Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: tilt at windmills (used idiomatically: yes)
And now . London had been grit grey for months , and Jay fought the sunless skies with the blade of keen memory . It was not even as noble and hopeless as tilting at windmills ; she was blindfolded by not understanding and whirled towards every sound — Lucy 's voice , laugh , profile , light footfall : all worn by unknowing everyday strangers . She was challenging the shadows of shadows , challenging the shadows of primeval monsters half - glimpsed in nightmare . I am alone on a desolate plain , and I am cold and I am lonely thought Jay , chanted Jay , she could find no comfort .
Idiom: up a tree (used idiomatically: yes)
' I 'm — I 'm all right , thank you . ' Virginia lowered herself carefully to the ground . Up the tree she had decided to make a dash for home as soon as she reached the ground , without giving the witch a chance to grab her , but now she did n't do it . Instead , she stood still , looking in surprise at the gentle lined face above her , in which was set a pair of kind eyes of the brightest blue she had ever seen . Not only did n't the soft voice sound like a witch 's , thought Virginia ; the face did n't look a bit like a witch 's ; in fact , she decided , the witch sounded and looked so sweet and gentle that she couldn'tbe a witch !
Idiom: put the kibosh on (used idiomatically: yes)
Southland Corporation , the operator of America 's 7-Eleven convenience stores , is also struggling . On March 22nd , Ito - Yokado , a Japanese retailing giant , and its subsidiary , 7-Eleven Japan , offered to buy 75 % of the company . The collapse of the junk - bond market has put the kibosh on a management buy - out of Wickes , an engineering and home - furnishings company . The investment bankers that bought Wickes last November have already sold more than $ 400 m in assets and are taking it private . Mr William Farley , who acquired a slew of manufacturing companies with junk - bond financing arranged by Drexel , has had to resort to a bridging loan from banks to finance his acquisition of West Point - Pepperell , a textile giant .
Idiom: take a dim view of (used idiomatically: yes)
Overall its exclusively lead - free diet was consumed at the rate of 10.2mpg , even with a thirsty catalyst as standard . While that may not sound brilliant for the performance , it should be borne in mind that the 300E-24 saloon , weighing the best part of 500 lb less and with a four - speed automatic ' box , achieved 18.8mpg while on test . Indeed , the SL 's overall economy would have been better still had it not taken an unusually dim view of performance testing , its consumption plunging to just 14.4mpg while at Millbrook . Any owner could reasonably expect over 20mpg all the time , with the touring consumption target of 23.1mpg well within reach . At that rate it should manage over 400 miles between petrol stations .
Idiom: go the distance (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I have watched videos of Benredjeb and he will be a tough opponent , but he is just my height and should be perfect for me,’ he said after sparring with Arguelles at the Belfast gym of his manager , Barney Eastwood . Hodkinson , a fighter noted for accuracy and stamina , took the British title from Peter Harris of Wales 18 months ago and added the Lonsdale Belt with two successful defences . The 29-year - old Frenchman went the distance with the former European champion Jean - Marc Renard , of Belgium , last year . He also outpointed Raymond Armand , the Frenchman from whom Hodkinson took the European title in two rounds . Billy Hardy , the British bantamweight champion , has been offered a world title fight next month , and in his home town .
Idiom: cut and thrust (used idiomatically: yes)
In the gloom of a London club called Blitz , the person who would define this new sensibility above all others , the club 's sometime cloakroom attendant , a young boy called George O'Dowd , caught sight of his reflection in the mirror , applied his make - up — as he would put it , ‘ to remove all the hideousness’— and plotted how he too might acquire the only worthwhile currency left : fame . Such flamboyance is a familiar response of popular culture to recession : consider Hollywood in the Thirties . Yet it also signified , at another level , how pop music was responding to the undercurrents of the new mood of the country , and the pronouncements of an insistent , steely - haired woman in a blue twin - set about a sleeker , leaner Britain , built on the cut and thrust of the free market ; unfettered competition ; standing , as it was frequently said , on one 's own two feet . In fact , the pop industry has always embodied what were now coming to be known as ‘ Thatcherite’ values : highly competitive , determined by ‘ market forces’ , with no grants , no subsidies , negligible government interference . There is no more exacting a yardstick of free - market principles than the pop charts , where the successful bask unashamedly in the spotlight and conspicuously consume the fruits of their success , while scant sympathy is expended on the failures .
