Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: pie in the sky (used idiomatically: yes)
After three weeks of intense work and numerous rejected ideas the creative team of copywriter Liz Whiston and art director Dave Shelton felt they had been trying to solve one of humanity 's great challenges . Not surprisingly , they believed they had only made a stab at it , From the start Wave and HHCL were determined to build the campaign around an organisation with a sound commercial and practical justification for funding such advertising ; someone with a vested interest in curbing consumer greed . Anything less would smack of pie - in - the - sky thinking . The United Nations was chosen because of their consistent concern about the economic imbalance between the Northern and Southern hemispheres . The North consumes too much and the South suffers through debt , food shortages and lack of resources . This is of direct importance to the UN and a campaign to address the problem could be justified from the recommendations of the Willi Brandt report ‘ A Programme for Human Survival’ .
Idiom: bread and circuses (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ The people would rise up,’ Mann said excitedly . ‘ No . If the military could provide them with bread and circuses , then the people would be content . And then Bourbollon , that indolent fool , would launch military expeditions to retake the other five planets . There would be full - scale nuclear war.’
Idiom: neither here nor there (used idiomatically: yes)
Yet there are those of us who , although firmly based inside such an institution , have undertaken anthropological training and have subsequently developed the academic wish to be discursive . Our interpretation of the field situation therefore becomes a specific and unusual type of ‘ anthropology at home’ , for it is not out there in the exotic or even in the backyard . It is neither here nor there , but is everywhere . It is all around , all of the time , and not even an interpretation of another but similar society , ‘ at home’ in what Hastrup ( 1987 ) has called a ‘ parallel culture’ . This research at home is primarily about the society of the self and the self in that society .
Idiom: have a ball (used idiomatically: no)
When play re-started , Pascucci lashed out at Aspinall with a callous tackle and referee Callow instantly dismissed him . Birmingham boss Terry Cooper blasted his players after they crashed out of the Cup with a 3-0 loss at Lucchese . Cooper , who saw striker John Gayle sent off after an off-the-ball clash with Daniel Delicari in the 70th minute , stormed : ‘ With a chance to qualify for the semi-finals of the competition , I thought the players would really have gone for it . Agony ‘ The time has now come for me to act and sort out some of the players .
Idiom: make a move (used idiomatically: yes)
They were carved laboriously out of the solid rock hundreds of years ago for the purpose of pounding soe , or ground bait , a practice that continued until late in the 19th century . The best known of the cup - marked stones in Islay is outside the chapel at Kilchiaran ; it has a couple of dozen cups , two of which pierce through the slab . It has been suggested that this stone was brought from the Cultoon circle but there is no evidence that it was ever there and no good reason has been given for making such a move . What can we learn from twenty prehistoric burial chambers , which we call cists , and which have been uncovered up to now ? If their positions are marked on a map of the island it will be seen that the main concentrations are in the Ardnave - Sanaig area , with a few down the Rhinns to Port Charlotte , another group within the sweep of Laggan Bay and a third near Kildalton .
Idiom: in a nutshell (used idiomatically: yes)
Letter to the Editor : London is rude to runners SIR — As preparations are made for the 12th London Marathon ( arguably the largest and best race in the world ) , Londoners need to recognise and rectify an important problem . In a nutshell , this city is the world 's worst in which to run . I have run in more than 30 cities , including places that had never seen a runner before . When I ran in Pinsk in 1985 , children in the street started to follow me , until officials told me to use a park .
Idiom: meat and potatoes (used idiomatically: yes)
The prison is locked up , the inmates are counted and the main staff go off duty . A supper is served later in the evening . A typical daily menu would be : breakfast — tea , porridge , bread with margarine and jam or marmalade , boiled egg ; lunch — tea , soup and roll , beef curry or savoury mince , rice , peas and cabbage ; tea — bread and margarine , chicken cutlet or meat and potato pie , mashed potatoes , marrow fat peas , tomato gravy , bread pudding and custard , tea ; supper — trifle , tea . A vegetarian and vegan option is always offered . ‘ We operate a menu to get the best out of the rations,’ Lamb says .
