Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: come unstuck (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I ca n't recall it ever happening in any association affiliated to the IBA before , although it may have happened some time ago,’ added the former Irish international player . It has indeed been a brilliant season for the Ward Park club , with Alex Lightbody returning from the British Isles championships in Worthing in July with the singles title under his belt . Meanwhile , Carrickfergus , winners of the CIS Irish Senior Cup last weekend against Old Bleach , came unstuck yesterday in their bid to grab the runners - up spot in the senior division , which has already been won by Bangor . The Carrick men could only manage two and a half points from their top of the table clash with Lisnagarvey ( 85 - 79 ) , but they still could be in with a chance when they meet Gilnahirk next week . Incidentally Irish international lead Martin McHugh skipped in the game yesterday and earned a 17 - 17 draw with fellow Irish international John McCloughlin .
Idiom: rank and file (used idiomatically: yes)
It should not surprise us that misery turns to protest when the temptation of the ballot box invites.’ The plan was for a show of swift action by a ‘ listening Government’ to counter the demoralising effects of the Newbury and county council election disasters on May 6 . Today the Prime Minister will hear from party business managers , who have been taking soundings nation - wide , about how his speech to the Scottish Tories on Friday was received by Conservative MPs and rank - and - file workers alike throughout the country . Four face charges after pub violence FOUR men are due to appear in court in Mildenhall today after an incident in a Haverhill pub which left two people needing hospital treatment .
Idiom: put paid to (used idiomatically: yes)
Helen Marion Burnside ( 1844–1920 ) Born at Bromley Hall , Middlesex , Helen Burnside became totally deaf at the age of 12 and learnt sign language so that she could communicate — she never mastered the art of lipreading . Up to the time of her deafness , she had ambitions to be a music composer but her deafness put paid to that . Instead , she turned to writing and discovered a talent for writing verses , particularly Christmas verses . From 1864 onwards , Miss Burnside wrote about 200 Christmas verses a year which were used in Christmas cards .
Idiom: stake a claim (used idiomatically: yes)
Successful riders were Ken Wood , Stuart Trower , Andy Haig and Kevin Wardell . HOCKEY Patel stakes late claim to first XI HASLEMERE 3 , O. TAUNTONIANS II 0 With the league season over , Haslemere first XI are free to experiment and for this friendly fixture , skipper Smyth gave debuts to three players : Hunter , McGrath and Patel .
Idiom: in the pipeline (used idiomatically: yes)
LAUGHING GAS This is the programme for 1992 . But , if you can believe it , there 's more in the pipeline . Will it be Robin Williams ? Will it be the Pope on a unicycle ?
Idiom: in your face (used idiomatically: yes)
SUN man Paul Welford has reported him to the police , and Flashman said : ‘ If people want to do that , then fair enough . We will see what happens . ‘ If a fellow comes at you and is pushing cameras in your face , what can you do?’ Another Barnet player said : ‘ Why is he chairman of a club , when he clearly hates players ? ‘ We 're all fed up with him , and we 're disappointed with the League and players ' union .
Idiom: pissed off (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ For God 's sake , Robin ; of course . What did you think - I'd hang up?’ ‘ I thought you might be a little pissed off with me , yes.’ ‘ It 'll pass.’ Dawson sat down in front of the computer and strummed the keys , a rapid clatter .
Idiom: out of order (used idiomatically: yes)
Apparently , as a hardworking council candidate , who stressed community politics , he had increased the vote in an unpromising working - class constituency . He remained in the branch . As the visiting speaker told his tale , others chipped in with humorous stories about the nose - picking chairman : failed English ‘ O’ level seven times … sent his car for a Ministry of Transport Test with both headlights out of order and no brakes … a complete nut - case . In all this there was not a hint of political criticism ; it was a matter of personality . However , in this instance , but not in the episode of the rehousing campaign , an underlying resentment against the actions of the seniors was detectable .
