Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: go it alone (used idiomatically: yes)
Lamb numbers more than doubled , to 391,442 . Pigs , grain , potatoes and some breeding sheep were also sold through the system , which involves potential buyers bidding from computer terminals in their own offices for livestock , grain , etc . which have been described in detail to them . But County Auctions , a big operation with centres at Wooler and Newcastle , was always likely to go it alone . A significant factor was that much of the stock it sells comes from the Scottish side of the border . But Colin Young , then managing director of Lawrie and Symington , had negotiated a tough deal as the first company to sign an EASE franchise in early 1990 .
Idiom: pecking order (used idiomatically: yes)
He said : ‘ The babies are sold on and shipped round the world as soon as they are weaned from their mothers at about a year or 18 months . ‘ Some of the breeding monkeys had been at Shamrock for seven or eight years . ‘ Rhesus macaques have a strong pecking order . ‘ So when you put several males and females in a small pen the dominant males tend to fight . ‘ At Shamrock , animals needed constant patching up.’
Idiom: presence of mind (used idiomatically: yes)
Nigel shouted frantically . The musicians were knocked over like a row of skittles and all came to rest higgledy - piggledy as they were stopped in their tracks by a magnificent horse chestnut tree . ‘ As you know,’ said Nigel , with great presence of mind , ‘ the Romans introduced the chestnut into Britain — not this one , though , it was the other one.’ ‘ Which one?’ ‘ The sweet chestnut .
Idiom: bear in mind (used idiomatically: yes)
I did notice the absence . I know that my hon . Friend , who takes a close interest in these matters , understands the importance to Bristol and to British Aerospace of this decision and this order . Bearing in mind his experience and his information , I am pleased to hear his tribute to the quality of HMS Norfolk — as it happens , the first of class , built at Yarrow . The news that my hon . Friend has given the House is encouraging . Mr. Dick Douglas ( Dunfermline , West )
Idiom: tongue in cheek (used idiomatically: yes)
CARDINAL Allen High School , Fleetwood , was choc - a - bloc recently with WISPAS — the Cadbury variety ! In a ‘ Keep Doing It With Wispa’ competition held by the chocolate manufacturers the nomination of the school was chosen as a winner , resulting in the delivery of over 800 Wispa bars . The winning nomination , sent in be the school 's assistant headteacher , Mrs. Brenda Hart , was a tongue - in - cheek statement that everyone worked together as a friendly and cheerful team to uphold school standards in spite of Government directives and the pressures of society ! Mrs Hart was delighted that this tribute to the pupils and to all of the staff working in every section of the school community had proved to be a successful entry . Headmaster , Mr John O'Brien , commented : ‘ It was a great surprise to everyone in our team to hear of the win , and it certainly boosted morale and gave us lots of enjoyment in distributing the Wispa bars’ .
Idiom: cut corners (used idiomatically: yes)
She closed her eyes and rethought them , blanking their memories and recreating them from the emptiness up . They did n't need to be rounded characterisations , just functional bit parts . She cut corners , gave them short - term memories borrowed from a pair of marshals she had Dreamed for Neutrino Junction , and had them limit their thoughts to immediate matters . She dropped her face into their memories and wrapped some associations around it . Neither of them knew her well , but they would recognise her as the secretary of someone important in the administration .
Idiom: through thick and thin (used idiomatically: yes)
But we have doubts . ' The six are the first in the West to try techniques pioneered by Russian doctors who believe that sonar contact by dolphins helps to calm women . Through thick and thin AIDAN McGURRAN SAD Sandy Millington used to be 19 stone and without a date , but now she 's the happiest heavyweight in the world .
Idiom: on the level (used idiomatically: yes)
The title suggests that the suffering is focused on only one protagonist but one can see later how the King causes so much trouble and pain for his relations . Fathers are set against children and children against parents . Sister fights sister and brother plots against brother and even , on a different level , servants turn against their masters . As Gloucester sums it up ‘ Love cools , friendship falls off , brothers divide : in cities , mutinies ; in countries , discord ; in palaces , treason ; and the bond cracked 'twixt son and father …
Idiom: drive someone up the wall (used idiomatically: yes)
Driven up the wall … JOHN HUSBAND GERMAN motorists are driving insurance giant Guardian Royal Exchange up the wall — on both sides of the old frontier . They 've cost GRE a whopping £ 28 million in claims in the first six months of this year . Motorists from what used to be East Germany ca n't cope with West German traffic .