Idiom: take it from me (used idiomatically: yes)
Opening the control icon gives you a series of cascading menus , which you can easily alter to show programs and functions you might want to perform . As part of this , there is a set of enhanced commands which allow you to set up quite complex command lines for launching both DOS and Windows application within Windows . I do n't propose to enter into a tutorial on the enhanced commands , but take it from me that you can manipulate how a program looks when it opens , and even feed keystrokes to it automatically , have it run macros , and so forth . It 's very powerful . Better than that , the Power Launcher itself has a timed event facility , which means that you can set it to open an application at a given time — so that file you promised to send to a colleague via modem by ten o'clock on Thursday can be sent automatically , even if you 've taken the day off sick ( assuming the cleaner has n't switched your PC off , of course ! )
Idiom: give and take (used idiomatically: no)
Although it will never attain real equality , a democratic society will seek to ensure that there is a redistribution in wealth through taxation which funds the services which provide help to those that need it . Yet we can not describe the contributions made to society purely in economic terms , nor can we operate prejudices against any sector of society because the people involved do not conform to our concept of a normal life . Our society is built on interdependence , we all give to it , and take from it . If a process of real integration is to occur , the British public must therefore gain a fuller understanding of the nature of mental handicap . How might this be achieved ?
Idiom: make waves (used idiomatically: yes)
Mer - doll and T - shirt opportunities appear to be limitless ; making balance - sheet splashes are Disney 's The Little Mermaid and the upcoming Cher movie Mermaids — a tail story in which she plays a single mother of two who leads a less - than - respectable love life . Even McDonald 's is getting in the swim of things by giving away plastic mermaids with kiddy hamburgers . Making waves in London is the predicted new male fashion trend christened the Urban Surf Look — the hot news for spring . Featuring bright hooded sweatshirts worn under suit jackets , teamed with baseball caps and baseball boots , young fashionables in search of the Endless Wave will be seen in full regalia around Soho this spring . And talking of trends , chic Americans realise that even in a retail recession all things Soviet still make the cash registers ping .
Idiom: out of sorts (used idiomatically: yes)
in the premier league Swindon Town won their second point of the season at West Ham and in the third division there was a one - all draw for Hereford against Northampton at Edgar Street Voice over Hereford are still searching for the winning touch … goal man Chris Pike was out of luck on saturday … out of sorts too he went off still feeling the affects of flu … United 's goal came in the first half … top marks for winger Max Nicholson … he kept control … kept his head and then smashed it home … low and hard … Sadly Hereford could n't hold on …
Idiom: up and running (used idiomatically: yes)
COMPUTER BOOKING A new computerised booking system for golf courses was recently demonstrated in Fife . Intended to relieve pressure on the most popular courses , the system should be up and running this spring . The ‘ Golfnet’ system will link courses across Fife , enabling golfers , both local and visiting , to make a firm booking for an available starting time on any course in the system . Representatives from over 25 courses and 20 hotels attended the recent demonstration by the Scottish Development Agency .
Idiom: fair game (used idiomatically: no)
Any living individual , if made the identifiable subject of a defamatory attack , may take legal action . This includes infants ( who sue " by their next friend " ) , lunatics , bankrupts and foreigners . Animals , however , are fair game . The question of who can sue is less important than the question of who will sue . The enormous cost of contested libel actions means that most plaintiffs will need financial support from unions or employers .
Idiom: under the influence (used idiomatically: no)
And yet , as she kept repeating , she was convinced that there was something that no one was telling her . Since Kirsty had been feeling quite confident before the operation and yet that feeling had disappeared immediately after surgery , it seemed that something must have taken place in the theatre itself . Now I had never before tried to regress anyone to a time when they were under the influence of anaesthetic , but I decided to do so on this occasion . And the effects were more dramatic than I could have imagined . Kirsty was able to tell me a great deal of what had taken place in the operating theatre .