Idiom: go to town (used idiomatically: no)
Help has been available here for less than a month , but already word has spread and swelled the starving population from 10,000 to 30,000 . There are five feeding centres , A , B , C , D , and E. We go first to C — the town 's former prison . We arrive to witness a near riot — the dull hungry eyes of the children having been lit up by fear that the food is about to run out . Then we go to A , where Ahmed languishes .
Idiom: grind to a halt (used idiomatically: yes)
The majority team has an automatic resistance to being displaced , simply by virtue of being in the majority . This does n't mean that the majority team can never be displaced . If it could n't , evolution would grind to a halt . But it does mean that there is a kind of built - in inertia . Obviously this kind of argument is not limited to biochemistry .
Idiom: stand up and be counted (used idiomatically: yes)
William Charles , the eldest son , had only recently left town for good , off to join his cousins in London ; young Benjamin was too young to be playing at soldiers , and Charles the Cheesemonger himself was a bit too old and certainly far too unhealthy to offer his services as a volunteer . So the mantle fell on the second son , John , then 23 years old ; without more ado , he set off over the bridge into the Market Place , across to the George , and signed up for the infantry . It is not without significance , of course , that a young man of good Dissenting stock , with impoverished uncles , aunts and cousins , should nevertheless have chosen to stand up and be counted in a fight against a nation which , for all its extremes , represented some form of democratic republicanism . Can John really have been so politically conservative ? The question is probably too sophisticated : after all , his own father was by no means destitute , and had at least something worth conserving .
Idiom: across the board (used idiomatically: yes)
The state of the market can be ascertained by visiting a number of shops and auctions over the period of a few weeks , and carefully noting the prices . It is much easier to keep a reliable record if you concentrate on 3 or 4 rugs from specific groups . Always select popular groups and rugs which represent a reasonable cross - section of the sizes and prices ranges on offer ( i.e. from a small nomadic rug to a workshop carpet ) , because prices do not always fluctuate evenly across the board . At any given time , you may find that due to popularity , low category rugs are relatively expensive , while more valuable items are proving harder to sell , or vice versa . Insurance
Idiom: on the button (used idiomatically: yes)
How can I turn on parental control ? Double - click the Bitdefender icon . In the window that opens , there is a horizontal scroll ; slide to the right and in " Parental Control " click on the " OFF " button .
Idiom: rule of thumb (used idiomatically: yes)
Moreover , the Vice - Chancellor expressly agreed [ 1991]Ch . 90 , 99 , with much of the judgment of Slade J. : ‘ in particular with the basic proposition that the exercise of the discretion involves the balancing of the requirements of the liquidator or administrator to obtain information on the one hand against the possible oppression to the person sought to be examined on the other . Again , having rejected the ‘ rule of thumb’ test , the Vice - Chancellor said , at p. 102 : ‘ Nor do I think that there is any other simple test that can be substituted . The words of the Insolvency Act 1986 do not fetter the court 's discretion in any way .
Idiom: early bird (used idiomatically: no)
We were early risers on the first morning . In woodland we stood and listened to the vociferous dawn chorus . It 's the early bird watcher that catches the best bird song . Were these the woods , I wondered , that Kingsley had in mind when he wrote of Tom 's escape from Ellie 's little white bedroom ? ( ‘ Tom , of course , made for the woods .
Idiom: under the sun (used idiomatically: yes)
The sea was cooler at night , although it was still eerily different from the breath - snatching chill of the waters of her home . She swam swiftly to cool herself , but fear stopped her in mid - dive . Only the bobbing ice raft felt safe , and every day it grew smaller as the waves grew warmer under a sun which rose a blazing orange and filled the sky with streaks of scarlet and gold . The seal spent a long time underwater , thinking . She did n't want to trouble the penguin with the bewilderment in her eyes .
Idiom: state of the art (used idiomatically: yes)
The executive team will focus on providing state - of - the - art service to existing customers and expanding the customer base .
