Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: in the dock (used idiomatically: no)
No doubt , as the election approaches , the Conservatives will seek to blame everything on the right hon . Member for Finchley ( Mrs. Thatcher)— a close friend of the Chancellor , whom I am glad to see in the Chamber . How very convenient to have the right hon . Lady to blame . One is reminded of how those huddled in the dock at Nuremberg pointed towards the bunker . We shall see ever more frantic gesticulating in the direction of Finchley , Dulwich or the American lecture circuit as the election approaches . We must remember , however , that today 's uprating comes more than a year after the Conservative leadership coup and that there can be no excuse for the provisions .
Idiom: go round in circles (used idiomatically: no)
' I 'd like to live twenty - five years with ten legs or two hundred and fifty years with one leg . ' ' I 'd settle for a few years with four legs like a cheetah and be able to go at forty miles an hour , ' Otley declared . ' And would n't it be fun having three legs and being able to go round in a circle like the Isle of Man flag ? ' ' It 's interesting , is n't it ? ' said Aunt Bedelia , ' I would n't mind doing a degree in legs myself because mine are giving me gyp these days . ' It is feared in some quarters that television destroys family life but with us it 's the Opposite way round .
Idiom: by the book (used idiomatically: yes)
Only with every identifiable cancer cell standing would I begin . Feeling one day the need for something more aggressive than the healing ball , I again turned back to my military roots . Tanks and guns bombarding one 's inside seemed totally out of place , so I sought inspiration in earlier times , in the knowledge that what was once just as hideous has , over the years been softened by children 's books , Morte d'Arthur and the legends of chivalry . Pikemen attacking cancer cells seemed altogether too slow and cumbersome . I remembered my own boyhood watching cavalrymen sticking tent pegs at the gymkhanas , and tried knights on shining white chargers , complete with shining white bascinets , breastplates , leg armour and gauntlets doing the same thing to my inside , but they never really filled the role .
Idiom: run amok (used idiomatically: yes)
At the Dissolution of the Monasteries , Nostell Priory was granted to Dr Leigh and the fair held by the canons at their church at Woodkirk , otherwise known as West Ardsley , became known as Lee Gap Fair . Fairs and fights seem always to go hand in hand . The Wakefield Court Rolls for 1315 describe three complaints brought against John de Heton , who seems to have run amok , assaulting a man and a woman and overturning a stall , causing the owner damages and injuries totalling a loss of forty shillings . In 1656 the inhabitants of West Ardsley petitioned the justices of the West Riding , requesting the fair to be abolished as it was a nuisance and Wakefield Market now met their needs . Obviously it was not abolished , and there were further reports of revelling and drunkenness , not to mention bloodshed and loss of life .
Idiom: for good measure (used idiomatically: yes)
Next month : In next month 's Surgery we shall be describing a simple pulse repetition frequency comparator which can be used for synchronising the speed of two engines . We also provide details of a simple AM tuner which can be added to an audio system which only has an FM reception capability . For good measure , we have some information on the design of analogue to digital converters ( ADC ) and selecting basic logic gates to perform the standard AND , OR , NOT , NAND and NOR functions . In the meantime , if you have any comments or suggestions for inclusion in Circuit Surgery , please drop me a line at : Faculty of Technology , Brooklands College , Heath Road , Weybridge , Surrey , KT13 8TT . Please note that I can not undertake to reply to individual queries from readers however I will do my best to answer all questions from readers through the medium of this column .
Idiom: stand someone in good stead (used idiomatically: yes)
Clouds lift for Hagley in fell win Gareth Hughes LOW cloud caused problems for some of the runners in the 11.5-mile Carneddau mountain race but Kevin Hagley 's navigational skills stood him in good stead . Hagley led to the summit of Carnedd Dafydd , reaching it in 47 minutes 30 seconds , and he never once surrendered his lead despite a spirited challenge from Paul Jenkinson , who was running his first fell race . Hagley finished 12 seconds outside Emlyn Roberts ' course record but one record did fall , with Don Williams , who came fifth overall , taking a minute off the previous best for in the over-50 class .
