Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: go it alone (used idiomatically: yes)
The same room in one house had been described by one agent as 26 ft 6 in long and 14 ft wide ( 8 x 4.2 m ) , and by another agent as 19 ft 3 in long and 15 ft 4 in ( 5.8 x 4.6 m ) wide . The crucial choice of an estate agent raises the question of whether one is necessary at all . Going it alone in difficult times is not to be recommended , but if you wish to try it for a few weeks then there is no harm done , simply time lost if you are unsuccessful . The qualities to look for in an agent are integrity , power of persuasion and an active ambition to succeed . In addition , an agent should always keep his client 's interests at the front of his mind .
Idiom: a little bird told me (used idiomatically: yes)
NEWS and rumours of Western brewers interested in acquiring stakes in Eastern plants continue apace . Belgium giants Interbrew — Stella Artois to you and me — are negotiating in Czechoslovakia , Poland and Hungary and all the other normal suspects are also reported to be continuing talks east of the former iron curtain . A little bird tells me that Scottish & Newcastle 's private jet has been spotted in the neighbourhood of Pilsen . It is unlikely , however , that any Western company will get more than a minority stake in Pilsner Urquell . Cider wars
Idiom: on the cards (used idiomatically: yes)
Now Ordnance say 250 jobs will go as part of reorganization , blaming lack of funding for research . They say Westcote will remain a centre of excellence for research , design , development and production of liquid engines , but solid fuel powered motors will be moved to Summerfield near Kidderminster , while the Waltham Abbey plant will close . Staff who 'd long feared redundancies were on the cards hear the news at meetings today . We 're very expensive they tell us . What was the reaction of the unions to that .
Idiom: she'll be right (used idiomatically: yes)
Listen , why do n't you ring up the social editor of the Advent , and tell her about your meeting tomorrow . Complain that the Committee is not getting the coverage it ought to have for the work it 's doing . Just tell her the names of those books and I tell you she 'll be right over.’ He glanced at the offending literature . ‘ Seems to me you 've got a man - sized job on , judging by that lot.’
Idiom: take stock (used idiomatically: no)
Having done this coolly and rationally there is less chance of wasting time between each job on deciding which to do next . It is also important to give yourself a realistic — even generous — and flexible budget of time , so that further self - punishment does not accrue if you fail to complete everything in a day . Other aspects of taking stock include realistic goal - setting ( jargon borrowed from behavioural psychologists for making sensible decisions about what , given your talents and your time , you can hope to get done ) and delegating . When people get into a stress - induced panic about their workload they may ( a ) begin to load more and more on to their own shoulders , and ( b ) feel so overwhelmed that they ca n't seem to get started . The trick is to give away what you reasonably can , to put straight into the waste - paper basket everything which it is not absolutely necessary to do anything about , or which it is now too late to do anything about , and then to begin to nibble away at the rest .
Idiom: fall into place (used idiomatically: yes)
Caution would probably be advisable until every spectator has been counted , but it will be a disappointment if the crowd falls short of 20,000 . What is happening , too late unfortunately , is that the Kiwis are starting to demonstrate what a fine squad of players they have . Confidence has risen markedly since the defeat at Elland Road ; the parts are falling neatly into place and some of their football in the last three games against Hull , Widnes and Featherstone has been exhilarating . Poor France , where the Kiwis will spend the next three weeks , are now likely to suffer the consequences of this improvement . Conversely , the French can use the two forthcoming Tests to show that reports of the imminent demise of the game there have been grossly exaggerated .
Idiom: give and take (used idiomatically: no)
The women ended up having to negotiate everything through their husbands , and when they were expected to work for nothing on their husbands ' plots they refused and demanded full payment . Once they have finished their paid work , women in developing countries spend a large amount of time on domestic tasks such as cooking . Low pay and high prices mean they have to walk further to find cheaper goods , which take longer to prepare , and men sometimes feel marginalised and turn to drink and violence when their women are too tired or busy to give them attention . As can be seen in figure women in Nepal and the Ivory Coast spend the majority of their time in housework , whilst the men spend very little time . It is interesting to note however that Nepalese men and women spend almost equal amounts of time involved in their own activities and with their family .