Idiom: green light (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ However , it is clear that 18 July 1989 is not a magic cut - off point . Compounders still had three to four months stocks of contaminated feed in the chain and this is blurring our results.’ Among the immediate beneficiaries of a green light on young cattle would be pedigree breeders — particularly those from the South - west offering Galloways . There are also hopes that a live trade in slaughter cattle could be developed with other EC countries over 1994 — just as has already taken place with slaughter lambs to France . One of the principal destinations is likely to be the Netherlands , where environmental controls on manure threaten to reduce beef cattle numbers by 360,000 head or 28 per cent by 1995 .
Idiom: up and running (used idiomatically: yes)
NEW YORK . According to a recent report in the ARTnewsletter , the New York gallery Salander O'Reilly is closing its Berlin branch after only nine months in that city . The slow business environment there was cited as a reason for closing while director Lawrence Salander felt that too much time and input was required of him and his partner in order to get the project up and running . The firm 's Beverly Hills and New York outlets continue with business as usual including ‘ The Art of William Blake’ in New York from November to December , with a catalogue by Martin Butlin of the Tate Gallery . Gutekunst and Co.
Idiom: squeaky clean (used idiomatically: yes)
Whatever you do do n't pale because you 're bound to fail . Just give us a big cheesy grin and you know you 're in with a chance squeaky clean . Good luck sorry about the I had a dream last night , there was a mega earthquake .
Idiom: as luck would have it (used idiomatically: yes)
In the previous recession electronics were to some extent protected from the slump by companies ' enthusiasm for replacing old technologies with new . This time around , the computerisation curve has flattened out , so the electronics industry has been hit as hard as any . As bad luck would have it , the only industries in which Britain has clung to a world - lead — defence and aerospace — have both been affected by politics as well as economics . Defence spending , untouched by the previous recession , is falling as the cold war thaws . The extent of British defence cuts is still anyone 's guess , even in Whitehall ; but the Defence Manufacturers ' Association reckons real annual spending will fall to about 75 % of 1990 's figure within five years .
Idiom: walk free (used idiomatically: yes)
A woman who had never held her own child or even seen it . Whose womb would be forever empty , whose heart would scream . A woman who would never walk free in the sunshine , serving a life - sentence where today child murderers are punished by countable years or even months . A woman driven over the edge . Hysterical , demented , deluded .
Idiom: break the ice (used idiomatically: no)
Others : Pete Simmonds ( Sabrina ) 1–2–0 ; Chris Dennis ( Stoke ) 1–1–0 ; Tony Lloyd ( Shrewsbury Bait Centre ) 0–14–0 . Boats got match underway Patshull Park Lake was ice free on Saturday but completely frozen on Sunday so two motor boats were used to break up the half inch thick ice for two hours . One boat was holed three times and despite baling had taken in a foot of water when beached . The other boat remained out during the match to keep the fishing areas clear .
Idiom: with open arms (used idiomatically: yes)
He has a sewage horror story to tell for nearly every area of the country . Having began as a wild idea with a group of mates in a St Agnes pub , provoked by anger , frustration and too many evenings of getting home ill from the beach ; the SAS ' influence is now spreading well beyond Cornwall and the surfing community . The media are receiving such an informed , dynamic and visually striking group with open arms : from picketing South West Water to protesting in full surf regalia at Parliament , from surfing in gas masks to demonstrating with a huge inflatable turd , the SAS has come up with a series of media - friendly stunts that have caught the headlines . More importantly , what might have initially looked like a lightweight novelty campaign group has grown and developed to become a full - time pressure group recognised as a leading authority on UK water pollution . ‘ It 's hard for people to really understand and identify with a problem , whether it 's Aids , Somalia or pollution , until they really get to see it first hand,’ reflects Hines .
Idiom: open someone's eyes (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Matthew … ’ Alex said insistently . He opened his eyes very wide and leaned towards her . ‘ I told her , all right ? It 's no big deal .
