Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: steer clear of (used idiomatically: yes)
Allied Dunbar gives 2 500 000 pounds every year to charity , but prefers to support less fashionable causes . It now hopes to push domestic violence higher up the political agenda , and provide a safe haven for more women like Sarah . Christmas shoppers are being warned to steer clear of seasonal bargains which turn out to be clever fakes . Trading standards officers have seized counterfeit goods with a face value of thousands of pounds . And they say if the price SEEMS too good to be true , then it probably IS .
Idiom: pissed off (used idiomatically: yes)
I used to love Roddy Frame 's playing in Aztec Camera . He was absolutely great and I could n't believe he was only 16 when he wrote Oblivious . I was completely pissed off that I was 16 and I had n't done it yet . It was about then I was trying to move towards some really simple guitar pop and even some slightly more outrageous playing.’ This more ‘ outrageous’ guitar style involved coming to terms with the dreaded guitar solo .
Idiom: at sea (used idiomatically: yes)
Then suddenly the white cliffs , a salty tang in the air , a few sheep and a funereal sky . We 've arrived in Folkestone , to leave the train and board the ferry . We continue drinking , gazing out at a sea now almost as redundant as five o'clock tea or straw boaters , both commonplace back in the 1950s when the children in Lord of the Flies became violent in the midst of their paradisical island , at precisely this magical hour of five o'clock , and in the living room , that sweetly British interior , flowering the semi - darkness into a plethora of chair covers and curtains , sprigged bone china and mums in Liberty - print dresses … ' The tea itself , ' I reflect aloud , ' is transformed by bleaching it with milk , so it no way resembles the complexions of those swarthy people , least of all the inhabitants of a tea - producing Indian subcontinent . '
Idiom: take heart (used idiomatically: no)
He said recently : ' I would walk up the motorway for a chance of playing for my home town club . ' City boss Peter Reid is believed to have already discussed personal terms but Thomas will also listen to the terms offered by Wednesday boss Trevor Francis who is on holiday in Florida . Under - fire England boss takes fresh heart from Brazil draw We can beat best , says Taylor GRAHAM TAYLOR now not only believes he will take England to the World Cup finals but that the draw against Brazil shows what might be possible when they get there .
Idiom: make the grade (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ The majority of the old No . 3 Troop volunteered and I crawled out of my foxhole to put in my application’ . Initial selection was based solely upon Stirling 's impressions of the men at brief interviews . He had no great difficulty in getting together the numbers he required , and simply told them that if they failed to make the grade in training , they would have to return to their original units . Thus the ‘ Originals’ were in a sense on probation from the moment they clambered into the lorries which took them to Kabrit . On arrival we were bemused to find only two medium sized marquees and three 180 lb tents piled up in the middle of the strip of desert allotted to us … .
Idiom: play games (used idiomatically: yes)
Every participant has to conduct himself in a sporting and fair manner and never attempt to use improper or questionable tactics while playing the game .
Idiom: live and let live (used idiomatically: no)
Or at least this one was n't . It was far smaller for one thing — and unbelievably empty . The name of the local pub , Live and Let Live , seemed like a good omen the first time she drove past it . But not by the third time . Where was everybody ?
Idiom: take a bow (used idiomatically: yes)
The princess , patron of the Northern Ballet , told stars of the company 's production they had been brave to go for a modern version of the Tchaikovsky classic . She was clearly supported by the sell - out audience at the Grand Theatre , Leeds , who gave a five minute standing ovation at the end of the two - hour performance . After taking their bows the cast met Princess Margaret backstage . Choreographer Dennis Wayne declared : ' Princess Margaret said we were brave and that the production had come off . She seemed to enjoy it .
Idiom: money talks (used idiomatically: no)
But there is no doubt that , as an episode in Linfield 's European history this has been the most dramatic of the lot . What can you say about a club which apparently could not afford to stay in hotel accommodation but had no problem finding 5,000 dollars to slip into a referee 's back pocket ? The phrase ‘ money talks’ obviously had n't reached the former communist country . It has now . The story that shook Europe … from later editions of yesterday 's Belfast Telegraph
Idiom: brownie point (used idiomatically: yes)
' British Airways will not be at all pleased with me . ' he remarked casually . ' There goes another Brownie point . ' By the time the plane approached Istanbul in the late afternoon , Mark had put away several large measures of single malt Scotch . Mechanically he had taken each drink offered without thinking , for the simple reason that he had spent the entire journey staring out of the cabin window into the infinity of space .
