Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: swings and roundabouts (used idiomatically: no)
To obtain that information you need do little more than watch people . When you go to a seaside resort , spend an hour or two walking along the beach without your detector . Notice how people gather at certain spots : they crowd the sand at the foot of the steps leading from the promenade ; and they gather in groups near the places where deck - chairs are hired , where icecreams are sold , or where swings and roundabouts occupy pitches on the beach . Memorise the locations where you spot the crowds or better still , make a few written notes . Those are the places where you will find most of the lost money .
Idiom: hold the fort (used idiomatically: yes)
Plainly she must go . Her appointments for the following week could , at a pinch , be postponed . Frogmore must hold the fort . Hattie opened her writing - case , took out a sheet of paper and her pen , then sat gazing wistfully out of the window over Parker 's piece while she wondered whether or not to co - operate with Edwin 's stratagem that this must appear a chance visit . How complicated the man made everything !
Idiom: come a cropper (used idiomatically: yes)
In little more than a decade , its operating systems have won dominance in the personal - computer industry . It is challenging for the same leadership in applications software . And its ambitions spread much wider still — into realms where it could come a cropper IN THE days when IBM was still the unchallenged ruler of the computer universe , Bill Gates , chairman and co - founder of Microsoft , was fond of saying that he wanted his firm to become the Big Blue of software . It did .
Idiom: in black and white (used idiomatically: yes)
If you could n't afford the luxury of foreign travel , then a lantern slide show or the extremely popular stereoscope could bring the world right into your parlour . Battalions of courageous , if not always creative , photographers were dispatched to the ends of the earth to record breathtaking views , edifying ruins and exotic people for home viewing on the stereoscope . However , one ca n't help thinking that it must have been a source of frustration for these early travel photographers to be confronted by the riotous colours of the far east and Africa , knowing that it could only be reproduced in black and white . To give a ‘ true’ impression of the exotic splendour of these far off places , many photographers resorted to hand colouring their work . A practical system of colour photography had been eagerly searched for right from the beginning .
Idiom: come clean (used idiomatically: yes)
With this government any issues soon take second place to being seen to win . The monumentally crass decision to include this item in the Environment Bill reflects badly on the judgement of ministers and the competence of their advisers . The Government has failed to add any convincing arguments to its feeble justifications for the changes , and dares not come clean about the real reasons . When the full story is eventually told , it will be one of treachery , careerism , power , privilege and political ambition . For example , the battle over Duich Moss on Islay was not really about conservation versus jobs — as subsequent events have proved — but about saving embarrassment in high places .
Idiom: take a bath (used idiomatically: yes)
What a schmuck ! ’’ This seemed like an excellent idea . Except my agent had a will of sponge , so instead of telling the charity committee to go take a bath in some sulphuric acid , I 'd find myself trekking off to Bodmin to give my all for the local branch of the Cats ' Protection League . I changed agents but that did n't help because some people never give up . They get it into their heads that their fund - raising dinner for Hypothermic Pensioners In High Rise Blocks In Portsmouth will fall apart at the seams if Dillie Keane is n't there .
Idiom: let bygones be bygones (used idiomatically: yes)
Not that it was young Mr Gotobed 's fault , his father was alive then , and in charge of the mine , but Mr Evans says all that family was tarred with the same brush , only thinking of profits . So it made him hard against Dilys . Even now her husband 's dead , he 's not willing to let bygones be bygones.’ Though he was willing to accept a goose at Christmas , apparently . ‘ They 're always fine birds,’ Auntie Lou said — as if this was sufficient reason .
Idiom: under the table (used idiomatically: yes)
No , with your hands , not with the dustpan . Victorine 's face went bright red . Her voice was muffled when she crawled under the oilcloth - covered table to search for Quimper bits . So was n't she black , then ? Not the same one Miss Léonie saw ?
