Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: make the cut (used idiomatically: yes)
Always cut back to clean , healthy wood , with no discolouration or other sign of disease . Healthy , clean wood can heal — sometimes you may be trying to get ahead of spreading disease as it works its way into a plant , and pruning to discoloured , infected wood or leaving bruised , sawn and anything other than clean cuts only causes more trouble . Always make cuts at a slightly sloping angle — as shown in the sketch , and never at an angle that would allow rain , dew , and heavy moisture to lie on the open cut . Always make a cut just above a bud or eye where the exposed surface is near the nodal storage cells and will quickly form healing callus , and where the growth bud will receive the diverted energy . Never leave a snag or spur .
Idiom: pull someone's leg (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ You mean that 's how you managed to find her?’ As briefly as possible , Ruth told the story and Rosie chimed in , ‘ But now I 've left Soho , and moved back with the family , to help out as a part - time barmaid.’ ‘ Now I know you 're pulling my leg!’ exclaimed Gloria . ‘ Do n't tell me you 've given up being a fashion model!’ ‘ I have so,’ Rosie assured her , ‘ and believe it or not , I 've never been as happy in my whole life.’
Idiom: anything goes (used idiomatically: yes)
quote them a couple of hours , we drop the normal rate , you know by say thirty percent to start Yeah and wrap it up into a package and say you know if anything goes wrong and it takes four hours then you the same , yeah , cos if , did n't the Co - Op move or something ? Oh yeah they did er
Idiom: with a view to (used idiomatically: yes)
FERRANTI moved yesterday to take full management control of its International Signal and Control subsidiary where a £ 215 m fraud has been discovered . The UK defence contractor has been strongly criticised for allowing ISC , a highly secretive US arms manufacturer , too much independence since acquiring the company two years ago . Albert Dodd , a long - standing Ferranti director , has been put in charge of ISC and its subsidiaries including Marquardt , EMP , Datacom , Cardion Electronics and Laben and Elmer in Italy , with a view to bringing about closer integration . ISC used to be run as a state - within - a - state by James Guerin , its founder , until his forced departure from the group in May. It is now under the wing of Joe Zilligen , ISC 's finance director .
Idiom: fly in the face of (used idiomatically: yes)
In short , local government 's future financial base will have to be a hybrid — either of two or more taxes or of a tax - and - grants kind . As Michael Heseltine , the environment secretary , appears now to have accepted , a property tax should be the dominant feature of the hybrid . A sales tax would prompt border - hopping , tolerable in America but not in tiny Britain , and would fly in the face of EC moves towards greater harmonisation of indirect taxes . A local income tax would give councils the power to jeopardise Britain 's belated conversion to a belief in low direct taxation . Property taxes , by contrast , would help to temper the British obsession with home - ownership .
Idiom: get off the ground (used idiomatically: yes)
Having made its Unix hardware choice early , after the same false starts as everyone else , ICL has a stable and convincing Sparc - based product line , and can look on its rivals ' plight with interested detachment . The contrast across the channel could n't be more stark . Operating in a bleeding French market , Compagnie des Machines Bull SA has a rapidly vanishing mainframe base , personal computer problems that only seem to have been exacerbated by the acquisition of Zenith Data Systems , which looks like a source of profitless volume , and a Unix strategy that is only just getting off the ground . And now comes the Armonk bombshell : it is committed to IBM 's RS/6000 and PowerPC at a time when everything that bears the IBM name has overnight become tainted . Over in Italy , Ing C Olivetti & Co SpA is less directly affected by the abrupt change in status of all things IBM — it only markets Hitachi 's plug - compatible mainframes , but it has so many other problems that that is little compensation .