Idiom: up to here (used idiomatically: yes)
It takes a big man to allow a homeless person into his underpants , so I make no apology for returning to the otherwise distressing subject of Jonathan Lloyd 's nether garments . He faxes me , not to own up to being Clark Kent , but to draw attention to the fact that he is giving his surplus Y - fronts to Mary Loudon ( author of Nuns Unveiled , Chatto it says here ) for onward transmission to the homeless . Apparently they 're up to here in woolies , but nobody ever remembers that homeless men need underpants too . I shall certainly be supporting what I suppose we 'll have to call Knicker Aid by riffling through my scanties drawer , though I trust the recipient of these exquisite items will have the initials WB . The man Oates is sailing very close to the wind , if you ask me .
Idiom: by and large (used idiomatically: yes)
Sea surface temperature affects processes in the atmosphere ocean and atmosphere form one system . Our work proceeds by trying to model this ocean atmosphere system and initially we made these models to develop an understanding but it turned out that the models worked pretty well to make predictions . Now in order to make a prediction of what say what 's going to happen this year I would have to know the state of the system of the ocean and the atmosphere on January first and in order to do that in an ideal world I would have a tremendous amount of data about the ocean and about the atmosphere and be able to put it into this model but this data , by and large , does n't exist . What we do have are some relatively scanty observations of the surface movements over the tropical Pacific based on volunteer observers on merchant ships . We need the winds everywhere and we rely on people in Florida state to take these very sparse observations and turn them into a map which covers the whole surface of the tropical Pacific .
Idiom: knock it off (used idiomatically: yes)
you were n't in and I could n't , I could n't find telephone number to give him a ring , I 've just got , I 've just got through to Directory Enquiries , got the number , just gon na dial it and gran says Annette 's home . I would of Oh thanks Pat must , cats must of knocked it off . tell Annette to get off that bloody phone He 's a cheeky sod .
Idiom: get off the ground (used idiomatically: yes)
Meanwhile , in February 1992 , then UK Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Lilley announced that he had set up a steering group of leading businessmen to consider a prestigious new National Quality Award for the United Kingdom . ICI Chairman Sir Denys Henderson would lead the group which would present an initial report by 31 July 1992 . If this new award gets off the ground , it will replace the current British Quality Association Awards which was won by Chemical Products Billingham in 1989 and for which ‘ Melinar’ at Wilton received a commendation in 1991 . It will be another goal , along with the European Quality Award , for C&P and its businesses to aim for . The essence of the model is that customer satisfaction , people [ employee]satisfaction and impact on society are achieved through leadership driving policy and strategy , people management , resources and processes leading ultimately to excellence in business results .
Idiom: off the shelf (used idiomatically: yes)
Have you got any money with you today then ? No , I 've got a diary at home the one , cos I lost one , I bought another one and then I found the one I supposedly lost so I 'll use that one . I 'll get it off my shelf . Moi , moi , moi I ai n't got ta do it till Monday . Neither have I.
Idiom: settle a score (used idiomatically: yes)
The object of this activity is for one side to carry a ' ball ' from one end of the assembly hall to the other . The opposition 's task is simple — to prevent this and attempt to ' score ' their own ' goals ' . Both sides are permitted considerable licence to achieve their aims and in the ensuing melee , where there is little prospect of administering rules , many old scores are settled . The effect of this activity is cathartic . In an environment where considerable emphasis is placed upon the regulation of behaviour by reference to a moral code the playing of murderball is an anarchic act .
