Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: all over bar the shouting (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ They 've made their minds up . He 's the one that done it and they do n't want to know no different.’ The next day they charged Barry Moxton with the murder of his wife Mary and there was a picture on the front pages of him being led away with a blanket over his head and another of a policeman coming out of his mother 's house with a plastic bag that was said to contain his bloodstained and half - burned clothing , and a day or so after that Uncle Titch turned up in South Wales with his horse and cart where he said he 'd gone after a merry - go - round and did n't know what all the fuss was about , did n't know about any murder , did n't read the papers and was generally believed , at least by the people on the estate , because it was typical of Uncle Titch , and by that time the Queerfella who was queerer than any of them knew had made a full confession and it was all over bar the shouting and the trial , when he pleaded guilty and was sent down for life and everyone said he should have been hanged and pretended it had never once crossed their minds that it was Uncle Titch that done it . But he knew , even though he never read the papers . And the Turk 's Head stayed shut with padlocks on the doors and the windows boarded up , and Uncle Titch went away and no one seemed to know where he 'd gone to , not even William 's grandad , and no one seemed to know whether he 'd taken his fairground with him or whether it was still there behind the shutters and the padlocked doors in the dark rooms with the bloodstains still on the walls and floors .
Idiom: rule of thumb (used idiomatically: yes)
The “ miscellaneous ” department is the biggest at dpa in the meantime , and in international news , too , a rule of thumb applies that a foreign - service staff member formulates as follows : ” The further away you are , the more interest there is in amusing topics . ”
Idiom: have a ball (used idiomatically: no)
Very like its living counterpart still , because it had not been in the river very long . The Comer had not managed to loosen the knot of the tie , though its ends floated wide , or to hoist off one of the regulation black shoes . He even had a ball - point pen still firmly clipped to the top of his breast pocket . ‘ That 's him,’ said Sergeant Comstock , looking down at the slow rivulets of storm - water trickling down out of clothing and hair to wind their way thankfully through the grass back to the river . ‘ Hang on here , Jackie , while I cut up to the farm and ‘ phone.’
Idiom: make ends meet (used idiomatically: no)
No . No . Er but you just grabbed a little harder so that you made ends meet That 's right . By the result you
Idiom: hold someone's hand (used idiomatically: no)
Therese was huddled in nearly every garment she possessed , slacks , jumpers , her shabby grey coat and the multicoloured shawl . A small electric fire stood near the piano on the stage . Busacher had his cloak pulled round his legs and at intervals held his hands in front of the fire to thaw them out before playing again . ‘ Just the duet , once more , Therese , then we shall finish for today.’ He began playing and let Therese go through it once on her own .
Idiom: ring a bell (used idiomatically: yes)
So he took the money and left . Mr Brownlow walked up and down his room for several minutes , deep in thought . He rang the bell for Mrs Bedwin , his housekeeper , and told her what he had heard . ' I do n't believe it , ' she said , with great certainty . ' I was right , ' said Mr Grimwig with satisfaction .
Idiom: slow burn (used idiomatically: yes)
He was a grand - nephew of the Victorian novelist Eliza Lynn Linton [ q.v . ] . He made his first stage appearance as an actor at Wigan in The King of Terrors in 1900 , taking fourteen more years to make his way into the West End , where he arrived at the Empire Theatre in October 1914 in By Jingo If We Do . It was already clear that Lynn was to make his career as an eccentric comedian , expert in the slow burn , the double take , and the impromptu remark which would duly be noted by a grateful playwright ( Landlady : ‘ This writing of yours ai n't very clear.’ Lynn : ‘ No , I have just eaten some very thick soup’ ) . The turning - point in Lynn 's career came in 1922 when Leslie Henson and Tom Walls [ qq.v.]cast him in Tons of Money , a sparkling farce which ran for two years at the Shaftesbury Theatre .
Idiom: pull strings (used idiomatically: yes)
Or obsession , rather . You should see the scenes he puts on ! And sometimes he lets me pull the strings . That 's a great day for me . ' His voice curled ironically at the edges .