Idiom: nine times out of ten (used idiomatically: yes)
Get over yeah . Mm . I mean Ben now even now he has relapses I mean nine times out of ten you ca he ignores you when you too much Yeah . and it he 'll come up and just cuddle into the side of you without
Idiom: make history (used idiomatically: no)
Rolls - Royce chairman Peter Ward said that the company could see no sign of any recovery . Bill Morris , leader of Britain 's biggest union , the Transport Workers , said : ‘ This must be the blackest day in car - making history . ‘ The weakness in our economy has reached dangerous levels when key companies like Fords , Rolls - Royce and British Aerospace , whose success really matters to this country , are shedding skilled workers in their thousands.’ Other job cuts revealed this week include 230 at Birmingham stationery manufacturer Avery Gudex and 73 at ICI plants in Dumfries and Galloway .
Idiom: in the flesh (used idiomatically: yes)
The tiger is without doubt the most awesome and magnificent of the big cats . Throughout the Far East , the tiger has always been regarded as an animal of magical properties . In Malaysia , a single tiger whisker ground up in the animal 's flesh or bone is thought to be powerful enough to kill an enemy . In Taiwan they drink wine made from tiger bone . The wine is said to give the drinker special strength .
Idiom: on the level (used idiomatically: yes)
I said , in fact , I think it might look better . Mm . You see , I wanted it on the level with the windowsill Mm . I mean , I mean .
Idiom: in business (used idiomatically: no)
But directors of small companies who can have their own special pension arrangements will find that most of the benefits of such schemes have been removed . These are schemes which have generally less than 12 members . The most attractive feature is that the directors can borrow back half the money in the scheme and invest it in their business . The Revenue has for some time been concerned about what is done with the money . Two years ago a consultative document from the Inland Revenue proposed that the loan - back be limited to 25 per cent .
Idiom: pull strings (used idiomatically: yes)
Hugh 's mother emptied her shopping - bag onto the carpet and Gina had the feeling of terror that wedding - presents had sometimes brought ; she wondered what on earth would happen if something went wrong . ' Oh , it 's lovely , I 'm sure it will be needed . ' She pulled the string of the small musical box and the tune tinkled out in the silence as the box swallowed the cord slowly and jerkily . ' Now , how are you feeling ? I told Helen you would n't be able to do the collection this year . '
Idiom: play games (used idiomatically: no)
Once a way of beating the British winter it 's now being beaten by the upsurge in all - weather pitches outside . Male speaker The outdoor game is now played on astroturf and is very similar to the indoor game . Obviously the size of the court is different . But the indoor game has suffered from this because people are now playing more outside on the astroturf .
Idiom: let bygones be bygones (used idiomatically: yes)
Is n't it about time you guys buried the hatchet and let bygones be bygones ?
Idiom: give and take (used idiomatically: no)
This plan was based on three major considerations : that in each of the new county areas stemming from the 1974 reorganization of local government boundaries , with the exception of Powys , there should be an institute of higher education incorporating colleges of education and major further education establishments , a proposal that was consistent with those submitted by the local authorities ; that , with the exception of St Mary 's College , Bangor , all the existing colleges of education should be incorporated into the proposed institutes , albeit with some change of functions ; and that in order to strengthen the proposed institutes in Dyfed , Gwynedd and West Glamorgan , there should be a marginal redistribution of teacher training and advanced further education courses , involving also the transfer of student places into these areas from other areas . In drawing up its outline plan , the WJEC was not content solely with commenting separately on the proposals made by its constituent local authorities but attempted to look at the needs of Wales as a whole , a procedure that was not always followed by the English RACs in respect of their regions . The plan included anticipated target figures for the teacher - training and advanced further education populations in 1981 , of 4,800 and 8,800 respectively , which involved considerable give and take on the part of the individual authorities . Inevitably , however , the teacher - training target had to be adjusted downwards as the DES successively announced cuts in teacher - training provision in England and Wales before , in July 1977 , it finally settled on 2,900 places . Moreover , the decision to establish institutes of higher education in every country except Powys did not materialize wholly in the form proposed in the outline plan .
