Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: set eyes on (used idiomatically: yes)
It was as if his hand had begun to die on him , turning in on itself like a leaf , drying out and getting thin . If he could ever be granted one wish in his life , he knew exactly what it would be . He 'd wish that he 'd never set eyes on the Ashdown girl . Now they were talking about giving him some kind of a disablement classification , which stung . He 'd had a couple of sessions with his union rep and had been told not to worry , it was just a way of filling some quota ; if anything , his job was probably more secure now than it had been before .
Idiom: throw someone to the wolves (used idiomatically: yes)
But when he needed help they just turned away . ' Air Commodore Freddie Yetman , of the British Airline Pilots Association , added : ' Flying the world in command of a Boeing 747 gives a man great prestige and confidence . ' Then suddenly he is thrown to the wolves with the stigma of being incompetent , no good — even a fool . It was a dreadful end to a distinguished career . ' The Civil Aviation Authority should never have brought the prosecution .
Idiom: out of the woods (used idiomatically: no)
At the earliest sign of dawn the company returned as silently as they had gone out , their faces glowing like bronze , here and there a head bound up , but of that no notice was taken ; and a few hours later the whole neighborhood knew of the ill luck of one or more rangers , carried out of the wood , beaten , blinded with snuff , and incapable for a time of doing their work .
Idiom: by dint of (used idiomatically: yes)
As you might imagine , I ignored him . For a full twelve seconds . Then I launched into the apology , the explanation and finally , by dint of superhuman endeavour , the jokes . Last Sunday I opened a tennis court . This required little other than turning up in Edgware wearing white on a somewhat blustery day .
Idiom: play for time (used idiomatically: yes)
' I 'm happy with my fitness . There 's been no reaction to my match and I was pleased with my performance . ' I 've not played for a long time and to get a goal in the first ten minutes was incredible . Even though it was billed as a friendly , Tottenham did n't treat it that way . ' But England boss Taylor said : ' I want to bring him back when the time is right .
Idiom: high and low (used idiomatically: yes)
We all searched high and low for the missing documents , but they were never found .
Idiom: rock bottom (used idiomatically: yes)
Financial Times 13 November Observer 25 November Independent 12 November Times 12 November Agriculture and Food Elver fishing at rock bottom The National Rivers Authority ( NRA ) is to launch an enquiry into the sudden decrease in the number of elvers caught in the Severn , Britain 's largest fishery . The three year survey will establish the cause of the decline and decide whether a closed season is necessary .
Idiom: change hands (used idiomatically: yes)
At the same time as building up the 15 per cent stake , GM would make a big cash injection into Jaguar — perhaps as much as £ 200 m — to help the Coventry - based firm to fend off Ford , which has already announced it plans to take a 15 per cent holding as a prelude to a full takeover bid . Jaguar 's shares soared again on the stock market , closing 62p up at 731p — valuing the company at £ 1.323bn . As an estimated 5.5 million Jaguar shares changed hands , Ford confirmed that it had been granted early approval by US regulatory authorities to begin building its stake , immediately prompting speculation that it had entered the market . Under US anti - laws Ford was not due for clearance to buy more than $ 15 m of Jaguar stock until 18 October . The hike in Jaguar 's share price since Ford announced its intentions will have a crucial bearing on whether it can put together a defensive deal with GM .
Idiom: take someone for a ride (used idiomatically: yes)
Hollow - eyed , she stared into the fire . Rebecca had him panting after her . The woman was taking him for a ride , working on him to get what she wanted , and that included Lissa 's destruction . Her situation was perilous ; she realised that . There was no way of knowing just how far the tight band of Rebecca 's control would stretch , or to what extremes she would be driven .
Idiom: lay an egg (used idiomatically: yes)
PRINCETON – Forty years ago , I stood with a few other students in a busy Oxford street handing out leaflets protesting the use of battery cages to hold hens . Most of those who took the leaflets did not know that their eggs came from hens kept in cages so small that even one bird – the cages normally housed four – would be unable to fully stretch and flap her wings . The hens could never walk around freely , or lay eggs in a nest . Many people applauded our youthful idealism , but told us that we had no hope of ever changing a major industry . They were wrong .