Idiom: no man's land (used idiomatically: yes)
The KDPI , on the other hand , would make their way across the frontier into the Suleimaniyah area . In 1985 their Peshmerga ( guerrilla fighters ) were encamped here under Baghdad 's protection while not far away were the still - insurgent Peshmerga of the PUK . The KDPI were able to come and go across the frontier and through the no man 's land between the opposing armies with great freedom . One witness to this intriguing feature of the northern front was a British surgeon . Dr Nicholas Parkhouse had come to Kurdestan in 1985 under arrangements set up by International Medical Relief , a body linked to the French Medecins sans Frontières which was organizing a medical assistance operation spanning both sides of the frontier at the request of KDPI leader Qassemlou .
Idiom: on board (used idiomatically: yes)
We will reverse the burden of proof for acquisitions away from the target company towards the predator , and require companies to ballot their shareholders on bid plans . We will reform company law to require greater disclosure of information such as expenditure on research and development . We will define the responsibilities of non - executive directors and insist that all publicly quoted companies have them on their boards . Encourage small businesses and the self - employed , and ensure a ' level playing field ' for them in competing with their larger counterparts . This will include relieving the administrative burden on small businesses , legislating to make interest payable on overdue debt , and encouraging TECs , chambers of commerce and local enterprise agencies to reorganise to form a network of business - led ' one - stop shops ' .
Idiom: do the right thing (used idiomatically: no)
Nenna knew this perfectly well , but she felt deeply at peace . As Richard stood up in the boat , he could be seen to hesitate , not about what he wanted to do , but about procedures . He had to do the right thing . A captain goes last on to his ship , but a man goes first into a tricky situation . Nenna saw that the point had come , perhaps exactly as she tied up , when he was more at a loss than she was .
Idiom: fall short (used idiomatically: yes)
For starters , China ’s new leadership has moved away from outsize fiscal and monetary stimulus and accepted an economic slowdown , betting on structural change , systemic reform , and sustainable longer - term growth . The key signals will come from the Chinese Communist ~ Party ’s plenary meeting in the early fall . China ’s reforms will either support the economic shift , boosting sentiment and lifting growth forecasts , or they will fall short and disappoint , with attention most likely to be focused on the size and nature of state intervention in markets . Either way , with the future of the global economy ’s principal growth engine at stake , the effects will be felt worldwide .
Idiom: rough and tumble (used idiomatically: no)
Prosecutors examine the police case as a complete product , in the making of which they can not interfere . They can accept or reject it , but they can not test it out in the field . Policemen are trained to seek out evidence and interview suspects in the rough and tumble of criminal enquiries , whereas prosecutors lack both the training and the inclination for this task . Prosecutorial review therefore provides no robust verification . At best it is an armchair consideration of whether the case would stand up in court .
Idiom: go through the motions (used idiomatically: yes)
A former musician himself , he was struck by their determined outlook . ' I say them two or three times and it became more obvious each time I say them that they had a real understanding of what it was they were trying to do musically . When I met them , I did not come out with all the clichéd bullshit and all the record company going - through - the - motions kind of thing , ' he says . He had signed The Primitives and the label was pleased with the outcome . The band had made an album with RCA for £ 30,000 and sold 500,000 copies around the world and had a Top Five hit with ' Crash ' .
Idiom: brass monkey (used idiomatically: yes)
' I do n't know how youse white folks stand it , ' parodied Clyde , still grinning . They all laughed , not one of them willing to step out into the coldest night of the winter . ' Brass monkeys , ' said Harvey , automatically . He had never understood the old joke . But Sandra was thinking of sheep .
Idiom: get a grip (used idiomatically: yes)
They peck valiantly at the monsters ' pointed snouts , frantically paddling with their feet and beating their wings . One rises . The shark catches it by its feet , but as it tries to get a better grip the young bird is released and flaps into the air over the shark 's back . Before the shark can turn to make a second attack , the young albatross manages to make just enough height for its feet to clear the water . It has survived the first crisis of its independent life .
Idiom: in the bag (used idiomatically: yes)
She looked in her bag for the key of the house , but could not find it .
Idiom: catch fire (used idiomatically: no)
Firing the bolter with one hand he waved the sizzling power sword frantically in front of his face as if fanning wasps away . The explosive clatter in the arcade was ear - splitting . Obispal 's cloak caught fire . As Obispal backed against the front of a store the grille that sheathed it tore open from within . A Stealer claw reached and plucked the Inquisitor through the gap .
