Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: above board (used idiomatically: yes)
Otherwise , he says , he finds it incredible that the cardinals , monks , nuns , Swiss Guards and the ascetic curates of the Sistine Chapel should be managing per head , per day , 3 lb of beef , the equivalent of 12 large beefburgers . With 1.8 litres of liquor and wine , it is a wonder they are able to remain upright , he says . Mr Delors insists that it is up to the pontifical authorities to check that everything is above board . ‘ A form issued by the Governatorato dello Stato della Citta del Vaticano is used to certify that the products are intended for consumption,’ he said in his written reply . But Mr Glinne makes dark references to financial scandals surrounding the Vatican , the Banco Ambrosiano , the P2 Masonic Lodge and the Italian mafia 's well - known expertise in farm fraud .
Idiom: spot on (used idiomatically: yes)
A white spot on a yellow model gathered very little more response . Various other spots were tried on the yellow beak , the red spot causing the greatest response . A model of a totally red beak showed an even greater response showing the attraction to the red colour of the spot on the herring 's beak . RESPIRATION THE BIOCHEMISTRY OF RESPIRATION
Idiom: force someone's hand (used idiomatically: yes)
Mr Mubarak certainly needs the loyalty of the police and security forces . His alternative is to call in the army , as he did in 1986 when low - paid police rioted in Cairo . The Islamic militants , by hitting Egypt 's tourist revenues , would dearly love to force his hand . Military intervention would raise serious questions about the stability of the regime . Some Jamaat activists hope that the army will decide that Mr Mubarak himself is the source of instability .
Idiom: out of sight (used idiomatically: yes)
The clock has been timed to a consistent gain of less than half a minute per week during several months of sustained testing . Special attention has been paid to security . The clock is attached to the table on which it will stand by means of a padlock and plastic covered cable , which is located with the clock and out of sight . Whilst a prospective burglar might fumbling with the clock and wondering why it wo n't lift , his movement will have activated the pressure pad which controls an audible alarm giving out 85dbs . This alarm may only be de - activated by a key holder , and the noise alone is such that the prospective thief will hopefully abandon his anti - social ideas .
Idiom: second nature (used idiomatically: yes)
( Until this point , films had been shot in continuous takes by cameras which were fixed in position and set well back f r()m the action . ) This newer cinematic approach summarises the essential difference between the cinema and the theatre , and in order to make good video one must re - learn this important truth . Hopefully , the technique of cutting from shot to shot in a controlled and purposeful way is already becoming second nature to you , as is the use of shots of different sizes as a means of directing the attention of the viewer to where you wish it to go . Until now , though , we have glossed over descriptions of shot sizes , and the time has come to make these clearer . In all professional work for the cinema and television , shots are given standardised descriptions so that the camera operator knows exactly what is required .
Idiom: hot air (used idiomatically: yes)
And tomorrow was happier , and different . Ruth had felt it from the moment he had picked her up at the hotel and once again they had headed for the Cartuja site of the Expo . Now , as they sat across from each other at the shady table with the heady scent of jasmine sweetening the hot air , Ruth know that it could n't go on like this much longer . The waiter brought them cool beers and before drinking Fernando reached out and clasped his hand over hers . He said very quietly , ‘ I love you.’
Idiom: on the house (used idiomatically: yes)
A survey last August by the Consumers Association suggested that one garden in 20 had been burgled in the past two years , and that the average value of each theft was £ 130 . These amount to rich pickings , given that more than 20 m British households have a garden . Garden criminals range from gnome - snaffling pranksters to professionals who swoop on country houses at night armed with a crane and a lorry , ready to snatch everything from £ 20,000 orchids down to the last £ 700 Koi carp in the pond . Garden machinery is the most popular swag — a grass - cutting tractor costs over £ 1,000 . Ordinary tools and plants are next into the bag .