Idiom: watering hole (used idiomatically: yes)
Across the plains on either side of the Mississippi and Missouri , it is as if a giant city planet had exploded , leaving a random scatter of asteroid towns frozen in their wanderings but uncommitted to an urban star . Never quite random , of course . Some grew up on river crossings , at water - holes on the westward trails , and a remarkable number — Matson included — on the railroads or , thanks to founding fathers with a keen eye for land values , where they deduced the railroads must come . Robert Julius Matson had guessed right : the first train had come through just nine years after the town was founded in 1858 , pulling behind it the fertiliser works , the com mill , the seed - com warehouse , and with them the quiet prosperity that spawned the first Masonic lodge in 1871 , a voluntary fire brigade in ' 75 , the telephone in ' 84 and the first sewer in 1920 . All this — and a lot more — Maxim learnt from a centennial booklet in the town library , just one floor up from the town offices .
Idiom: make a killing (used idiomatically: no)
' World Shut Your Mouth ' seems impossibly majestic and you realise that , even when seemingly in the wilderness , this guy could still chop out cool tunes . There are snags here and there , and your patience is somewhat tested by the sheer overload of songs , yet you ca n't complain when both ' Read It In Books ' and ' Bouncing Babies'retain their original qualities , and especially when ' Out Of My Mind On Dope And Speed'condenses three decades into three minutes . Julian Cope : making a Jehovah killing FRIGHT TO THE FINNISH FAITH NO MORE
Idiom: in the clear (used idiomatically: yes)
Strange indeed to look through one 's instructor 's head ! Despite just thirteen degrees of wing sweep max Mach is a surprising 0.82 . ‘ Fougabatics in the clear upper air were an almost religious experience … low - speed handling is every bit as gentle and benign … ’ Two other images from that initial sortie stick in my mind . Totally unprepared for an unexpected 5 g demonstration loop , I realised I had been caught napping , and glanced at the g - meter in time for it to disappear as my sight blacked out .
Idiom: take stock (used idiomatically: yes)
Ortega ~ y ~ Gasset expressed it more forcefully than anyone else : " If today we were to take stock of our intellectual property - our theories and norms , our desires and assumptions - we would find that most of them derived not from our respective fatherlands but from our common European origin .
Idiom: cut and dried (used idiomatically: yes)
I am a surrogate parent . So when you say you went through , what what did you go through before you embarked on on surrogacy ? Erm , well my particular case was cut and dry , no medical miracles , as I say , could help me because I had lost a baby at six months during the labour and erm in order to save to my life I had a hysterectomy so there was no possibility of I V F , etcetera , etcetera . Adoption was out of the question in this country I think in Grampian region there was four babies for Mm .
Idiom: in a fog (used idiomatically: no)
' Search it . ' ' Now yer talkin ' . We do n't want no bleedin ' bullets flyin ' about , guv , if yer do n't mind , it 'll bring the rozzers down on us like a ton of bricks , even in this fog . I brought yer the letter , and I offered to catch this thievin ' ' aybag for yer , but I ai n't partial to firearms — ' ' Quiet , you fool .
Idiom: pull a face (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Yes , tell me . But do n't forget to drink your vitamins.’ The old lady picked up the glass and pulled a face . ‘ Why does everything that 's good for you taste ghastly ? Anyway , Shelley , I think you ought to take some of this .
Idiom: have no truck with (used idiomatically: yes)
He added : ‘ If only they knew what old Casey knew.’ Casey knew much ; but he was also careful not to know . He kept open a line to North , but made sure that he appeared to have no truck with whatever he was doing . When John Singlaub , a retired military man also engaged in anti - Communist operations , visited Casey in his office while the Boland amendments were in force , he would sometimes — inadvertently — mention Nicaragua . ‘ He threatened to throw me out of his office,’ he remembered .