Idiom: and then some (used idiomatically: yes)
Ontario from galleries to gastronomy Ontario will delight all your senses ; from tastebuds to fingertips . To begin with , you 'll find food from the world 's four corners and then some . Cajun , Creole , Soul food , Japanese , Russian — you name it , we cook it . And many with Ontario grown ingredients — fresh and wholesome .
Idiom: Indian summer (used idiomatically: yes)
Should the feed bars be kept in a refrigerator or freezer ? Thank you for your letter . I 'm sorry you have had so much trouble contacting us — blame the wonderful Indian summer we are having . I enclose a cheque for £ 25 made out to Covenant House , since our Charities Aid Vouchers are n't going to work for Bruce Harris . If this is suitable , and since you have kindly agreed to pass it on , we do n't need any receipt or acknowledgement , but , sadly , I think we should come off the mailing list .
Idiom: hell for leather (used idiomatically: yes)
But auburn - haired Jackie , 22 , is a girl with a lotta throttle her gleaming pride is an 1100cc , 150 mph road bike nicknamed The Beast and bored out to 1168cc . Third party insurance alone is £ 1168 a year . ‘ Even as a little kid I used to gaze in motorcycle shop windows and wish I had something like this,’ says hell for leather Jackie , from Marske near Redcar . Eventually she hopes to be a winning road racer too . For the moment she 's just sitting pretty .
Idiom: sitting pretty (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ And who 's finished up the better off ? Me , of course . I 'm sitting pretty in a nice house with a successful businessman and you 're left slaving away teaching a lot of nasty little children the ABC.’ ‘ Quite right , sugar - plum,’ Mr Wormwood said , casting a look of such simpering sloppiness at his wife it would have made a cat sick . Miss Honey decided that if she was going to get anywhere with these people she must not lose her temper .
Idiom: out of sight (used idiomatically: no)
GIVING HOPE : Diana sent a ‘ substantial’ cheque for battered wives POOL PLEA BY FERGIE EXILED Fergie stayed out of sight at home yesterday — and called in a maintenance team to check the pool at her rented mansion . Police and private security guards kept photographers well away from the rented lodge in Wentworth , Surrey . But there were no poolside frolics because of steady rain .
Idiom: get under someone's skin (used idiomatically: no)
Perhaps it would be wise to pander a little to his whims since it seemed he was prone to these Viking tendencies . Appearing cool and calm would be difficult , but it was the only way to deal with this man . She would not let him get under her skin . ‘ You lied to me,’ she said , her voice laced with accusation as she walked through to what appeared to be a workshop . Surfaces were cluttered with an assortment of electronic equipment , and mechanical contrivances in varied states of readiness .
Idiom: go places (used idiomatically: no)
I must 've spilt summat or maybe I trod in a puddle cos my trousers are all wet and cold . I dunno where I am . I think I 'm going some place but I ca n't remember where . Maybe I 'm going to meet Marie — I ca n't remember . The pavement 's too crowded to walk on without bumping into people , so I step off and walk in the gutter .
Idiom: in black and white (used idiomatically: no)
They name the side which lost to Danish club Slangerup last week . Hartlepool United , perennial prop of the Football League , currently stand within sight of Second Division football . The reality was printed in black and white in the Third Division table yesterday . The reelection regulars are four points away from a play - off place , with a game in hand of once - great West Bromwich Albion , who hold the vital seventh position . Five wins in six games has transformed only their second season outside English football 's basement .
Idiom: get the picture (used idiomatically: yes)
Here , picture researcher Julie Query deals with a request for pictures of John F Kennedy . Female speaker We 've got pictures from the super eight film of the assassination if you would like it . Voice over The researchers can dip into a collection that ranges from the early days of photography to current events .
Idiom: go straight (used idiomatically: yes)
It was a sombre meal in spite of Mark 's presence . Hugo looked even more tired and strained than he had earlier , Harriet thought , and Sally was edgy and preoccupied though she seemed greatly relieved when Hugo told her that the insurance investigator , Tom O'Neill , had seemed satisfied with what he had been able to tell him and had not expressed any desire for a further interview or the need to come to the house to speak to Sally . ‘ He tells me he is going straight on to Australia to see Greg,’ Hugo said . ‘ Let 's hope the whole thing ends there . Though somehow I doubt it.’