Idiom: you can't have your cake and eat it (used idiomatically: yes)
It 's a bit like political parties who have no hope of ever being elected making wild promises . I mean , of course they can , they can make all sorts of wild promises and all kinds of crazy policies because they know they 'll never be called upon to carry them out . If , however , you get elected and you then have to carry out your policies , then of course you face the real world and the you ca n't have your cake and eat it problem . Let us see how Bill , Bill Clinton fares in this True
Idiom: get off the ground (used idiomatically: yes)
Second to the influence of the priest or presiding minister is that of the person responsible for the music , for music can make or mar a service as powerfully as anything else . It is not , therefore , unreasonable for the Church to expect its musicians to have natural musical talents , some training and an adequate technique . If the congregation is distracted by an inappropriate piece , and technical shortcomings or insensitivity in its performance , the worship will not get off the ground . Recognition of the contribution made by leading musicians is shown in their being described increasingly as ‘ ministers of music’ . This is common in many denominations in the United States of America .
Idiom: break even (used idiomatically: yes)
two years you 're very lucky Yes and that 's what I 'm gon na be aiming to do , if it , if I break even in two years I 'd be happy cos I 've made money back and then I 'll be making profit after that , and you wo n't make it back in the first year , no way Do n't forget you 're only putting , you 're only part time , you 're pushing to do your work hard Well mum will be doing , mum'll be the secretary and then I will have someone in to do it
Idiom: in light of (used idiomatically: yes)
Thus I wandered for the entire day , until the sun 's rays came aslant through the trunks of the trees , when at last I emerged on a little grassy vale shut in by the mountains and gay with red and yellow flowers , above which myriads of butterflies were fluttering in the golden light of the setting sun .
Idiom: rise through the ranks (used idiomatically: yes)
And how exactly did she acquire her charming little son ? But as the chill of doubt takes hold , underpinned by Lincoln 's development from an enchanting small boy into an adolescent from hell , Carroll 's novel abruptly veers off the rails , lurching from an interesting and astute study of an ordinary man faced with a monstrous moral dilemma into a considerably less interesting fantasy about ( I think ) cyclical existence and reincarnation . Iain Crichton Smith 's An Honourable Death ( Macmillan , £ 13.99 ) remains firmly rooted in fact , tracing the career of a real and profoundly troubled figure , Hector Macdonald , a crofter 's son who joins the army on impulse at 17 and rose brilliantly through the ranks to become Major - General Sir Hector Macdonald , the real hero of Omdurman , before homosexual scandal ended his career and his life . Crichton Smith avoids any overt psychological probing of Hector 's impulsive decision to flee his civilian job and join the army , of the sterility of his loveless marriage , and the contrasting warmth of his affection for his fighting men and presents instead a series of almost filmic images of orioles and hoopoes in the mountains of embattled Afghan istan ; of ghostly white dervishes attacking spindly - legged Sudanese troops ; and finally , of a heavy , tormented man , alone in a Paris hotel room , with nothing before him but disgrace and death . Books : Shaw 's life after death
Idiom: at the end of the day (used idiomatically: yes)
Yes they can erm , distinguish between what I call a do - it - yourself alarms and th the recognized companies . Yeah . But at the end of the day they are n't in that league cos most thieves are opportunists they seize a common opportunity that is presented to them by or it could be they 've actually just watched her go out and more of a chance . But if they set it off without , without noticing that you 've gone like . They are
Idiom: pick someone's brains (used idiomatically: yes)
You 'd start running out of prizes unless — too many people would be winning them . ' ' You are clearly a man with a wide experience of garden fêtes , Mr Gaily ! ' said the Reverend George Jocelyn Bottingley . ' What a pity you are here only for the day — I could pick your brains very profitably . ' ' It 's only what anyone knows , really , you could n't say I 'd had exactly wide experience . No .
