Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: child's play (used idiomatically: yes)
The remaining three articles offer personal perspectives on childhood and the process of learning in the family . Kenyatta ( 1.4 ) describes childhood amongst the Gikuyu , where the family and community has primacy over the learning experiences which will equip children with the skills and qualities valued in this pre - industrial society . The children 's play is described as modelling adult activities : hunting , agriculture , crafts , etc . There is no place for schooling in these children 's education , which is rooted in their day - to - day contact and intimacy with their environment . Indeed Kenyatta argues that the content of formal instruction is so divorced from the experience and life - style of the Gikuyu society that it does not serve the interests of their children .
Idiom: chew the fat (used idiomatically: yes)
Growing up with Joseph THE cigar - puffing media boss , Michael Grade , was in town recently to promote Channel Four 's new season of schools ' programmes . And during his flying visit to Belfast , Mr Grade took time out to chew the fat about the old days . He has fond memories of Irish tenor Joseph Locke , the subject of the film Hear My Song which will be screened on Channel Four this Autumn . ‘ I 'm delighted that the channel was involved with this film .
Idiom: green light (used idiomatically: yes)
Have another go have another go Get a closer look get a closer look At the red light orange light green light GO ! Caught it .
Idiom: face to face (used idiomatically: yes)
They are sometimes referred to as extralinguistic elements of communication . Do we need to teach the visual elements of communication ? There is no question that visual features are very much part of face - to - face communication . Now that we have video in the classroom the opportunity to focus on the visual is clearly there , so should we attempt to include it in a systematic way ? Should we make sure that we work through a list of gestures , for example , in the same way that we cover a set of basic language functions in the beginners ' syllabus ?
Idiom: in the red (used idiomatically: yes)
This is obviously because the old plants covered more of the background and the plants were perceived as darker than this background . Thus a careful choice of some dark material as background was clearly going to be necessary . The readings in the near infra - red ( NIR , Band 7 ) are very low . This result was regarded as surprising by all concerned , until it was realised that the infra - red content of the light source is very low . The growth cabinets are normally used only as a place to grow plants in a controlled way , measurements being made in the laboratory .
Idiom: state of the art (used idiomatically: yes)
For the moment he could think of nothing apart from the name . Young had , as far as Henry could remember , been sent to Broadmoor . But had n't he been a state - of - the - art poisoner ? A man who approached the subject with some finesse . Even if it was n't quite enough finesse to keep him out of the loony bin .
Idiom: fall into place (used idiomatically: yes)
I went along to the surgery of Rother Valley MP Peter Hardy , who was resident in one of the safest Labour seats in the country , and despite all that had gone before he was able to say , ‘ This has nothing to do with the people around here — it all happens in London’ . As far as he was concerned , homosexuality did not exist north of Hampstead ( or perhaps south of it , either ) and despite the fact that its local manifestation was sitting in front of him he would not be convinced . But lots of things were falling into place for me . I had come out relentlessly to my family , my friends , colleagues and everyone else who came into my life . At every step I was told not to do it because I was bound to suffer from the kind of prejudice I was always talking about .
Idiom: head over heels (used idiomatically: yes)
Mum told me about the various forms of contraception but apart from that we did n't really talk about it . I 'd been out with other boys other than Keith but they never touched me . With Keith , I fell head over heels in love with him from the first time we met , and I 'd only been going out with him two weeks and he asked me to get engaged . I was very much in love . And it just happened .
Idiom: no smoke without fire (used idiomatically: yes)
Just media bullshit . You got ta have a good story.’ But there 's usually no smoke without fire . ‘ Yeah.’ Silence .
Idiom: set eyes on (used idiomatically: yes)
As they went downstairs , Marjorie said thoughtfully , ‘ I think I know why , now.’ ‘ What?’ ‘ Why she seemed to dislike me the moment she set eyes on me . ‘ Who ? Miss Quinn ?
Idiom: in the family way (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ But do n't forget , she 'll grow up one day too and then yer'll be sorry.’ Mum went quiet for a moment but then she started on Mary again . ‘ I suppose yower in the family way , is that it?’ ‘ That 's ' ow your dirty mind works . Yer'll ' ave ter write the date down and wait an ' see wo n't yer?’