Idiom: beg the question (used idiomatically: yes)
If the Minister is saying that the proposal is liable to bog down the entire system and cause administrative chaos , he may be right as regards some of the effects . However , he should ask himself why it is that , when people are given access and are judged eligible for the benefits , the administration is so inadequate that paying out the genuine benefits breaks the system . That begs two important questions , and it would be good if the Government were to address those issues rather than the one that they are now tackling . Mr. Patrick Nicholls ( Teignbridge ) One of the difficulties of debating with the hon . Member for Oldham , West ( Mr. Meacher ) is that if one is not careful one is sucked into the vortex of hyperbole in which he seems to live .
Idiom: over the top (used idiomatically: yes)
The odd couple got together yesterday to urge all slap - happy mums and dads to ‘ count to ten and think again’ . Model mum Jilly and her little sidekick were helping to launch the NSPCC 's anti - whacking offensive in the wake of a survey about parenting . More than half of those questioned admitted to ‘ going over the top’ when disciplining their children . Most just let off steam by shouting and screaming , but one in five admitted to lashing out . Only one in 20 attempted to reason with their youngsters , said the survey , which blamed the recession .
Idiom: hang by a thread (used idiomatically: yes)
The conviction carried by how things are in his fiction can not be separated from the sense that they might be otherwise . The cap that happened to get overlooked returns the reader 's gaze blankly yet unavoidably , like the bill from a restaurant abroad which the conspirators find when they turn out the dead man 's pockets , and like the child 's clay whistle which one of them has provided himself with to give the agreed signal — for he has lost so many teeth that he ca n't trust himself to produce the sound naturally . The cap , then , falls within an overall grand vision of chanciness and risk ; Liputin 's teeth are by no means the only things that hang by a thread . But , I repeat , Dostoevsky wanted the cap for its own sake . The overlooked hood in the newspaper scanned by the parajournalist would not have done equally well , nor would the cudgel .
Idiom: spend a penny (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I 've told yer before , ' e pays less than any ovver firm in Bermondsey an ' ' e sacks ' is workers fer the least fing . ' E would n't tolerate the union fer ages an ' as soon as any of ' is workers tried ter get the union in they were put off . What 's more ' e owns ' alf o ' the ' ouses in Page Street an ' they 're fallin ' ter pieces . ' E wo n't spend a penny on 'em . I jus ' loathe and detest ' i m . What ' e did ter my dad after ' i m workin ' fer the man all those years was enough , apart from anyfing else.’
Idiom: strike while the iron is hot (used idiomatically: yes)
Adam had a date with a promising Finnish brunette for that evening . He was confident he 'd brought her to the stage where he could lay her . Strike while the iron is hot . ' He asked me to check data on a recent employee . I 've checked .
Idiom: once and for all (used idiomatically: yes)
Those goals are VERY important for Forresters ( & therefore Leeds ) future . Its funny cos I decided to watch the fa youth cup final from last year on friday … coincidence or what . As for Oxford in the next round — a chance to avenge that awful 4–1 League cup defeat from a few years back once and for all . I do nt think we will have any problem at all , in those days oxford had Aldridge and Houghton , whilst we were playing shite . So , its all round to Gav or Kev 's for tea and cake before the match then;- ) )
Idiom: make light of (used idiomatically: yes)
A similar delay will not happen again as we will make sure British Rail have the right numbers . Voice over Nuclear Electric were making light of the delay and praised the way the mock emergency was being handled . Male speaker The Fire Service responded promptly and they are dealing with the emergency effectively .
Idiom: go up in smoke (used idiomatically: yes)
Five grand ? Five grand , no problem as long as you 're prepared to er go up in smoke . Oh go up in smoke . that 's another ten . That 's another ten grand fifteen grand I 'll sit up on top of the bonfire until it gets hot
Idiom: meat and potatoes (used idiomatically: yes)
What time does he . Twelve ninety till three . Pass the plate , er fillet of cod , meat and potato pie . Just made it . Gravy 's in there .
