Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: from the horse's mouth (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I told him about his man Modena at 40–1 . Suddenly he had time to chat’ The tipsters and sporting gentlemen who frequent the stables and have the inside running from the horse 's mouth as well as from the trainers and jockeys suggest that if you are seeking a handsome return on an investment you should sell your house and put the money on Alain Prost to win the world championship this year . The smart - money crowd is saying that the revised scoring — with every race counting for title points — is tailor - made for this French Ferrari driver , who now has a more - than - willing helper in Jean Alesi to look after the business of returning the Ferrari compliment to Senna and allowing Prost to go about his business unencumbered by Brazilians wishing to use his piece of road . Bookmakers Ladbrokes are catching up with the odds on races on four wheels instead of four legs and offering odds on Senna ( 11–8 ) and Prost ( 7–4 ) for the world championship during the week the cars were being loaded for the opening grand prix in Phoenix .
Idiom: to boot (used idiomatically: yes)
JOHN BOARD GREAT YARMOUTH THE PERFECT ‘ SWAN’ Unused as I am to public scribbling , and tardy to boot(I've just read your December / January issue ) , I felt I had to thank you for saving me time and trouble ( not to mention hard - won shekels ) , in a search for something which obviously does not exist . I refer to IJ 's review of the Tilson Thomas recording of Tchaikovsky 's Swan Lake , in which he confirms the conclusion I was rapidly coming to — namely that the definitive version has not yet hatched ! I have been looking for a recording ( with some difficulty ) , since not many shops are prepared to let me listen to different interpretations ) , indeed I purchased the Royal Opera House , Covent Garden / Marc Ermler offering only to be disappointed , all because I wanted CD sound quality to replace a home - made cassette of a live Radio 3 broadcast ( should I be telling you this ? )
Idiom: turn tail (used idiomatically: yes)
The locks burst open , spilling her newly signed lease on to the dusty pavement , but the other results of the blow were equally immediate — and satisfactorily dramatic . There was an ‘ Oof!’ of expelled air as the man fell to his knees , his broad shoulders heaving as he strained for his next breath . His victim took one disbelieving look at her unlikely rescuer and then , before Folly could reassure her , the girl had turned tail and was running nimbly down the street . Within seconds , her blonde head was lost in the crowds . Only then did Folly realise that she had left her purse behind .
Idiom: run the gauntlet (used idiomatically: yes)
The man looked mystified , and slightly awestruck , as if he thought the word denoted some kind of supernatural messenger . ‘ Thank you,’ he said . To avoid running the gauntlet of the machine shop again , Robyn made her way back to the car park by going round the outside of the building , but the paths were covered with drifting snow and the going was difficult . She got lost in the labyrinth of yards and passageways that separated the numerous buildings , many of them apparently disused or derelict , that covered the factory site , and there was nobody around to direct her . At last , after about twenty minutes ' wandering , her feet soaking wet inside her leaking boots , and her leg muscles aching from wading through the snow , she arrived at the car park outside the administration block , and found her car .
Idiom: go by the board (used idiomatically: yes)
But still , the vital point is missing — that rock ' n ' roll was internally contradictory from the start : not Just boogie rhythms rough sound , blues shouts and physical involvement but also sentimental ballad melodies and forms , ‘ angelic’ backing vocal effects and ‘ novelty’gimmicks . In the case of Elvis , this problem is particularly striking because within the rock discourse he has been widely seen as both the music 's first hero and its most prominent backslider . Most rock critics take this line , seeing Elvis 's career as a progressive sell - out to the music industry , a transition from ‘ folk’ authenticity ( the Sun singles of 1954–5 ) to a sophisticated professionalism ( epitomized by the ballads and movies of the 1960s ) in which the dollars multiplied but musical values went by the board . But in post - war America a pure ‘ folk’ role , untouched by commercial influences , had become impossible . The dissemination of music by radio and gramophone record permeated the whole country and every social stratum .