Idiom: on the ball (used idiomatically: yes)
In the left stance 1 : step forward , bringing the right foot to the front . 2 Raise the right knee . 3 Twist on the ball of the supporting foot , bringing the hips around through 90 ° . 4 Extend the right leg , striking with the instep of the foot . The kick is performed by starting from a natural stance and bringing up the right leg , bent and to the side .
Idiom: strike a chord (used idiomatically: yes)
Trends towards the centralization and bureaucratization of power , far from being accepted with resignation , generated an opposition which stressed the virtues of smallness , accessibility , openness and decentralization . This opposition has not been coherent or co - ordinated , and is still much weaker than the centripetal trends it opposes . But , like the work of one of its ancestors , Rousseau , it strikes a chord which reverberates widely among those who feel themselves to be increasingly powerless , and resent it . It would be absurdly sanguine to suggest that the latter half of the twentieth century has witnessed any global movement in the direction of democracy or popular power . There is no clear pattern of progress .
Idiom: to the letter (used idiomatically: yes)
' But now they do . Or they think they do . Something — or someone — drew their attention to Tristram 's letters . Who ? Only a few people knew about them .
Idiom: break the ice (used idiomatically: yes)
The three young people stood in a rather hostile and malodorous silence waiting for something to happen . Lieutenant Stapleton was very conscious of the thick cloud of flies that buzzed round each of his companions . " Well , we 've relieved you , eh ? " said the General to the Collector , trying to break the ice . " Nick of time , what . " This Collector - wallah was a devilishly hard fellow to talk to , he was finding .
Idiom: up to scratch (used idiomatically: yes)
Ibanez have obviously not forgotten that once the ‘ made in Japan’ tag was considered a stigma and have given their Korean counterparts a chance to bask in the glory they deserve . The fingerboard is rosewood , with 22 chunky - ish frets and triangular , plastic position markers . Incidentally , I trust that the fretwire used is up to scratch ; I 've recently seen a few Korean guitars with very soft fretwire which would probably need a re - fret after only a short time . The neck has been bound quite well , although the fret end - filing has left a few untidy marks along the way . IN USE
Idiom: with a will (used idiomatically: no)
Admittedly the former supplied twice as many houses as the latter but if the fatal cases of cholera during the entire epidemic are taken in proportion to the houses supplied , it will be seen that there were 610 deaths out of 10,000 houses supplied by the Southwark and Vauxhall company , whereas there were only 1 19 out of 10,000 supplied by the Lambeth Company . I challenge Dr Dunstaple to deny in the face of this evidence that cholera is not spread by drinking water ! " The effect of Dr McNab 's arguments was by no means as overwhelming as might be supposed ; with the best will in the world and in ideal circumstances it is next to impossible to escape cerebral indigestion as someone quotes comparative figures as fluently as Dr McNab had just been doing . The audience , their minds gone blank , stared craftily at Dr McNab wondering whether this was a conjuring trick in which he took advantage of their stupidity . Very likely it was .
Idiom: like a bat out of hell (used idiomatically: yes)
But then avowed with a great deal of feeling , ‘ I sorely needed somebody 's help when , with daylight I returned to that hotel and discovered you 'd taken a train back to Mariánské Láznë!’ ‘ You — um — came after me,’ she enquired politely . ‘ I think the term is — like a bat out of hell,’ he replied . ‘ Even while then it still had n't clicked in my brilliant brain why I was acting so , I put my foot down , and kept it there , and arrived here with about an hour to spare before your train was due in . Trust it to be late , today of all days!’
Idiom: on and off (used idiomatically: yes)
Yes . have ever thought in the same year , we 'd have lost two of the greatest players that this country has ever seen . Yes , but er , the other thing , Douglas , the sad thing about it was , Danny Blanchflower was great er , on and off the field , and it was the old heavy ball , and the longer you played with it , the heavier it got , and then you had that lace in the centre , difficult to er , head a ball , then you had the studs , well , as you know yourself , it 's nails . Half of them were badly worn , everybody was open to erm , serious leg injuries Yes .
Idiom: all over the place (used idiomatically: no)
I 'm perfectly nice - looking . I admit , the figure 's gone a bit , but then it started going when I was still twenty - five . And , yes , there are a couple of lines around the eyes , and a grey hair or twenty ( at least they 're all together in a neat bunch , not lurking about all over the place ) and the neck does n't look too good in some , particularly unflattering , lights , but then I do n't suppose yours would , either . I also get a bit shrill sometimes . Sorry about that .