Idiom: out of sight (used idiomatically: yes)
The first time that the door opened and spilled yellow light out on to the dark afternoon street , it was the parson making a bid for freedom . He crammed on his hat , clutched up his cloak and ran . But when he reached the place where the cart had been , which had brought him twenty miles from the nearest town , it had been stabled out of sight . As he stood in the torrential rain , and peered this way and that , the Mason and Garvey stood with their arms round each other 's shoulders , in the doorway of the inn , watching him in puzzled amusement . ‘ Stay till the morrow , why do n't you?’ said Garvey hospitably .
Idiom: hands down (used idiomatically: yes)
p.545 ) . This ' destroys the technical foundation on which the division of labour in manufacture was based'(ibid . ) , but it does not destroy the advantages which the division of labour offers the capitalist in terms of controlling and cheapening labour power : ' Thus although , from a technical point of view , the old system of division of labour is thrown overboard , it hangs on in the factory as a tradition handed down from manufacture , and is then systematically reproduced and fixed in a more hideous form by capital as a means of exploiting labour power . The lifelong speciality of handling the same tool becomes the lifelong speciality of serving the same machine … . In this way not only are the expenses of ( the worker 's ) reproduction considerably lessened , but at the same time his helpless dependence upon the factory as a whole , and therefore upon the capitalist , is rendered complete'(ibid . , p. 547 ) .
Idiom: on the dot (used idiomatically: no)
Fred asked quickly . ‘ I 've got me regular suppliers an ' they always come on time . Ole Bert Moseley 's ' ere on the dot at nine o'clock every Monday mornin ' wiv me stuff , an ' Albert Buller comes round every Thursday mornin ' ter take me order . I 've bin dealin ' wiv Johnson 's fer years now , an ' so was me parents when they ' ad the shop.’ ‘ Well , I reckon we should look at the prices,’ Carrie persisted .
Idiom: off the beaten track (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Well , it 's a very arcane area of instrument history,’ says Ry , beginning to get enthusiastic . ‘ My own guess is that they were mostly using guitars made over in Hawaii . In those days — we 're talking 1890 to about 1915 — there were hundreds of different brands and varieties of guitars being made in the United States , but it 's hard to say for sure that any of them were actually distributed in Hawaii — it was kind of off the beaten track . ‘ But there were a couple of makers who settled in Hawaii , and one of them was a Portuguese called Nuniads . He came in on a boat , I suppose , and he plopped himself down and began making ukuleles , very good ones , and some fabulous guitars which are quite rare nowadays .
Idiom: leave well alone (used idiomatically: yes)
I have discovered that during periods of withdrawal from normal mental activity — during meditation , or while hovering on the borders of sleep , for instance— it is sometimes possible to look right into that ‘ teeming womb’ and release its contents prematurely . There may be the germs of many good ideas there , but to allow them out and pick them over is to expose them too soon to the light of day . If one touches upon that area , it is good discipline to learn to leave well alone , and to trust that the ideas will in time emerge into consciousness . This gives them a far better chance of survival . I have also noticed that nine months after a significant moment occurs in life , something very often happens .
Idiom: on a roll (used idiomatically: no)
According to the Representation of the People Act 1983 , compulsorily detained patients are the only people who are disenfranchised automatically because of mental impairment . They can not have their names on the electoral roll and , as a result , can not vote . Voluntary patients can register on the electoral roll and can have postal votes . Similarly , convicts can not vote , while unconvicted ( remand ) prisoners can use a postal vote . Apart from those who have been deprived of their freedom by the state , and at the discretion of the electoral registration officer , anyone over the age of 18 is eligible to register to vote .
Idiom: drop a hint (used idiomatically: yes)
The plane he so nearly did n't catch crashes , and he is forced into befriending a vaguely familiar - looking German who turns out to be the brother of an old friend … And so it goes on until he boards a ship about to set Voyager ( 15 , Curzon West End , 113 mins ) Europa ( 15 , Chelsea , Everyman , 114 mins ) sail for France and meets Sabeth , the pony - tailed young woman who is his ' fate ' , leading him back to the woman he once loved and to his own Greek tragedy . Too many hints are dropped ; it is not hard to guess what ensues . Visually , this is a spectacular film , all inky images and achingly authentic period detail . But the bleak , bitter irony of the book is subsumed ; the soft - focus , slo - mo romance threatens to turn this voyage into a sentimental journey .
