Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: child's play (used idiomatically: no)
‘ I always appreciate that US but nw even more so . It 's the best country in the world to live in.’ Just child 's play MAKING toys is child 's play for Courtaulds employee Ted Richards — and he ensures a perfect finish by using paint from International . Ted , based at Research in Coventry in the UK , is involved in environmental work , studying emerging methods of pollution control and considering how they can be applied to Group businesses .
Idiom: across the board (used idiomatically: yes)
•Alberto Fava , general manager of Fiat , launched Operazione Valora at Paris , a response to Fiat 's falling domestic market share . The plan amounts to substantial price cuts , aimed at Ford 's Fiesta , which has achieved record sales in Italy . Fiat has improved equipment levels across the board and a 1.1 Uno now casts what the 1-litre used to cost . So far , only Italy is involved but there 's a plan to widen the operation to other European countries . •Tom Matano , father of the MX-5 and head of Mazda 's Californian design studio , echoed the thoughts of many when he said of Citroen 's Activa II : ‘ That 's what the BMW 850i should have looked like.’
Idiom: go up in smoke (used idiomatically: yes)
By rights Oxford should have won last night … Chrissy Allen had a blinder and Joey Beauchamp was bubbling again … The result was all wrong … 6 - 2 on aggregate to Tranmere but there was a flicker of hope in the flames as United 's cup run went up in smoke … Down in London at Selhurst Park … Hereford were hoping to be the giantkillers against Wimbledon … it takes something special to stop Vinny Jones and his men … one up from the first leg … the premiership side took control of this one with an early goal from Neal Ardley …
Idiom: hold the line (used idiomatically: yes)
' It 's Central — one thousand and twenty one . ' ' Central one - oh - two - one . Hold the line , please . ' Ruth waited for what seemed a long time . There were various clicks and buzzes and the peal of a bell , followed by a different female voice .
Idiom: follow suit (used idiomatically: yes)
The division has OEM relationships with Fujitsu Ltd , Acer Group and C Itoh & Co which market its kit across the Pacific Rim but it is keen to sign a major US distributor . Oracle next up for the CAFS search accelerator treatment With Ingres Corp and Informix Software Inc already won over to CAFS Content - Addressable File Store - based database Search Accelerator hardware , ICL says that Oracle Systems Corp has now signed to implement a version of its database for the system , while Sybase Inc is waiting in the wings to follow suit . ManageWare is ICL 's new middleware management bundle ICL 's new ManageWare is a bundle of middleware applications designed for client - server implementations .
Idiom: turn the corner (used idiomatically: no)
I was picked up by a taxi driver once and we were going along and he said , ‘ Oh , I know that voice — oh , do n't tell me — you 're Jeremy Pascal , are n't you?’ And I said , ‘ No , I 'm not Jeremy Pascal’ , so he said , ‘ You should try going on the radio , you sound just like him.’ As we turned the corner Mel was ambling up out of an underground car park — he 'd been parking his Rolls - Royce or something . The driver said , ‘ Look , there 's Mel Smith over there , coming out of the car park,’ and I said , ‘ Mel 's supposed to be coming with me , we 're supposed to be going to Television Centre.’ So I opened the door and I shouted to Mel .
Idiom: play ball (used idiomatically: yes)
Batty a 2.75 M signing , has also flourished since his move , showing a skilful side to go with his tigerish tackling . ' At Elland Road I was expected to go and win the ball and that was about all they liked ! ! — get the ball up to the big front men and look around for the knock downs'(Batts obviously did nt look very hard cos he did nt find many ! ! ) ' HERE AT BLACKBURN THEY LIKE TO PLAY THE BALL THROUGH THE MIDFIELD . IT 'S ONLY WHEN YOU COME TO A CLUB LIKE THIS THAT YOU APPRECIATE WHAT THE GAME OF FOOTBALL IS ALL ABOUT ' The capitals and ! ! are mine for emphasis but i 'm sure everybody gets the drift of the article .