Idiom: a little bird told me (used idiomatically: yes)
Later on , in a pub , Mr Smith chats to a friend : ‘ Of course we 've got to get stuck in , at least to some extent , because the alternatives make the mind boggle.’ Now let 's eavesdrop on old Bill . ‘ I say Charlie , a little bird told me that Joe there 's been a bit crafty . Remember that garden fork he borrowed ? He 's been and gone and sold it !
Idiom: without fail (used idiomatically: yes)
Other times , it is as if I was writing about someone else . Lots has happened since June 28 , 1988 . There have been spells back in Harefield , particularly last year , but the one true lesson is that life goes on , with the proviso that you take the medication every day — without fail . Doggy hero is still in need of good home Report by Guy Campbell Picture by Richard Rackham
Idiom: go public (used idiomatically: yes)
However , when the threat abated in 1989 with a ceasefire in Angola , which saw Cuban forces retreating to Havana , and the end of the Cold War , the decision was taken to terminate the programme . Only six bombs had been completed by then . The president said he had decided to go public because criticism and disbelief from some countries and influential commentators had threatened the republic 's commercial nuclear programme . ' It had become necessary to dispel these doubts so that , with full trust restored , South Africa 's people could benefit from the technological development that has taken place as a result of this process . ' He said none of the South African bombs had been tested .
Idiom: only time will tell (used idiomatically: yes)
For instance , the fine against a player ranked in the top 4 in the world has been increased five times from $ 20,000 to £ 100,000 . It is hoped that this will be the sort of figure which will deter those exhibition event organisers , who in the past have been more than content to pay top players such as Seles a six figure appearance fee and cover any fine which they may have incurred . Only time will tell but at least it is a step in the right direction and certainly in line with the views expressed by Mary Joe Fernandez in a splendidly reasoned and cogent article which she wrote for The New York Times at the end of last year . In it , she accepted that exhibitions per se are ' not inherently bad for the game ' , especially if they can sometimes take top players to towns which otherwise might never see them . Yet Mary Joe forcibly made the point that ' exhibitions can hurt the tour when they take place during the same period , the same City or just the same continent as specified sanctioned tournaments . '
Idiom: out of sight (used idiomatically: no)
But scorning rest , upon his reappearance , he instantly began again , though there were no dancers yet , as if the other fiddler had been carried home , exhausted , on a shutter , and he were a bran - new man resolved to beat him out of sight , or perish .
Idiom: raise the roof (used idiomatically: yes)
I know he is here , which room he is in . You have a minute to decide.’ Dolly wanted to scream , to raise the roof and to wake Joe . As it was , she had to think of something to say that would satisfy a man who was so evil he should never have been born . What could she say ?
Idiom: down and out (used idiomatically: yes)
Almost every seat was taken , and there were plenty of standees . The necking kids had gone . Most of the passengers looked down - and - out , or rowdy , or indefinably depraved . By the doors , where the couple had been , three teenage boys were scuffling and messing around . One swung from a chromed pole like an ape .
Idiom: at a loss for words (used idiomatically: yes)
Looking at the water sadly , Martha answered quietly , ‘ I rarely cross it . When I was seven , my sister Maria was drowned in it.’ Lamb was at a loss for words . Looking at Martha , he could see that she was distressed . Putting a hand on her arm , he said gently , ‘ Would you like to sit for a while and tell me about it?’
Idiom: part of the furniture (used idiomatically: yes)
' What does he grab , Sergeant ? ' ' How do I know ? Something odd enough in shape not to be a normal part of living - room furniture . Something , anything , he can use as a club . And swings it at her . '
Idiom: make history (used idiomatically: yes)
With the aid of a cable slide , the patient was slowly lowered to safety . Once back on the ground the ambulance service took over the medical side of the operation . The man who ran the world 's first sub - four minute mile has been back to the track where he made history nearly thirty five years ago . Sir Roger Bannister trained on Oxford 's Iffley Road track with Chris Chattaway before breaking the four minute barrier . He was back at the track to mark the donation of a quarter of a million pounds to refurbish the surface .