Idiom: at the crossroads (used idiomatically: yes)
AGRICULTURE Centuries of farming have shaped our countryside . Now farming is at a crossroads , both here and in the rest of the European Community . World - wide pressure to reduce protectionist measures , and the need to contain the cost of the Common Agricultural Policy , mean that farmers will face reduced support and increased competition . We believe that farming in the UK can meet these challenges .
Idiom: old as the hills (used idiomatically: no)
Sam Gamgee hits on the same thought when he takes up the ‘ Blondin ' role of faithful minstrel in Minas Morgul , and sings ‘ words of his own’ fitted to another old Shire tune : ‘ Day is done’ is of course another Shakespearean echo , like the Dark Tower : ‘ The bright day is done’ , says Iras to Cleopatra , ‘ and we are for the dark’ . But Tolkien would no doubt instantly have felt that Shakespeare had no copyright on the phrase , which must be of immemorial antiquity in English , ‘ as old as the hills’ . Sam 's song is simple and obvious , coming from ‘ the voice of a forlorn and weary hobbit that no listening orc could possibly have mistaken for the clear song of an Elven - lord’ . Still , it has the characteristic qualities of the Shire 's ‘ high style’ : plain language , proverbial sentiment , a closeness to immediate context reaching out simultaneously to myth , a brave suggestiveness at once hopeful and sad .
Idiom: follow suit (used idiomatically: yes)
Much of this debate can be viewed through the lens of American involvement with Iraq . George ~ W .~ Bush went to war with Iraq in 2003 to change the government . He expected regime change in Baghdad to lead to a democratic Iraq , a development that would in turn transform the region when people elsewhere in the Arab world saw this example and forced their own governments to follow suit . By contrast , in the earlier Iraq war , the first President Bush , after amassing an unprecedented international coalition that succeeded in liberating Kuwait , did not press ahead to Baghdad to oust Saddam ~ Hussein and his government , despite the urging of many that he do just that . Nor did he intervene on behalf of the Shia and Kurdish uprisings that erupted just after the war ended early in 1991 .
Idiom: pull the plug (used idiomatically: no)
I never wanted one in the house . ' There were layers of Gaily 's patience , built up grain by grain over the years like geological strata . ' You switch the refrigerator knob to zero , you pull out the plug and you put a bowl of boiling water inside , ' he explained sweetly . ' And you leave it . An hour , two hours .
Idiom: break ranks (used idiomatically: yes)
In his first State of the Union message , Reagan reiterated the essentials of his programme and went on to call for an increase in defence spending of $ 7.2 billion and cuts in excess of $ 40 billion from the proposed 1982 budget of $ 740 billion . Agreement on this package within the administration had not occurred without a struggle . Despite the care taken in selecting cabinet members to ensure that only men and women loyal to Reagan were appointed , there were inevitable attempts to break ranks when budget - cutting proposals were under discussion . As director of the OMB , David Stockman 's responsibility was , first , to keep the cabinet in line and then to mastermind the passage of the president 's proposals through Congress . Stockman got most of the cuts he wanted from the cabinet and then turned his attention to the legislature .
Idiom: hear things (used idiomatically: yes)
I give space for others , and allow others ' plans to come before my own . I share kindness in order to let others be themselves . The gentle spirit hears new things and sees new perspectives beyond those of self - interest . In fact , the gentle spirit hears ' the still small voice ' of God in ways that the noisy temperament will never hear . So gentleness becomes a special way of hearing others , and of hearing God in stillness and solitude .
Idiom: on ice (used idiomatically: no)
By god , it was what his country needed . Not everybody agreed , inevitably . To many Churchill was not so much a buccaneer as a straightforward pirate , a political outcast who skated on thin ice deliberately to keep himself in the public eye , a man who polished brilliant and wounding phrases that tacitly suggested himself as the alternative should his jeremiads turn out true . Edward , in bed one day with a clever country girl rebelling deliciously against the perceived repressions of her class , learned between kisses that Sir Joseph Ball — a former MI5 man who now led the Conservative Party 's organizational machine — had used his old position to tap Churchill 's phone for Chamberlain and monitor his associates . Edward had passed it on and — although it had already been known about — was confirmed in the eyes of Winston 's men as somebody to trust .