Idiom: catch fire (used idiomatically: yes)
Rincewind did n't know the meaning of the word premium , but his mind was working fast . ‘ You inn - sewered the Drum?’ he said . ‘ You bet Broadman it would n't catch fire?’ ‘ Oh yes . Standard valuation .
Idiom: pull a fast one (used idiomatically: yes)
But the long - shot has defied the odds and cantered into the winners ' enclosure of top selling games . ‘ We 're in the WH Smith Top 40 and it has only taken us four years to get there,’ says Tom White of makers Upstarts . Known as Really Nasty for short and winner of two toy awards , the game puts players in the twin roles of stable owners and punters — creating great possibilities for pulling a fast one such as betting on a rival 's horse and nobbling your own . It is one of the few new entries to a chart dominated by old favourites . Scrabble is still the best seller and there 's no sign of the Trivial Pursuit bubble bursting either .
Idiom: rock the boat (used idiomatically: yes)
My next project at work is to help out with a huge encyclopedic dictionary project which has to be completed by next January . My boss , Min , and I , and one other editor , will take on the ‘ people ’ at the dictionary and write or condense tiny biographies of them , as well as short descriptions of ‘ institutions ’ , which includes buildings , works of art , monuments , battles etc . I hope the work will be interesting , I was a bit disappointed not to have the chance to tackle my own book as the main editor at last but of course one does n't want to rock the boat too much — there are too many people who 'd happily fill my shoes . Easter was a really full time . I was so glad that the ‘ family ’ came to stay with me for a change .
Idiom: up and running (used idiomatically: no)
Frequency is the third relevant attribute . If the original parties to a transaction effectively have no other outlet or source once the original contract has been awarded , and they are highly uncertain about the contemporary environment at the time when terms must be renegotiated , an organizational form ( for example a monitoring and control system ) that is tailor - made for that transaction might substantially reduce bargaining costs on each occasion when renegotiation takes place . However , governance structures differ in terms of their set - up and running costs . Whether or not it is sensible to invest in a tailor - made structure depends on the capitalized value of the savings derived from it in relation to the present value of its costs . The greater the frequency of a transaction , the more justifiable is a ( relatively ) expensive governance structure that brings about ( relatively ) large savings in transaction costs .
Idiom: in full swing (used idiomatically: yes)
There was a bar at the entrance where one paid a few marks for a drink , and behind a curtain an auditorium of perhaps twenty or thirty comfortable seats . The film in progress when I arrived showed a football match between a team of nuns and a team of soldiers , and every time the referee blew his whistle for a penalty ( which was every few seconds ) the player concerned had to lose a garment . Before long football had given way to a different sport , and a surreal Bosch - like survey of the entire field showed all kinds of what my mother called hanky - panky in full swing . Later , both teams adjourned to the changing rooms to continue their frolics , and there were close - ups in technicolour of all sorts of couplings and triplings . This was followed by a film of a mediaeval banquet at which the guests , after much lusty eating and drinking , undressed one another at a leisurely pace , then climbed on to the refectory table for a general post , to the accompaniment on the sound track of much wheezing and grunting .
Idiom: over the top (used idiomatically: yes)
Tudor Davies 's script has the style of an authentically naff pre-1914 original , up - dated by a sharper intelligence . For once it does n't treat the audience as idiots . This Aladdin goes right back to the 1,001 Nights , showing us Scheherezade ( Eartha Kitt ) being turned into the Genie of the Ring and the Caliph of Baghdad ( Sylvester McCoy ) into the Slave of the Lamp by the Grand Vizier Abanazer ( Peter Blake as a deliciously over - the - top wicked uncle ) . Miss Kitt makes even her gauche opening line —‘The amount of stars are infinitesimal … ’— sound sensible and exotically sexy ; from there on she slinks effortlessly through the role , prowling like a panther caged in a pet shop . Paul Nicholas dimples charmingly as Aladdin , which gets the girls screaming ; Paul Shane holiday - camps around as Widow Twankey ; and the Simmons brothers ' double act as the Chinese Policemen is actually quite funny .