Idiom: clutch at straws (used idiomatically: yes)
' It was n't my idea , ' Maggie pointed out coldly . ' As you seem to have seen through the subterfuge from the very first moment , why did you agree to this trip ? ' ' Maybe I am clutching at straws , scraping the bottom of the barrel ? I do not know what to do next . Perhaps I am prepared to wait for a miracle .
Idiom: face to face (used idiomatically: yes)
He was expected to earn as much as he could ; that was the point of the " roundsman " system . The Berkshire justices had made it clear enough that the scale was payable to " every poor and industrious man " . In the still face - to - face world of the agricultural village the character of the claimants was easily known . The existence of the bread scale was to guarantee subsistence at a very low level . It seems more than likely that with parishes concentrating on basic food needs , the other kinds of discretionary payments , which had been a feature of the eighteenth - century poor , were made less often and with declining generosity .
Idiom: get to grips with (used idiomatically: yes)
Price : £ 145 Arts and Letters Apprentice has one of the best quality selections of editable clip - art , and a very good range of fonts . Although its drawing and selection tools are slightly more convoluted than they need be , the program is easy to get to grips with and has some nice touches that make it more usable than most . The best example of this is the symbol icon , which lets you call up rectangles , circles and other ready - made shapes for each one . Just scroll along and drag the one you want onto the page .
Idiom: below par (used idiomatically: yes)
Finding the winner of the Harcros Timber & Building Supplies Stayers Championship Final ( Handicap ) is an even tougher task than reading the race name . There is a host of possibilities and the tentative selection is Sarawat , a comfortable winner of the Ebor at York last month . He was probably feeling the effects of that gruelling contest when a below - par third at Sandown three days later . By Burnaby ADRIAN Doherty 's comeback bid with Derry City is over .
Idiom: one and the same (used idiomatically: yes)
I was given the task of preparing a document , which was adopted without opposition in March 1991 by all nine nations and all four political parties . I will quote from it , because it is important to do so in the context of the reasons that have been given for not giving the WEU control of defence . ’ WEU could establish a link between a Europe in the process of unification and an Atlantic Alliance in the process of transformation and thus provide the vehicle for a stronger Europe to contribute more to joint security WEU must be at one and the same time the means of allowing Europe to make its voice heard in a Euro - American dialogue’— it must never be forgotten that Europe must always have an input into that dialogue —’of which the Atlantic Alliance is the institutional framework and the instrument for making the most of the European contribution to the defence of the West This contribution of Europe is the more essential in that the American military presence on the continent of Europe , reduced since the war in the Gulf , will remain below what it was in the past Defence policy should continue to be made in the organisations which assure collective defence , NATO , and WEU . It should be a task of the European Council to reach conclusions on common foreign and security policy . These would serve as a guideline for co - operation within WEU on defence matters’— not control , but guidelines .
Idiom: hold the line (used idiomatically: yes)
Get one with a cycle bearing shaft and you 'll never regret that purchase . We regard the reel as an essential tool for single line flying . It will hold all the excess line you are ever likely to need , and its very concept of reeling will preserve the line from those snarls we mentioned earlier , because the line has little option but to reel back in the same form as it was reeled out . If the reel is still just beyond the range of the pocket , then make a basic winder from a flat panel , as sketched on page 53 . All you will need is a piece of plywood , plastic or plain wood about 65 mm x 200 mm ( 21/2 x 8 in ) and a couple of short lengths of dowel .
Idiom: out of the box (used idiomatically: yes)
At the very least you should look out for password protection and virus checkers ; a more serious network station would include them as built - in hardware rather than merely as loadable utilities . Plug - in - and - play . Take it from me ; the average network station will not be up and running five minutes after you 've taken it out of the box . It 's difficult enough to persuade a PC to do what you want normally , and the added complications of network access only compound the problem , particularly if you 're assembling it yourself . But it ought to be easier .