Idiom: get under someone's skin (used idiomatically: yes)
No man likes to have his driving criticised.’ He paused , then laid a hand on her shoulder . ‘ My dear — do n't allow his obsession for everything being first class at the Wilderness get under your skin . I warned you he 's not a ladies’ man.’ ‘ I 'm not sure that he 's even a gentleman,’ she snapped furiously .
Idiom: anyone's guess (used idiomatically: yes)
More likely , China is still trying to reconcile the irreconcilable : Marxism with a market economy , central control with the reality of powerful politicians in the provinces . The People 's Daily tells the Chinese what they are supposed to believe ; Mr Yang tells foreigners what he would like them to believe . How long this muddle can last is anyone 's guess . It was supposed to be resolved at the long - awaited , and delayed , meeting in Beijing of the party 's Central Committee on December 25th-30th . Some 171 full members and 107 alternate members ( with 300 other sundry officials looking on ) met to agree on the new ‘ proposals for the ten - year programme ( 1991–2000 ) and eighth five - year plan ( 1991–95)’ .
Idiom: play hard to get (used idiomatically: yes)
Control 's voice sounded confused . Ray Doyle sighed . There was no point in playing hard to get . ‘ Himself.’ ‘ We 've got a party on line wants your private number , He wo n't give us more than ‘ Jack’.’
Idiom: play with fire (used idiomatically: yes)
Of ~ course , domestically , China ’s leaders lack confidence and behave accordingly towards their citizens . Yet , as China takes minuscule steps forward , Russia takes giant steps backward . For many years now , Georgia and Russia have been playing with fire , and war in the Caucasus looked preordained . Each side was waiting for a false move by the other to play its hand . It is more than likely that the young and impulsive Georgian President Mikheil ~ Saakashvili fell into the trap that he had helped to create .
Idiom: all wet (used idiomatically: yes)
Cos you do n't know what I want you for . Look at your sleeve ! It 's all wet ! She 's been in my room you know , I bet you . What 's that your wearing ?
Idiom: across the board (used idiomatically: yes)
Besides , the advent of a National Lottery next year could make a nonsense of the strategy 's premises about funding . More important is the fact that many of the draft 's boldest strokes would seem a lot more realistic if they had been destined for Mark Fisher and a Labour government . To be brutal , no plan for a branch of public expenditure that calls for an end to disparities by ‘ levelling - up resources’ across the board will ever drown out the office CD of the former Chief Secretary to the Treasury . No one could accuse the strategy of political pussy - footing . The National Curriculum ?
Idiom: on someone's mind (used idiomatically: yes)
why yo , you did n't . I was going to apologise for being stupid on Sunday when you both disappeared . Me and Andy looked all over for you both last night I had a few things on my mind Did n't look very well , we were walking down by the side of the road ! but
Idiom: follow suit (used idiomatically: yes)
This group had come to oppose what they saw as the ‘ sterile - naturalistic’ style of Brahm 's productions . Strindberg had in 1888 called for an ‘ intimate theatre’ . And Reinhardt followed suit and had Peter Behrens rebuild Arnim 's Theater ( Unter den Linden 44 ) according to his specifications . The theatre was rebuilt in a heavily ornamental classicist style , complete with doric columns and decorative masks . The stage was small and the auditorium had only 366 seats .
Idiom: on edge (used idiomatically: no)
Balancing on the edge of legality , some consular employees had exhausted , if not exceeded , their authority already in 1938 by enabling persecuted persons to enter Switzerland .
Idiom: lie low (used idiomatically: yes)
TAKING PRECAUTIONS In many ways , self - defence is like family planning : if you take precautions , you 'll often save yourself a lot of trouble . Avoiding trouble in self - defence terms does not mean lying low and limiting your lifestyle . All you have to do is be alert and take those few basic precautions . A word of warning though : taking steps to avoid trouble does help but it ca n't guarantee safety .
