Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: tell tales (used idiomatically: no)
In his address , the Bishop of Warrington , the Rt Rev Michael Henshall , described Tim 's death as ' innocence slaughtered by barbarians ' . He angrily condemned the killers of Tim and Johnathan for their ' white feathered cowardice ' and declared : ' This was a bomb too far ' . ' Cynics say — cynics have already said — when your preaching is done , when your lofty words have gone with the wind , when the media has departed to tell another tale , the world will forget . It will be back to more bombings , more killings , ' said the bishop . ' It need not be so .
Idiom: above board (used idiomatically: yes)
Mr Binstead , who says he has investigated many similar offers , none of which have produced loans , said : ‘ We are making inquiries , but we have not been able to establish whether these offers are going to come through.’ Interest in this scheme , which can generate big commissions , appears to have spawned a network of introducers and brokers all leading to Daca . But concern about the operation has been so great that police on the Isle of Man have been flooded with more than 50 calls asking if the operation is above board . Enquiries by The Daily Telegraph have revealed that North Star is in fact operated from Swindon , Wiltshire , by a man called Robert Tancock , and is an ‘ off - the - shelf’ company purchased from a formation agency . The City solicitor whose letter is being used to vouch for Global Finance was shocked to hear of details of North Star 's advance fee demands .
Idiom: down at heel (used idiomatically: yes)
But it was inevitable that he would return to the game . Fast , quick - witted and determined as a player , demanding and insistent as a manager , there was little doubt that he would snatch his career back from the brink of failure . In February 1991 , he was offered the manager 's job at Birmingham City , an English Third Division club , who at the time were so down at heel they resembled an inveterate gambler staggering from one bad bet to another . Macari used his appointment not only to begin his personal return to form , but as an opportunity to put further distance between himself and the squalid affairs at Swindon . ‘ No one knows what I 've been through in the last 12 months,’ he said .
Idiom: ring a bell (used idiomatically: yes)
He could , furthermore , be difficult about having his picture taken . Oh , and finally , might it be an idea for a political writer to do the interview ? Given that Tim Robbins — and the name may not ring instant bells — is a film star , the last notion is rather like suggesting that an industrial correspondent be despatched to debrief Lemmie from Motorhead . But then Tim Robbins is not just any old movie star . Some have compared him to Orson Welles .
Idiom: bite someone's head off (used idiomatically: yes)
My God , will it really cost this much ? Listen , I 'm doing you a favour . I 've got to be so careful , that 's the trouble , I never know when my boss is suddenly going to bite my head off . Still , I think we 're making enough to cover it . You see , the poor did n't know whether he could afford the contract or not .
Idiom: in tandem (used idiomatically: yes)
As a result , there have been changes to land - clearance contracts , including the replacement of grasses by leguminous species that provide a better protective cover and enhance the nitrogen content of the soil . Also , the responsibility for ensuring that such planting is actually carried out is now a binding part of the clearance contract , as is the application of initial fertiliser to ensure the success of newly sown legumes . The former brings subsoil with a high aluminium content to the surface and this , in tandem with soil compaction and inadequate fertiliser use , has often resulted in poor harvests . What remains unclear is whether this redistribution of Indonesian people has actually reduced the environmental problems associated with high populations in Java , Madura and Bali where deforestation and soil erosion are acute . Or does it mean that the problems of environmental degradation are being magnified and transferred to hitherto uncompromised regions ?
Idiom: every last (used idiomatically: yes)
Her eyes widened . ‘ You know about that … !’ It was the final straw ; she could see he knew everything , everything , and that took away every last hidden ace she had ever hoped to possess . ‘ That clause is the lynchpin on which his heart attacks have revolved , Rachel,’ he said flatly . ‘ I know how fond you are of your uncle , but even you must see what would happen if he was left holding the reins.’