Idiom: close call (used idiomatically: yes)
We were told , madam , in England , there was one Miss Flora Macdonald with him.’ She said , ‘ They were very right . ’’ She then launched into an account so detailed that Johnson said to Boswell , ‘ All this should be written down,’ and Boswell did , in a faithful rendition that traces every move made by the prince and those who wished him to escape — every hardship , close call and incident , every hope , frustration and despair . Beneath the oral history lies a sad text of spies , betrayers , official reprisal and oppression , and heartrending devotion : ‘ Old Mrs Macdonald , after her guest had left the house , took the sheets in which he had lain , folded them carefully , and charged her daughter that they should be kept unwashed , and that , when she died , her body should be wrapped in them as a winding sheet . Her will was religiously observed.’
Idiom: come to terms with (used idiomatically: yes)
Abbas ’s withdrawal comes at a time when Palestinian frustration with the political process has rendered suspect the entire rationale behind the PA , established in the mid-1990 ’s , following the Oslo Accords . The main component of the PLO ’s agreement with Israel was a five - year interim period during which negotiations were expected to lead to an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel . Sixteen years later , it has become clear that the Israelis have made no effort to come to terms with Palestinian national aspirations – and that no effective effort has been made to convince them . The number of illegal Jewish settlers in Palestinian areas has doubled , leaving Palestinians increasingly convinced that negotiations are a waste of time . Many recall the preferred strategy of former Israeli Prime ~ Minister Yitzhak Shamir : “ I would have conducted negotiations on autonomy for ten years , and in the meantime we would have reached a half - million people in the West ~ Bank . ”
Idiom: on the back of (used idiomatically: yes)
If you would like advice on the correct way to pack and protect the items you post , read the leaflet Wrap up Well or ask your Customer Care Unit . If we can not deliver a letter or packet for any reason , we will attempt to return it to you . To help with this process , you should put the return address on the back of the envelope or packet . Make sure you pay the right postage on your letter for the weight , the type of service and where it is going . If you do not it could delay the item and the person receiving it might have to pay an extra charge .
Idiom: hit the headlines (used idiomatically: yes)
Pretensions beyond the talents Peter Woodifield analyses the downfall of Sir Edward du Cann , now declared bankrupt , and who never achieved the status he so desired SIR Edward du Cann has been walking a financial tightrope for so long that the only surprise is that it has taken him so long finally to fall off . His money problems have hit the headlines with almost metronomic regularity as one institution after another issued writs to try to ensure payment of unpaid bills . He even fell into arrears with his mortgage at a time when he was earning £ 400,000 a year as chairman of Lonrho , and at one stage had a 300-acre farm and farmhouse , next to his magnificent 14th - century manor house in Somerset , repossessed . Somehow he always managed to play off one creditor against another , claiming he was just awaiting payment for some big deal or other that was in the pipeline .
Idiom: pump iron (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Thank Christ for that,’ said Ricky . ‘ You can look after Perdita.’ ‘ Should n't be too much of a hardship,’ said Luke , then eyeing Perdita s slender arms , but she better start pumping iron if she s going to play high goal.’ As he sorted out the porter with amazingly fluent Spanish , Perdita noticed he was wearing a bomber jacket with US Open printed on the back . ‘ Who 's he?’ she whispered to Ricky .
Idiom: tell tales (used idiomatically: no)
It described the high that ensues from smoking crack ( ' Crack is both spacey and intense ' ) and the downs that follow ; it told his readers how he bought it and what the morning after was like . One night trying it . He lived to tell the tale . Was Morley wrong to try the stuff ? Reporters have tried smack , they 've spent voluntary weeks in jail or among lepers , on the same principle that Orwell worked in Paris as a plongeur .
Idiom: dead wood (used idiomatically: yes)
Ongoing experiments in Wales corroborate these results , although with animals like moles , which have tough and durable skins , the periods involved are longer by over half . Decay leaves little modification on the bone . Long term insect action may produce modifications similar to that produced by wood - boring insects on dead wood ( Behrensmeyer , 1978 ; Thorne & Kimsey , 1983 ) , but this does not seem to be common . It is claimed that after decay of the soft tissues , small mammal bone does not survive exposure for long on the ground , becoming soft and disintegrating within one year ( Voorhies , 1969 ) . Scavenging
Idiom: make a clean break (used idiomatically: yes)
I like those padded ones , do n't you ? I like the bowl best , though — it 's lovely — cut glass , you know.’ Nigel meditated on whether smashing her trophy might be the best way to make a clean break . He lacked Gina 's panache for throwing things . He had been brought up with a lot of fine furniture and had always been conscious of its value .