Idiom: move the goalposts (used idiomatically: yes)
I will attempt to address this theme in the context of the current situation and to make suggestions about the future of support for special needs in the primary school based on experience of good practice in the past and present . It is not surprising that many professionals involved in education are rather dispirited and disillusioned at this time . The rate of change and the lack of sincere consultation have led to an air of defeatism and concern which is frequently summed up in the analogy that they ( the government ) keep moving the goalposts . Although there has been a recent escalation in the introduction of legislation we are all aware that the educational climate has gradually changed ever since former Prime Minister Jim Callaghan 's historic speech at Ruskin College in 1976 when he instituted the Great Debate . Readers of this paper will need no reminding of the way in which the important recommendations of the Warnock committee were encapsulated in the 1981 Act but accompanied by a clear negative statement : ‘ There will be no additional funds’ .
Idiom: turn a blind eye (used idiomatically: yes)
This agreement includes including collaborating or not with the Taliban , cooperating with the Coalition forces , accepting or refusing poppy eradication in a village . Everything else is left to patriarchal discretion . Here , no one will intervene except to reinforce the application of the patriarch 's rights – say , in stoning a supposedly wayward girl , or turning a blind eye to so - called “ honor killings ” of women . Every act of an Afghan male ’s life is integrated in a form of reciprocity , in which nothing is free . Melmastia , the basic tenet of hospitality means “ I will give you shelter if you ask me to , even if you are a fugitive murderer ; but , in exchange , you fight my battles . ” This sense of customary obligation is why so many of President Hamid ~ Karzai ’s cronies remain in place and Taliban leaders remain safe .
Idiom: save face (used idiomatically: no)
We manhandled the formwork into position , digging out here and there to get it level in both directions . Although the formwork was quite heavy , we pegged it down at the four corners as a precaution . Available hardcore can be placed in each step , saving on concrete , which should cover by at least 40mm on all external faces . The strength can be 6:1 , or for the most durable surface , 3:1 may be used . It goes without saying that you start with the bottom step , to prevent the concrete falling through to the one below .
Idiom: rule of thumb (used idiomatically: yes)
However , the usual arrangement is to combine the three time constants in a single network and the alternative types are shown in Fig 3 , two of which are suitable for a passive circuit whilst the others can be used in a feedback circuit because their impedance overall varies in accordance with the R.I.A.A. requirements . COMPONENT VALUES Because of interaction , component values can not be determined by a simple ‘ rule of thumb’ and it is necessary to equate the response in terms of impedances with that in terms of time constants . Although a little involved but not difficult ( ordinary algebra ) , fortunately this is not necessary for the data was made available over thirty years ago . In the late 50 's E.M.I.
Idiom: catch a cold (used idiomatically: yes)
It is not today . In the world of old , the West ’s economic malaise already would have pulled the rug from beneath most emerging - market countries . Indeed , the conventional wisdom – supported by many painful experiences – was that when the industrial countries sneezed , the emerging world caught a cold . Today , however , several ( though not all ) emerging - market countries are benefiting from years of considerable efforts to reduce their financial vulnerability by accumulating huge amounts of international reserves . They have also paid back a significant share of external debt and converted much of what remains into more manageable local - currency liabilities .
Idiom: come of age (used idiomatically: yes)
Rather surprisingly , perhaps , this petition was not granted in full . Henry was allowed to assume the title of Earl of Lancaster and to receive a great part of the Lancaster inheritance , but the Lacy earldom of Lincoln , which Earl Thomas had held in right of his wife , was not fully recovered until 1348 . The Earl of Hereford 's son was granted livery of his father 's inheritance , the Clifford family was restored , and the Mowbray inheritance was placed in wardship with the Countess of Warenne until John Mowbray 's heir came of age . In acquisitiveness and greed there was little to choose between the victors and the vanquished in the political struggles of the 1320s . Isabella recovered her lands , which were augmented by additional grants worth about £ 9,000 , including Despenser 's lordship of Glamorgan ; she also obtained the younger Despenser 's movables , plate and jewels .