Idiom: small print (used idiomatically: yes)
Close work can be helped with the use of a low vision aid or closed circuit television . Good contrast is essential and the use of extra lighting may be helpful . Young children may need large print but should be educated to use smaller print as their reading develops . Dark lines on paper can be a useful writing aid . Macular degeneration can be hereditary and genetic counselling appropriate .
Idiom: follow in someone's footsteps (used idiomatically: yes)
MIDDLESBROUGH have a very young side in the Central League this season . Andrew Todd , the 17-year - old son of former Middlesbrough manager Colin Todd , is one of the many promising youngsters . He is following in his father 's footsteps as a central defender . With a limited squad , there are six first - year YTS players in the side . Youth development officer Ron Bone said : ' Results are not as important as the development of young players .
Idiom: get lost (used idiomatically: yes)
I do n't mind looking after Satan — it 's a bit of company . Marie took a taxi to the station on account of her bags being so heavy . I wanted to go with her to the train , but she told me to stay at home otherwise I 'd get lost on the way back . It was real sad saying goodbye to Marie . I think she was sad too , cos her eyes watered like she was going to cry .
Idiom: one and the same (used idiomatically: yes)
I mean you asked me about formal education and immediately we 're talking about nursery education . Now I do n't want necessarily to equate the two of them . I do think some formal education could start sooner , but I would n't want you or the listeners to think that nursery education and formal education are one and the same . What is the difference , basically ? Well I think one of the advantages of a nursery schooling is certainly a considerable amount of social interaction for the children , which very often they wo n't be obtaining , either if they 're living in high rise flats , or at the other end of the social spectrum if their parents are living in large houses with large gardens and no other children within the vicinity .
Idiom: bear fruit (used idiomatically: yes)
We have more archaic sculpture from Athens than from anywhere else . An economic and political crisis around 600 was resolved by the reforms of Solon . His economic measures bore fruit , but the constitution was overturned by Peisistratos , who made himself tyrant early in the second quarter and held power ( with interruptions ) and his sons after him till the expulsion of Hippias in 510 . They were patrons of the arts , and the Acropolis became covered with dedications and decorated buildings . These were thrown down by the Persian invaders in 480 , and shattered remains preserved for us in terraces and foundations of the fifth century .
Idiom: take the piss (used idiomatically: yes)
Let 's examine why Morrissey might have cuddled the Union flag . One , he might have wanted to show his national pride . Possible , but if I was a BNP yob I 'd think he was taking the piss and would throw something , and if I was n't , I might throw something anyway because nationalism stinks — keep those ‘ Ethnic Cleansing’ concentration camps in your mind . Two , he might have been reclaiming the flag for non - racists . Great , but cue missiles .
Idiom: live in sin (used idiomatically: yes)
they go to church because they 've done something wrong half of them no they just like , think that it looks good because they are being seen to go to church precisely , I mean Prince , the Duchess of York goes to church and she lived in sin for ye years with that bloody racing driver so she 's , she 's nothing that 's right , that 's right and when you
Idiom: on the level (used idiomatically: yes)
While the easing of ideological tensions and the acceleration of democratization has spurred progress on one level , the new conflicts have all too often been accompanied by massive human ~ rights violations and humanitarian emergencies , posing new challenges .
Idiom: in the long term (used idiomatically: yes)
This data is available to you for the evaluation of past service tasks and the planning of future service tasks in the long term .
Idiom: every which way (used idiomatically: yes)
Gobshite ‘ tinks he 's a rock star cause he 's roadie for Paul 's band . Keeps nattering about some demo he decydes is gon na make it for him . Yeah , he 's a rock star sure enough , wit’ his guitar in hock , his ugly mug juttin ' out every which way . He 's a promising specimen of a star till they find the needle up his elbow . And he tinks he ai n't usin ' !
Idiom: by the same token (used idiomatically: yes)
They do not see that from the very beginning they necessarily presuppose themselves as a group of men belonging to their own environing world and historical period . By the same token , they do not see that in pursuing their aims they are seeking a truth in itself , universally valid for every - one .