Idiom: cut and dried (used idiomatically: yes)
In fact , it has been shown that finger ridges decrease along the scale XO - XY - XX - XYY - XXY - XXYY - XXXX . However , it is also possible that the extra arm of the X chromosome holds genes not found in the Y chromosome . ) A great deal more has to be learned in this area , but it will be evident that even in its genetic aspects ( and others also have an effect ) sex and gender are not an absolutely cut and dried business . Early development following the blastocyst stage is extremely rapid . Between the fourth and eighth week all the main organs are formed together with the limbs and beginnings of skeletal structure .
Idiom: run riot (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ You paid her off,’ she said bluntly . ‘ In the same way as I had bought her,’ he agreed bitterly . ‘ Apart from a few pieces of glass and steel which had been gifts from my family and had sentimental value , I let her run riot among my other acquisitions . I felt it was the least I could do.’ ‘ But not the Knudsen,’ Gina reminded him gently .
Idiom: in the red (used idiomatically: no)
‘ With repeated strokes they hack into the blubber and flesh of the thrashing animals with 15cm knives , attempting to cut through the carotid arteries alongside the spine . However finding the artery is very difficult , and often the whales break their own spines by their thrashing . ‘ Other members of the herd are swimming around in the blood-red sea as this killing continues . It can take several hours to kill an entire whale group which may number several hundred individuals . ’ Report of the Faroe Islands pilot whale kills , taken from minutes of the European Parliament , 1989
Idiom: run out of gas (used idiomatically: no)
The other day I ran out of gas in the middle of a busy Interstate .
Idiom: tell tales (used idiomatically: yes)
J.C. Scott 's Hidden Government and Leon de Poncins ' State Secrets . All these are antisemitic texts , telling a tale of conspiracy only slightly more sophisticated than the Protocols . Under the heading of ' Race and Racial Science ' is Elizabeth Dilling 's The Jewish Religion : Its Influence Today , which is described as ' a detailed analysis of the role of Judaism in contemporary society ' . Also offered , under the heading of ' Political Ideology ' , are Revilo Oliver 's deeply antisemitic Conspiracy of Degeneracy , and one of the most antisemitic of recent conspiracy publications , William Grimstad 's Antizion .
Idiom: by heart (used idiomatically: yes)
The early light was damp and fresh as the clay when she slipped the wedding band from her finger , putting it carefillly on the shelf , where it could not be lost . All day she shaped and softened the clay to build the great orb of his skull , working her fingers and palms in the heavy stickiness . Oh , she should have paid more attention to him when they lay close ; she should have absorbed the hollows and smoothness of his brow and learned him by heart . Her fingertips had only fluttered around him in butterfly ecstasy . Evening found her in despair at the crude grey mass .
Idiom: burn rubber (used idiomatically: yes)
One tiny little fragment of her would always be a mother . But at last there was a kind of to and fro between them , more like a tennis match perhaps than a genuine conversation , with words being patted back and forth , but Rose at least was grateful for it . She leaned out of the window , trying to enjoy the fresher air ; a scent of burning rubber drifted in . To the west was a soap factory ; she could smell that too . ‘ Good old Deller 's,’ she murmured .
Idiom: come to terms with (used idiomatically: yes)
It is no criticism of them to say that I felt a bit of a nuisance . That came straight from my early conditioning , my relationship with my mother and the fact that I have always found it easier to give than receive . Receiving for me always contained a degree of embarrassment that I am only now beginning to come to terms with . The extreme condition of this is for someone to tell me that they loved me — few ever did — or to thank me . Either compliment can bring tears and do for me what the Last Post did for my father .
Idiom: under fire (used idiomatically: yes)
The incident also gave rise to one of the regiment 's nicknames , ' The Red Feathers ' . Another nickname is ' The Lacedaemonians ' . Again , during the American War of Independence , their colonel is said to have given a long speech under heavy fire about Spartan discipline and the efficient military system of the Lacedaemonians . Being light infantry , the regimental helmet - plate centre featured a stringed bugle - horn which was superimposed on a castle over which were two crossed feathers . The encircling band bore the title : DUKE OF CORNWALL 'S LIGHT INFANTRY .