Idiom: turn heads (used idiomatically: yes)
Turn your head to the right as you breathe out slowly through your mouth . Lower your heels and turn your head to face forward . Repeat , but turn your head to the left . Do this exercise three times to each side and increase after practice . The Kidneys
Idiom: cold comfort (used idiomatically: yes)
Brave Oates , who was born and raised in Mellor 's Putney constituency , told Scott as he left : ‘ I may be gone for some time.’ Last night the feeling at Westminster was that Mellor resembled him in only one respect — he may be gone for some time , too . Mellor 's self - styled heroics were cold comfort for his team leader , John Major . For like Oates , Scott perished in the end . Mellor , 43 , addressed the Commons to explain why he quit as Heritage Secretary on Thursday .
Idiom: on a roll (used idiomatically: yes)
THE SILVER SEAL Any missiles shot at a character bearing the Silver Seal suffer a -1 to hit modifier . Blows in combat also suffer a -1 on the dice roll to hit . The Silver Seal also protects the bearer against spells . If a spell is cast against the bearer or against the unit he is with , then the spell is dispelled on the D6 roll of a 4 + .
Idiom: at sea (used idiomatically: no)
Do n't be put off by Garbage Beach , by the way — it 's a surfers ' paradise . They say if it can be done on water , it can be done on Mission Bay , the largest aquatic playground in the world . There 's more water at Sea World where kids can touch , feed and learn about anything fishy . Large or small , visitors love the big daddy of 'em all — Shamu the killer whale , guaranteed to give the spellbound audience a good soaking . You can get around on rumbling red trams and harbour ferries .
Idiom: cut corners (used idiomatically: yes)
On 6 March 1989 , at Glasgow , two people were killed and 40 injured when two suburban trains collided . BR suggested human error in handling signal warning systems , and the number of train drivers passing red lights had doubled to 800 a year since 1979 . Again the picture seems to be slack maintenance , 60-hour working weeks , overcrowded trains ( BR 's response to this is to increase fares to cut passenger traffic ) and cutting corners to meet financial targets . Laurie Harris , of the National Union of Railwaymen has said : The pendulum has swung away from safety to economics .
Idiom: rough and ready (used idiomatically: yes)
The former were counted as ‘ middle class’ and the latter as ‘ working class’ . In three cases of clear - cut discrepancy between the social class classification arrived at in this way and the wife 's previous occupation , education or general life - style , social class was upgraded or downgraded to take account of the contradiction . This is the somewhat rough - and - ready solution to the problem of male - biased occupational classification followed by John and Elizabeth Newson and others . Two other characteristics of the sample population require some comment : the incidence of employment , and of domestic help . Six of the women were employed outside the home at the time of interview .
Idiom: once and for all (used idiomatically: yes)
Some leading figures were anti - meritocratic , like Alderman Walter Hyman , chairman of the West Riding Education Committee , and his education officer , Alexander Clegg . Clegg consulted four psychologists on the feasibility of selection for technical education at eleven ( G. B. Jeffrey , Charlotte Fleming , Godfrey Thomson and Cyril Burt ) , and their advice was so clearly in support of his belief that it was not possible that he refused to select for it at all . Instead he moved slowly towards a system which allocated by ranking children by school record , then ranking schools rather than subjecting pupils to a once - and - for - all examination , eventually towards non - selective education altogether . Middlesex , Southend on Sea and London all intended comprehensive schooling — London eventually acquired a modified version of it . Some were extremely meritocratic .
Idiom: off the hook (used idiomatically: yes)
Mandy shot her a look of pure astonishment . She had finally cornered her prey and Charity wanted to go ? But Matthew Blake did not seem prepared to let her off the hook so easily . ‘ What job is it you have here that makes you so much more likely than the rest of your family to attain a Mercedes?’ His tone was casual and conversational , even faintly teasing , but something in his eyes was coldly cutting , analysing , weighing and measuring .