Idiom: fall short (used idiomatically: yes)
The idea of criticism One can not be critical in the abstract : one has to be critical of some thing , And the act of criticism takes place in the context of standards . So much so , that in the conventional use of the term , ‘ being critical’ has come almost exclusively to mean that the object or action in question has fallen short of the standards in question . This is as much unnecessary as it is undesirable ; critical evaluation can lead to positive assessments , just as much as to negative ones . The assumption that criticism has to lead to a negative evaluation is particularly unfortunate in higher education .
Idiom: crystal clear (used idiomatically: yes)
Unfortunately , this is an observation made briefly at the end of his paper , and not expanded upon . We may , however , dispute any implication that serious unresolved moral uncertainty is shared with the audience by the fabliau writer , without necessarily following Boutet in her ultimate respect for the authority of the conventional moral closure . The fabliau through which Pearcy approaches this point , Connebert , is crystal clear in its poetic justice , with a lecherous priest being forced to castrate himself . A recognition of the power of sexual instinct is undoubtedly implied virtually every time the fabliau form is selected by an author . But while the breaking of convention may be agreeable , and therefore laughable ( cf . certain views of Freud , below ) , there is never any questioning of what is " right " and what is " wrong " : for that sort of conundrum one should look rather to a romance like Marie de France 's lay Eliduc .
Idiom: see the light (used idiomatically: yes)
Going downstairs , not bothering to collect her coat , she went out and pulled the back door to behind her . As a final act of perversity , the moon chose that moment to sail majestically behind the clouds , leaving Hilary to grope her way along the lane in the pitch dark . Taking a deep breath and straightening her slumping shoulders , she pushed open the back door of the colonel 's house , and as she saw the dim light from the lounge spilling out into the hall she walked in that direction . Leo was standing at the drinks cabinet in the corner , his back to her , yet it did n't prevent his knowing instantly who it was . ' Go away , Hilary , ' he said wearily .
Idiom: lie low (used idiomatically: no)
Treasury officials had planned to include details of the scheme in the budget on 15 March . Mention of the programme was hastily removed . According to one source , ministers supporting the project , who include Kenneth Baker , the minister for information technology , have been forced to lie low after the Prime Minister 's outburst . Civil servants from several departments are now re - examining the scheme , which was first suggested by a committee chaired by John Alvey of British Telecom . It appears that Mrs Thatcher 's main objection was the amount of public money involved .
Idiom: fall from grace (used idiomatically: yes)
His comments reflect the uncertainity of an experiment where no one under the age of 42 has voted before . Corruption and the mismanagement of the economy by the previous government are major issues . A number of people associated with the excesses of the past have already fallen from grace . Ahmed Shalabi , the Iraqi founder and head of Petra Bank , the country 's third largest , has fled the country amid accusations of fraud and embezzlement . The government has announced that culprits in the scandal will be tried by military court .
Idiom: go from strength to strength (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I played in the 1987 cup final win against Wasps , but I do n't remember much about that game because I got concussed in the opening 10 minutes . When I came back to Scotland I found that generally the standard of club rugby was lower.’ Even so Edinburgh Academicals have provided Sole with a solid platform from which he has gone from strength to strength , culminating in three Tests and a series triumph for the Lions . In his first season as an international Scotland shared the championship with France , and in the 1987 World Cup Sole gave a prodigious performance in a 20 - 20 draw with the eventual finalists France . McGeechan believes that Sole has set standards of performance with his pace and mobility in the loose which only a handful of British players , such as Brian Moore of England , are currently emulating .
Idiom: in black and white (used idiomatically: yes)
As each person dies , he does so in a little skirmish of the platoon that is parallel to , and reflects , one of the four major disastrous battles of the war — Dunkirk , Dieppe , Alamein and Arnhem — which is shown in tinted black - and - white footage , some of which we shot and some of it archive material . Out of each battle , when the person dies , his replacement — his ghost - appears in the same tinted colour and keeps the unit up to complement . In America , they made six hundred prints of the film and decided these bits were supposed to be in black - and - white and they could fix it ! I arrived for the American premiere and these ghosts made no sense at all . During filming in Spain , there had already been a hint of what was to come when a journalist heard about this ‘ controversial’ picture being made and managed to steal a script from the set , escaping by throwing beer glasses at cast and crew .
Idiom: song and dance (used idiomatically: yes)
This just shows what a Philistine I am . But last week 's production had everything . Robbery , rebellion , cooking , football ( in small doses ) , infants threatened with death , song and dance , Maid Marion and Robin Hood . It was , of course , a pantomime , a very good one , Babes in the Wood at the Hackney Empire in east London . You might ask ( I 'll ask for you ) what the Babes in the Wood have to do with Robin Hood .
