Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: come unstuck (used idiomatically: yes)
Well you do n't know , have you , have you found the statutory requirement for space yet ? Per person . I think the thing is going to come unstuck in the , I think the biggest thing is , I was thinking , is the fact that you 've got to get I would n't get a commitment from Social Services until they see a property actually ready for occupation . Now I 'm not gon na be prepared to go through the whole business and then find them say oh sorry you 're wrong . Property is the biggest bugbear .
Idiom: seen better days (used idiomatically: yes)
Petty crime was commonplace . Serious crime was the stuff of stairhead gossip . Like so much of metropolitan Europe , it was an area that had seen better days . But the prosperous had moved out and the poor had moved in . There were none of the comforts we take for granted now .
Idiom: up to scratch (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ This child ought to Learn something!’ you think anxiously to yourself . Indeed , even if you are relaxed enough not to worry , the system will eventually take over and you will have to : school will happen ; reading books will be brought home . You will sit anxiously on an undersized chair at parents ' evening , asking a teacher whether the child 's reading is really up to scratch and should n't he be on Blue Book Three by now ? You will lie in bed , dutiful parents that you are , discussing the fact that he still does his 3s and 5s back to front and wondering whether to arrange extra coaching . You will become increasingly shifty about the fact that your child has n't actually taken the safety wheels off his bike yet .
Idiom: ride high (used idiomatically: no)
But she knew that , if she did n't turn up on the beach , Ross would only come back to fetch her . With a heavy sigh , and not even daring to look at her slim , almost naked form in the mirror , Laura slowly made her way out of the cottage , and down towards the ocean . Although the moon was riding high in the sky , and shedding a rather weird , eerie glow on the flowering shrubs and various trees edging the green lawn , she was surprised at how much more calm and at ease she felt in the soft , enveloping darkness as she picked her way carefully over the sand . Standing by the water 's edge , Laura glanced nervously about her , but there appeared to be no sign of Ross . Walking slowly into the ocean , which was as still as a mill - pond , she could n't help relishing the feel of the cool salty water on her heated flesh .
Idiom: behind the curve (used idiomatically: yes)
It shrank its budgets and began to downsize , and , while it was handed some new responsibilities in the meantime – surveillance over " currency manipulation , " in particular – its deliberations proved largely irrelevant . But the crisis has invigorated the IMF . Under its capable managing ~ director , Dominique Strauss - Kahn , the Fund has been one of the few official agencies ahead of – instead of behind – the curve . It moved quickly to establish a fast - disbursing emergency line of credit for countries with " reasonable " policies . It ardently championed global fiscal stimulus on the order of 2 % of world GNP – a position that is all the more remarkable in view of its traditional conservatism on all fiscal matters .
Idiom: in bed with (used idiomatically: yes)
I thought it was fantastic ! SARAH BRIGHTMAN We had a première of Requiem , and one of the main critics had a real go at it — and at me — and I remember sitting up in bed with Andrew and just wanting to weep . It 's quite a horrible thing when you 've worked on something so hard , but you have to go through it . And there are times , like with Phantom of the Opera , where we got wonderful reviews , so we were laughing and happy .
Idiom: go hand in hand (used idiomatically: yes)
For many developing countries , the figure is well under 20 kwh ; China is still well below the global average , and even most emerging markets consume less than one - third of the average in many advanced economies . The economics behind efforts to close these energy gaps are relatively straightforward . Up to a threshold of around 100 kwh per capita per day , energy consumption and human development indicators go hand in hand . At current prices , between $ 10 and $ 20 per person per day would be needed to reach that threshold . This puts energy security well beyond the means of not just the poorest , but also of most people in emerging economies .
Idiom: in the dock (used idiomatically: yes)
FURIOUS relatives were grappled to a courtroom floor yesterday as they tried to attack a killer joyrider . The two men — one screaming ‘ I 'll kill you , you bastard’— vaulted from the public gallery . Then they ran across lawyers ' benches to try to reach driver Christopher Lewin , 19 , and passenger David Nnah in the dock . Police forced the relatives to the ground before hustling them out of Liverpool Crown Court . In the struggle one officer smashed his head on a bench and had to be taken to hospital .