Idiom: by the same token (used idiomatically: yes)
In the event of an airline being involved in a major accident with one of its own aircraft , the company flight safety section will be the main liaison link between the official national accident investigation authority and the airline . On such occasions the airline needs to know at the earliest possible moment whether there is something inherently wrong with its equipment , procedures or training , and therefore the official investigators should keep the airline fully informed of the factual material it establishes as the investigation proceeds . By the same token , the airline should inform the official investigators of any suspicions or failures that they have experienced in the recent past that might conceivably have a bearing on the accident . In this liaison there should be a great deal of give and take , generating trust and mutual respect . It is no place for PROs to go snooping around collecting information to put out in a defensive public statement before its true significance can be established .
Idiom: lame duck (used idiomatically: no)
There 's always been that instinct to pick up those who have been hurt ; at one time she wanted to be a nurse , but the thought of night shifts put her off . She became a teacher instead , she is probably good at it , though perhaps officious . Most of her boyfriends have been collected at a time of crisis in their lives , lame ducks , my father calls them , who tend to move on when they have reorganised their existence , not wanting to be taken over . Already she opens my father 's letters , though so far she has not read them out loud or tied his tie for him . She would be a good mother but he 's not a child .
Idiom: down the drain (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I am referring the matter to the National Audit Office as a matter of urgency,’ he said . ‘ Morale in the Inland Revenue is at an all - time low as a result of market testing and centralisation . ‘ It is time ministers took steps to stop this public money going down the drain.’ Major refuses to publish paper A TORY 'S demand to publish a government assessment of manufacturing industry was refused by the Prime Minister in the Commons yesterday .
Idiom: on the take (used idiomatically: no)
I want to make her better but you ca n't do that so you 've got to make some effort . You do n't say : ‘ Oh , my mum 's got cancer , we ca n't do this or that . ’ We get on with life and take pleasure in things whether she 's ill or not . I started writing poetry when I was young . My first was when mum was ill in hospital .
Idiom: lose heart (used idiomatically: no)
The slight down side of all this is that your foe will usually know exactly how tough your cavalry is and target them with spells and artillery . It can be very depressing watching these magnificent warriors being crushed by falling boulders . Do n't lose heart — when they hit the enemy vengeance will be yours . Missile troops are often the key to a sound strategy . As the Empire player you have a lot to draw on .
Idiom: see the light (used idiomatically: yes)
She was not just Fenna 's friend and child , his daughter of delight . She was also Fenna 's hoard ; and Fenna had kept from her until too late the awful , consuming greed and jealousy that , from before the dawn of time , all dragons have had about their hoards . Dragons can lie for dark centuries brooding over their treasures , bedding down on frozen flames that will never see the light of day . Dragons love virgins , but they hate the creamy smell of female desire that will bring the young men to their caves , to steal and kill . Princes on white chargers are like bloodhounds , over mountain ranges and mighty oceans they can scent the whiff of virginal longing and are drawn to it like wasps to jam jars .
Idiom: catch a cold (used idiomatically: yes)
I had no relatives left behind for them to blackmail me into silence - that had been the biggest obstacle . Without the Colonel I might never have got through ; they preferred you to leave someone dear behind . Then , if you began to sing , they 'd tell you your mother , your brother , your children even , would catch a cold on your behalf . All I gave was my solemn word . They thought it meant nothing ; but I have tried to keep my promise .
Idiom: off the cuff (used idiomatically: yes)
9 . The transfer deed In a simple sale of the whole of a seller 's property , the title to which is registered , the form of transfer of whole will apply ; it 's so simple that commonly one dictates it " off the cuff " , and the top copy is made on front of Form 19 or Form 19(JP ) so that it can be used for that purpose . Remember to complete or delete , as appropriate , the certificate of value incorporated in all printed forms . It is n't invariable practice amongst conveyancers even to keep a third copy of a simple transfer for themselves ( but always keep one if it contains restrictions , or the grant or reservation of rights , etc , or if you will require one for your mortgagee 's solicitors ; normally one prepares top and carbon , both of which are sent to the seller 's conveyancers with a suggestion that the top copy , too , should be retained and used as the engrossment if its terms are approved .