Idiom: out of the blue (used idiomatically: yes)
There is something unsettling and unsettled about Graeme Souness . He 's handsome , he 's fit , he 's a self - made millionaire and he 's the strident enigma who spent five years dragging Glasgow Rangers into the twentieth century . Then out of the blue , out of the real true blue , the Messiah with a droop moustache did a runner . Suddenly the Ibrox revolution was on hold . With the club teetering on the brink of another League title , Aberdeen threatening the impossible and the SFA snapping at his heels , Souness moved to Liverpool .
Idiom: by the book (used idiomatically: no)
A Weekend Away A Weekend Away is a sparkling situation comedy that effectively combines the best in television entertainment with sound teaching practice . It is presented in eight episodes on two thirty - minute video cassettes and is accompanied by an Activity Book for students and a Video Guide for teachers . A Weekend Away is ideal for all classes in their first year of English .
Idiom: off the hook (used idiomatically: yes)
Right I 'll make him some dinner and take it up , thanks Pat . Right Never been off the hook . It was n't off ? No oh do n't say that to him though , cos he 'll blow his top wo n't he ?
Idiom: rock bottom (used idiomatically: yes)
Her only public appearance was once a fortnight at the dole . The lady at the dole office was nicely dressed in flowered cotton , she 'd seen Alex cry once and got her some tissues and everything was suddenly made easy . Rock bottom , but socially secure . The first week she 'd signed on , her lover had packed her in and moved out . It was over .
Idiom: at sea (used idiomatically: yes)
As Doak describes , ‘ Then something startling happened .... a formation of six dolphins abreast of me ... repeated that trick in unison , reinforcing my newly acquired mimicry patterns . ’ With his family and friends Doak has pioneered work and communication with dolphins in the wild , interacting with them on their terms , and in their environment . Working from a base in Northland , New Zealand , Doak spends long hours at sea on a small catamaran , inviting close encounters with dolphins . When going out to meet dolphins he plays ‘ sweet music ’ through the bows of the boat to create a receptive mood and establish trust . Doak also understands body language to be a key to communicating with cetaceans , and he experimented with special wetsuits that were modelled on the dolphin body , black above and white below , with both legs enclosed in a sheath terminating in a tailfin or jetfins .
Idiom: marching orders (used idiomatically: yes)
KEVIN KEEGAN and I made all the headlines for being sent off and throwing our shirts down last time Leeds and Liverpool met in the Charity Shield . That was 18 years ago — and I 'm still convinced it was a set - up . Kevin and I had a bit of a scuffle , but it was nothing that did n't happen all over the park and certainly nothing to warrant our marching orders . I can still vividly remember the referee calling us together and saying : ‘ On your way.’ I took that to be a quiet word of warning and an instruction to get on with the game .
Idiom: beg the question (used idiomatically: no)
Markedness in language An accepted notion that aggression is a given characteristic in humans everywhere leads to a search for it in various social settings . This , however , begs the question and determines the formulation of research , phrasing the questions in terms of how aggressive drives are handled . The vocabulary of the debates reflects this , for the contrast is drawn between aggression and non - aggression , violence and non - violence ; it is the absence of conflict , not the presence of something else that is noted . The whole emphasis is placed on the terms being negated , thereby reflecting a profound bias towards aggression as the norm .
Idiom: catch someone's eye (used idiomatically: yes)
Iris hesitated , but Melissa jumped in quickly . ' You two wait here for me and I 'll join you in a minute or two , ' she said . Over Jack 's shoulder , she caught her friend 's eye and put a finger to her lips . There was no particular reason why he should not know what she was up to , but she instinctively felt an urge to keep it quiet for the moment . She intercepted Dieter just as he was emerging on to the terrace .
Idiom: lie low (used idiomatically: yes)
There 's no point , when you already know who wrote it.’ ‘ I 'm not absolutely certain and I do n't have any concrete proof . That 's why I want you to lie low for a couple of days , while I look into it.’ Jessamy muttered something under her breath . She did n't like any of this , not one little bit .