Idiom: on someone's mind (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Still … ’ she said again . ‘ I am busy on my own work : I am part of a team , legging it around London , working undercover.’ Gently he said , ‘ So I 've got other things on my mind , Gaby.’ Triumphantly she said , ‘ But I know.’ She corrected herself .
Idiom: over the hill (used idiomatically: yes)
It then descends to the Vale of Evesham to cross the River Avon between Fladbury and Cropthorne . The Way continues to Bredon Hill and on to Ashton - under - Hill taking it into the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty . The last section of the path goes over Alderton Hill , passes through Gretton and climbs over Langley Hill . It finally travels into Winchcombe . The Way actually joins up with the Cotswold Way at this point if you fancy a more epic walk .
Idiom: on edge (used idiomatically: no)
It is made to the usual high Wolfcraft standards using thick steel for the bench table and a cast alloy housing for the disc . The disc itself spins easily on a sealed ball-bearing race . The sander is clamped on to the edge of a workbench so the disc is vertical and the shank of the disc is locked securely into your power-drill chuck — most drills with a standard 43mm diameter neck are suitable . It is important to set the drill on a high speed setting ( 5,000rpm maximum ) , and the disc must turn in the direction shown by the arrow on the housing . The bench table is clamped securely in position by means of two tommy bar bolts .
Idiom: no holds barred (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I thought we really had something special . We all worked extremely hard on the project , and the band was really ahead of its time compared to what the heavy metal scene in Washington DC was doing in the early ' 80s ; we were faster and more complex than the majority of the other outfits in the area . I 'd have to say that Deuce was the most aggressive and distorted band around Washington , and that 's always been one of my attitudes : to be the most aggressive , no - holds - barred type of player that I can possibly be.’ Friedman feels a lot of today 's rock guitarists are guilty of playing with weak attitudes … ‘ They have a great technique , but it 's all too smooth and almost jazz - like ; they might as well be performing in a Holiday Inn lounge or something !
Idiom: up and running (used idiomatically: yes)
Does not he realise that , in making his announcement , he has , to some extent , signed his political death warrant ? Mr. Lang No , I do not , because I believe that the electorate will judge by results and that , even before the trusts are up and running , they will begin to see the benefits that will flow from the trusts . The hon . Gentleman said that my statement was a blow against consultation . There was a three - month thorough consultation period for each specific trust , during which detailed application forms were sent out extensively .
Idiom: old hat (used idiomatically: yes)
The hours of the examination are not something distinct and separate from the rest of your preparation , but are more like the final short sprint to the tape . Work during the examination is a development of earlier work and a logical culmination of your strategy . Techniques " at the bell " are four ( 1 ) living with the headlines and main outlines of your subject by the use of swot cards;(2 ) rehearsing old papers ( or papers concocted from textbook examples ) under examination conditions , with the deliberate aim of making these conditions so familiar that you will be at ease — with the " this - is - old - hat - to - me " feeling in the examination room;(3 ) listening with a much more critical ear to your tutor and to the lecturer — especially if he is also the examiner ; ( 4 ) obtaining familiarity with the types of question which have been consistently set in the past , and making a tentative guess at the likely questions for your examination . Swot Cards
Idiom: run riot (used idiomatically: yes)
The rest , shame to say , all gave it away as England folded dismally to 99 for six . England 's batting in this Test has been as dodgy as the plate of prawns which ruled out captain Graham Gooch . Without Gooch , the victim of food poisoning the night before the game , much depended on Mike Gatting if England were to escape with a draw following India 's first innings run - riot of 560 for six declared . But Gatting has disappointed hugely , contributing to his downfall in both innings — yesterday picking the wrong ball to sweep after he and Smith were threatening to rally England from 12 for two with a third wicket stand of 59 . Alec Stewart and Graeme Hick , who played so well in England 's first innings , bagged ducks just when their country needed a repeat performance .