Idiom: on someone's mind (used idiomatically: no)
Lawrence said : ‘ Derby games are always competitive , but this one has an extra cutting edge . ‘ We want to go up and Sunderland want to avoid being relegated . ‘ Entertainment will be the last thing on people 's minds . What matters most is the result , so entertainment will not be the highest priority . ‘ Results mean more than performances at this stage .
Idiom: swings and roundabouts (used idiomatically: yes)
We would then discuss it and take action . That procedure became operative so effectively that I think the management subsequently realized that unless they had shop stewards who were capable of discussing the matter intently you know , and objectively , then they were on a loser , because they then stood to lose more productivity than hitherto . So there was the swings and roundabouts where had they not recognized and had come along with us , to the extent that we thought we could do our , a sharing objective er and it brought them out of the , the attitude that was hitherto adopted where well management really could n't care very much you know , if a man did suffer the loss of er five pound a week or whatever you know , and , and once it was made clear to him that there was no further er er use of the procedure and he could take it through his district you know , if he liked , the man did n't , well on exceptional cases perhaps they may have taken a case through , but er in the majority of cases the man just accepted it , and made up his losses er er later on . But that was on a slower basis than , than he could make it up under the new scheme . Under the new scheme , a man er with a little extra effort could afford to offset and compensate his own er er earnings .
Idiom: take the mickey (used idiomatically: yes)
Me in the ground , after , me in the rope , God.’ We all used to bite our lips and nod wisely at these theological conundrums , holding our breath until he 'd gone back upstairs before dissolving into laughter . Abu Salim was a pain , which is why it was such a relief to take the mickey out of him . He got into the habit of coming down into our cell and asking an endless string of questions on vocabulary , which he normally directed at Terry . ‘ Tirry , what the meaning … ?’
Idiom: in the running (used idiomatically: yes)
Not take on somebody else 's . ' It is more difficult to allow a teacher to develop his own themes if the head of department is the tutor . Inevitably , Mary had a vested interest in the smooth running of her department and in helping Doug out of his difficulties as a new teacher in Humanities . This brings out a fundamental issue in such work . If the video project is undertaken as a genuine self - evaluation exercise the tutor must see her role as helping the teacher to perceive and evaluate his own aims .
Idiom: tell tales out of school (used idiomatically: yes)
' oh , ' said Charles . ' You mean she and Micky do n't … ' ' Now you do n't want us telling tales out of school , do you ? ' ' Oh , you naughty Charles Paris , you … ' They seemed set to continue talking forever , but the auditorium lights began to dim , so they scuttered off , giggling , to find their seats .
Idiom: on the money (used idiomatically: yes)
He made £ 2 m profit in his first year . Intoxicated by success , he then ordered eight DC-10s and ten Airbuses in rapid succession , saddling himself with a debt of £ 350 m . His fundamental mistake was not only to buy all his planes , but to buy them only on borrowed money . He borrowed £ 150 m to buy his planes from McDonnell Douglas and Airbus Industrie , and each year he had to find the cash to repay the instalments as well as paying the interest . With wafer - thin profit margins , this meant he had to keep his planes to full capacity if he were to meet his debts , which he was never able to do .
Idiom: once in a while (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I can help Mr Hesketh , Gran,’ she said . ‘ Nay , I know lasses do all that lads do nowadays , but them boxes weigh heavy . ‘ Twon't hurt the lad to help once in a while . I get no other work out of him.’ ‘ I do n't think he 's — quite well , Gran.’
Idiom: off the record (used idiomatically: yes)
But the Lord Lane I met at Aviemore could hardly have been more different — affable , witty and without a trace of self awareness of his office ; and if I call him Geoffrey here , it is only because after Aviemore we became friends , played the odd round of golf together , exchanged letters and met on several social occasions . Once I asked him what he thought of the French system of criminal justice and he replied that during his career he had no time left over from practising our own system to study any other ( which I think is representative of the Bar as a whole ) . On another occasion , and because I felt he was a remote figure of whom the public knew nothing , I asked if he would be guest at an off - the - record private dinner - party to which I would invite half a dozen senior media people such as Robin Day , Perry Worsthorne of the Sunday Telegraph , and Tony Howard of the Observer for an exchange of views . Sadly he declined , saying in a charmingly self - deprecatory way that he doubted he had any views worth hearing . On our second day at Aviemore a curious thing happened .
