Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: one of those things (used idiomatically: yes)
( Mumon ) Let 's suppose that your kitchen sink is blocked . The mundane world view says this is just ‘ one of those things’ , that you have unwittingly allowed vegetable peelings or food scraps to bung it up — and so you probably did . But what a barren , limited perspective ! A metaphysical world view suggests that almost any event can be a ‘ whisper’ , a message , a stimulus to growth , which you have created — if only you would listen to yourself .
Idiom: in business (used idiomatically: no)
Nothing happens while you are rehearsing in a garage . Nothing at all . Record companies , managers or anyone in the music business can only notice your music if your band is at a venue playing in the public eye . For example , I have been at a venue like the Marquee club to check out a band for a record company and have also watched 30 minutes of the first act . Most often the support band are terrible , but they could have been great and they could have been you .
Idiom: strike a chord (used idiomatically: yes)
I do n't see ' Love Your Money ' as a feminist anthem . ' Do you think it 's necessary to stress the femaleness of all this , or should men and women in rock groups be considered in the same way ? The issue of equality struck a similar chord in all responses ; a resounding yes , they should be considered in the same way , and that means , as Kat said , ' being asked about music , not gender or clothes ' . Lesley wants sexual equality , but does n't believe attitudes have yet changed enough : ' We do n't yet have true equality ; until we do , women will have to overstress themselves and overprove themselves just to be given the same level of respect as their male peers . Until there are as many and varied women in bands as there are men , we will always have to shout a bit louder just to be heard . '
Idiom: in someone's pocket (used idiomatically: no)
Available for the first time on CD are Tell The Truth , Live In Person At The Whisky A Go-Go and Love Man . Reaching back even farther is Ruby Trax which covers 40 years of music in 40 cover versions — to celebrate 40 years of the New Musical Express , with all profits going to the 40-year-old Spastics Society . Tracks include Maggie May by Blur , Shaddup Your Face by EMF , My Sweet Lord by Boy George , Ring My Bell by Tori Amos and Brass In Pocket by Suede . Finally there 's Hush And Listen ( Permanent Records ) by the London Community Gospel Choir . I 'll Take You There , Knockin' On Heaven 's Door , Ball Of Confusion and Abraham Martin And John all get a little extra help from The Lord , with spectacular results .
Idiom: burn rubber (used idiomatically: yes)
He hesitated , then with his flashlight waved me through . On the roof of one of the cars stood a young man in battle - dress , his gun at the ready , staring out into the darkness . Now there was a smell of burning in the air , of wet ash , burning rubber . Slowly we drove down a broad unpaved street lined with matchbox - houses . A police van armoured in wire mesh cruised past us .
Idiom: head south (used idiomatically: no)
We do not know what , if anything , took place celebratorily : neither man mentions gifts , birthday toasts , felicitations , not even from the Macleod children . As Saturday passed Boswell talked of leaving Dunvegan on the Monday ; Johnson said he would not budge until the Wednesday . Mr McQueen left , heading south in time to preach next morning at Bracadale , and saying he would wait for them at Ullinish . He and Johnson parted with warm expressions of mutual regard . In passing , Boswell asked McQueen whether he felt content as a clergyman on Skye , and the reverend man answered — or so Boswell interprets — that much of his satisfaction with his lot derived from his Skye ancestry .
Idiom: in business (used idiomatically: yes)
Practice in all aspects of commercial English , including letters . Dialogues generate action plus more formal language . Setting up in business , making contracts , arbitration , restraint of trade , negligence , raising money , winding - up a company , etc . ENGLISH FOR THE OFFICE Macmillan 1984 256 pp Comprehensive practice book for students in all levels of commerce .
Idiom: do the honours (used idiomatically: no)
MICROSOFT STAFFERS BURNING MIDNIGHT OIL TO GET NT INTO SHAPE Microsoft Corp is expected to by - pass the formality of a press conference for the announcement of Windows NT in two weeks . Bill Gates will supposedly do the honours himself in his Windows World keynote address . Atlanta , Georgia , the show site , will apparently be all dolled up for the festivities with billboards , local advertising , the works . Meanwhile , the boys and girls at Microsoft are working 70- and 80-hour weeks trying to get NT out as soon as possible .