Idiom: in the long run (used idiomatically: yes)
But when villagers ' lives ( and livelihoods ) are threatened , say , by the build - up of the elephant population , many feel insulted to see rangers appear promptly in Landrovers , often with a helicopter above , when a rogue elephant is killed while destroying crops . Rangers rarely respond to their outcry when a person is trampled to death by the same beasts . In the long run it is not the game wardens — no matter how well financed by international organisations — who will ensure the success of wildlife conservation , but the people who live side by side with wildlife . For conservation efforts to succeed , there need to be practical and sustainable programmes that guarantee benefits to the locals . Wildlife should pay for its survival .
Idiom: night and day (used idiomatically: yes)
' Just because I happen to be President of this company I do n't play the Great White Chief , ' he was fond of saying . ' My door is always open to any employee who has a problem . Night and day I 'm available to the folks who work for us . ' It was a load of crap — like his speech that morning to the executives . His only concern was their future , to help them higher up the ladder ?
Idiom: by the book (used idiomatically: yes)
Not surprisingly , some saw these victories as signs that the days of the mounted knight as the dominant military arm were coming to an end . Yet care must be taken not to dismiss too readily the value of cavalry as an arm — or worse , as a relic — of the past . The mounted soldier still had a long way to go and his influence was very considerable in the whole period covered by this book . None the less , as has been argued , the Hundred Years War would never be settled by a major engagement in which the cavalry alone played the decisive role . It is important to recognise this , for an acceptance of this fundamental point leads more easily to an understanding of the reasons which caused an increase in the military significance of those who did not fight on horseback .
Idiom: think twice (used idiomatically: yes)
But they had n't known that then , and if they had could not have known how much one day such postcards would have supported the story Adam was beginning to think he would tell . Always supposing their parents had kept the postcards , which , considering their rarity value , they might well have done . Mary 's offer had been rejected without their thinking twice about it and she and Adam had said goodbye in a cool , offhand sort of way and Rufus had driven her off to the station in Goblander . From that day to this Adam had never set eyes on Mary Gage and had hardly ever thought of her . If she had come into his mind he had operated his cancelling switch as he did when any of the denizens of Ecalpemos strayed into his thoughts .
Idiom: on the double (used idiomatically: yes)
It is one thing cutting a neckline which is on the bias , quite another to cut between stitches for the length of a front . Then came the perennial problem — do I put the neckband on next , or the front bands . I opted for the neckband , as I usually do , because I like to do these double , so if the front bands go on first I have to do two buttonholes on the double fabric of the neckband . In this case I also wanted to get the cut edges of the neckband tidied up as soon as possible — remember this particular garment has been ferried to and fro to class and back . So I applied my ‘ sandwich’ neckline , then set about neatening the fronts .
Idiom: as a rule (used idiomatically: yes)
Further , the employment of an agent may be such as to give him an authority to contract on behalf of his principal generally with regard to a wider or narrower class of affairs ; and as between the principal and third parties such authority can not be limited by restrictions imposed by the principal , but not known to third parties . The fact that a person is acting under the instructions or on behalf of another is no defence to civil or criminal proceedings brought against the agent for tort or crime . On the other hand , an agent acquires no rights under contracts made by him on behalf of his principal ; and where the existence of the principal is known to those contracting with the agent , the latter , as a rule , incurs no liability for such contracts . Where the principal 's existence is undisclosed , the other contracting party , on discovering it , has an option whether he will hold agent or principal liable . When a person purports to act on behalf of another , but without his authority , the latter may subsequently ratify the act of the former , and thereby draw to himself both the benefit of , and the liability for , the act .
Idiom: sick and tired (used idiomatically: yes)
Dear Kate , I was delighted to see that you did n't bother to rise to Lisa Robillard 's rather silly letter on sexism . I get sick and tired of the feminist movement trying to undermine the English language . Why did women ever have to become ‘ Ms’ instead of‘Miss’or Mrs ? I remain convinced that only lesbians and divorcees insist on being addressed in this manner .