Idiom: come of age (used idiomatically: yes)
Noel joined the staff of what was the Salford Royal College of Advanced Technology in 1964 , as a lecturer in the then Department of Liberal Studies . He became a lecturer in German in the newly created Department of Modern Languages when the Royal College received its charter as a University in 1967 . Promoted to a senior lectureship in 1973 and to his professorship in German some 10 years later , he was one of the few remaining full - time members of the staff to have witnessed not only the coming of age of the University , but also the massive expansion of the Modern Languages Department and its impressive rise to prominence as an exponent of the applied approach to the teaching of languages , involving a marked shift of emphasis from a near exclusive preoccupation with literary studies in one foreign language to the development of communication skills in at least two . In November 1984 , Noel disproved Orwell 's grim prophecies by stepping into Martin Harris 's seven league boots and , as Chairman , involving the Department in an ongoing process of expansion and innovation . Under this chairmanship , the first Modern Languages and Marketing Studies undergraduates were admitted , the ACML or what is now the Modern Languages and Accounting Studies degree programme was launched , the Information Technology stream was introduced in the Modern Languages Degree programme and the latter was expanded to include Arabic as a main language .
Idiom: get a move on (used idiomatically: yes)
Come in come in I was just saying get a move on cos we 've got to go to Paul 's Have you spoken to him ? I have n't yet no , but I think he 's outside mixing cement , we said we 'd go and give him a hand to put his posts in
Idiom: to the tune of (used idiomatically: yes)
again , There you are . Well , ten minutes later it was still up to me knees , I said , I ca n't keep this up and he shouted something down to somebody else , who shouted to somebody else , Put your sprags back lads . And apparently these other lads further down , to the tune of about a hundred and fifty yards , had all lifted the boards up on the belt and so all their slack and that was coming to me . And since it was the end of the belt I could n't get i go by anybody with me , I had to move it . tt So I chucked the shovel down , and climbed out off the face and sat in there and cried and cried and cried .
Idiom: game on (used idiomatically: yes)
The helper departs feeling ‘ put down’ and badly done by . Games always result in a win - lose outcome where someone comes out on top but at the other person 's expense . The loser is likely to be tempted into playing a return game on some future occasion in a bid to square the match . This ‘ tit for tat’ competition wastes time , saps energy and sours relationships . How can we recognize when a game is being played ?
Idiom: turn the corner (used idiomatically: yes)
Her mum was brown too . My heart started playing drums again . We were turning the corner into their road . Will Mum and Dad be waiting for me in the hall ? What about Cal 's dad ?
Idiom: in the hole (used idiomatically: yes)
It seemed pretty much like where he 'd been before . Let 's see , now . He 'd looked up at the great thing dropping out of the sky right towards his head , and had flung himself down , expecting at any second to become just a little greasy mark in a great big hole . No , he probably had n't died . He 'd have remembered something important like that .
Idiom: get the better of (used idiomatically: yes)
As far as Diana was concerned it was another set of ‘ velvet hairbands’ . She had joined the course at her parents ' insistence and while it was n't her idea of fun at the time it seemed a better alternative than being behind a typewriter . Often the glutton in Diana got the better of her and she was frequently told off for dipping her fingers into pans filled with gooey sauces . She completed the course a few pounds heavier and clutching a diploma for her efforts . As her father began his fight back to health , Diana 's mother took a hand in guiding her career .
Idiom: save the day (used idiomatically: yes)
Mr Gair , 56 , an airline pilot , said it was his grandson 's presence of mind that saved Michael , two , and sisters Katie , five , and four - year - old Angela . He said Alex had already led the girls to safety by the time he arrived to rescue Michael , who had slept through the ordeal . Mr Gair said : ‘ Alex really saved the day . He is a bright , intelligent young lad and he did all the right things . ‘ He was woken by the smoke and heat and he alerted his sisters , then went straight to the telephone and called me .
Idiom: keep your options open (used idiomatically: yes)
However , one practical solution to the problem is ‘ mixed’ articles and some private practices offer time out during training with a commercial or industrial body . Articles which are available in commerce or industry may well include a period in private practice . Either way , you can keep your options open . The Law Society is now positively encouraging articles in commerce and industry and your Careers Adviser should keep you up - dated on the possibilities . You will also find a list of commercial or industrial bodies offering articles in ROSET [ the Register of Solicitors Employing Trainees]which you can purchase from the Law Society or obtain from your college .