Idiom: over the counter (used idiomatically: yes)
Dealers regarded the punters ' concern to make a profit on , say , £ 500 worth of Rolls Royce shares with a contempt peculiar to the City whizz - kids they aspired to become . There was indeed method in their madness . Small clients handled roughly from what sounded like a hectic dealing room got turned on by the apparent professionalism of it all , and often allowed themselves to be persuaded into buying almost worthless over the counter ( OTC ) shares . The dealer would try to persuade the new client to reinvest not just the £ 500 he got from selling his Rolls Royce shares , for instance , but as much money in addition as he could be persuaded to part with , regardless of how far this was in his interest . The dealer 's first task was to get the client to agree to sell his Rolls Royce shares .
Idiom: rare bird (used idiomatically: yes)
The prison is holding several open days for visitors including a public open day at the weekend . Building work 's on schedule and inmates are expected in March . A peregrine falcon , one of Britain 's rarest birds of prey has been illegally shot . It 's the third such incident in the region this year . Vets have performed a two hour operation to save the bird . Richard Barnett reports :
Idiom: in the red (used idiomatically: yes)
Phildar Eponge : 10(50 g ) balls Rouge ( A ) , 9 balls Soleil ( B ) and 7 balls Mousse ( C ) ; less 4 balls Rouge if hood is omitted . For stocklist send sae to Phildar Distributors , 2 Peary Street , Rochdale Road , Manchester M60 4BW . Coats Waistband and Cuff packs ( available from department stores ) : 2 waistband packs and 1 pair of cuffs in red ; 1 open - end zip fastener in red , 55 cm long ; 7 buttons ; 3 mm ( No 11 ) needles . MEASUREMENTS To fit 81 to 102 cm , 32 to 40 inch bust — actual meas 112 cm ; length 63 cm ; sleeve 47 cm .
Idiom: on the button (used idiomatically: yes)
It comes as standard with Micrografx packages , such as Draw or Picture Publisher . Turning to your last point , you 'll be pleased to hear that Word for Windows 2 features specific support for envelope addressing . All you do is highlight the address , click on the Envelope button on the toolbar , and follow the instructions . It works really well , so I would urge you to upgrade to Word 2 at your earliest opportunity — it 's well worth the £ 75 upgrade charge . Word for Windows 2 takes the hassle out of printing envelopes
Idiom: white hat (used idiomatically: yes)
see on television . I moved from er Alderton and went to Bingham I suppose you all remember the Bingham area again ? I was there for about a couple of years and then I moved in into Nottingham on traff on the Traffic Department , you know the people that wear the white hats and , and do people for speeding . Er but we dealt with quite a few serious accidents in the time I was there . That was the main we had .
Idiom: break the bank (used idiomatically: yes)
Crisis and clarity are notebook froth whipped up by a single hidden energy . I ask , what does Dostoevsky 's gambling mania aspire towards ? And I answer , breaking the bank of all banks , busting Plato 's very Idea of a bank ; and also being cleaned out absolutely — but absolutely : body , mind , immortal soul : in fact the Dostoevsky apocalypse where all shall be revealed , where crisis is clarity . And obviously the novelist 's apocalypse is by no means identical with his received Christian one ; hence , in part , the divergence of his art from the things his notebooks show him wanting to say . It 's a reflection on sadomasochism , and on negation , and on the Underground throughout these novels , that the true gambler 's urge to lose is as strong as and not ultimately separable from its opposite .
Idiom: in the club (used idiomatically: yes)
But when no war came on August 31 . Vansittart — not noted for his pacifism told Carrington over lunch with Desmond Morton that Herr Hitler had undoubtedly lost his nerve . At an adjacent table in the Carlton Club , the skeletal Lord Halifax , a hunting man , was telling his own entourage loudly that he ' smelled a beaten fox ' . Optimistic or not , though , the government had taken their precautions . Outside the club , the busy streets of London would next day be awash with evacuees and their parents , and third class carriages on special trains awash with tears and urine .
Idiom: off the hook (used idiomatically: no)
Cos you was having trouble were n't you ? Yeah . Erm , what had happened was , the phone was off the hook . He phoned me . Ah !