Idiom: by the book (used idiomatically: yes)
In return , they did not question capitalist ownership or control . Employers were prepared to tolerate these rights and provisions in return for a profitable economic environment . Acceptance by the left of the basic parameters of the mixed economy was exemplified by Antony Crosland 's book The Future of Socialism , published in 1956 . He argued : Traditionally , or at least since Marx , socialist thought has been dominated by the economic problems posed by capitalism , poverty , mass unemployment , squalor , instability and even the possibility of the collapse of the whole system …
Idiom: come to a head (used idiomatically: yes)
BERKELEY – The relationship between the International ~ Monetary ~ Fund and the G-20 is symbiotic but conflicted . Like a long - married couple who habitually bicker and fight , the two ca n’t seem to live together – but they ca n’t live apart , either . The question of what to do about this relationship is coming to a head in advance of the November G-20 summit chaired by South ~ Korea . Since the 1997 - 1998 crisis , Asian governments have sought to keep their distance from the Fund . It is admirable , therefore , that South ~ Korea ’s government has taken the lead in discussions about reforming the IMF ’s mandate .
Idiom: hear things (used idiomatically: yes)
Oh God ! And then he went into the bathroom locked the door and it was just silent . And , like , we left him there for about five minutes and we just did n't hear a thing Yeah . cos we were wo , we all got really worried , we 're like , Mark .
Idiom: take a dive (used idiomatically: no)
That did n't stop me from thinking bitterly that he 'd got away scot - free . I also had a look at the fact that Toby might well be — or have been — the man I 'd been waiting for , though God knows I 'd never have recognized him in a million years if we had n't happened , entirely by accident , to stumble into each other 's arms . The pool that had been so jarringly empty when I took my premeditated dive into it with Terry , I fell into with Toby and found it full of champagne . But it was too late , that was the terrible thing . It had happened at a time when all I had to offer him was absolute misery for both of us .
Idiom: one of those things (used idiomatically: yes)
' I was down here one night , it was about nine , and there was a knock at the door . It was Harriet . She was wearing a dressing - gown , but it was hanging open , and underneath she only had a négligé on , one of those flimsy things , I could see everything . She said she was frightened . I asked her why .
Idiom: do me a favour (used idiomatically: no)
Rideout tackles Dion shoot - out RICHARD TANNER PAUL RIDEOUT goes to Old Trafford tonight admitting ‘ Dion Dublin did me a favour by joining Manchester United.’ Everton boss Howard Kendall bought Rideout after being beaten in the chase for £ 1 million hitman Dublin by Alex Ferguson . Now Rideout , a £ 500,000 buy from Rangers , is determined to show Kendall got the best deal .
Idiom: cut and dried (used idiomatically: yes)
As Ashley gazed out at the little boy , her chin took on a stubborn slant . However , she was not prepared to be led by the nose to the altar . A fortnight ago , she had been too taken aback by the idea to absorb what it could imply , but before anything was fixed there were matters which she and Vitor must discuss , parameters to be defined , agreements which needed to be cut and dried . A marriage , no matter how brief , was a complex , problematic business — and her days of naïveté were over . All of a sudden , Thomas looked up .
Idiom: in the long term (used idiomatically: yes)
Figure 7.3 Primary INSET : changing curriculum priorities , 1985–9 In view of the fact that INSET was only one integral aspect of a very large and complex package of PNP resources , it is difficult to pinpoint its unique effect on daily practice in the Authority , although this is precisely the task we undertook in relation to one major series of courses for our sixth and tenth reports . We found that in the long term a little under a third of the participating teachers had been significantly influenced by what they had heard and seen and had made major changes in their classroom practice as a result . Others had made more superficial changes . To augment this kind of study , in the summer of 1989 we asked all Leeds primary heads to rate the overall effectiveness of the PNP INSET provision in relation to each of the four PNP aims .