Idiom: out of sight (used idiomatically: no)
Remember that you will put your job at risk if you allow your partner to distract you at work . REMEMBER When it comes to achieving profit the PROFITBOSS keeps sex out of mind , out of sight and out of the way . Management fashions Profit management can not be fashioned
Idiom: on the rocks (used idiomatically: yes)
Any debris dislodged from them by hydraulic action sinks to the depths and can not be used by the waves to attack the cliffs . Thus , plunging cliffs seem to suggest that , at least in certain areas , reflected waves and clapotis are not very effective . The highest pressures exerted on the rock are connected with breaking waves , but the pressure varies with the distance between the point where the waves break and the cliff . When waves break it has been observed that a jet of water at the crest of the wave may move forward with twice the velocity of the wave as a whole , so that high pressures may be exerted for a period of a second or two on the cliff face . Such conditions , shown in Fig . 8.1 B and D , have been shown to be the main ones responsible for damaging marine structures .
Idiom: touch wood (used idiomatically: yes)
I mean the lengths they went to advertising , I hope we 're gon na have more luck now . They had temping agencies , job centres , local papers the job centre only came up with about two people . So I 'm touching wood that we 're gon na be in a different situation . I wonder if , I wonder if erm you know if you rang up erm the county council and said you know I mean er y just make use of a contact and say look , we wanna do this survey , you know , do you happen to know a any members of your family Yeah .
Idiom: watch this space (used idiomatically: yes)
The stickers and leaflets which are the main tools of this campaign ( to persuade managers of shops to care for their older and disabled customers by providing a chair ) are distributed from PR Promotions . Unfortunately there have been some problems and delay in getting them reprinted , and we have now decided with Margot to re - launch the campaign with a new logo , new stickers and leaflets . We very much hope to have the new materials ready before the end of 1991 — watch this space ! PRESS RELEASES The following press releases are enclosed in this mailing :
Idiom: pull the plug (used idiomatically: yes)
Bounders were parking near it SYDNEY YOUNG MILLIONAIRE squire Sir John Pollen has pulled the plug on the public phone box that has stood in his village for 30 years . Now the locals have to trek one and a half miles to the nearest one . Sir John , 72 , ordered British Telecom to remove the box from the village green at Rodbourne , near Malmesbury , Wilts , because he was miffed that drivers kept parking by his £ 250,000 manor house to use it .
Idiom: set eyes on (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ You 'll probably go to bed with an ache somewhere else if all my plans come to fruition,’ she told him insolently . He laughed again , obviously in a good humour for the night . ‘ I remember when I first set eyes on you at that cocktail party and I thought , In spite of her dark flowing hair and her Mediterranean beauty she has a bite about her that can only be British . I was right , British women are continents away from any other . No Spanish woman would make such a crude remark , unless she was a gypsy woman , of course.’
Idiom: licence to print money (used idiomatically: yes)
Which is a fair bit of sewage to treat . At over a thousand sewage works , via thirty two thousand miles of sewers . Now when we were privatized , there were those I 'm sure who thought , It 's a licence to print money . Which it would be of course if you were n't a regulated body . Erm all the privatized utilities like gas , electricity , telecoms , have all been privatized with a regulator to oversee the prices that are charged .
Idiom: with a view to (used idiomatically: yes)
Each day a little advance , each day the surprising discovery . So Harsnet . And Goldberg , in his pad : Dear Harsnet , it may surprise you to hear that after all these years I am finally at work transcribing the notes you entrusted to me so many years ago , with a view to eventually publishing them . You may have thought I had thrown them away , or merely , forgotten about them , and I was entitled to do either , since you explicitly said I was to do exactly whit I liked with them , that you washed your hands of them completely . Or you may not have thought at all .
Idiom: fight tooth and nail (used idiomatically: yes)
Showdown over Conscription Perhaps the seamen , with the advantage of the 10s increase at the beginning of 1913 and the £ poundl increase of the Admiralty Agreement , were better off than many others in the early months of the war . But there was worse to come as retail prices continued to rise and real wages to fall and as some shipowners , taking advantage of the union 's declaration of industrial truce , resisted increases in earnings and " fought the union tooth and nail for every penny " . The NSFU " urged its members to assist the government in every possible way and has in numerous cases been the means of healing differences and preventing stoppages " . It encouraged the owners to voluntary arbitration , but rarely with success .