Idiom: get stuck in (used idiomatically: yes)
Says Hendry : ‘ Kevin is a physical player because that 's part of his make up . The way he goes crunching into tackles makes me so glad I play with him and not against him . ‘ He gets stuck in — and that 's probably why he 's picked up so many knocks down the years . ‘ Sometimes you only have to look at his head — and he starts bleeding!’ EMOTION
Idiom: out of pocket (used idiomatically: yes)
David Wright was born in South Africa in 1920 and came to England as a teenager . For someone deaf since childhood , poetry was a kind of hearing , fellow poets a life line . Usually , the valedictions of old - boy poets are addressed to writers just above them on poetry 's wobbly squash ladder — thus Wright addresses his hello - and - goodbyes to C. H. Sissons , David Gascoyne , Charles Causeley ( Do you remember how we met / In the studio of Patrick Swift … ) , and George Barker ( So long it is since first we met , /And in another world , it seems , /Where , out of pocket , down at heels , /Night after night in Rathbone Place … ) According to the convention , Barker himself does n't include even a postcard to Wright in his own posthumous collection , Street Ballads ( Faber , £ 4.99 ) , addressing instead the shades of Yeats , Kavanagh , Tennyson , Shakespeare and Catullus . He overlaps Wright 's territory in letters to John Heath Stubbs and the painter Patrick Swift ( Patrick Swift , for whom I write / These long delayed lines in a night / Given over to bad dreams … ) .
Idiom: behind bars (used idiomatically: yes)
Back at the pub , Connor had been busy serving drinks all the evening , but by this time things were quietening down . He looked round for Huw Pritchard , but could n't find him . Ruth was helping behind the bar , washing up glasses , and he asked her , ' Did the Welsh lad take himself off ? I never saw him leave . ' ' It was while you were down in the cellar , changing over the barrels , ' she told him .
Idiom: point the finger (used idiomatically: yes)
Now it looks as if the Asian approach may take some knocks , too . Coming after the failure of state socialism , does this mean that there is no correct way of organizing an economy ? In the aftermath of the subprime crisis and the collapse of Lehman ~ Brothers , fingers were pointed at the United ~ States as an example of how badly things could go wrong . The American model had supposedly failed , its reputation weakened first by the Iraq invasion , and then by the financial crisis . Anyone who dreamed of the American way of life now looked stupid .
Idiom: burst someone's bubble (used idiomatically: yes)
' Permission ? Permission ? I hate to burst your royal bubble , Excellency , but I 'm free to come and go as I please . ' ' You forget yourself , ' he said in a low , threatening voice . ' You are in my home , cara .
Idiom: on the back burner (used idiomatically: yes)
The company did not deny the story . Quoting Cypress chief T J Rodgers , Electronic Engineering Times adds that the Ross Technology subsidiary could be shuttered if Sun Microsystems Inc does n't pick up the 66MHz HyperSparc chip in a next - generation box — there has long been talk on Wall Street of a reorganisation of Ross . The company 's next Sparc processor , the 100MHz Viper , has been put on the back burner pending Sun 's decision . Samples of an 80MHz HyperSparc are expected to be offered by Cypress soon . NETWORK SYSTEMS CORP ANNOUNCES 5-STAGE STRATEGY FOR CONVERGING SNA , LOCAL NET , ADDING ATM
Idiom: stand someone in good stead (used idiomatically: yes)
How may I come in touch with you?’ ‘ Why , that 's no great problem while we remain at the abbot 's lodging , since half of Shrewsbury and a good part of the shire goes in and out freely at the abbey , and you may ask an audience whenever you will , and always find yourself one of three or four , various enough to keep any man in countenance . But it 's well,’ he said seriously , ‘ that you should have a token about you that will get you in to me or the prince at need , and stand you in good stead if ever you should fall foul unawares of any of his officers or mine . I need your discretion , yes , but I will not have you brought into needless suspicion or danger upon this account . Here , wear this!’
Idiom: up the river (used idiomatically: yes)
One evening he was abroad on business and I was alone at home , reading . It was terrible weather , stormy and wet , with deep mud in the streets . The wind rushing up the river shook the whole building , and the rain beat violently against the windows . As I closed my book at eleven o'clock , I heard a heavy footstep on the stairs . When I went to the door with my lamp , I saw a man coming slowly upstairs .