Idiom: in the saddle (used idiomatically: no)
GUIL : You did , the trouble is , each of them is … plausible , without being instinctive . All your life you live so close to truth , it becomes a permanent blur in the corer of your eye , and when something nudges it into outline it is like being ambushed by a grotesque . A man standing in his saddle in the half - lit half - alive dawn banged on the shutters and called two names . He was just a hat and a cloak levitating in the grey plume of his own breath , but when he called we came . That much is certain — we came .
Idiom: turn the tables (used idiomatically: yes)
Chimps , whose vocal chords are not well adapted to human speech , have discovered how to communicate using deaf - and - dumb language ; again , this is an incredible achievement . In both cases the limitations of vocabulary should not be seen necessarily to imply any lack of ability for abstract thought : these animals are using an alien tool to communicate with a species ( us ) whose intellectual make - up is quite alien to them , so it is hardly surprising that there are comparatively few areas of common ground that can be described using human words . We can understand this more clearly if we imagine that the tables have been turned , and that we are trying to get by in basic dolphin - language . Dolphins have a sense which we do not have : using something akin to our sonar , they can ' see ' their surroundings holographically ( in true 3D , rather than the effect of 3D our stereoscopic vision creates ) . There are no words in any human language that can adequately describe the experience of ' seeing ' something in this way — precisely because human beings do not have a holographic sense and so have never required the words to describe it nor the intellectual ability to be able to imagine it .
Idiom: hold water (used idiomatically: yes)
And the rich find ways of accruing yet more again . The point of which is that , with a limited pool of capital , any increase for one must be at the expense of another . In short , the old capitalist ca nt that ‘ everyone 's a winner’ does n't hold water . For every winner , there 's a loser — or a whole lot of them , more likely . The same must be said of access to capital .
Idiom: on the level (used idiomatically: yes)
Greater Manchester Schools Mr. Tony Lloyd To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the staffing levels and the conditions of schools in Greater Manchester . Mr. Fallon In January 1991 , the 10 local education authorities in Greater Manchester reported 230 full - time permanent posts unfilled , a vacancy rate of 1 per cent .
Idiom: at a stretch (used idiomatically: yes)
' The new firms start small and will not reach a peak for several years . ' Furthermore , the numbers of jobs created per pound of investment is , often startlingly low . Nippon Electric of Japan has recently opened a £ 50 million semiconductor factory in Livingston that will , by 1985 , when the plant is operating at full stretch , employ only 800 people . A few months ago the plant recruited its first workers — the men and women , mainly aged under 25 , whose minds and fingers are agile enough to turn out microscopic silicon chips by the hundreds of thousands . Attracted by newspaper publicity ( the company did not bother to advertise ) 3000 people applied for the 20 jobs that were available .
Idiom: from scratch (used idiomatically: yes)
The gardener of the family is the Queen Mother , whose gardens at her Scottish hideaways , the Castle of Mey and Birkhall , are stunning , and it is she who over the years has made them so . So Charles had the will but not the way and called on his friend Lady Salisbury to help . Mollie Salisbury had designed several gardens for friends , as well as her own at Hatfield House in Hertfordshire , and she was only too delighted to help plan a garden from scratch . When Charles moved in to Highgrove there was practically no garden at all , just acres of lawn and some box hedges . There was also a walled kitchen garden , which had been let go to grass , and a large hole had been knocked into one of the walls to let the tractor in to mow it .
Idiom: in the running (used idiomatically: no)
Personal ideas , however , can not — any more than can experience , intuition and vision — provide a reliable base for quality assurance . Acceptance by parents of the personal standards of heads and other managers has to be buttressed by activities which are verifiable and which are planned outside the framework of personal preferences and skills . This is so because a limited accountability in terms only of satisfying employers in local authorities or inspectors of schools has given way to openness and to the multiplication of participators who claim a say in the running of education . School - based choices about curriculum and curricular goals have given way to external requirements and to a greater measure of centralized uniformity . The shifts of responsibility are sufficient to justify the claim that the education service being managed at the end of the twentieth century is different from that which was characterized by teacher - based choice , classroom autonomy , voluntary consensus and a supposedly new liberalism forty years earlier .