Idiom: on the game (used idiomatically: yes)
Susan Glass IT WAS all the proof his family needed that the old Leslie Crowther they knew and loved had come home for Christmas . The mischief still shone through in those crinkly eyes and the warm smile that had greeted thousands of nervous guests on his TV game show The Price Is Right . And if any of his fans still needed convincing , they had only to look into the happy , laughing face of his adoring wife Jean , at his side as she has been since his horrific car accident nearly three months ago . Before the veteran entertainer went home for the emotional Christmas Day reunion with his family , Leslie and Jean had together given thanks for his recovery at a short Communion service in the hospital chapel .
Idiom: touch wood (used idiomatically: no)
On the screen , a window cleaner is requesting water from a housewife , who , one assumes , has other plans in mind , and we all fold our arms . ‘ How 's the shop?’ mumbles one balding sweating man to another . ‘ Keeping the wolves at bay , touch wood.’ his colleague replies , and everyone hums and tuts . The decor is very Seventies : all framed photos of buxom women perched — legs akimbo , lips pouting , glistening — on the bonnets of silver Porsches , as the sound system discreetly pumps out Elvis at Vegas .
Idiom: go through the motions (used idiomatically: yes)
Cats hate to bury their faeces in a place where they have recently done so . In the garden you will see them nosing around trying to find a new place to dig a hole . In the litter tray they do the same thing , but if it has been used several times without being properly cleaned out this becomes impossible and the cat will then prefer to defecate elsewhere , even if it has to go through the motions of covering its dung with imaginary earth after it has deposited it on a wooden floor or a carpet . The secret in such cases is to increase the rate of emptying and cleaning the litter tray . A final factor has to do with the position of the litter tray .
Idiom: dig deep (used idiomatically: no)
We need to analyse the interaction between electors , whose attitudes have already been influenced by a variety of considerations ( ranging from their own sense of both national and local political issues , down to whatever perception they might have concerning their need to accommodate themselves to their social superiors ) , and the party electioneers , who were determined to influence the electorate in whatever way they thought fit ( which invariably meant a combination of political propaganda and various forms of manipulation , bribery and intimidation ) . We should begin , therefore , not with the elections themselves , but by recreating the contours of the political culture in which they took place . This chapter will start by looking at the potential for politicisation in later - Stuart England , and show that most of the issues which divided the parties at this time had roots which dug deep in society . The government 's policies — especially in the areas of religion and foreign policy — impinged directly on the lives of a significant proportion of the population , with the result that people could not help but be politicised to some degree . Much was done by the upper classes to cultivate the political awareness of the population at large , through various forms of propaganda ranging from tracts , newspapers , sermons , through to public celebrations and civic rituals .
Idiom: pie in the sky (used idiomatically: yes)
At the moment they , of course , may be expressing quite strong emotions . It would be nice to think that this is allowed , that children are allowed to play out their fears and their feelings erm but I do believe it 's when they 're young that we need to start building up this self esteem and , you know , giving them permission if you like to talk quite comfortably about emotions . Well it seems like that 's hoping for pie in the sky , though , because there 's first of all not enough money , and I do n't think that teachers are that good at well talking about their own emotions , and I asked the Oxfordshire County Council Education Department to send someone along to this programme , and they said ‘ I 'm sorry , there 's no - one to send’ . mhm Now they may have their own reasons for that and it may be difficult for them to send someone at this precise moment , but I do n't think that they 're necessarily geared up to dealing with the sorts of things that you want them to deal with .