Idiom: neck of the woods (used idiomatically: yes)
Oh people , that 's why erm N U S is there to protect man . And nobody Handsworth is in a funny neck of the woods basically , it 's like off campus , it 's university accommodation Miles away . miles away , off campus , you know , they have n't got to make it look good
Idiom: mean business (used idiomatically: yes)
Even in the office you had to look as though you were n't working . In corduroy velvet , denim or linen , the look was relaxed , verging on scruffy . Then it was the Eighties and everyone meant business . This was a money - making decade and it showed . The Suit was back , the more serious and sober the better .
Idiom: against the grain (used idiomatically: yes)
erm Are you having the sort of other case first or ? I do n't know whether it 's the other case , I 'm hear to tell you about our first of all , which I do n't think is the other case . That 's fine , I 'd had , on the subject of this boycotting timber , erm I know of two instances at least where Oxford City Council are still using tropical hardwoods , and I wonder , I mean , you know , obviously it goes against the grain of the signing of the tropical hardwood . I was wondering if we ought to find out who 's decided to start using it again , and whether they really checked , I have been told they check on the source , but it 's like we 're slipping back gradually , and I thought if we said , if we pledged that we 're going to boycott timber , we should really keep to it unless we make a decision Could you give the offices some details , rather than having it all out in public , thanks .
Idiom: set eyes on (used idiomatically: no)
Or perhaps they were not talking . Sara 's heart twisted a little with unhappiness . Not for the first time , she wished Great - Aunt Alicia had never set eyes on Matthew Preston . The next morning Jenny was up early . She yawned over her breakfast .
Idiom: round the bend (used idiomatically: no)
I think so . He can be world champion for the next three years , so long as we do n't have to do it at Bradford because that 's an awful track . I mean the Bradford Dukes always win at Bradford because I 've heard on the grapevine , not from me , that they 've got little bumps round the bends and they fill them in and only the Bradford riders know whereabouts they are , so they skirt round them . I think it 's a disgrace , but that 's speedway . That 's why speedway is magic because I do n't know what 's going on .
Idiom: save someone's skin (used idiomatically: yes)
They 're not as big and not as yellow but likely to be more expensive than the current price of around 49p a pound . Growers in Italy , Greece and the Canary Islands will benefit . But the traditional banana - producing countries are banding together to save their skins . A spokesman for Caribbean exporters said : ‘ It will cost us millions in lost income and lead to higher prices in Europe.’ NEW RULE : Bananas
Idiom: in the black (used idiomatically: yes)
They had been bayoneted . ' Here he raised his cane and made a sharp , stabbing motion . In the corner of his cluttered bedroom was a photograph of a woman dressed in black , her sad , unsmiling face staring miserably from the picture . ' It is my sister Florence . The Kurds who worked for the Turks killed her husband and children .
Idiom: hit home (used idiomatically: no)
It is possible to illustrate this by selecting at random two occasions when the field-worker accompanied policemen in their vehicles and cataloguing the calls they attended . During a shift when the men considered that very little was happening , they responded to calls concerning a house fire and an attempted break-in , calls to check on the whereabouts of a pensioner who had not been seen by a neighbour for a few days , a request to pick up and transport a prisoner , and a call to move on some youths . On a much busier occasion the calls before break were to attend the home of a widowed pensioner who thought she had heard an intruder , two road accidents , a near hit-and-run accident , and to move on youths . The normality of these tasks parallels the mundaneness of routine policing elsewhere . This parallel is further reinforced by the similarity in the way time structures the RUC 's routine policing compared to other forces in non-divided societies .