Idiom: in hot water (used idiomatically: no)
He had chosen not to go with his parents to buy plants . This was a day to do something on , a day to use . The sun splashed and faded on the bath as he lay in hot water . The hair of his bush floated and he made a swell in the water with his hand to make it ride up and down like seaweed over waves . You could understand the connection made between hair and being manly but when you came to think of it , it was n't really true .
Idiom: small beer (used idiomatically: no)
" This Meeting having with much regret felt the Inconveniences arising to the Island for the Want of a Jail , wherein Disturbers of the Peace and other Transgressors of the Law might be Confined … are of the opinion that Shawfield should be apply'd to , and these Grievances Stated , that he may of course procure the Sherriff 's warrant to have a Jail Established … " " It having been Stated to this Meeting that a regular Ferry from Skiba to Gartbreck would contribute much to the Convenience of Travellers " they agree " to Engage a proper person , who will engage to maintain a proper Ferry Boat ready at all reasonable times to Ferry passengers … " 1806 " This Meeting having taken into Consideration the enormous amount of the Bill of Entertainment ( " The Bill at MacTaggart 's £ 16 ") , Resolve that the following rules shall be attended to in future , viz . That for each Guest Setting at Table , the Landlord shall allow & produce a half Bottle of wine and a Bottle of Punch — a Bottle of Brandy to the whole Company — with small Beer — that the Landlord shall charge for each Sitting to Dinner a , the rate of 3/ - , that the Servants half mutskin of Whisky … " Little seems to have been done to repair the various bridges and now , —"Ballinaby having presented to this Meeting an Estimate of a Bridge to be built upon the water of Saligo … This Meeting do hereby Stent themselves in the sum of £ 15 . "
Idiom: go public (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I was looking for a sounding board and that 's what I 've got.’ Things went rather better , though hardly perfectly , at Taunton Cider , purveyor of cider brands Red Rock , Diamond White and Dry Blackthorn . Just a year after chairman Peter Adams and his team completed a £ 72.5 m buyout from Bass and Courage in May 1991 ( which between then owned 80 % of the stock ) , the group went public . The listing was something of a wet blanket — half of the shares were left with the underwriting institutions — but at least the company had got its listing away . A couple of years ago this had looked impossible .
Idiom: join the club (used idiomatically: yes)
MAKE THINGS Join the Club ! Would you like to join a brilliant new club that 's run by the makers of the fizzy drink , Tizer ? All new members get a bumper membership pack which includes a pair of snazzy Tizer visors , a Tizer club ' bake in the oven ' badge , an A4 sheet of wacky Tizer Club stickers and money - off coupons — all contained in a smart club folder and featuring the Club 's president , Bubbles , the cool chimp . Normally it costs £ 3.00 to join , but here 's the great news !
Idiom: second nature (used idiomatically: no)
' Hardly little at six and a half , or whatever that is in metric . I still ca n't convert in my head . ' ' Second nature to me . I spend a great deal of my time in the Community ; Brussels and Luxembourg for the most part . To my mind the yard , foot and inch are as antiquated as the rod , pole and perch . '
Idiom: go to the wall (used idiomatically: yes)
' Wilson , ' he said , ' you are a joker ! All Pembroke men are jokers ! ' As Robert was trying to remember whether that was the college he had said he had attended , Mr Malik went over to the far wall and began to pin up the league table of exam results . Every boy in the school was placed , and next to his marks was a small graph illustrating his performance throughout the year . The x -axis was attitude and the y -axis achievement .
Idiom: wipe someone's eye (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I knew we could rely on you.’ There was a faint murmur of satisfaction , though only a murmur , for it was what they had all expected . Dorothea wiped her eyes and blew her nose and looked around her , at the overcoated figures , huddled and sneezing about the table - tennis table under the Vestry lights . But none of them noticed , they were hunched within themselves , absorbed , waiting to be done with the decisions and get home . The vestry walls shone with damp .