Idiom: fit the bill (used idiomatically: yes)
Those who refused to give the figures ranged from tiny building societies , who simply did not have the technology to work out the sum , to large multi - national banks with copious staff and computers to hand . Barclays Bank would not divulge its figures despite repeated requests over a period of three weeks . Its excuse was that it did not have a computer programme that would fit the bill . However , its subsidiary , Barclays Direct Mortgage Services , was able to come up with the sums in a matter of days . You should draw your own conclusions .
Idiom: up to speed (used idiomatically: yes)
N Not too much use of the whip . Yeah . Right , so after twenty seconds they 're up to full speed , and flat out , erm they 're at forty five degrees . Okay ? They 've a speed on this graph it would be represented by an angle of forty five degrees .
Idiom: once and for all (used idiomatically: yes)
But , although new talks are underway , the international community is , not surprisingly , tired of dealing with the issue . After all , the Cyprus conflict has dragged on since 1974 , wearing out United ~ Nations Secretary - Generals and special representatives of all sorts , as well as bringing down governments in both Greece and Cyprus . In 2004 , the European ~ Union , the United ~ States , and a good part of the international community invested considerable energy in trying to resolve the conflict once and for all . Then UN Secretary - General Kofi ~ Annan and his team drafted a plan , which Turkey ’s government took very significant political risks in supporting . The government convinced the Turkish Cypriots to make a leap of faith and vote in favor of the Annan plan in order to reunite the island .
Idiom: sleight of hand (used idiomatically: yes)
DEFLECTION DISPLAYS are deceptive . They are examples of natural deceit . Just as the magician fools his audience with his sleight of hand , so deflection displays confuse the pouncing predator by sending him false signals . Their essential feature is that they misdirect the enemy 's attack , so that it fails to damage any vital organs . Most predators prefer to attack their prey at the head end .
Idiom: up to here (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ It 's just that I do n't like wasting my energy worrying about things I can do nothing about,’ Sally said matter - of - factly . ‘ Please , Harriet . I have had it up to here!’ She drew an imaginary line across the base of her throat , brushing her double - strand pearl choker . ‘ Ca n't we just leave it?’
Idiom: at a pinch (used idiomatically: yes)
Both of these are very good choices . If you do want curry , it is lowest in calories to stick to the vegetable varieties . But if you crave something more substantial , choose prawn or at a pinch , chicken — and preferably one of the drier versions , such as Bhuna or Madras or , even better , a Biryani . Dhansak , Masala , Kashmiri and Korma are all too rich for someone who is seriously trying to keep the weight down . Try to split the rice , nan or chapati with someone — and keep away from the fried parathas !
Idiom: take up the gauntlet (used idiomatically: yes)
Voice over These contented residents at Orchard House can relax knowing that staff here have just won a major safety award . The team took up the gauntlet thrown down by the Health and Safety Executive and came up with a thorough checklist for the city 's 7 homes . It seems it 's the little things that count . At first , the checklist took 6 hours to get through .
Idiom: buy the farm (used idiomatically: yes)
really it is . Well he , he bought all them fields did n't he ? Just bought the farm and But he 's , yeah but he 's a right prick . He is just
Idiom: have a ball (used idiomatically: no)
During six weeks of intensive pre-tour training at Lilleshall , Graham Gooch 's batsmen have , for the first time , been using a special indoor mat in the nets that has spun like a sub-continental wicket . And when the team arrives in Delhi at the end of the month , manager Keith Fletcher is confident that his players will now be able to handle tricky leg spinner Anil Kumble and his slow left-arm partner Ravi Shastri . Fletcher said : ‘ In the past it has often been an unfair battle between batsmen and spinners in indoor nets , many surfaces have been straight up and down and the ball has n't turned . It has been soul destroying for the bowlers . But this new mat has given the spinners a lot more encouragement and , over the week , some of the batsmen have improved their technique against spin . ’
Idiom: fall into place (used idiomatically: yes)
It was partly for a story , and partly to size the paper up as competition or business . Files on the paper were being opened in cuttings libraries and ( behind the scenes ) on executive computers . Newcomers — especially such crucial ones as the Chairman — were being inspected carefully as the jigsaw of the company began to fall into place . But Horsley 's reasons for joining the paper were entirely respectable . He was a pacifist professing the admirable , old - fashioned virtues of his Quaker upbringing .