Idiom: in light of (used idiomatically: yes)
well my Lord one , one approach would be for er your Lordship to consider the matter in respect of er order fourteen A , er in terms of er the validity in the interim of the er Lloyds Act and the central fund byelaw and that is a matter that your Lordship could , could deal with on the basis of a , an oral application . Yes , erm In short of having before your Lordship a very complicated er array of procedural options , er the , the view that has been taken by , my lead was the most appropriate er course was to come and argue the issue substantially and then in the light of what your Lordship rules thereafter to see the best way forward in terms of further procedural applications to your Lordship . Er is what you 're saying , what , what you 're saying apply equally erm spitting rather , if I sort information from it , I 'm not quite sure what sort information I could seek from a commission , got any suggestions in that well my Lord you could seek , you can certainly seek information from the commission er concerning the state of the proceedings erm that the commission is looking at in respect of the
Idiom: put the wind up (used idiomatically: yes)
" I want to know what you 're up to , " he said , and I do n't think he believed me when I told him I was only trying to find out whether there were any rabbits who wanted to leave the warren . He asked me if I was sure I was n't working up some kind of plot against the Threarah and he got awfully angry and suspicious . It put the wind up me , to tell you the truth , so I 've just brought Hawkbit along and left it at that . " " I do n't blame you , " said Hazel . " Knowing Toadflax , I 'm surprised he did n't knock you over first and ask questions afterwards .
Idiom: short shrift (used idiomatically: yes)
This was firmly rejected by the House of Lords : discretion was vested in the Minister to further the policy of the legislation and could not be thwarted by ministerial misconstruction of the legislation . The form of control was to be through the concepts of purpose and relevancy , and each of the alleged reasons put forward by the Minister for not referring was subjected to them . Short shrift was given to the argument that the Minister could escape control by not giving reasons . Their Lordships accepted that there was no general duty to provide reasons but attached a caveat , that if the preponderance of reasons pointed in favour of taking action and the Minister gave no explanation for taking a different course , the court would infer that he had no good reason and that he was misusing his authority . The general approach now is for the courts to require that a minister produce reasonable grounds for his action , even where the jurisdictional fact is subjectively framed .
Idiom: all over bar the shouting (used idiomatically: yes)
Grade 1 step kicking and a strenuous pull round an overhung chockstone led to a notch below the summit . Above , an awkward shuffle up a short steep wall deposited us on a flat - topped summit of the lesser Drug , with only the choughs for company . To suggest that it was ‘ all over bar the shouting’ would be premature . We lunched content upon the flat granite table top of the summit , throwing our cheese rinds to the acrobatic choughs . Across the gap we could see , quite plainly , the buttress of the higher Dru , cut and slashed by cracks and ledges like the mark of Zoro — the infamous Z pitch .
Idiom: in the final analysis (used idiomatically: yes)
This can be construed as being in accord with the important premise of this book that life is to be enjoyed . The accord exists because all promises of a ' happy ' after - life are related to ' happiness'with the meaning it has acquired in the worldly sense , for indeed , it can mean nothing else , as human beings can neither experience nor envisage with any real conviction , any other kind of happiness . In the final analysis , there can be only one conclusion to be drawn , and that is that the Christian promise of happiness in the ' hereafter ' was in reality an appeal to ' selfishness ' , which is also the appeal of the teaching of one of the basic premises of this book , namely , that life is to be enjoyed here on earth . Christianity will deny that it condones selfishness , but it serves no purpose to promise something which can have no appeal unless it satisfies a desire , and then in another context to label that appeal the product of a baser instinct . Christianity is fraught with such anomalies .
Idiom: fly the flag (used idiomatically: yes)
A number of teams deserve a special mention for their tenacity in teaching the last stages . ‘ The Renegades’ from Dundalk certainly held on to the very end . Full marks to Anne McArdle , Anne Connolly , Linda Sweetman , Fergal Collier and Declan Dempsey who flew the flag mightily . Also ‘ Belfast All Stars’ one of the ‘ home’teams , played some great bowling . Their team included David Fairley , Alison Douglas , Carolyn Lavery , Keith Adams and Janice Morrison .