Idiom: take a bath (used idiomatically: yes)
Pliny . Pliny the Elder ( AD 23–79 ) , Roman writer and encyclopaedist . CD 's reference to his succeeding the experimental philosophical pig who had died from ‘ taking a bath at too high a temperature’ , and thus falling a victim ‘ to his thirst for knowledge’ is a jocose allusion to Pliny 's death during the eruption of Vesuvius , which he was trying to study at close quarters . PP 36 . Plornish , Thomas ,
Idiom: rank and file (used idiomatically: yes)
Its effectiveness grew through 1958 and 1959 to reach its peak in 1960 when both the Trades Union Congress and the Labour Party Conference passed resolutions in favour of unilateral disarmament . But they were just resolutions . By then Labour had lost its chance of power and the militant rank and file of the Disarmers were growing impatient with the lack of results . A new technique of ‘ direct action’ , with Bertrand Russell 's blessing though not as yet his participation , began in December 1958 , with a march through the muddy fields of Norfolk leading to the obscure American rocket base at Swaffham . This time they marched behind not Canon Collins but a fiercer cleric , the Reverend Michael Scott .
Idiom: kick the habit (used idiomatically: yes)
They may also feel that they have no right to put their children at risk by making them passive smokers . They will also consider the risks of a habit that could lead to their own early illness or death . There are various clinics and self - help groups to support and encourage those wanting to kick the habit ; but a lot of determination will be needed to get through the first difficult weeks or months . Advisers say : Do n't try to give up at a time when you are already stressed .
Idiom: out and about (used idiomatically: yes)
Horrocks chatted affably a moment with Tilly who presided over the hoc griddle amidst a ring of ragged children . He took a chestnut from the pan and bounced it from hand to hand as he turned cheerily to enquire after Mrs Frere 's welfare . ‘ It 's good to see you out and about . Fresh air is what you need — that and time will see you through these early discomforts . And you must eat .
Idiom: pick up the pieces (used idiomatically: no)
‘ It was only a photograph , for God 's sake.’ But she was not looking at it . She was looking resolutely away , so that Tug could feel what an effort it took her not to bend down and pick up the pieces . ‘ How touching , ’ Doyle said coldly . He stooped and picked up the torn halves himself .
Idiom: go by the board (used idiomatically: yes)
But yet there 's no doubt at all that despite the technical shortcomings of his work in subsequent judgement , erm Russell by this work became , I suppose , the main founder of modern logic , the main founder of this kind of logic which by the much more sophisticated symbolic apparatus erm is able to panelize a much wider range of logical phenomena , and hence to reveal the structure in a way which had not been possible before . Of this Russell was the principle founder , and this I think is his greatest claim to intellectual fame . But as the work progressed , one thing at least went by the board , and that was his original Platonic outlook . Partly for technical reasons , partly for temperamental reasons , Russell came to very different conclusions to the Platonic ones with which he began . He came to the conclusion , as he puts it , ‘ that the eternal world is trivial , and that mathematics is only the art of saying the same thing in different words.’
Idiom: hold someone's hand (used idiomatically: no)
On a November evening in 1895 the Würzburg - based physics professor Wilhelm ~ Conrad ~ Röntgen asked his wife Anna to hold her hand in front of a piece of equipment , essentially a cathode - ray tube .
Idiom: take to the hills (used idiomatically: yes)
There seems to be a seasonal mass migration from the Rhineland and the Ruhr , extending well into October . No corner of southern Greece is immune — not even , alas , the Mani . There is one escape : take to the hills . This never fails . During five weeks in Greece I met four other walkers , all British , two of them women .
