and key (used idiomatically: yes)
Of late years the Westminster scholars amused themselves with tearing it to pieces ; and one in particular , who bore a principal character in the police of India , lies under the imputation of having contributed in an especial manner to that havoc . I can just remember seeing some shapeless mass of mummy of a whitish colour . It is now under lock and key near her husband 's tomb , waiting for the next opening of the royal vault for her last repose.’ Anon she was not placed in the royal vault ; rather the opportunity was taken to put her in the Villiers vault in 1776 when the neighbouring Percy vault was opened for the reception of the remains of the First Duchess of Northumberland . However , the nineteenth - century antiquarian dean , Arthur Penrhyn Stanley , had her removed in 1877 and the subsequent examination showed that although both torso and head had become skeletal , the legs remained entire , enclosed within twelve layers of cerecloth , whilst the left arm and hand were quite perfect .
Idiom: at a stretch (used idiomatically: yes)
I began . But then she produced another harpy - bat shrieked and vanished from screen . I was looking then only at an empty stretch of spaceport beyond the comm - booth that she 'd called from . But I could hear the breathy snarl that Mala makes when she is about to hurt someone quite badly , and with it a menacing series of grunts that could only be Gharrgoyles . ' Curb ! '
Idiom: way to go (used idiomatically: yes)
It is ironic that Scotland , with an over - production of electricity , is already contracting its surplus to industry south of the border . Talk about playing golf while Rome burns ; just leave the canny Scots to pick up the bargains . Forget the doubters : British Coal knows that it has only one way to go , and that is forward . Nevertheless , its greatest threat comes not only from coal imports but from the Labour party . First , there were the financial consequences of Labour 's blind support for a dictatorial trade union leader , who is now as popular in Walworth road as a fox cub in front of the Quorn hunt .
Idiom: down and out (used idiomatically: yes)
The home side had turned 15 - 10 up , Andy Nicol and Mike Cousin finishing off planned moves and Jon Newton adding a penalty and a conversion . John Jeffrey had charged over for Kelso 's try with Graeme Aitchison converting and adding a penalty . Behind , away from home and down to 14 men , Kelso ought to have been down and out , but Jeffrey rallied his men in typical fashion and the visiting pack dominated the first 25 minutes of the second half . Aitchison managed to put over two of four kickable penalty chances in that period to push his side in front and , 16 - 15 behind , it looked as if Dundee High might be heading for their third single point defeat of the league campaign . However , a 72nd - minute break by the powerhouse centre , Paul Rouse , produced the opportunity for Cousin , a late replacement on the left - wing for Adrian Astley - Jones , to dart in for his second try .
Idiom: full marks (used idiomatically: yes)
' Thanks . You 're wearing jeans , ' she said , all of a sudden . ' Full marks for observation , ' Vitor said drily . ' I 'm also wearing a sports shirt and trainers , like you . And the reason is that , as well as coming to have my offer for your house refused , yet again , ' he said pithily , ' I 'm also here to invite you and Thomas to lunch on the quay in Portimão . '
Idiom: on the fly (used idiomatically: no)
Despite the lack of a desktop expansion box , it 's a very flexible machine . Since it 's also a conventional notebook , the Convertible will run all your software , whether it 's DOS , Windows or OS/2 . The keyboard is fine to use and allows you to change many of the machine 's settings on the fly — processor clock speed , LCD backlight , switching to an external display , the greyscale colour mapping , and so on . You can choose between the two different batteries for the Convertible , the lighter A cell type gives around two hours use , while the heavier , larger C cell will keep going for over three . But it 's when the screen closes over the keyboard that things get interesting .
Idiom: break new ground (used idiomatically: yes)
In the first case a woman is seeking compensation for the death in 1962 of her 10-month - old daughter from leukaemia ; the girl 's father worked as a fitter at Sellafield for nearly 30 years and has since also died of cancer . In the second case a woman of 27 is seeking damages for contracting lymphoma in 1988 , the treatment for which has left her permanently disabled and sterile ; her father worked as a fitter at Sellafield for more than 20 years . The case breaks new ground in Britain in that it seeks a ruling on whether radiation damage can be passed on to children through their fathers ' sperm , in which case , under current legislation , BNFL would be liable . Guardian 23 , 27 October Nuclear Power
Idiom: gather dust (used idiomatically: yes)
THE SUCCESS of the Mersey Barrage project depended upon one thing above all else political will . Only if the government of the day was prepared to fund an idea which could have secured a new source of energy , and helped revitalise a region , would the barrage dream have become a reality . Instead the plans are being left to gather dust . All the effort and all the investment made so far has effectively gone to waste . How typical it is of British government that the barrage dream should be allowed to dribble on and then left to fizzle out .