Idiom: sticky fingers (used idiomatically: no)
Leif looked self - pityingly at him . ' Go on , you idle bugger ! ' Cranston roared ' There 's more to this house than sitting on your arse and stuffing your mouth with every bit of food you can lay your sticky little fingers on ! ' Leif sighed , put down the bowl and hobbled out of the kitchen . Cranston heard the front door open and the man limping slowly back .
Idiom: first up (used idiomatically: yes)
There must surely be some connection of ideas here , and he would get better quickly if he could be certain that everything made sense . Next , having reviewed , as well as he could , his work at the office , and made a courageous but unsuccessful attempt to remember whether there was any urgent correspondence he had n't dealt with , he let his thoughts return to Nenna . Yesterday , or was it the day before yesterday , or when was it , he had gone first up the ladder on to Lord Jim , but Nenna had gone first into the cabin . Thinking about this , he felt happier , and then quite at peace . It was rather a coincidence that she was wearing a dark blue guernsey exactly like Laura 's , with a neck which necessitated the same blindfold struggle to get it off About the whole incident Richard felt no dissatisfaction and certainly no regret .
Idiom: fall short (used idiomatically: yes)
Much depends on the social function of labelling criminal offences , and on the particular labels chosen . We are referring here to the offence of causing death by reckless driving , not to manslaughter . It is therefore , one may assume , a label of intermediate stigma ( falling short of the stigma attached to the offence of manslaughter ) . The fault element is fairly substantial , since the Lawrence definition refers to an obvious and serious risk of at least substantial damage to property : there will be few cases where only such damage , and no risk to personal safety , is involved ; moreover , as argued above , a major reason for having rules of the road which all drivers should know is to reduce the risk of injuries and deaths resulting . Retaining the more serious label which refers to the causing of death may therefore perform a useful educative function ; it is hardly unfair to the driver , since this is the very risk against which the rules are intended to guard .
Idiom: cut both ways (used idiomatically: yes)
After Munich the idea that the main danger came from Chamberlain rather than Hitler became difficult to sustain . Some leaders of the popular front movement — Victor Gollancz for one — began to call openly for an acceleration of rearmament : though here he parted company with the Communist Party . It had occurred to some popular frontists that rearmament as an instrument of social control could cut both ways . Rearmament created bottlenecks in the supply of skilled labour , placing trade unions in a position to press for changes in foreign policy as a condition of their support for the ‘ dilution’ of labour . The fear of precisely such pressure had played a part in persuading the Government not to push ahead too fast with the construction of a war economy .
Idiom: at sea (used idiomatically: yes)
Swayed by similar arguments , the governments of the rich countries have now largely deprived themselves of this option . A series of international agreements has cut back dumping in the North Sea , to the point where it will be virtually eliminated by 1998 , and outlawed incineration at sea . New York city , banned by federal legislation in 1988 from dumping sewage at sea , has spent $ 1 billion it can ill afford on plant to convert its sludge into fertiliser . Will beaches be cleaner as a result ? Almost certainly not .
Idiom: fall short (used idiomatically: yes)
THE current crackdown on Soviet press and television is , like so many of President Gorbachev 's policies , a probably unworkable muddle . Full censorship makes people mistrust the press . Mr Gorbachev has three instruments that , he hopes , will make the press more pliant while falling short of complete censorship . The first sounds like a rare disease : GUOT . This is the body that , supposedly protecting state secrets , issues lists of forbidden subjects .
Idiom: break the bank (used idiomatically: yes)
Some goods are obtainable only at special shops where only western currency is accepted . Here you can buy at duty free prices all the usual items . Eating out or shopping on holiday in Hungary is a real pleasure and it 's nice to know that bringing home presents and souvenirs wo n't break the bank . Travel Departures to Hungary are every week throughout the summer from Dover on Sunday mornings .