Idiom: to the letter (used idiomatically: yes)
The result was that we were dangerously isolated with a strong coalition arrayed against us , but fortunately our opponents overplayed their hand . The BMA were criticized for their intransigence and the pharmaceutical industry 's advertising was criticized for seeking to frighten patients . One company threatened that replies from MPs to their standard letter would be posted on surgery notice - boards in their constituencies . I am glad to say that these tactics backfired . Even in these days of lobbying , Members of Parliament will not be bullied in this way .
Idiom: get lost (used idiomatically: no)
You have n't stayed in for about two months’ , which is true really . I 'm always going out . I have n't stayed in for about two months , about eight weeks , not one night , and he goes , ‘ I think you should stay in at least one’ , and I goes , ‘ If you think I 'm staying in then you get lost , because I 'm not staying in this flaming house’ , and he goes , ‘ You 're staying when I tell you to’ , and I goes , ‘ I won't’ , and I walked out and came back ten minutes later and said , ‘ I 'm going out , all right?’ and he goes , ‘ Okay’ , and he give me some money to go out and come up here [ to the youth club ] . So it 's really all right . He 's under my thumb really.’
Idiom: under your breath (used idiomatically: yes)
Example : I have to go home at twelve o'clock today . First hum and tap the tune and rhythm : Then start mimicking the segments phrase by phrase : today . Add one phrase at a time : When listening to a text or story in the classroom , or to a public speech of some kind , you can mimic by " tracking " , which means that you mimic silently or under your breath a few syllables behind the speaker . Drilling is the repeated performance of exercises designed to master specific problems . It can be compared to the scales which a singer or player of a musical instrument must sing or play over and over again until certain movements become automatic habits .
Idiom: hold your tongue (used idiomatically: yes)
Spatz interrupted Hammond , his face hard . ‘ I promised nothing , if you recall . Now for the gods’ sakes , hold your tongue ! Even better , leave the room . You 've served your purpose.’
Idiom: joined at the hip (used idiomatically: yes)
At the time it had seemed that they shared so much that they must have some mystic chain binding them together . Indeed Laura often said so : ' Twin souls , Matt , ' she would drawl , as she lolled back on the velvet cushions which covered the floor of her apartment . ' We 're twin souls , joined at the cosmic hip . ' Matt would sometimes try to develop this image but found it impossible . Did souls have hips , to start with ?
Idiom: to the letter (used idiomatically: yes)
It is no use the hon . Member for Leeds , Central looking to either side of him ; he is the guilty man . In a document that has conveniently been leaked to me , the hon . Gentleman , without any hesitation , contradicts the words of the hon . Member for Blackburn ( Mr. Straw ) in ' Raising the Standard ' . I refer to a letter written by the hon . Member for Leeds , Central on 28 November 1991 to the secretary of the Society of Chief Inspectors and Advisers : ' The subsequent evaluation , monitoring and implementation of new practices could be carried out by both the initial inspector or by a group of advisers . At this point , whilst we define separately the responsibility of inspection and advice we also recognise that in certain circumstances approved by the LEA and the Education Standards Commission inspection and advice could be offered by the same group of people . ' That is directly contrary to what was stated in ' Raising the Standard'and to the remarks made by the hon . Member for Blackburn from the Opposition Front Bench in Committee .
Idiom: an old flame (used idiomatically: yes)
You see , Bumface 's superior boss , your old Brigade Commander … That 's right , Bradshaw , Brigadier Bradshaw , Boy Bradshaw Mummy calls him . Well he happens to be an old flame of Mummy 's . Yes . So of course we 've asked him to dinner .
Idiom: keep your head (used idiomatically: yes)
I 'll admit that hearing about that sermon gave me a cowardly frisson of fear . I still believe we were right , but do n't stand too near to me — just in case . It 's hard to keep your head above water if you play chess with Sergei Martyn Harris learns the secrets of a Russian atomic submarine officer By MARTYN HARRIS MY KING is a pepperpot which falls over each time the train brakes .