Idiom: tried and true (used idiomatically: yes)
But there 's an entire album to follow in the New Year , called I Am Energy , produced by Tim Simenon of Bomb The Bass . When she came to London with Prince , Cat was impressed by the local music - types and by their willingness to find new sounds and try anything . In the States , the emphasis is on sticking to the tried and true . But despite a guest appearance by Jack Nicholson , and the assistance of the ingenious Simenon ( a man so uninfatuated by Prince and all his works that he fell asleep during the Sign O The Times movie ) , does Cat have the creative wherewithal to make it as a solo act ? There 's no doubting her dance credentials .
Idiom: point the finger (used idiomatically: yes)
Christ himself is satisfied , as Isaiah , says . He comes home rejoicing . And Jesus speaking to these scribes and the Pharisees he 's pointing the finger says , you , can I paraphrase and , perhaps use well no , Jesus used some pretty strong language against these people . He called them white inseficus full of dead mens ' bones , but looking nice on the outside . Graves .
Idiom: cut corners (used idiomatically: no)
Drill nail holes in the batten , hold it up to the wall , and drill through one batten hole into the tiling . Pin this end in place , then swing the batten up to the horizontal , and drill through its other end , ready for nailing . Once you have got all the battens in place , the hard part is over and you can start fixing the tiles — a job that is repetitive and boring , at least until you get to the cut bits at corners and edges . Even these should fit nicely if you did your planning carefully . TILING A FLOOR
Idiom: in the long run (used idiomatically: yes)
In the part of the universe that we know there is a great injustice , and often the good suffer , and often the wicked prosper , and one hardly knows which of those is the more annoying ; but if you are going to have justice in the universe as a whole you have to suppose a future life to redress the balance of life here on earth , and so they say that there must be a God , and that there must be Heaven and Hell in order that in the long run there may be justice .
Idiom: serve someone right (used idiomatically: yes)
There are some places where we keep the best till last . Thanks . Serves me right for I suppose . Yes . That 's right .
Idiom: on paper (used idiomatically: no)
You may want ( and need ) to choose a suitable time to reaffirm these vows again to each other . ‘ I ( your name ) take you ( your partner 's name ) to be my wife ( husband ) , to have and to hold , from this day forward , for better , for worse , for richer , for poorer , in sickness and in health , to love and to cherish , till death us do part , according to God 's holy law ; and this is my solemn vow.’ Spend some moments working out on paper the most important issues you need to pray about . Now meditate on these words of Paul , thinking about what they tell you about the grace and love of God in your own situation or that of someone close to you . Use this knowledge of God 's care as you spend some moments praying through the issues you have isolated in the points above .
Idiom: fly the flag (used idiomatically: yes)
On the ground that the dispute entailed an assessment of the interpretation of the provisions and principles of Community law , in particular of the principle of non - discrimination on grounds of nationality , the right of establishment and the principle of proportionality , the Divisional Court of the Queen 's Bench Division ( Reg . v. Secretary of State for Transport , Ex parte Factortame Ltd. [ 1989]2 C.M.L.R. 353 ) decided , by an order of 10 March 1989 pursuant to article 177 of the E.E.C. Treaty , to stay the proceedings pending a preliminary ruling by the Court of Justice on questions which were subsequently formulated as follows : ' ( 1 ) Does Community law affect the conditions under which a member state lays down rules for determining which vessels are entitled to register in that state , to fly its flag and carry its nationality ? ' ( 2 ) In the light of the provisions and principles of Community law and in particular(but without limitation ) the principle of non - discrimination on grounds of nationality , the right of establishment and the requirement of proportionality , is a member state entitled to stipulate that in order to be registered in and entitled to fly the flag of that member state , a fishing vessel:(a ) must have its legal title vested as to 100 per cent . in citizens of that member state , resident and domiciled therein , or vested in a company at least 75 per cent .