Idiom: go from strength to strength (used idiomatically: yes)
It is marked out not just by virtuosity and weight of tone ( there was a time when the Leningrad Philharmonic could have supplied front - desk players to virtually every other top - class orchestra in the world ) but also by an astonishing unity of expressive purpose . Always the sound is superbly focused , the inflexion unanimous ; it may be lean , but it is never thin . Contrast this with the woodwind who often seem to be fighting gamely against insubordinate instruments and recalcitrant reeds , their difficulties surely exacerbated by lack of contact with the West , where orchestral wind playing has gone from strength to strength . The second factor is the personality of the man who was the Leningraders ' ‘ permanent director’ from 1938 until his death 50 years later . This can already be guessed at from the demonic intensity of his most famous recordings , and it is confirmed by first - hand reports .
Idiom: catch someone's eye (used idiomatically: yes)
The whole house was glorious . Even the en suite bathroom of the bedroom she shared with Emily could be described by no other word than glorious ! She stepped forward a moment to admire a cabinet of gleaming silver — quite the most beautiful collection imaginable — and it was in that moment that something caught her eye . A silver - framed photograph on one of the little side - tables . As she gazed down at it her heart missed a beat .
Idiom: out of the box (used idiomatically: yes)
Over at Robinsgrove , finding no water to hose down the ponies , Perdita put them in their boxes and , having given them their hay nets and filled up the water buckets from the water trough , raced off to Dancer 's for a swim . Wayne , Ricky 's favourite pony , had such a low threshold of boredom that he had a special manger hooked over the half - door so he could eat and miss nothing in the yard at the same time . The yard escapologist , he had been known to turn on taps and flood the yard and , even worse , let other ponies out of their boxes when he got bored . At matches he had to be watched like a hawk in case he wriggled out of his headcollar , and set off for the tea tent , where his doleful yellow face and black - ringed eyes could coax sandwiches and cake out of the most stony - hearted waitress . Left to his own vices , deserted even by his friend Little Chef , who 'd gone with Ricky , Wayne started to fiddle with the bolt .
Idiom: over your head (used idiomatically: no)
VALERIO ( giving him a glass ) . Take this bell , this diving bell and sink into the sea of wine until the bubbles burst over your head .
Idiom: clutch at straws (used idiomatically: yes)
Something more ? Beyond all this ? Clutching at straws . I do n't want to die . That it should happen here , it made a cage inside a cage .
Idiom: rock bottom (used idiomatically: yes)
After all , Wang Laboratories Inc and Prime Computer Inc are just two of a string of companies that have opened and later closed in the south of Ireland , but Amdahl Corp is still there , Intel Corp is investing heavily and expanding , 3Com Corp and Cabletron Systems Inc are among the new arrivals , and several other chipmakers are still doing assembly and Sun Microsystems Inc has just followed ICL Plc and Sema Group Plc in establishing software development operations in the Dublin area . And a handful of critics is beginning to wonder whether Ireland has not concentrated a little too hard on attracting inward investors at the expense of building a strong home - grown computer and electronics industry : after all , the policy of rallying all centres of higher education to turn out highly - skilled hardware and software engineers has been a great success , but should n't more of those people be working for Irish companies ? After all , at the most basic level , Ireland should be a superb base for establishing a rock - bottom high volume personal computer manufacturing business that could knock spots off Tulip Computers NV with its lower costs and be challenging Elonex Plc and the tartan Americans led by Compaq Computer Corp and IBM Corp , not to mention Ireland 's own foster - sons Dell Computer Corp in Limerick , and Apple Computer Inc in Cork . Nor are the prospects , even for Galway , as bad as they appear at the moment : workers reportedly wept openly in the Digital canteen when told their jobs were being phased out over the next 12 months , but the fear that most of the subcontractors that served DEC will have to close as well is not likely to be realised : where a company has a good relationship with a subcontractor , there are good reasons for maintaining that relationship even after a plant closes , and work should start flowing across the Irish Sea all the way to Galway from Scotland . Business leaders have moved into Galway to repair the damage with task forces to help create replacement jobs .