Idiom: play the field (used idiomatically: yes)
The usual group of shops occupies the market place today , with a new up - to - date health centre . The Roll of Honour , dedicated to the men of Patrington who served in the First World War , stands in the middle of the village . The cricket club have very attractive grounds south of the church , and there are playing fields and football pitches on the Welwick road . The Meridian Line runs just east of the village , hence the naming of the monthly church magazine , ' The Meridian ' . The pride of Patrington is the nationally known St Patrick 's church , often said to be the most beautiful parish church in England , and locally known as ' the Queen of Holderness ' .
Idiom: get lost (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Are you sure you know the way?’ he asked . ‘ Of course,’ answered the Second Son . ‘ Anyway , we have the radio if we get lost,’ he added , laughing . The boy was driving like the wind when suddenly we hit something . It might have been a rock , a rill of sand , who knows , but the car took off .
Idiom: on the run (used idiomatically: no)
More important than either of these , it was due to be run again on the Saturday afternoon in front of Bobby Anscombe . And if it did n't live up to the investor 's rigorous standards , no one had any doubt that he would make good his threat of withdrawing his backing . Consciousness of all these pressures did not improve Michael Banks 's concentration and , together with fatigue , ensured that the lines were worse than ever on the Friday afternoon run . The rehearsal ended in apathetic silence . The actors drifted uselessly to their belongings .
Idiom: back to square one (used idiomatically: yes)
Whenever we take one step forward , we take five steps back,’ said an ambassador to the Arab League . ‘ It 's shocking . We 're back to square one,’ said a senior official at Jordan 's Foreign Ministry . The bomb that killed President Muawad appeared to have defeated or at least set back for many months the Arab initiative spearheaded by Morocco , Algeria and Saudi Arabia . ‘ Where do we turn now?’ asked an official at the Tunis headquarters of the Arab League .
Idiom: get stuck in (used idiomatically: yes)
He may have been pleased to get the job — but he was only shot into the spot in order to stand up for good , Christian , family values and to restore party morale in Cecil 's wake . A real politician , in the person of Norman Tebbit , was the only chosen to fight the election . He relished the fight , like he relishes getting stuck in , but did n't really enjoy the job . At the time of the last election , he and Douglas Hurd , then the Home Secretary , drew up a list of the jobs they would seek not to do after the election . They both headed the list with the responsibilities they had at the time .
Idiom: all over the place (used idiomatically: yes)
That was a pretty daft offer , she thought as soon as she had put down the phone . She was a rotten cook . There were pubs all over the place which served perfectly acceptable Sunday lunches . Why could n't she have let him take her to one of those ? She resisted the thought that she liked the idea of him sitting at her kitchen table .
Idiom: get to the bottom of (used idiomatically: yes)
If this is true , ask yourself why he should do so ? It can not be simply for the fun of inventing fairy tales about himself . By the time a patient comes to consult me ( of any other professional therapist for that matter ) , he is aware that he has some sort of problem in his life and that he wants to get to the bottom of it . He also knows that , since therapists have to eat and support their families just like everyone else , it is going to cost him money to do so . It would be a foolish and expensive form of self - indulgence to pay for a course of treatment just for the pleasure of making up fancy tales about previous incarnations .
Idiom: in the bag (used idiomatically: no)
Of course , it 's easier for fellas to look sexy longer . They learn from birth to expect no help from artifice . Unlike myself and many of my sisters , to whom life without Erace and Ultra - Glow would mean the difference between a career as a working mother and a career as a recluse in a brown - paper bag , men learn to accept themselves as they are . True , a haircut , a smattering of designer stubble , the odd earring and a spot of UVA can make a difference , but basically it 's the inner man who 's on display . Which is why most women , when asked what they first look for in a man , reply ' Wit and humour ' .
Idiom: bear fruit (used idiomatically: no)
Or anvil . ) Brazils are a quite different story . For one thing they are not really cultivated , mostly because the trees take a long time to bear fruit and even then are not very prolific . The trees grow wild along the riverbanks and are harvested between January and June as the fruits ripen . The nuts themselves are not nuts at all but seeds , arranged rather like the segments of an orange in a whole fruit ( properly a capsule ) that is itself about the size of an orange .