Idiom: go to town (used idiomatically: yes)
If I get a job now I 've got to get one that pays £ 110 or £ 120 which is n't all that easy . So it 's not worth getting a job because we wo n't be as well off . We go out in the day together , we try to go to town once a week , and every Sunday we go to my aunty 's house . Lesley goes out about one night a week and I go out occasionally . Although we go out quite a lot , we just go for walks .
Idiom: cross swords (used idiomatically: yes)
GERHARD RUDOLPH talks to Germany 's great hope Helmut Bradl ended last season with a photo of John Kocinski stuck to the wall of his Phillip Island pit . The German and American had crossed swords on and off the track throughout 1990 and it seemed as if Bradl needed Kocinski 's ' presence ' to inspire him for the final showdown . But while the pair had their differences , Bradl could laugh it all off in the end . ' Putting the photo up on the wall for ' extra motivation ' was only a joke, 'says Bradl , who denies Kocinski was a particularly special enemy in 1990 .
Idiom: make light of (used idiomatically: yes)
I might offer a clichéd solution : ‘ No use crying over spilt milk.’ If I suddenly transfer my attention to an object or some aspect of the physical environment ( after all , inanimate things are much easier to deal with , are n't they — they do n't have emotions ) when you 're revealing thoughts and feelings , then once again I 've dodged your agenda . And if I use humour to avoid your problem or make light of it , then I diminish its significance . I command you not to take yourself so seriously . Sarcasm and ridicule are humorous forms of criticism — the perpetrator has the get - out clause : ‘ I was only joking.’
Idiom: cap in hand (used idiomatically: yes)
In the end Purvis and his records opened up a new world for me , starting on that very first dinner when we played Beethoven 's Archduke Trio , the one in B flat major , ‘ Opus 97,’ he added casually . ‘ Keep the lot,’ he said , ‘ then you 'll have to invite me again to hear my own records . One meal a week with you and I wo n't even have to go cap in hand to Johnson 's store . ‘ ‘ You do n't like Johnson do you?’ I did n't either and he knew it .
Idiom: as a rule (used idiomatically: no)
Yeah . Okay ? Right erm as a rule of thumb we , we generally sort of look and say well erm if yo if your income 's thirty thousand a year , yeah , you should be looking to , to provide sort of ten , fifteen times that er as a , as a guide to the amount of life cover you need . How do you feel about that say ? Yes I think er that that , yes that , that sounds about right from the point of view of what you 'd get back .
Idiom: in the long term (used idiomatically: yes)
Family hostility often arises when the expectations of older people make quite unrealistic demands upon younger relatives . The usual , if not the inevitable , result is that their expectations are regularly disappointed . Whilst it might cause some obvious short - term distress to tell the older people that they have unrealistic expectations of their children , to fail to do so inevitably leads to more unhappiness in the longer term . Similarly , younger relatives can come to the conclusion that whatever they do nothing is right or sufficient . They begin to assume that their ageing parents are never satisfied , and may eventually conclude that it might be better to do nothing at all for them .
Idiom: in the long run (used idiomatically: yes)
With the pitch being unavailable during term time , three - quarters of our games will be away . Travelling to these matches could , of course , prove expensive and some of our senior supporters may find they are unable to afford it . This could be to the club 's advantage in the long - run , however , because with supporters at a loose end on Saturdays , they have an ideal opportunity to visit the ‘ old home’ and Mr Singh 's new megastore . In so doing , they will increase our chairman 's profit margin and this in turn means he will be able to give me a three - figure budget with which to entice quality players . During the close season I will be contributing no less than 119 per cent of my energy to the club .
Idiom: neither here nor there (used idiomatically: yes)
Men ! That old cliché ‘ a woman 's place is in the home’ was a perfect cop - out ! She was a career woman — and the fact that she 'd found herself actually enjoying looking after the children , and doing the cooking , was neither here nor there ! Ross had no right to automatically expect her to suddenly become an efficient home - maker , she grumbled to herself as she got up to clear the dirty plates from the small dining - room table . And it was n't until she 'd finished doing the washing - up , and the kitchen had been cleaned to her satisfaction , that she began at last to simmer down .