Idiom: off the wall (used idiomatically: yes)
Franks smiled — obviously pleased by Blanche 's approval , Dexter believed , although trying not to show it . ‘ It 's so hard to capture poverty on video , you know , Superintendent . Some of the places we went to were absolute tips — paper peeling off the walls , damp patches on the ceilings — and video just glosses over it all.’ ‘ I 'm sure,’ said Blanche . ‘ And was this film important to her in any particular way?’
Idiom: on someone's mind (used idiomatically: yes)
He had not got very far with Pilger 's list . He did not know the people on it and they did not seem as keen to join as he had expected . And more and more the fast - approaching deadline of the next dummy edition was pressing on his mind . He met Pilger in the foyer and they went up to the room . Pilger had laid on a lot of beer .
Idiom: under the microscope (used idiomatically: yes)
I believe that the smallest area that will be considered by the commission at any one time will be a county , with the possible exception of certain islands . However , as my right hon . Friend the Member for Southend , West said , it may be appropriate in some cases to consider a group of counties if clear cross - boundary issues are likely to arise during the discussion period . The order in which we put the various parts of England under the local government commission 's microscope will be for the Government to decide . It will take some years to complete that process , but that is a necessary price to pay for the flexibility that the legislation gives us . It enables us to tailor our solutions to suit the needs of different places .
Idiom: one of those things (used idiomatically: yes)
I subsided on to the turf . ' A boat … I thought you were talking about a bird , though how you 'd spot one of those little things … Ah , well , skip it . What boat did you think it was ?
Idiom: have a ball (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ That 's my picture.’ Meanwhile , out front at Jean - Paul Gaultier is Mary Russell , who covered the catwalk for a decade . Now a vice - president of American fashion firm Esmark , she has one comment : ‘ I had a ball!’ Food and Drink : SUNDAY WINE By ROGER VOSS
Idiom: round the clock (used idiomatically: yes)
Managing Director of Rockcliffe , Graham Campbell said,’ We are not just going with the trend , we are about to overtake it.’ Both firms have invested heavily in hi - tech applications and are running a double shift . Mr Stevens forecasts success will lead to a treble shift round the clock working and the creation of six or seven new jobs for both companies . Final Film are to the fore in the conversion of Apple Mac graphics to colour film for brochure work and run a fully integrated Crosfield colour reproduction installation , which now complements Rockcliffe ' high volume Hiedelberg presses . In addition Final Film are introducing BT 's International System Digital Network , a hi - speed data transfer system which allows design work to be sent from the computer screen down a landline .
Idiom: come full circle (used idiomatically: yes)
Does anyone know what happened to the JC designs of the late 1960s ? The JC Cougar I still have is a constant joy to paddle , as were the Ardèche double tou40er and the Cub junior kayak . If you 're out there , JC , thanks for years of great paddling and if the moulds or plugs are still around perhaps fashion will come full circle and we 'll be able to by JCs again someday . In the meantime I could do with an Ardèche and a Cub or two for my collection : any offers ? Editor 's note;The Ardèche is available in updated form from Granta .
Idiom: take someone to task (used idiomatically: yes)
He said the decided to pursue the case , even though the individual involved conceded , in the early stages , that the person who got the job was better qualified . ‘ The decided to fight her case for her so she could make a good job of it,’ Mr Robinson claimed . ‘ There is no doubt in my mind the took that decision because Castlereagh Borough Council took it to task over its figures,’ he said . An report on the religious breakdown of the council , due out three years ago , has still not been published . The MP also accused the of ‘ forcing the council into the ring’ .
Idiom: in tandem (used idiomatically: yes)
It is not expected to be commercialised . Mt Xinu Inc , the Berkeley , California - based backwards Unix house , has released an OSF / Motif interface called MUI for its MACH386 operating system . Electronic Buyers ' News claims Sun has recently been ‘ selectively marketing’ the Sparc90 ( UX No 395 ) , an embedded Sparc design it built in tandem with Sun spin - off Harvest VLSI Design Center Inc and described at Hot Chips : The 13 MIPS design incorporates CPU and floating point on the same IC . First silicon could be available by the end of the year . SunSoft last week released what it considers its first applications package , a search and retrieval system called SearchIt based on Fulcrum 's Ful / Text engine with a Sun - added front - end plus NFS and client / server capabilities .