Idiom: slip through the net (used idiomatically: yes)
She was , without question , the finest shot he had ever seen . He had never regretted the day he welcomed her to UNACO . Graham , on the other hand , had nearly slipped through the net . The Delta Commander had contacted the Secretary - General instead of Philpott to put Graham 's case forward . The Secretary - General rejected Graham on the basis of his psychiatric report .
Idiom: horses for courses (used idiomatically: yes)
That was Kenny 's strength . Mind you , I suffered a number of times because of this . Kenny had a ‘ horses - for - courses ’ policy and he 'd sometimes switch to a five-man defence and leave out me or Peter Beardsley . He was slated for his tactics when they went wrong , but how often did that happen ? I think people were just dying to seize upon anything they could find .
Idiom: keep tabs on (used idiomatically: yes)
The best lobbying is early , well - informed and targeted . Good lobbyists know , at an early stage , when an important directive is being drafted . This means keeping close tabs on what is happening in Brussels . It also means getting to know the official responsible for the drafting of a legislation and establishing a working relationship with him . As the directive moves through the legislative system , the lobbyist will follow it .
Idiom: go from strength to strength (used idiomatically: yes)
The Group is represented on a DoE steering committee overseeing research on Community Involvement in Planning and Development Processes . The Education Sub - Group has forged links with schools of architecture and practitioners . The Community Projects Fund goes from strength to strength . The DoE has discontinued support after nine helpful years . British Telecom , a major contributor , staged a reception in support of the Fund in the Telecom Tower in September , attended by the President and Director - General , BT Directors , and community group representatives .
Idiom: under the table (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Perhaps surprised is n't the right word . I 'd been given a hint that something like this could be on the cards when I was first approached.’ Luke smiled calmly back at her , crossing his long legs under the table so that his knee brushed against hers . Fran jumped as though she had been burnt , the papers rustling on the desk . She glared at him , then forced the annoyance from her voice .
Idiom: under fire (used idiomatically: yes)
I mean , even if there had been some war I did believe worth fighting , if I 'd been called up or something , I 'm a coward , I 'm just not physically capable . You were . You did it ; fuck the rights and wrongs of the war , once you 're in there , under fire , and your mates are getting blown away around you , you have to be able to function . At least you did ; I 'm not sure I could.’ ‘ So what?’ he says , looking at me .
Idiom: turn the tables (used idiomatically: yes)
1.3 Cultural Aspects of Child Rearing in an English - Speaking World J. and E. Newson If anthropologists from centres of learning in New Guinea or the Congo were to turn the tables on us and publish studies of the behaviour patterns found among the English - speaking peoples of Great Britain and the United States , one phenomenon to which they would surely pay special attention would be the cult of Child Psychology . The demand of an ever more literate population for books , pamphlets and magazines on parenthood is met by a stream of material which surpasses itself each year , not only in volume , but in the seductive , indeed sumptuous , way in which it is produced . Commercial firms marketing goods for the infant consumer hand out subsidized baby books as part of their advertising policy ; others run advisory services or distribute regular magazines in which child care is discussed .
Idiom: carry the can (used idiomatically: no)
By now , over 250 volunteers ( mostly university students ) have taken part in our experiments , the duration of which varies from 12 to 22 days . Leisure time can be spent as an individual wishes . Often music is played , though writing letters , playing cards or chess , and even ( occasionally ! ) revision for examinations are all activities that can be carried out . Radio and television can not be allowed ; newspapers can be delivered — but always slightly out-of-date and at random intervals so that no cues as to the passage of outside time are given . The whole isolation chamber is housed inside an outer building and is mounted on rubber blocks so that vibration from traffic etc. does not reach the volunteers .
Idiom: do the trick (used idiomatically: yes)
Yet , even as Japan ’s exports became much more expensive in dollar terms and its imports much cheaper in yen , its trade surplus rose from $ 6~billion in 1971 to $ 80~billion in 1989 . For two decades , expectations that an appreciating yen would restore external balance were repeatedly disappointed . At the time of the December 1971 Smithsonian Agreement , 308 yen to the dollar was supposed to do the trick . Fourteen years later , during the Plaza Accord negotiations , the Japanese argued for an eventual level of 200 - 210 , while some US Treasury officials thought the final target should be as high as 165 - 170 . At the end of the 1980 ’s , some analysts thought rates as high as 120 might finally produce the long - sought equilibrium .