Idiom: slippery slope (used idiomatically: yes)
Barack ~ Obama , appealing to swelling protectionist sentiment among Americans , threatened during his presidential campaign to rewrite the North ~ American Free Trade Agreement unilaterally . This July , the World ~ Trade ~ Organization ’s Doha trade round fell to pieces , partly because the US refused to lower its agricultural subsidies . The world is on a slippery slope toward nationalism and exclusion . If a government can step in to bail out failing banks , why not to protect its failing businesses or farmers as well ? We need a new deal for trade .
Idiom: give and take (used idiomatically: yes)
In this give and take the supernational totality with its graded structure of societies grows apace , filled with the spirit of one all - inclusive task , infinite in the variety of its branches yet unique in its infinity .
Idiom: dig deep (used idiomatically: yes)
Cautions The higher the clay content , the more sticky the soil and the more care you must take . Never be tempted to dig so deep that you bring up raw clay , but work assiduously on the top few inches only , gradually improving the soil deeper each year . And do n't try walking on your borders , particularly when they are wet , or you risk causing compaction and damage . Making clay work for you
Idiom: make the cut (used idiomatically: yes)
Agriculture & Food Canada cuts back cod fishing Canada has shut down virtually all cod fishing on its east coast and made deep cuts in quotas for other species . According to federal Fisheries Minister Ross Reid : " We are facing an unprecedented ecological crisis in Atlantic groundfish stocks . Immediate action is needed to permit this fragile resource to rebuild . "
Idiom: under the table (used idiomatically: yes)
Philip 's not read no more . Yeah , I noticed that and I thought Get your great knees under the table and move them man . You take up all the space , man . Yeah .
Idiom: pass the buck (used idiomatically: yes)
Anyway , who said I made you … ?’ ‘ Nonsense . Do n't pass the buck to me . I might think he 's a total shit , but I would never-’ ‘ But you wanted to … ’
Idiom: eternal triangle (used idiomatically: yes)
It is a timely reminder of when justice was swift and permanent . To visit the area on a summer 's day , surrounded by picnickers , is pleasant enough , but to gaze across the four visible countries on a grey winter 's afternoon is bleak beyond belief . The most popularly accepted story , probably greatly altered since its origins some 300 years ago in 1676 , concerns jealousy , greed , murder , the eternal triangle and every other human emotion that is a foreplay to disaster . George Broomham was a farm labourer from East Woodhay , a nearby village . He was a hardworking , frugal and thrifty man who was saving to buy a small cottage from his employer .
Idiom: babe in arms (used idiomatically: yes)
Mm . Mm . A babe in arms . What sort of mitigation could justify that ? Nothing .
Idiom: go public (used idiomatically: no)
… WHILST AUSPEX LOOKS TO INTERNATIONAL MARKET AS IBM DEAL PROGRESSES Auspex Systems Inc , the Santa Clara , California network server company that struck up a deal with IBM recently ( UX No 369 ) , is said to be looking to expand its operations internationally , before going public , possibly by the end of the year . Speculation has it that Auspex has its eyes on its current distributor , Thame Microsystems , as the basis of its UK operation , although Thame 's owner Memec is still likely to retain a stake . Thame — an erstwhile distributor of Motorola Computer Systems boxes , was showing Auspex NetServers at the UK Computer Management Group exhibition in Brighton last week , along with the new Sparc - based Epoch-2 data storage servers from Epoch Systems Inc.
Idiom: take a back seat (used idiomatically: yes)
Jumping probation and knowing where to get mace cannisters — yeah , I knew people who had graduated from that particular school of life . Some of them were still on the streets . ‘ Sometimes your beliefs have to take a back seat in your life , otherwise they become obsessions to the exclusion of all else.’ It sounded as though she 'd rehearsed that . ‘ You mean now you 've got Cleo to think about … ?’