Idiom: on the money (used idiomatically: yes)
Er er really attacking the , the the poor people ! Not , attacking them , standing up for them ! Er how did he expect the poor the people to live and pay mortgage and er , you know all this and that on dole money ! Side , you ca n't choose anything ! You 've
Idiom: come to think of it (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ There 's the Humming Bird,’ said Ianthe , naming the cafe where she sometimes had lunch . It would be the first time she had ever been with John to a place that was part of her own particular world , unless one counted the Ash Wednesday lunchtime service at her uncle 's church . But now that she came to think of it she had never been out to any sort of meal with John . There was to her something romantic about the idea of sitting with him in the place where she had so often sat alone , eating a poached egg or macaroni cheese at a shaky little oak table . ‘ No , we do n't do evening meals,’ Mrs Harper was saying to an obvious middle - aged civil servant as they entered .
Idiom: in the pipeline (used idiomatically: no)
Child abuse is definitely not ‘ hip’ , and there are more victims than you might think . SAVE FACE As announced last month , the SAFE FACE appeal is now — mercifully — closed . The fund currently stands at £ 82,680 ; additional monies pledged and/or in the pipeline will take the total over £ 90,000 and ensure that THE FACE survives . The names listed below have given their support in the period between press date and publication of the last issue , and their contributions are included in the sum mentioned above . Our thanks to these , and to all the friends of THE FACE who have given their time and money so generously to help us through this difficult time .
Idiom: in the short run (used idiomatically: yes)
That is , in periods of high unemployment , the government would expand aggregate demand : this would reduce the unemployment but at the same time tend to create inflationary pressure so that eventually the government would have to reduce aggregate demand again . Thus , all ' go ' periods tended to be followed by ' stop'periods and it became difficult to achieve long - term economic growth . Possibly the main problem is that the Keynesian model is only short - term and in the short - run , it is not always easy to predict the effects of policy changes , and the management of the economy , therefore , may become very erratic . A second limitation of the Keynesian model as we have outlined it in this chapter is that it fails to take adequately into account the problem of inflation . Indeed , the basic model assumes that wages and prices are fixed and the only time we allowed them to rise was after the attainment of full employment .
Idiom: chase your tail (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Really ? Shameful Secrets of the Manse Revealed.’ Wycliffe said : ‘ You 'd better go and talk to him , but find somebody who knows the area or you 'll spend the rest of the day chasing your tail on that moor.’ Wycliffe turned to the reports where the only item of interest was negative : not a single .32 pistol among the licensed hand guns in the register . He put through a call to Dr Franks , the pathologist .
Idiom: in the short run (used idiomatically: yes)
Often , the guilty blame the economic catastrophe on the sinister manipulations of foreigners like the " gnomes of Zurich " or the IMF . The US is far from that point . But even in the shorter run – over the next two presidential terms , say – the costs of a high deficit and rapid debt growth would be substantial . A growing debt - to - GDP ratio would , in the first instance , crowd out investment , as resources that would otherwise go to fund productive investment instead support private or public consumption .
Idiom: in your element (used idiomatically: no)
‘ This is the sort of life you 've been brought up to enjoy . Glamour , chic cafés and discothèques . You should be in your element.’ He had a point . She used to enjoy it , but could n't he tell that she had changed ?
Idiom: at the crossroads (used idiomatically: yes)
I dedicatee this award to all the courageous people of my country , black and white , who have suffered and endured so much and pledge that in whatever time remains to me , I will spare no effort to bring peace and freedom and justice for all to South Africa . President de Klerk reaffirmed his belief that negotiations would settle South Africa 's future . But said the country was at a crossroads . We still face tremendous challenges there are stumbling blocks which must be overcome . We have all sorts of remaining problems but by and large , if we look back over the past three four years , tremendous progress has been made .