Idiom: jump through hoops (used idiomatically: yes)
He let go of the doorknob and thrust his hands back into his pockets . ‘ Christ , is n't it bad enough that I have to scrape for every bloody penny to do a piece of vital research , without being forced to turn my project into a circus for a lot of gawping idiots who wo n't have the least comprehension of what I 'm trying to do ? Have I got to jump through hoops , ride bareback in spangles , before I 'm allowed to do my job?’ With Briant really showing some emotion at last , Kegan felt much better , much more in control . ‘ Not at all , Dr. Briant,’ he said kindly .
Idiom: in light of (used idiomatically: yes)
Four other non - executive directors , Sir Derek Birkin , chairman of RTZ , Sir Martin Jacomb , a director of the Bank of England , and Sir Nigel Mobbs , the Slough Estates chairman , will also sit on the committee . The fifth member is to be Sir Peter Middleton , deputy chairman of Barclays . The group will report directly to the bank 's chairman and chief executive , Andrew Buxton , who has recently faced calls from shareholders and others to split his two top management roles in the light of the bank 's massive £ 242 million pre - tax loss last year . The decision to look outside the bank for a chief executive is likely to assuage some critics of Barclays in the City . Norrie Morrison , an analyst at the broker Kleinwort Benson , said : ' I think it will go a long was to reassuring shareholders about corporate governance …
Idiom: all along (used idiomatically: yes)
With that we 'll see if we 've got any more it 's er , have to go down here which has got a bit of light , still some birds moving around and the birds calling , go and check the nests now . We 're gon na let this one go down the slide , until it runs off , there he goes , the light 's gone It was only now that appreciate what nature has known all along . The plants , birds and animals , here in solitude and stable environmental conditions to fly . do not care whether the pipes , in our power stations help generate power to support human civilization .
Idiom: over the counter (used idiomatically: yes)
For oily skin try calendula flowers;For dry skin try parsley or cornflower;For mature skin try dandelion or elderflowers;To soothe skin try camomile or thyme . Leaves to use OVER THE COUNTER For baby and you Cotton wool has always been useful for cleaning and washing babies , but it 's never been particularly convenient — until now .
Idiom: fall from grace (used idiomatically: yes)
Only a black quilted hairband pushing back her blonde hair hinted at an aristocratic connection . The strains of a two - week court ordeal showed in her face and in her shaking hands but when she spoke of her determination to fight on her voice was steady . In the years since her acrimonious divorce from the Earl of Cassillis , the Countess , 32 , has suffered a much - publicised fall from grace . She now lives in a flat on the 19th floor of a tower block in London 's east end , a self - confessed prostitute and drug addict . American - born Dawn Leslie Anne Keen married Lord Archibald Angus Charles Kennedy , Earl of Cassillis and heir of the seventh Marquess of Ailsa , when she was 19 .
Idiom: talk dirty (used idiomatically: yes)
Or does Julie use that sort of language ? Does she ? Do you like her to talk dirty ? Does that get you going , Ferg?’ ‘ Fiona , I 'm getting rather tired of this,’ Fergus said through his teeth , his fingers gripping the wheel harder , rubbing round it .
Idiom: by heart (used idiomatically: yes)
Justification by faith means that once I am accepted I can begin to live with myself . I never cease to be amazed at the damage human beings do to one another . In my pastoral ministry I have met so many people , some of them convinced Evangelicals , who believe in justification by faith with their heads , yet are condemned by their hearts . Peter was a very successful academic with an enormous salary , a lovely family and supportive wife . Yet at the age of forty he still regarded himself a failure because his mother had projected on to him her anxieties to such an extent that he never felt he matched up to her expectation of him .