Idiom: on a roll (used idiomatically: no)
In all three countries the town child 's access to schooling is better than that of the rural child . Boys ' education is seen as likely to bring direct economic benefit to the family and so is given priority over girls ' education . The tables below show the number of children on the rolls of two schools in rural districts of Bangladesh . The tables show the relatively short school careers of some children . For many it is not long enough to become literate or numerate in any real sense .
Idiom: in the club (used idiomatically: yes)
' Only twice ! ' as if the rarity of their mouths meeting could negate his claim . Once in anger in this apartment , once more in Ib 's Club to irritate Lotta … ' Three times , ' he corrected softly , claiming her mouth , which opened to him without protest as her body went limp . Now the doubts in her mind were obliterated as a searing excitement took over , leaving her with no thought of evasion , no thought of anything but to respond completely , to enjoy the strength and purpose , the seductive presence of Rune Christensen , filling her senses with him , tasting , touching … enjoying …
Idiom: way to go (used idiomatically: no)
On him and on Astorre had rested the burden of maintaining the guns , for the noise of the cannonade was vital to their stratagem . Even so , they might all be shot as they crossed the moat with their explosives , or wounded before they could leave , having planted them . Not a bad way to go , in a blaze of your own gunpowder . Either way , it would damage the walls , and Astorre and Pesaro between them might manage to scale them . John had made quite a serious attempt to stop him joining the mining expedition , and then had dropped it .
Idiom: get on someone's nerves (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Not at all,’ protested Loretta , desperately trying to think of a ploy to delay her departure , and failing . ‘ I 'm afraid I 'm feeling rather low,’ Veronica explained , leading the way to the front door . ‘ I 've been pestered by reporters for days , and it really is getting on my nerves.’ ‘ I 'm not surprised,’ Loretta said , without thinking . ‘ There were two of them in your garden when I came to see you yesterday .
Idiom: see the light (used idiomatically: no)
David Batty is the best at this job but Ince is not far behind after becoming a reformed character in the past year . At one stage he was an angry young man with what seemed like a chip on his shoulder , aggravating everyone from referees to opponents . He struggled with Manchester United , too , until he suddenly saw the light and realised he was going nowhere . Now he 's a different player , has matured , become ready to take responsibility and his prize is a place in the international squad . Now he 's there it should almost be like a holiday because he is required only to do what he is good at — getting tight on the opposition and setting up England 's creative players .
Idiom: talk shop (used idiomatically: yes)
There are many reasons for this , two important ones being the generally greater degree of government intervention in society and the increased predominance of foreign and military affairs in a century that has seen two world wars and the development of nuclear weapons . As a result , much of the work of contemporary assemblies should be viewed in the context of institutions struggling to adapt to massively changed social and world conditions and to impose some check upon the burgeoning executive bureaucracies . However , it would be wrong to view assemblies as no more than talking - shops . The United States Congress , in particular , may exercise very real political power if only because , were its formal weapons against the executive to be blunted there would be the important so - called ' law of anticipated reactions ' to consider . This means simply that there are actions that the executive will not take because it knows that the assembly will make a huge fuss .
Idiom: on board (used idiomatically: no)
The signs of Asia ’s rise are unmistakable . Over the past five years , China ’s contribution to world GDP growth has steadily increased from one - fifth to one - third , and India ’s from approximately 6 % to 16 % . Given their growing footprints on global economics , politics , and the environment , it is now impossible to imagine any major international agreement without China , Japan , and India on board . China , in particular , has emerged as the key counterpart to the United ~ States in almost all major global forums , as well as international platforms for discussing critical transnational issues , from the Six - Party Talks with North ~ Korea and the G-20 to talks about climate ~ change . Some even call for establishing a US - China G-2 .