Idiom: get under someone's skin (used idiomatically: yes)
But she couldn't , mustn't let him kiss her again . Could n't he see what he was doing to her ? And was this how he had got under Elise 's skin ? And , as always , the thought of Elise lent her a much needed strength . She whipped out of his arms .
Idiom: see stars (used idiomatically: yes)
It is flanked by the stars known as the ' Asses ' ; Delta , which is orange , and Gamma ( 4.7 ) . M67 is in the field with Alpha ( 4.2 ) ; it is said to be visible with the naked eye , but I have never been able to confirm this , though with binoculars it is very easy indeed . With × 20 , but not with lower magnifications , I can see individual stars in it . M67 has the reputation of being one of the most ancient of the open clusters . CANES VENATICI : the Hunting Dogs
Idiom: on the shelf (used idiomatically: yes)
What he saw surprised him even more . It seemed to him that he had intercepted some secret communication between them . Sister Cooney picked up a pile of books and began to replace them on the shelves . ‘ Enough for today,’ she said . ‘ Any more progress like this and we 'll be back where we started.’
Idiom: better safe than sorry (used idiomatically: yes)
Or the men in the longhouses could be tasked with sending it . ' ' That is surmise , ' Bicker said sharply . ' Better safe than sorry . ' The dark man fell silent . They walked through the barbican of the Rorim into the cobbled courtyard beyond .
Idiom: wear the trousers (used idiomatically: yes)
You had them for quite a long while . They were all stamped . You might have to show the inspector the stamp to show that you were wearing the correct trousers — every now and then , you had to bring all your uniform in and all your uniform was an awful lot of uniform . You 'd have two capes and three uniforms . You had an Instruction Book , all your various accoutrements at home .
Idiom: time will tell (used idiomatically: no)
With the Keld Head system now the longest underwater cave in Europe , at some 6.5 kilometres , what were Yeadon 's and Crossley 's thoughts on the dive : ' Well if that 's where the King Pot water was coming in , where 's the Marble Steps Pot inlet … ? I suspect that time and a lot more work will tell . Watch this space . Looking calm and collected , Geoff Yeadon and Geoff Crossley appear from Keld Head after their world record breaking dive .
Idiom: change hands (used idiomatically: yes)
The photocopied documents are described as almost perfect and impossible to detect by the ordinary person , and even by MOT staff . Their one flaw however is that they all bear the same serial number , which has been circulated to all MOT centres across the province . The forgeries are understood to be changing hands at up to £ 60 a time across the province in pubs and clubs . Discovered But an RUC spokesman warned : ‘ The motorist who is tempted to buy one of these will be discovered at some stage , whether it is presented at a police station in relation to an accident or submitted by a new owner to an MOT centre for a test.’
Idiom: high and low (used idiomatically: no)
However ironic it may seem , the same corporate power so often targeted by these protests may be ensuring that such protest art has a guaranteed place in those museums . Funding ten different exhibitions may be a shrewd image - building manoeuvre for AT&T. ‘ High and Low’ , MOMA 's ambitious attempt to fathom the relationship between high and low culture in modern art , was a costly AT&T - funded project that travelled from New York to Chicago and Los Angeles only to be savaged by most critics at each of its stops . Funding multiple shows means creating cheaper multiple targets , not all of which will be aimed at , much less seen by , reviewers . Also , some corporations , as well as museums , want the exhibitions they sponsor to be reflections of a social conscience , rather than displays of gilded treasures from rarefied European museums .