Idiom: make a splash (used idiomatically: yes)
The problem for the Japanese is that Truk is a profitable destination for American travel companies and is part of the Federated States of Micronesia , a US protectorate , which does not consider the site a war grave . As the Bristol team explores Truk Lagoon today , its members will adhere to the British code for divers : ‘ Look , do n't touch.’ 42,000 tons of rubble fail to make a splash by Robert Tilley in Munich THE hanging rock of Switzerland 's Urnersee has finally fallen .
Idiom: make a move (used idiomatically: yes)
Willsford and Golden Minstrel continued to take the field along until Hotplate jumped to the front at the 21st , the fence before Becher 's on the second circuit . Romany King then joined the issue , as Llewellyn inched nearer on Party Politics . Four fences out , Llewellyn made his move , and from the next it was merely a question of whether Party Politics could hold on or whether Romany King could peg him back . Docklands Express was travelling well three fences from the finish , but tired soon after , while Cheltenham Gold Cup winner Cool Ground could finish only 10th . Twin Oaks , one of the backmarkers on the first circuit , ran on remarkably well to finish fifth without ever looking likely to take a hand in the finish .
Idiom: in the short run (used idiomatically: yes)
In many countries , fears have even arisen of a prolonged period of slow and occasionally negative growth , persistent obstacles to reducing unemployment , and continued economic anxiety ; or worse , of a Japanese - style “ lost decade ” with multiple recessions ; or , even worse , of a depression , ( which politicians and intellectuals have stoked in an attempt to justify continued massive government intervention in the economy for years to come ) . But are multiple downturns so unusual in periods of severe economic distress ? It would be useful to know the answer to this question before trying repeatedly to pump up the economy in the short run with costly policies that might worsen longer - run prospects . The global recession was severe , unmatched since World ~ War ~ II , with the possible exception of the early 1980s ( when , for example , the unemployment rate in America soared to 10.8 % as a by - product of the disinflation from the double - digit price growth of the late 1970s ) . From the beginning of the crisis in December 2007 to the apparent end of the recession in the summer of 2009 , the decline in real GDP in the US was 3.8 % .
Idiom: by the seat of your pants (used idiomatically: yes)
In three hours we managed to get the contractors to build an earth ramp , roll it flat , cover it with gravel and put a handrail alongside so that people could walk down from the road to a flat area beside the ceremony site . A colleague said , ‘ Now I know what it means to move mountains.’ At times like that you do your initial planning only to find that everything has changed and you have to fly by the seat of your pants . Nonetheless , start out with a master plan and wherever possible , use it . Because you need to get maximum use of your time in an on - the - road campaign a last minute change , even a small one , can have immense repercussions .
Idiom: murder will out (used idiomatically: no)
‘ I — I will believe in God , ’ says Shatov . While Stavrogin never gets to see Tikhon , the immediate future holds murder in store for Shatov . One of his killers is the high-minded Virginsky who ‘ will never , never abandon these bright hopes ’ ( my italics ) , and another member of the quintet is Shigalov who pulls out of the affair at the very last moment , not from fear or pity or remorse but because the murder ‘ is in direct contradiction of my programme ’ — of Shigalov 's own brand of revolutionary ideology . He 's not going to warn Shatov or tell the police , he 's going to make a statement ‘ for general edification ’ — words but no deeds , a turn towards sanity and life that might have been , and a horrific-comic Possessed moment of subtlest art . Shigalov does make his statement .
Idiom: in light of (used idiomatically: yes)
In that sense , Britain already has an armed police force . But drugs related crime is posing an ever bigger challenge . Individual chief constables may in the light of particular circumstances , consider that their drugs officers should in fact be armed and that is for the decision for as I say the individual chief officer . So there could be cases where officers on particularly dangerous assignments , need to be armed and in which case , they will be armed . Few would favour police officers being armed as a matter of routine , but work at the sharp end is undoubtedly becoming sharper .
Idiom: in a nutshell (used idiomatically: yes)
So that 's that 's Yes . in in a nutshell what we do . Mhm . And quite honestly about it .
Idiom: on a roll (used idiomatically: yes)
Léonie persisted : why not in the cemetery ? Men from the village had fought in two world wars . The names of those who had died in battle were inscribed on a stone roll of honour on the war memorial by the cemetery . Every village had one . Blémont 's was a heartily built stone woman in clinging robes carrying a wreath and a scroll .