Idiom: rule of thumb (used idiomatically: yes)
Recent advances in knowledge of thrust belts based on seismic and drilling have been made easier to apply to frontier areas by published descriptions of typical geometries , improved understanding of the mechanisms involved , and the establishment of standard terminology ( see , for instance : Hossack 1979 ; Berger and Johnson 1982 ; Butler 1982 ; Boyer and Elliot 1982 ) . The adaptation of similar ideas to extensional regimes ( Wernicke and Burchfield 1982 ; Gibbs 1983 , and this volume ) may prove particularly fruitful in unravelling the hidden structure of southern England . Warples ' ( 1980 ) adaptation of the Lopatin ( 1971 ) method of calculating source rock maturity , though open to theoretical objections , gives results which in many cases accord well with observed hydrocarbon occurrences , and has provided the petroleum geologist with a ready rule - of - thumb means of taking the time factor into account . This approach has been usefully extended to investigate the disturbance of the palaeogeothermal gradient caused by superimposing one rock slab onto another during overthrusting ( Edman and Surdam 1984 ; Furlong and Edman 1984 ) . The hydrocarbon prospects of the Variscan thrust belt in southern England can be examined from two angles : by analogy with results in the better explored lateral equivalents of the belt on the Continent and more particularly in eastern North America , and by an attempt to reconstruct the geometry and burial history of the pre - Permian rocks in the area of interest from the limited local clues available .
Idiom: pardon my French (used idiomatically: no)
What qualities should you look for in a hotel bed — and , apart from the bed , itself , how important are those little extras like hairdriers , giveaways and mini - bars as a way of adding value in a highly , price - conscious accommodation market ? Interestingly enough , even with a wide range of prices and types of hotel - style accommodation available , it 's probably fair to say that the majority of guests expect en suite bathroom facilities as standard . Of course , en suite has long been de rigueur ( if you 'll pardon my French ) in hotels nationwide . However , the evidence in the expanding pub , inn and budget accommodation market indicates that even here — where prices can start at 20–25 per night for bed and breakfast — people want private bathroom facilities in the room . This trend is evident at freehouse The Six Bells Inn , Bardwell , Suffolk , which , in addition to its pub and restaurant , has eight bedrooms each with en suite bathrooms .
Idiom: out and about (used idiomatically: yes)
A carefully described church tour takes you around the most spectacular church architecture . ( Available from South Somerset Tourism and Marketing Unit . ) OUT AND ABOUT There are so many things to see and do in a short stay . A rich variety of attractions exist throughout the area ; from the internationally famous Fleet Air Arm Museum at Yeovilton to the renowned Cricket St Thomas Wildlife Park near Chard .
Idiom: make ends meet (used idiomatically: no)
Exhibitions are fine , but they often assume an impersonal and detached form . Many artists see the value in or with the public , breaking down barriers and thriving on the experience and feed - back for their future work . Problems of making ends meet , financing special projects , and getting involved in public commissions and placements are often all interlinked . In this context residencies , sponsorship and other initiatives can sometimes provide a solution . Residencies and placements
Idiom: out of the picture (used idiomatically: yes)
Such arguments also ignore the fact that affluent working women and their partners overwhelmingly offload the work - family imbalance onto lower - income women – overwhelmingly women of color . One can address how to be an ethical , sustainable employer of such caregivers ; nannies in New ~ York and other cities are now organizing to secure a system of market - pegged wages , vacation time , and sick days . Or , as so often happens in a racist society , one can paint the women who care for the elite ’s children out of the picture altogether . Moreover , an inflexible and family - unfriendly corporate environment is no longer the only choice for working women . Many , particularly in the US , have left that world to start their own businesses .
Idiom: on the run (used idiomatically: yes)
We scored an away goal and then two at home , and I feel perhaps we should have done a bit better . ' The Germans had already demonstrated their pace and accuracy on the break with their first goal after 61 minutes , a vintage solo effort from striker Marcel Witeczek . The Polish Under-21 international collected the ball on the half - way line and went on a 50-yard run , jinking past Nigel Pearson and Viv Anderson before waltzing round keeper Chris Woods . That equalised a classic 26th - minute volley from Danny Wallace , which had given Wednesday real hope of clearing the 3–1 first - leg deficit . And though John Sheridan responded with a delightful curling drive from a 20-yard free - kick to make it 2–1 , Zeyer 's bombshell came too late to leave Wednesday any hope of being rescued .
Idiom: an Englishman's home is his castle (used idiomatically: yes)
Leonora shivered and held out her hands to the stove , then stood motionless as she realised she was being watched . She turned slowly to face the forbidding figure standing in semi - darkness halfway up the stairs . ‘ They say an Englishman 's home is his castle,’ said Penry tonelessly , his face invisible in the shadows . ‘ I 'm Welsh , but the principle 's the same . I should have fortified myself better against invaders.’