Idiom: Dutch courage (used idiomatically: yes)
He played the guests on and off and also accompanied the people who sang — Paul McCartney , Liza Minnelli and Tom Jones , and a few more unlikely names , too , such as Lenny Henry , George Segal on the banjo , and Patrick Moore on the xylophone . He coped with whatever was thrown at him . For instance , when Oliver Reed made his now famous appearance with slightly more than a little Dutch courage inside him , he suddenly took it into his head that he wanted to sing . Completely unexpectedly , he stood up and said , ‘ I 'm going to sing a Keith Richards song’ and just launched into it . The only person more surprised than me was Ken , who just had to follow along as best he could .
Idiom: get the better of (used idiomatically: yes)
He said it was due to our unique Anglo - Saxon law whereby we set out in law what is reasonable and then we enforce it . Directives are based on Roman law whereby absolute duties are set out in the law but it is not vigorously enforced . We have recently found out that we have now got the best of all of these or the worst of all of these in Anglo - Saxon Roman law whereby we set out was , is reasonable in law and then they hear from Saf Health and Safety Executive tell us they are not going to enforce it . This hardly seems a credible basis for weakening directives which in themselves only establish minimum health and safety standards for workers across Europe . What has happened since then ?
Idiom: second childhood (used idiomatically: yes)
All in all , this is a most effective collaboration even if the innocent eyed Sunday painter W. Littlefair has to carry the burden of being the sole representative of the newly formed one - year - old Yarm Art Society which boasts 18 members on his shoulders . The World of Dolls 1700–1900 and 1900–1970 , Laing Art Gallery , Higham Place , Newcastle ( until April 12 ) . THIS is a magnificent exhibition for anyone in their first , second or even third childhood . For here are Paddington , Pooh , Rupert and the rest of the gang to help keep fresh the memory of American President Theodore ( Teddy ) Roosevelt . There are dolls in costume here from virtually every country in the world .
Idiom: off the mark (used idiomatically: yes)
Sheffield Wednesday regained the lead through Pearson in the fifty ninth minute , but Millwall came back and Sherringham made it three three after sixty three minutes . Palmer put Sheffield Wednesday back into the lead with four minutes left and on the stroke of time , Sherringham made it four four . Crewe Alexander were also quick off the mark , Hignett giving them a tenth minute lead at home to Rotherham , and the only goal of the game puts Crewe into round five . Manchester City 's Quinn netted in the eleventh minute in their match away to Port Vale , but the home side drew level with ace marksman Beckford after thirty six minutes . Manchester City were back in front after seventy one minutes through Allen , and that 's how the game finished ; Port Vale one , Manchester City two .
Idiom: keep a lid on (used idiomatically: yes)
The changing image of ' yuppies ' and spiralling costs and congestion have seen to that . It is open season for criticising UDCs for lack of planning , lack of strategic thinking and short termism . The government in 1989 had to appoint a special transport minister for Docklands ( Mr Portillo ) to keep the lid on the widespread anger of developers about the lack of transport to Docklands . In addition , there are undercurrents of ' nastiness ' about Docklands development which are doing its image no good at all . From being a much sought - after residential area , it has lost its fashionable air .
Idiom: not cricket (used idiomatically: no)
‘ It is entirely a personal matter and one for Graham to deal with as he thinks best . ’ But Lord 's will treat sympathetically any request by Gooch to England 's tour managers Bob Bennett and Keith Fletcher for a mid-tour sabbatical . Gooch need not miss more than one day of competitive cricket if , for instance , he returns to London between the three-day game with an Indian Board President 's XI and the opening one-day international which takes place in Ahmedabad on January 16 . Smith added : ‘ If the management wish to refer an issue to the England committee , all they have to do is pick up the phone . ’ Ironically , Gooch said in July this year that India would be his last trip with England ‘ because I do n't want to miss my daughters growing up ’ .
Idiom: turn heads (used idiomatically: yes)
Dark eyes , unreadable as mist . Then he hugged her to him , feeling her warmth and softness , the length of her thighs against his , the muscles of her back under his palms , the satin of her neck at his mouth . He kissed her there , gently , and she turned her head , offering him her mouth . He closed his own over it , but her questing tongue met only his teeth . He kissed her forehead , her chin , cupped her face in both hands and kissed shut her eyes , the tears falling from his own .