Idiom: pick up the pieces (used idiomatically: yes)
Barnet have 16 professionals , but six are out of contract including £ 400,000 rated Gary Bull . Bull looks set to join former boss Barry Fry at Southend , while current Underhill supremo Edwin Stein puts the total value of his squad at £ 2.16 million . ‘ If we can get through to July 1 we will be okay , but at the moment people ( other clubs ) are sitting around like vultures waiting to pick up the pieces,’ added Beller . ‘ If the League agree to our request we are also asking them to lift the transfer ban on incoming players the consortium will make £ 250,000 immediately available to the club . That would get us to the start of the season.’
Idiom: up and running (used idiomatically: yes)
WEST YORKSHIRE in retirement As many retired Rentokil folk are probably aware there is now a Rentokilonians society based in East Grinstead . However , the West Yorkshire branch can boast a longer established society that has been up and running for over nine years . ( Well , staggering a little , sometimes ) . The society was formed in October 1982 with nine members who , between them have 257 years of service !
Idiom: in the pipeline (used idiomatically: yes)
Just last week , the firm opened a permanent office in Abu Dhabi , under the name J&F Johnston ( Emirates ) . John McLaren , a partner in the long - established firm , will be permanently based in Abu Dhabi . Projects in the pipeline include office buildings , leisure facilities and a chain of hamburger bars . That J&F Johnston find themselves in the Middle East at all is a testament to the good works of Scottish Trade International , the joint Scottish Enterprise / Scottish Office agency . Its initiative , SCEME — Scottish Companies Exporting to the Middle East — is helping 22 companies , including J&F Johnston , to gain a toehold in the Gulf .
Idiom: money talks (used idiomatically: no)
‘ Well , I 'm interested … ’ Antonio laced more ketchup onto the remaining burger and picked up a French fry . ‘ I want to talk , money talk , and I 'd like you to come up to New York next week to meet with my financial boys , if that 's okay with you?’ It was in the bag . He had his finance , he could feel it .
Idiom: rare bird (used idiomatically: yes)
So I conclude they were n't related . The laboratory was the first in Britain to provide DNA evidence in a prosecution involving birds . More cases like the one exposed by Roger Cook will help stop rare birds being stolen from the wild . Male speaker I 'd like to talk to you about a couple of perigrines you 've sold .
Idiom: out of pocket (used idiomatically: no)
What Bush is proposing is risky . He only has specific proposals for 10 % of the total entitlement spending cap , yet the across the board tax rate cuts would lose $ 25bn a year in revenue for each percentage point reduced , and conservatives are calling for a three point cut . Tax measures in Bush 's health plan — including a tax credit or deduction for out - of - pocket health expenses and managed care incentives — would lose a further $ 35bn a year in revenue , and no financing has been identified yet . Add proposed record spending levels on research and development , infrastructure , education , enterprise zones and job training , as well as real estate and profamily incentives , and there may well be good reason to fear that the overall budget deficit may be the constraint that yields if spending cuts ca n't be found to finance all of these initiatives . Another key element of Bush 's economic programme is the promotion of free trade and investment .
Idiom: follow suit (used idiomatically: yes)
This generosity is , it seems , partly due to regional rivalry . Hamburg 's local government had seen the results of generous film funding in Berlin : the city became attractive to film - makers , work came pouring in and attractive or interesting images of Berlin were sent around the world . Hamburg 's decision to follow suit looks like a shining opportunity for venturesome British outfits , but there are snags . Subsidies are granted only on the agreement that a set percentage of any budget must be spent in Hamburg . MacCabe and company had assumed that their location work would prove more than adequate to meet the quota , but then found that they were obliged to do all their processing and post - production work in Hamburg , too -a doubly inconvenient requirement since the local labs are not used to working nearly so quickly as their counterparts in London .
Idiom: high and low (used idiomatically: no)
The last Briton to hold the world mile record , WG George in 1886 with a time of 4min 12 ¾sec , was at Motspur Park on August 28 to watch Wooderson 's attempt . Pacemaking then was more predictable than now ; in a well - organised handicap someone like Wooderson always had a target just ahead . The event had all the highs and lows of a record attempt . The first quarter was in 58.6sec , and this 17 years before the first four - minute mile . But by the end of the third lap the pace had slouched to 3min 7.2sec .