Idiom: with a view to (used idiomatically: yes)
315 , 321–322 . I also gratefully adopt the narrative contained in the speech of my noble and learned friend , Lord Templeman . With a view to persuading your Lordships to restore the order of Buckley J. , the plaintiffs , who are the appellants in the circumstances described , have put their argument in a number of different ways , but only the last need , in my opinion , seriously occupy your Lordships ' attention . I turn first to a submission based on section 72 of the Supreme Court Act 1981 , which , so far as material , provides : ' ( 1 ) In any proceedings to which this subsection applies a person shall not be excused , by reason that to do so would tend to expose that person , or his or her spouse , to proceedings for a related offence for the recovery of a related penalty —(a ) from answering any question put to that person in the first - mentioned proceedings ; or ( b ) from complying with any order made in those proceedings .
Idiom: in the final analysis (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Clearly the authorities know the rape camps are there and what they 're being used for . A lot of people who have n't previously raped must be going around raping.’ She admits in the final analysis she finds it difficult to make sense of the ‘ gratuitous savagery’ . ‘ I 'm left with extremely uncomfortable questions about what makes men tick and I do n't see any reason to believe that men in the former Yugoslavia are different from men elsewhere . ‘ That does n't mean I think all men are rapists but … it means a significant proportion of the men around us in that situation of social breakdown would rape and I ca n't even begin to digest that notion.’
Idiom: above par (used idiomatically: no)
There are 10 days of accrued interest , 171 days until the next coupon payment and 10 years from the next coupon payment before maturity . Sometimes the simple margin formula is adjusted to take account of any change in the reference interest rate since the last coupon reset date . Equation ( 5.60 ) ignores the current yield effect : all payments are assumed to be received on the basis of par , and this understates the value of the coupon for FRNs trading below par and overstates the value when they are trading above par . Equation ( 5.61 ) takes the current yield effect into account . The adjusted price AP d replaces the current price Pd in ( 5.59 ) to give an adjusted simple margin .
Idiom: break someone's heart (used idiomatically: yes)
But at what cost ? Craig rubbed at his forehead in a mingling of anger and despair . To clear himself he would have to implicate his young brother in the embezzlement of a large amount of money from the family business , it would break his mother 's heart . Spencer had always been the favoured one , beloved by mother since his difficult birth made it impossible for her to have any more children . Spencer had been spoiled , treated for far too long as a baby and he had grown up knowing how to twist his mother around his little finger .
Idiom: behind closed doors (used idiomatically: yes)
I think another important thing for us to recognize is that many of the people within the N H S , the people directly responsible for the care , remain some of the lowest people in the country , the least rewarded people in the country . Now while that says a great deal about what the government thinks about of them and their expertise , it also says a great deal about how well regarded this National Health Service of ours is in the minds of this particular government . And again one of the great concerns that we have with the development of N H S Trusts , is those Trust Boards are able to determine their own policies in respect to staffing , to set their own pay scales for staff , also they are able to do their business to a large extent behind closed doors . Legally they are only required to have one public or open meeting at which the Community Health Council is invited to attend . Again my concern about that is that Trusts bring with them a shroud of secrecy , able to do business behind closed doors .
Idiom: full of beans (used idiomatically: yes)
Apparently I had windmilled in at a quarter to ten , with three bottles of champagne , all of which I dropped in one catastrophic juggle . The kitchen floor , Martina said , was like a jacuzzi . Full of beans , I took my seat at the stalled dinner . Then , for the next twenty - five minutes , I told a joke . " Oh Jesus .
Idiom: catch fire (used idiomatically: yes)
ASIA — PACIFIC AUSTRALIA A Greek oil tanker caught fire and broke up off the west coast of Australia on July 21 , spilling at least 20,000 tonnes of its cargo of light crude oil . ASIA — PACIFIC FRENCH POLYNESIA
Idiom: pure and simple (used idiomatically: yes)
After a moment or two when he had swallowed his steak and could speak safely , he went on , ‘ Modern theology does n't help , I dare say . To say nothing of modern educational notions . But sometimes a chap is a wrong'un , pure and simple.’ He gave a decided nod as if to approve his own argument . ‘ You believe in evil , then?’