Idiom: have been around (used idiomatically: yes)
Since the beginning of this year , there have been around 550 content additions to T - Online .
Idiom: left and right (used idiomatically: no)
Moreover , the grand bargain between the eurozone core , the ECB , and the periphery – painful austerity and reforms in exchange for large - scale financial support – is now breaking down , as austerity fatigue in the eurozone periphery runs up against bailout fatigue in core countries like Germany and the Netherlands . Austerity fatigue in the periphery is clearly evident from the success of anti - establishment forces in Italy ’s recent election ; large street demonstrations in Spain , Portugal , and elsewhere ; and now the botched bailout of Cypriot banks , which has fueled massive public anger . Throughout the periphery , populist parties of the left and right are gaining ground . Meanwhile , Germany ’s insistence on imposing losses on bank creditors in Cyprus is the latest symptom of bailout fatigue in the core . Other core eurozone members , eager to limit the risks to their taxpayers , have similarly signaled that creditor “ bail - ins ” are the way of the future .
Idiom: join the club (used idiomatically: yes)
Roberts boss FORMER England international Graham Roberts was last night promoted from captain to player - manager of Diadora League side Enfield . Roberts joined the club in the close season on a free transfer from West Bromwich Albion . Play on Halifax CASH - STARVED Halifax Town were last night granted an 11th - hour reprieve by their directors .
Idiom: go through the motions (used idiomatically: no)
In the early days of the development of control systems for machine tools , two rather different principles for control were being explored . The first was the one we have just described , in which the path of the cutting tool is analysed by a technician from inspection of the engineering drawing , described in formal mathematical language , and recorded on punched tape . The other system is known as record - playback and involves the skilled craft operator going through the physical motions of machining the first piece of the batch with the machine in record mode . The control system of the machine tool records all the movements of the cutting tool and then , when put in playback mode , reproduces the actions previously performed by the skilled operator . The latter type of control system thus retains the skill of the craftsman , does not interpose a technician into the work process , and thus does not fragment and de - skill the task .
Idiom: go to town (used idiomatically: no)
Some languages use the passive more frequently than English in everyday contexts . In Tjolobal of Mexico , passive structures are the norm , with active structures being used very rarely . Nida similarly explains that ‘ in some Nilotic languages the passive forms of verbs are so preferred that instead of saying ‘ he went to town’ , it is much more normal to employ an expression such as‘the town was gone to by him’ . Rendering a passive structure by an active structure , or conversely an active structure by a passive structure in translation can affect the amount of information given in the clause , the linear arrangement of semantic elements such as agent and affected entity , and the focus of the message . However , one must weigh this potential change in content and focus against the benefits of rendering a smooth , natural translation in contexts where the use of the passive for instance would be stylistically less acceptable than the use of the active or an alternative structure in the target language .
Idiom: up in the air (used idiomatically: yes)
She always observed every move he made out of the corner of one eye , though , and if he stirred in any way , even just to stretch or yawn , she would immediately react and flex herself to take defensive action . Although it might sound as though Dawn was petrified of Jasper there were a number of occasions when she scared him out of his skin . Once Dawn took it into her head to attempt a sudden flight , jumped up in the air and found herself agonisingly caught , because of the tenderness round her feet under the jesses . The result was a frenzied sort of screeching aerial war dance . Poor Jasper happened to be curled up asleep some five feet away at the time and was rudely awakened .
Idiom: head south (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ It did cross my mind , but how can I when there are no defendants?’ He patted Anatoli 's arm then returned to the Mercedes . The driver closed the door behind him and moments later the car drew away from the road - block , heading south . It only slowed down on nearing the outskirts of Teplyystan where it turned off on to a narrow road leading into the Bittsevsky forest park , a panoramic landscape of ravines and gorges layered with fir , oak and pine plantations . The hoarding at the entrance was ominous enough : HALT !