Idiom: spring to mind (used idiomatically: yes)
They announced that . Yeah yeah . Well I we used er used to live in Macclesfield and er of course you know it springs to mind when er but I did n't realize it was that long ago . It seems so recent . But I do n't know whether that policy still prevails but
Idiom: odds and ends (used idiomatically: yes)
Apart from bridal fabrics and laces , you can also use one of the beautiful and unusual papers that resemble lace or have a shimmery self - pattern . It is extremely important that you press more pieces from the bouquet than you think you will need , as some of the plant material may turn brown in the press or emerge pressed into the wrong shape . You will then still have enough material with which to create an attractive picture , rather than try to make a suitable design from a few odds and ends . The original bouquet for this picture was exceptionally large , so I have not been able to reproduce a life - sized replica but instead have scaled it down to fit into a picture frame . You may find that you often have to do this , as even a modest wedding bouquet can be too large to fit into a reasonably - sized picture frame , and if it were reproduced in its original size it could become such a large picture that it would completely dominate any room in which it was hung .
Idiom: stay the course (used idiomatically: yes)
write to creditors with debt adjustment proposals , negotiate and finally agree a scheme In addition to the technical aspects of debt counselling , a competent advice worker will pay attention to the personal and emotional problems of clients with multiple debt problems . Some will give the personal aspects the highest priority because of accumulated experience which shows that a client who is not emotionally ready for the severe belt - tightening and discipline involved in emerging from serious debt , will not stay the course . for this reason it is important that training courses in debt counselling include giving emotional as well as financial support . The hours needed to carry out all these tasks can come from two sources .
Idiom: open the floodgates (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ THIS is an ideas battle … not every one of these things can be distilled into politics — you know , who 's for this and who 's for that , and if this person is for this , somebody else has to be for that . A lot of these things honestly involve real debates over ideas … and the answers are not self - evident . And one of the reasons I wanted to run for president is to open the floodgates for debating ideas so that we could try to change in the appropriate way.’ Thus Bill Clinton , at a press conference on April 23rd , shortly before the 100th day of his presidency . Ask the thousands of FOBs — friends of Bill — why they have long thought that he would one day be a great president and their replies will sooner or later share the same point .
Idiom: dead as a dodo (used idiomatically: yes)
The branch of a tree , embedded in the bottom of the burn , was supporting the sheep which had become firmly wedged against it . Maggie blinked and wiped the rain from her face . ‘ It 's as dead as a dodo,’ she said , referring to the sheep . Charlie stared at the sheep , whose eyes were wide open while its mouth was pulled back to reveal two rows of large , yellowy teeth . A cold shudder ran through him .
Idiom: with a view to (used idiomatically: no)
The new processor would likely come with the Taligent object - oriented operating system , which would support not only OS/400 and AIX Unix but also OS/2 , Windows and NT as guest personalities . The drawback , and the reason for the AS/400 H - series development continuing in parallel is that OS/400 users would need to go beyond recompilation and undertake some degree of conversion to run their applications on the new processor . Since IBM is also downsizing the basic building block for its MVS mainframes with a view to moving to a moderately parallel mainframe architecture , it seems likely that the planned processor - Taligent combination would also succeed the CMOS ES/9000 chip that the company plans to make the basis of its future parallel mainframes over the next couple of years . … SAMPLES POWERPC
Idiom: full tilt (used idiomatically: yes)
A personal hate of mine has always been the general level of noise which distortion sounds seem to produce , no matter what precautions you take . Humming pickups , poorly grounded leads , or the waves of hiss emanating from your preamp and effects might well be part of your sound , but they create an editing nightmare . The Behringer is the panacea for my guitar - induced headaches , and it 's sensitive enough to take care of the variable pick velocities in the average full - tilt rock solo . The Behringer Studio Gate cuts through curtains of noise with razor - like precision . Not even a Wilkinson Sword comes this close .