Idiom: go without saying (used idiomatically: yes)
In his brother 's flat in Kemp Town , Ron Barton , who had filed his copy in the small hours —‘Wife 's greeting sends Tories packing’— had fried himself a pig 's kidney , and was greedily rereading his copy . Unsatisfied , he helped himself to an old issue of Penthouse ( his brother , a window cleaner , had kept every issue of the magazine ) and , turning the pages at random , discovered Amaranth Wilikins spread languorously over three of them . That she was mother - naked went without saying . The captions spoke of ‘ Birmingham 's rose - purple - coloured beauty.’ ‘ Why rose - purple?’ wondered Ron .
Idiom: rise from the ashes (used idiomatically: yes)
McConville and Lurgan Community Workshop were ordered to pay £ 7,500 damages , a week 's lost pay at £ 29.50 , and £ 1,500 aggravated damages , making a total of £ 9,029.50 . Landmark rises up from the ashes THE landmark spire of Colmcille Roman Catholic church in Holywood has risen from the ashes of the fire which virtually destroyed it four years ago . But there was another fire this week at the temporary building which the congregation has been using — the disused gym of the former Our Lady 's grammar school . ‘ Fortunately the fire was discovered in time .
Idiom: have been around (used idiomatically: no)
But with a bit of luck , Sean is a rider who could win a stage the best way — with a long solo break . Sean Kelly Other English - speaking riders have been around for some years . Australia 's Phil Anderson is a fine roadman . The 1992 Tour will be a swansong for the two exceptional Irishmen , Stephen Roche and Sean Kelly .
Idiom: take the cake (used idiomatically: yes)
The matter only came to light when police , conducting an inquiry into the running of children 's homes in North Continued on Page 5 Continued from Page 1 Wales , interviewed the boy last year . He made no allegations concerning his time in homes at the age of four , but complained about his time at the smallholding in Anglesey . Jones , now 19 , and living in Holyhead , also told the court he ate apple cores from the toilet in school , and took cake and other items from a bucket outside the school canteen . He spoke to a cook and used to be given second helpings . Jones said Roberts and son Ian would hold him upside down , tie his feet with rope or string , and tie it to an overhead pole .
Idiom: night and day (used idiomatically: yes)
The daily battle against bitterly cold weather , exposure , the crippling liver pains caused by drinking bad water and the ever - present fear of discovery by nomadic tribesmen . Outstanding is the amazing feat of endurance by a corporal who dodged patrols and walked 200 miles on blistered feet , suffering from exposure , with only two packets of biscuits to eat . His incredible journey to safety took eight nights and seven days and beat the record of SAS founder - member Jack Sillito , who walked 150 miles in the Western Desert during the Second World War . In the end , the men returned with the praises of the generals ringing in their ears . But back in their headquarters in Hereford last night the ones who know ALL the stories were staying silent .
Idiom: sweep the board (used idiomatically: no)
As they say , it gets tough at the top . PAGE f3 Sweeping the board by book or by rook The Polgar sisters , who this weekend are competing at the Barbican , are the most remarkable phenomenon in the history of chess . They have rewritten the record books , stormed the male bastion of Grandmaster chess , and defied the laws of probability . How can a family produce three geniuses ? .
Idiom: under fire (used idiomatically: yes)
There were generally only two periods of calm in the day ; between 4 and 6 a.m. and between 4 and 7 p.m. when , like subhuman troglodytes , the French gunners emerged from the ground to repair the damage . For the rest of the time , to move from one shelter to another — a distance of about twenty yards — ; required considerable courage . By night the solitary road from Verdun came under constant fire from the German gunners , certain that French munition columns must be coming up it nose to tail . It presented ' a spectacle worthy of Hell ' , in which men not killed outright were often hurled off their gun carriages by shell blast . to be run over and crushed by their own caissons in the dark .
Idiom: up to scratch (used idiomatically: yes)
Under their ministrations he soon recovered . They loved to ‘ baby’ him in a way they could never do with me . I sensed that they approved of him whole - heartedly , and that by comparison I was no longer the blue - eyed boy of the family : I did not come up to scratch . I did not mind . I had no desire to change anything as long as Dana was around .