Idiom: with a view to (used idiomatically: yes)
It has , however , produced a specific proposal for a European Works Council ( EWC ) , as a mechanism for informing and consulting employees in ‘ Community - scale undertakings’ , defined as an undertaking ( or group of undertakings ) with at least 1,000 employees within the Community , and at least two establishments in different Member States , each with at least 100 employees . A request for the consideration of the establishment of an EWC could be made by any employee , or by central management . Such request would trigger a meeting of elected employee representatives who , unless they unanimously agreed otherwise , would request negotiations with central management with a view to concluding an agreement for an EWC . Such an agreement would embrace the nature , composition , competence and mode of operation of the EWC . In default of an agreement within a year , the minimum requirements of the domestic legislation of the Member State where central management was situated would apply , subject to additional minimum requirements laid down by the Directive .
Idiom: on the rocks (used idiomatically: yes)
She was so overcome by what she saw that she burst into tears . Michael Swinton watched her in silence as he had watched her before , only proffering as he had done once before a handkerchief which he had plainly also used as a paint rag . She saw it was herself , there on the canvas ; in fact it was so much herself that she could not believe that she could be both people , one here on the studio floor and one sitting there clasping her knees , her eyes lost in faraway visions , her white feet on wet black rocks against which little waves were breaking in plumes of spray . Her skin looked luminous , her hair was the colour of the pale amber beads Aunt Emily always wore because she said they helped her rheumatism . ' I said it once before , ' Michael Swinton said , watching her , ' and I will continue to say it .
Idiom: chase your tail (used idiomatically: yes)
Aries ( March 21–April 20 ) A playful puppyish mood is upon you , but while this immature attitude is in evidence , be sensible enough to resist objects such as clothes , furnishings and oddments unwittingly left in your way . If you do n't want your image tarnished , chase your tail before you get into serious trouble . Taurus ( April 21–May 21 ) Humans are getting you down , and you need to slink away on your own , down to the bottom of the garden , or to a peaceful patio out of the range of everyone .
Idiom: talk dirty (used idiomatically: yes)
If I go from hero to bum , so be it.’ Deputy shocked the sheriff A WOMAN deputy sheriff has been fired for fondling male colleagues and talking dirty to them . Sheriff Carl Peed of Virginia in America , said the un - named officer was the first woman to be been sacked for sexual harassment . The deputy was investigated after being seen feeling a colleague 's groin .
Idiom: tell tales (used idiomatically: no)
The creation of strings , textures and their weird kin is traditionally kept in the earliest universe — about which less is known , providing more room for manoeuvre . That means they would already be exerting their influence by the time the microwave background was born . As yet , though , the best measurements of the microwave background show none of the tell - tale marks that such flaws would leave . If measurements ten times more sensitive , already being planned , show the same thing , yet more radical ideas may be needed . Unless , that is , the flaws appeared after the background glow .
Idiom: high and dry (used idiomatically: yes)
There was a lull in the conversation as both rested their heads against the smooth warm wall of the old summer - house and allowed the afternoon sun to bathe their faces . A gull screeched overhead breaking the dreamy silence , and Julie 's eyes flicked open . She gazed again at the peaceful scene in front of her until her eyes rested on an old Severn Punt lying high and dry on the foreshore . It lay there on the dry cracked mud below the high water mark , waiting for the next tide to wet its bottom . The sight of the small craft sparked her memory .
Idiom: steer clear of (used idiomatically: yes)
Another dealer would regularly punt out £ 40,000 or so worth of stock or so on the account to — wait for it — a school dinner lady . Another dealt a vicar 130 times in nine months , reducing a £ 30,000 portfolio to around £ 8000 . He then brought up the £ 8000 to £ 8,000 by steering clear of the OTC , and the vicar was ecstatic that at last he seemed to be making some money . The dealer moved to another firm and stuffed the client with £ 12,000 worth of a speculative American stock which ultimately proved a dud . From his original £ 30,000 , the client had finished up with around £ 000 .