Idiom: stake a claim (used idiomatically: yes)
’ They virtually killed off our season when they beat us in the FA Cup at Stamford Bridge last year , but now we have the incentive of setting up another Mersey derby if we win . ’ Alan Harper returns at right back , teenager Billy Kenny is brought into midfield , with Paul Rideout and Peter Beagrie recalled to the attack . It is another chance for Beagrie to stake a claim in his helter — skelter Goodison career . He said : ‘ It 's up to me to convince the manager I deserve to be in the team regularly . Manchester United skipper Bryan Robson has recovered from the muscle strain that kept him out of Saturday 's win over Premier League leaders , Norwich , leaving boss Alex Ferguson with a headache .
Idiom: babe in arms (used idiomatically: yes)
Then you can use your paper carriers for these , ca n't you ? ' She gave Gloria two jars of jam , and six fresh eggs packed in a special cardboard box with separate soft spaces to keep each one safe . She gave Gloria money so that she would n't have to pretend Dot was a babe - in - arms . On the train ride home , the compartment no longer seemed like a compact travelling home . It was just a train with lumpy seats and smuts .
Idiom: jobs for the boys (used idiomatically: no)
While I would not seek to question the decision of the judges of a number of the awards ( although you may note for the record , however , that there were a lot of eyebrows raised in the trade by the comments on and judging of Helpware magazine , which won both contract title of the year and runner - up to best consumer launch of the year in the 1992 Publishing Awards ) , I would like to question the appropriateness of the chairman of the judges presiding over a ceremony where his own company won the most number of awards . While you will doubtless be quick to retaliate about the scrupulous judging procedure , please note that my observation was about the ‘ appropriateness’ of the situation , particularly to outsiders . It smacks of jobs for the boys . If my comments appear to be churlish , perhaps you would like to attend next year having won as many awards as you did and suffer the embarrassment of being approached by clients and peers to be asked sympathetically whether you had won anything . Such negative marketing does more harm than good to our credibility , and if it happens again next year , we will not attend .
Idiom: get to grips with (used idiomatically: yes)
That 's the difference between arts and science , because you 've actually got something there you can look at and study , so you 're talking about facts , whereas in the arts side it 's all airy - fairy and you 're beating about the bush a lot . I 'm not one for doing things like that . I 'd rather have something there that I can look at and take hold of ideas , and actually get to grips with something that 's actually there . The language used by Nigel is particularly revealing : ‘ airy - fairy’ , ‘ beating about the bush’ , ‘ get to grips with’ . It reinforces the idea of science as more relevant , more concerned with reality and more certain .
Idiom: under the sun (used idiomatically: yes)
Because males and females of this species encounter each other so infrequently , when they do meet they will remain stuck together for several months . Spadefoots are nocturnal , and their eggs must be laid and fertilised during the night when the pond is relatively cool . But by the middle of the following day , under the relentless desert sun , the temperature of the water can have reached 40 ° C. The spadefoot has a number of ways of helping the developing embryo to survive this particular ordeal . In the first few hours following fertilisation , the embryo is not particularly tolerant of high temperatures but , by the next day , its tolerance appears somehow to have increased . It is certainly helped by the fact that the spadefoot toad 's eggs are black , covered by a pigment called melanin which helps protect them from the sun 's rays ( the same pigment is responsible for tanning in human beings ) .
Idiom: old hat (used idiomatically: yes)
C : A rather hair-raising adventure for this actress G : When not moonlighting he swoops on his foes D : The old hat probably gave away Harrison ( Indiana ) Ford B : Raul Julia , or that ghoulish Gomez of The Addams Family G : Bruce Willis was the star who sprouted wings in Hudson Hawk
Idiom: on ice (used idiomatically: yes)
Rats received an intraperitoneal injection of 3 H - thymidine ( 0.5 µCi / g body weight ) one hour before death . Twenty four hours after partial hepatectomy or the start of the TAGH infusion rats , were anaesthetised and the liver perfused in place with ice cold saline to remove excess blood . The liver was rapidly removed and placed on ice . A small section of liver was frozen for measurement of thymidine incorporation . The remaining tissue was used to prepare liver cell plasma membranes .