Idiom: up and running (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ The backup systems should have kicked in by now . We must be looking at a general systems failure . If we do n't get life support up and running soon , we 'll all suffocate.’ ‘ Wonderful,’ Bernice said dryly . ‘ What do we do first?’
Idiom: see the light (used idiomatically: no)
And besides,’ he added in a mocking drawl , ‘ you seemed remarkably grateful and content in my arms last night!’ ‘ Last night?’ she echoed faintly , before suddenly recalling a dim memory of being held within a pair of comforting arms . ‘ Ah , I see the light is beginning to dawn,’ he murmured , raising a dark , cynical eyebrow , his lips twisting with amusement as he saw her eyes widening in dismay . ‘ You didn't … ?’ she gasped , her cheeks growing pale as his words struck home . ‘ I mean , we did n't really … ?’
Idiom: crystal clear (used idiomatically: yes)
Polluted river saved and polluted again Ten years of work on the river Tamar on the Devon and Cornwall border were destroyed when 25,000 gallons of slurry escaped from a nearby dairy farm . Careful restoration work had turned the once polluted waters of the river crystal clear , and created a thriving breeding ground for fish . Thousands of tiny salmon and brown trout died as slurry robbed the stream of oxygen . The National Rivers Authority bought in dozens of workers to pump sludge from the river and take it by tanker for spreading on nearby fields .
Idiom: the icing on the cake (used idiomatically: yes)
One was found on decayed plant material in peatland at Llyn Eiddwen , in Dyfed , and the other on the droppings in burrows of small mammals such as moles and voles in Merioneth . The team of three , led by Dr Peter Holmes , have just finished the last field work of a three - year study of the effect on invertebrates of different peatland management strategies across Wales . ‘ British insects have been so well recorded that the discovery of new species is the icing on the cake of the study,’ said Dr Holmes . About one or two new species of insect are found in Britain each year but Wales includes some of the least - studied habitats . The new species may be unique to Wales .
Idiom: have a ball (used idiomatically: no)
‘ He 's gone through what might be regarded as a quiet spell this season , ’ said Clough . ‘ He has taken the brunt of the criticism at our ground , but wrongly so . Good ‘ People think has given the ball away more than most . But he always has two or three times more possession than most . ‘ He never hides and in a lot of ways you could liken him to John McGovern .
Idiom: silence is golden (used idiomatically: yes)
They huffed and puffed after that , but nothing was going to get through . The luck was with Darlington . In the second half , the silence was golden , but the ears of the referee and the Darlington keeper were ringing loud enough when Hereford were denied a winner . Final score , 1 - 1 . well at least Hereford fans did n't have to watch their team beaten on Saturday … which is more than can be said for Gloucester folk … it was a long way home from sale after losing seventeen to nineteen
Idiom: have a few (used idiomatically: yes)
But I did n't do the other jobs you accused me of , Pearce . What was wrong ? Did you have a few unsolved crimes that needed tying up?’ ‘ You 're a thief , Devlin . Always were , always will be .
Idiom: white hat (used idiomatically: yes)
Emmie felt awed and a little lost and lonely , not because Alice was going away , but because nothing she could dream about her any more could be more splendid than the truth . She said , rather wistfully , ‘ Do you think you 'll be a Matron ? With one of those high , white hats , like a cake?’ ‘ I expect so . Not in a big hospital , though .
Idiom: make tracks (used idiomatically: yes)
What , what ? Have n't worn that red dress through at dinnertime I 'll make tracks . Yeah , I 've got ta go up the bank . I think so that one with the silver coloured beard .
Idiom: join the club (used idiomatically: yes)
The only staff who have not taken a drop in their pay packets are manager Steve Coppell , his assistant Alan Smith and the players . Cork target ALAN CORK , aiming for his 150th League goal this weekend , has set himself a new target — to join the 200 Club . The veteran former Wimbledon striker , 34 in March , and an almost perpetual substitute for Sheffield United this season , knows he is nearing the end of his big-time career . But Cork , who hit goal number 149 at Norwich last month , insists the next milestone wo n't be his last .