Idiom: go public (used idiomatically: yes)
Sole survivor of the Onassis dynasty , she already gets £ 2 1/2 million a year . But now the men managing her money are accusing her father of a bid to take complete control . The row went public in Athens at a press conference held by the Onassis Foundation , which runs the family shipping and financial empire . Frenchman Thierry Roussel , Christina 's fourth and last husband , was accused of trying to lay his hands on his daughter 's entire fortune . He already has an income of £ 800,000 a year .
Idiom: on the stump (used idiomatically: yes)
The bureaucracy of both institutions caused numerous problems , particularly with the councils , where there were endless fixed meetings to attend , return trips , official hands to be shaken and backs to be slapped . As the programme of meetings rolled on , sometimes with many presentations on the same day , Horsley was exhilarated , amazed and excited . Everett , similarly enthusiastic , described it as ‘ being on the stump’ . The close - knit team found it exhausting , but tremendous fun — a bit like a rock tour , with half - hour presentations of the business plan instead of‘gigs’ . After years of dealing with the likes of dullard and truculent supermarket purchasing managers , Horsley was suddenly meeting all manner of fascinating and powerful people .
Idiom: ride roughshod over (used idiomatically: yes)
That would have left only the Deanses and the club secretary , Alexander Moffat , on the board . Fifteen shareholders went to court seeking an order to stop the meeting . They alleged that with a three - man board , the Deanses would be able to ride roughshod over anyone 's wishes but their own , to the prejudice of minority shareholders . During the hearing , however , Neil Davidson , counsel for the Deanses , gave an undertaking that they would no longer be moving at the meeting for the removal of Mr Johnston as a director . In addition , a fifth , independent , director would be co - opted to the board .
Idiom: Dutch courage (used idiomatically: yes)
But the imagination can and must be controlled and concentration on whatever one is employed in at the moment will counteract the natural animal instinct of fear . Alcohol helps . It gives one Dutch ( why Dutch ? ) courage and the edge is taken off the senses and one says : " Who cares ? " or " I can take it . " In a company of men one must not give way ; it is one 's duty not to show fear and if one senses fear in another , automatically one becomes braver . At a fire well alight the high explosives are dropping freely .
Idiom: odds and ends (used idiomatically: yes)
Yes , that 's fine . It 's , it 's effective of the whole of the increase . Erm , let me just erm of the , of the change , the five million change it 's , it 's in accounts for over four and there is small odds and ends changes otherwise . A very modest increase in underlying costs , I assure you . How many shares have you got left in Cedar Fayre
Idiom: on a roll (used idiomatically: no)
This is a manually - operated scan . All the rooms of the hotel , floor by floor are charted on a flat board . A clear white transparency on a roll with all the days and dates of the year at the top , revolves from right to left at the touch of a button . Special coloured marking pens , which can be easily erased when changes are made , are used to block in room allocations . With this type of scan the room reservations for every room for any given day can be brought into view .
Idiom: lay an egg (used idiomatically: yes)
Both sexes give a ‘ wah - wah’ cry , especially during aggressive encounters with other cuckoos . The female also has a ‘ bubble’ call consisting of about 15 notes on a descending scale . This call is most often given just after the female has laid an egg and may be used to attract males for further mating . Although generally not territorial , cuckoos return regularly to the area in which they bred in previous years . One of Edgar Chance 's cuckoos , recognisable by its distinctive eggs , returned for no less than five consecutive years to the same common in southern England .
Idiom: open someone's eyes (used idiomatically: no)
It really could n't be easier — or fairer . After all , 200,000 families ca n't be wrong ! Open your children 's eyes and minds to the world of books in The Red House — it could be the start they 'll always thank you for . NO OTHER CHILDREN 'S BOOK CLUB CAN OFFER YOU ALL THIS •No automatic selections sent * Prices from £ 1.95