Idiom: get to grips with (used idiomatically: yes)
You 've got to ensure that your products are really first class and you have to have first - class people at every level . Then you have a first - class business . Laing has never had any problems about getting to grips with long - term strategy . It is not always possible to give adequate thought to the future when caught up in the day - to - day running of an operation , but if you live the business , as Sir Hector unashamedly does , there are always less hectic times to mull over major issues . He tends to ponder on such weighty matters in the bath or while gardening .
Idiom: as a rule (used idiomatically: no)
Under Article 37 , an obligation that has arisen for a third party can not be revoked or modified without the consent of the parties and the third party unless they have agreed otherwise . A third party right can not be revoked or modified by the parties if it is established that the right was not intended to be so revocable or modifiable without the third party 's consent . Article 38 is the only specified exception , for it preserves the position that a rule set forth in a treaty can become binding upon a third party as a rule of customary international law . Exclusions from the Vienna Convention The Vienna Convention takes a reductivist and formalist approach to treaty law .
Idiom: night and day (used idiomatically: no)
Imagine me up on stage , famous as Meryl Streep , getting my Oscar , saying ‘ Told you so’ to old Dinwiddie and Mum and Dad . To Dad more than anyone . He works night and day in the theatre , for the theatre , does n't he ? Then why does he hate it ? I 've seen him talking to actors in the bar — he 's happy enough then — livelier than when he 's at home .
Idiom: high as a kite (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ He did n't need to . And they were n't lies . When I put you to bed you were high as a kite.’ ‘ I 'd been drinking . Sorry!’
Idiom: call the shots (used idiomatically: yes)
In fact , our two great historical ages are the 1950s and the 1970s . The Fifties lasted well into the Sixties , thanks to our parents . They called the shots while we were still tiny , and they did n't spring into crushed velvet bell - bottoms in 1966 , just because it was a happening thing to do . They , and the schools we went to , helped preserve a brown Fifties environment all through our early years . For us , the Sixties were never more than a distant rumour overheard on Radio Caroline .
Idiom: upset the apple cart (used idiomatically: yes)
The intuitive ordering will be in a state of perpetual disruption because of the pressures which give rise to varying likes and dislikes . The obsessive gardener hates his relations because two of them have criminal records . A foreigner who is stunningly attractive will readily upset the apple - cart of our preconceptions , as will a friend whom we discover has been slandering us behind our back . All sorts of influences are brought to bear upon us every time we turn on the radio or open a newspaper . Religious emotion is particularly potent .
Idiom: take the mickey (used idiomatically: yes)
I 've got something out of life now . It does n't bother me . If anyone takes the mickey I turn round and say I 've got a daughter . " That 's all that matters . It did get a bit rocky after she became pregnant .
Idiom: in the final analysis (used idiomatically: yes)
Yet none of this obliterates the difference between the respective roles of names and descriptions . A proper name is no less a proper name for possessing a descriptive content . Moreover no proper name can fulfil its function as a proper name without certain descriptions that specify the conditions under which the name in question can be significantly applied , but it does not follow for this that names are ultimately " reducible " to descriptions ; i.e. that , in the final analysis , there is no real difference between them at all . Why does this not follow ? One prima facie plausible answer is provided by another theory , according to which the specific feature that marks off proper names from descriptions should be sought not in any " logical simplicity " but rather in the " rigidity of their designation " .
Idiom: hands down (used idiomatically: no)
The head of the parent Twin Books Corporation in Connecticut , Sydney L Mayer , described the outcome as a ' victory for the integrity of copyright and trademark law ' . ' The use of the name of a character such as Blinky Bill as the title of a book and as the description of a character in the book does not constitute the use of that name as a trademark , ' he said . Reservations about the conclusiveness of the case was apparent in comment by WBN , however : ' As the case was settled without a judgment being handed down , the industry is still without a clear interpretation of the ramifications of the sometimes grey area in which trademark and copyright laws interact . ' More Swiss interest in English books Another company in German - speaking Switzerland had decided to move into handling English - language books .