Idiom: come to mind (used idiomatically: yes)
When people think of the capital of the United ~ States , Washington , D.C. - they usually think of monuments , museums and the White ~ House . But for some , a small family restaurant comes to mind . Ben 's ~ Chili ~ Bowl has been open for 50 years and is one of the city 's most enduring landmarks . VOA 's Ana ~ Ward recently spent an afternoon at the renowned restaurant .
Idiom: free and easy (used idiomatically: yes)
Good for the environment , too , as the saving of space would conserve paper and trees ! Why bother ? In these free - and - easy days people are making their own rules already . I saw a school essay containing the word ' yrnetn ' for wire netting ; and only the other day the Independent Magazine carried an advertisement for Philips Dictation Systems with the interesting sentence : ' In the time it took Dickens to write A Tale of Two Cities he could of told us a dozen more . ' As expected , a correspondence ensued .
Idiom: short and sweet (used idiomatically: yes)
' That was the Grace Before Meals — in Hebrew . ' Blessed art Thou , O Lord our God , King of the Universe , Who bringeth forth bread from the earth . ' Short and sweet , no ? Sensible . Who wants a long Grace Before Meals ?
Idiom: lose heart (used idiomatically: yes)
God , you fool . In a rambling old house in Gospel Oak . In London in January I lose my heart . What are the chances she 'll ever love me ? Christ , to be like this for ever , to live , to be together , to hold her like this in bed some night when she 's afraid of the thunder , when I 'm there to hold her , to be held by her .
Idiom: bear fruit (used idiomatically: yes)
We start each day as the farmer goes off to the milking , between 5 and 6 a.m. We try to find God 's plan , for this job is beyond us . It often surprises me still ( though I suppose it should n't ) how ideas bear fruit which come like this in the early morning , when we sit quietly and catch the unspoken whispers inside our hearts and minds . Today for instance . My mate and I had been given a long list of names , of Bulawayo people we should meet .
Idiom: thick and fast (used idiomatically: yes)
Where would it all end ? Was the Hooligan Armed ? Amidst the excitement of what The Daily Mail ( 17 August 1898 ) aptly termed ‘ Hooliganiana’ , accusations and counter accusations flew thick and fast about whether the sudden alarm was justified . However , of all the confusions that confront us the rumours alleging that the Hooligan gangs were armed with guns are particularly difficult to unravel , or to state in any balanced way . Without doubt , the late Victorian and Edwardian gangs did not restrict themselves to fist fights or kicking contests .
Idiom: wheels within wheels (used idiomatically: yes)
It might be … very nice . Certainly it is a release from the burden of life , and , for the godly , a haven and a reward . Or to look at it another way — we are little men , we do n't know the ins and outs of the matter , there are wheels within wheels , etcetera — it wold be presumptuous of us to interfere with the designs of fate or even of kings . All in all , I think we 'd be well advised to leave well alone . Tie up the letter — there — neatly — like that — They wo n't notice the broken seal , assuming you were in character .
Idiom: neither here nor there (used idiomatically: yes)
The boy adored his father exclusively ; his mother 's recourse was starch , and his bulk therefore waxed and waxed . The process did n't perturb him for the simple reason that it did n't repel Willie . The jibes of the kids at his scattered schools , which he attended sometimes for a token day or two to throw a sop to the government , struck him as neither here nor there . What he watched for anxiously was any sign that his father found fatness unprofessional . But on the contrary Willie made it seem a prop of the work , like ripe thighs in a chorus girl or the swivel eye of Ben Turpin .
Idiom: in a fog (used idiomatically: yes)
Might well have been . A crash ? There was a bad one at Ne , near Newark in the fog . Well that was tea time yesterday . That was the , was the driver seven car pile up or something , or more .
Idiom: kiss and tell (used idiomatically: yes)
He replied that he was . ‘ Well,’ she said , ‘ I think that 's sad.’ He told her : ‘ I dare n't be otherwise — because if I were ever in a compromising situation , if the police raided or if someone kissed and told I 'd be up the creek.’ She did n't know at the time about the pictures that had been taken or about some of those activities in which he did take part . She told him that she firmly believed he was missing an experience to be treasured .