Idiom: on paper (used idiomatically: yes)
Those young people who gained places on what were called ‘ employer - led courses’ , or mode A courses , were the ones most likely to gain employment at the end of their training . Those young people undertaking YTS at colleges , or on community - based schemes , which were called mode B schemes , were less likely to be successful in entering the labour market when they graduated from their courses ( see the transcript of the BBC TV Panorama programme ‘ Fair play for Britain 's Blacks’ , 6 July 1987 , p. 3 ) . The differences between types of YTS schemes has now been eliminated on paper — but the differences in courses , whether employer led or not , and the outcome for employment , remain . The Government does not publish any breakdown of the social background of those YTS graduates who fail to gain employment . Studies of how black youths fare after completing YTS have , however , been made public .
Idiom: put the cart before the horse (used idiomatically: yes)
Well you you buy it all at thirty three or twenty five percent discount so you can then sell it at a bit more . But then you have then you have the stuff that does n't sell and deteriorates and you still have to have paid for it so I think it 's possible to make a bit of money but at at at the rate you know I feel we 're all the time putting the cart before the horse . Erm you know if if we are going to try to keep going as a viable group then yes one of the things we should consider I mean I I do n't I 've come here sort of thinking oh is this it , is this the crisis meeting or is it you know erm I mean I feel so so passionately that that we should keep going but
Idiom: go public (used idiomatically: yes)
Finally , it says that it intends to seek a full listing on the Stock Exchange as soon as possible , following the Stock Exchange 's recommendation to discontinue the Unlisted Securities Market by 1995 , which , Bland notes , is not very liquid anyway . LINX PRINTING OPENS ITS PUBLIC ACCOUNT WITH INTERIMS UP 2.3 % AT £ 763,000 Linx Printing Technologies Plc , the Huntingdon , Cambridgeshire - based company that went public last October has reported interim pre - tax profits up 2.3 % to £ 763,000 —‘a satisfactory result in comparison with an exceptional first half year in 1991’— and turnover up 16.9 % at £ 5.7 m . Earnings per share fell 4.6 % to 3.7 pence reflecting the increased number of shares issued following the flotation . Business has been particularly brisk in the Pacific Rim according to chairman Derek Harris , with the Japanese market now the second largest export market after Germany .
Idiom: through thick and thin (used idiomatically: yes)
In Quintin Hogg he found a trustworthy ally . The future Lord Chancellor promised : to back him through thick and thin , but not before I had consulted the eight or nine senior legal Members ( some of them more distinguished at the Bar than myself ) and got their promises of support . In the end , overcome by the superstitious public outcry , all these ratted and voted the other way . I kept my word to Jenkins and backed his proposals for all I was worth as a welcome , if minor , rationalization of the creaking old eighteenth - century ox - wagon of our criminal law .
Idiom: miss the boat (used idiomatically: yes)
Wuerzburg shareholders ' advocate Ekkehard ~ Wenger labelled the executives " losers " who had missed the boat on everything during the past few years .
Idiom: yes and no (used idiomatically: no)
the occasion . There . I wanted to answer yes and no . Yes , to the fact the family gets together maybe Right .
Idiom: come a cropper (used idiomatically: yes)
Filming was held up as portly Mel — still smiling — recovered in a stand - by ambulance , nursing a painful big toe . ‘ It hurt a bit but I 'll recover,’ he said . And he admitted this was n't the first time his feet had come a cropper . ‘ I did exactly the same thing last year in LA,’ he revealed . That time he played a yellow cab driver and got run over by his own cab .
Idiom: by heart (used idiomatically: yes)
" I have something I must tell you , " he said suddenly . She was surprised to see that he was struggling for words — something he had not done since the day two years before when her brother Thomas had been murdered by the English . But as they continued down the hill to Dingle and along the road that curved round the harbour to Ballingolin , she was even more bewildered to hear him reciting family history to her — history she had taken in with her mother 's milk and knew by heart . He told her of the coming to Ireland of her Norman ancestors , the de la Houssaies , and of their rise to power in Corcaguiney . He spoke of the close links what had been forged through trade with Spain and Portugal , whose wines had been exchanged for skins , wool and fish .