Idiom: on board (used idiomatically: yes)
I have fed at its trough many times – as a personal guest ; as an advisory board member of Stop Badware , an NGO it sponsors ; and as a speaker at its events . I also sit on the board of 23andMe , co - founded by the wife of Google co - founder Sergey ~ Brin . But I also sit on the boards of Yandex in Russia , one of a small number of companies around the world who beat Google in their local markets , and of WPP , a worldwide advertising / marketing company famous for its rivalry with Google . Finally , I ' m suspicious of concentrations of power of any kind . So I welcomed the chance to clarify my thinking .
Idiom: catch someone's eye (used idiomatically: yes)
Still , it 's a magnificent place , perched on a great rock jutting out into the sea and with commanding views . It was easy to imagine that it might have been Camelot , like in the picture story - books I 'd read . But really it was the buzzards and the kestrels circling overhead that caught my eye as we made our way down the coastal path . I 'd see both these birds in the zoo , so I was fascinated to see them in the wild . By now I 'd read about how exhausting flight could be and how birds of prey used warm air currents — known as thermals — to lift them without using up too much energy , and here they were , doing just that over the rocks by Tintagel Castle .
Idiom: grind to a halt (used idiomatically: yes)
How he kept a straight face Kath would never know . She turned her back to him and fiddled with a trolley , and bit her cheek till it bled . Finally he ground to a halt and stood up . ‘ Right , Sister Hennessy , if you could prepare Queenie — you do n't mind if we call you Queenie ? Good — for a gynaecologist , I 'll get Reception to page one for us .
Idiom: in the bag (used idiomatically: yes)
I have to get away from it completely . ‘ There were times when I really did n't want to play at all . It was n't a case of being fed up with golf , I just get really tired so I put the clubs in the bag and forget them . ’ Defend Couples wants to become the third golfer behind Jack Nicklaus and Faldo to successfuly defend the Masters but his top priority is the Open Championship at Royal St Georges .
Idiom: watch this space (used idiomatically: no)
Help may be at hand , tough , in the shape of a small development team called Direct Designs . We got a call from them recently and , apparently they 've managed to come up with a program that WILL allow for a hundred Lemmings on - screen at once— although they would not be animated to any degree whatsoever . Still sounds like it could be a winner though , so we put Direct Designs and Psygnosis in touch … watch this space for further details , and hang on to your postage stamps ! Just one more letter asking ‘ when’ the game in question will appear and you 'll see the entire ZZAP ! team disappearing over the edge of the nearest cliff . Aaaaaaarrrrgh !
Idiom: take the liberty (used idiomatically: yes)
As for my bevy of beauties … ’ He glanced at his gold Rolex watch . ‘ At this present moment they are engaged in a fully comprehensive training course using the systems run by the local college , on which I took the liberty of enrolling them . I had no choice under the circumstances , and the fees wo n't exactly break the bank . Does that answer you?’
Idiom: take a leaf out of someone's book (used idiomatically: yes)
I ca n't imagine that would be the case at all . The real problem is getting something done about the cheap imports.’ AMALVY / AFP Fisherman 's fury : A French trawlerman hurls a fish towards riot police during the clashes in Paris yesterday ‘ Our fishermen know how to behave and it is about time the Frenchmen took a leaf out of their book’ Injured PC : Three more arrests POLICE investigating a brick attack in Sunderland which left an officer brain damaged said last night that three more people — all juveniles — would appear in court today .
Idiom: out of the question (used idiomatically: yes)
Hungry and cold would have to wait until I could go back to the cafe , dirty was obviously going to be more of a problem . I decided that the best thing to do was to leave the porch just in case anyone came along , and to kill the time I needed to kill somewhere else . Going back to the railway station was for the moment out of the question , just in case I bumped into someone who recognized me . What I actually needed to do was somehow to disappear . The memory of those few hours is etched on my mind .
Idiom: make light of (used idiomatically: yes)
Wragg fires a double TRAINER Geoff Wragg completed a Yarmouth double thanks to Blue Lion and Etosha . The former , owned by Sheikh Mohammed 's uncle Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed , made light of a slow start in the Blackfriars Maiden and scored by a neck from Mitraas . Etosha has long been well regarded by her trainer and her belated debut in the John Holdrish Maiden Fillies Stakes was explained by a long - held aversion to starting stalls . Whyte 's black mark