Idiom: on the money (used idiomatically: yes)
That 's all I 'd have to eat all day . By this time I 'd left St. Martins so there was no more grant . I was having to survive on my dole money — which seemed to disappear the day I got it . Kit Kats were about all I could afford . Then we sussed out that bread and milk were delivered to the local restaurants really early .
Idiom: up and running (used idiomatically: yes)
He with his mates had managed to run it down , and he was quite prepared to get things up and running again .
Idiom: out of line (used idiomatically: yes)
His killer sighed and pocketed the pistol . He turned to address the crowd , who were now , understandably , bunched together in alarm . ‘ The same for anybody that gets out of line,’ he said calmly . There was almost , thought the Doctor , a trace of boredom in those measured tones . He returned his glance to the area around the body .
Idiom: fly the flag (used idiomatically: yes)
' Each state shall fix the conditions for the grant of its nationality to ships , for the registration of ships in its territory , and for the right to fly its flag . Ships have the nationality of the state whose flag they are entitled to fly . There must exist a genuine link between the state and the ship ; in particular , the state must effectively exercise its jurisdiction and control in administrative , technical and social matters over ships flying its flag . 16 . That argument might have some merit only if the requirements laid down by Community law with regard to the exercise by the member states of the powers which they retained with regard to the registration of vessels conflicted with the rules of international law .
Idiom: under fire (used idiomatically: yes)
Hannon backs Piggott RICHARD HANNON yesterday defended Lester Piggott 's decision not to withdraw Mr Brooks at the start of the Breeders ' Cup Sprint . Piggott has come under fire from American observers after Walter Swinburn told reporters that Piggott said Mr Brooks ‘ moved terrible’ going to the start . NBC 's live coverage on Saturday night suggested that Piggott should have alerted the course vet . But trainer Hannon said any stiffness would have had no connection with the broken leg which led to Mr Brooks ' death .
Idiom: lift a finger (used idiomatically: yes)
The doctors are afraid of infection , you see.’ He shot a curious glance at Bull O'Malley . ‘ D'ye know , you 'll hardly credit this , but not one of that crowd from the pub or the cottages lifted a finger to help . Not one.’ He heaved a sigh .
Idiom: heavy hitter (used idiomatically: yes)
Japanese airliners Try , try again Though successful in most things they Turn their minds to , the heavy hitters of Japanese industry have not yet cracked making airliners . Their latest , a prototype 80-to 100-seater called Asuka , has devoured ¥ 38 billion ( $ 210 m ) of taxpayers ' money over the past 12 years . Had it worked as designed , this Q - STOL ( quiet short take - off and landing ) jet would have rivalled the British Aerospace 146 whisper jet in service since 1983 in America , China and Europe .
Idiom: moment of truth (used idiomatically: no)
However , he was unfortunate to come up against a finely - tuned Remittance Man last March and , although Katabatic ran a cracker , mounting a ferocious challenge up the final climb , he was held by a length at the line . Waterloo Boy , placed for the third year in succession , was 3 lengths adrift in third . If either of today 's rivals crack under the pressure , though , there are five others waiting to swoop , including Scotland 's Moment of Truth . Trained by Peter Monteith at Rosewell , just outside Edinburgh , the nine - year - old has been waiting the good ground he will encounter today and , in the words of his trainer , with prizes going down to £ 4,000 for fourth place and £ 600 for sixth , ' it would be mad not to run him ' . Granville Again ends Pipe 's title wait
Idiom: in the long run (used idiomatically: yes)
Why have you not done so ? Er , there are a couple of factors there . One is that we do make acquisitions , we on , on the whole er , prefer er , organic growth because it is normally more profitable and the prices you have to pay for acquisitions er , tend to put significant premiums on the companies you buy which you may er , in the longer run eventually erm , er , turn into shareholder value . But er , any acquisition has to fit extremely well strategically and it has to be at a price that we consider to be a , a , a good price . Now , so far er , the acquisitions that have come onto the market have n't really reflected er , the trading conditions in which all companies in this country have been operating for the last eighteen months .