Idiom: come of age (used idiomatically: yes)
If she let her control slip now she would do something violent to him ! ‘ Would Peter really mind?’ he went on , oblivious to all this . ‘ Or has he become possessive now he 's come of age?’ ‘ That 's nothing to do with it,’ she replied chokily , barely able to contain her anger . ‘ My wishes are what matter too.’
Idiom: get stuck into (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ There is another unexpected bonus with this job . I had decided when in Rome to do as the Romans or in this case , more appropriately , when in Babylon do as the Babylonians — no , I do n't mean I 'm having orgies in the servants’ quarters , or letting Gooseneck have his way with me . What I 'm doing is getting stuck into erotic literature and pornography : the club has a fascinating , not to say incredible , collection , and I ca n't imagine the opportunity is likely to arise again . I have n't quite grasped what the acquisitions policy is here . Ffeatherstonehaugh 's does not have a librarian .
Idiom: break the ice (used idiomatically: yes)
I rely on everybody else , but she has to rely on me for her food and comfort . She also helps with the care assistants , giving them something to do when they are not dealing with me . She helps break the ice when I am interviewing . When I am out walking , people stop and talk to her . Instead of saying , ‘ What a nice chair’ , they say , ‘ What a nice dog’ .
Idiom: give it a whirl (used idiomatically: yes)
We did the o we did try the overture , I think , er but we er we did n't get on very well with it . It did n't get on very well with us , . About time we gave it another whirl . But some of the ballet music 's quite nice as well . The the only slight concern I 've got is there looking at what we 've got here , what we really need to add is something which is relatively short and relatively easy ,
Idiom: turn someone's head (used idiomatically: yes)
And if Rod sells this house I 'll have to find somewhere else to live.’ ‘ You can move in with me.’ She turned his head so she could see his profile . ‘ One day , maybe ; but not yet.’ His hand burrowed under the duvet .
Idiom: chop and change (used idiomatically: yes)
' He went on to try Trevor Cherry then gave a cap to John Gidman before he somehow remembered me and let me have a second chance . I began to believe all those stories about the Revie selection policy . ' He chopped and changed the side at whim and never allowed any team he selected to settle down and establish a set pattern of play . ' Neal is particularly critical of Revie 's famous bingo and carpet golf sessions . ' I felt we were treated like children rather than experienced professionals and I know many of the other lads agreed with me .
Idiom: get the nod (used idiomatically: yes)
As for the quarters … I think they will choose one of each of the pairings . That looks good for us … we should get the nod over hillsboro and/or newcastle . Mark From :
Idiom: get the better of (used idiomatically: yes)
It was while Horatio was pushing the boy forward , that Virginia fainted . She did n't fall heavily , but lightly , as if a piece of muslin was drifting down to the carpet . Over her supine body Andrew and Horatia 's eyes met and she took the initiative , knowing she had to get the better of the marquis straight away . " This is your heir , and I am your wife , " she said gratingly . " Get that whore and her bastard out of my house .
Idiom: pop the question (used idiomatically: yes)
OLYMPIC pentathlete Graham Brookhouse proposed to his girlfriend yesterday — on a live radio show . Aerobics instructor Jackie Harley said ‘ Yes’— and promptly burst into tears . Jackie , 23 , of Bristol , said later she suspected 30-year - old Graham planned to pop the question when she heard about the Radio 5 link - up from Barcelona . ‘ I made up my mind to say yes if he did,’ she said . Now she wants him home so they can talk about their ‘ big wedding’ .
Idiom: steal the show (used idiomatically: yes)
Cancer specialist Dr Helen Soteriou said : ‘ Mrs Mann is very seriously ill , with a lung condition.’ Karaoke star ACTRESS Kathleen Turner stole the show when she took to the stage at a late - night bar for a karaoke session . She belted out classics for half an hour at the Stephen Talkhouse in Florida . ‘ She has a great voice,’ said one reveller .
Idiom: out of sorts (used idiomatically: yes)
I snarled , and turned away . Benjamin patted me on the shoulder . ‘ Roger , you 're out of sorts.’ ‘ Oh , no , not me,’ I replied quickly . ‘ You like Sir Robert?’
Idiom: open someone's eyes (used idiomatically: yes)
Iris closed her eyes and began speaking slowly as if reciting a lesson . ‘ Go after A , kill B by mistake , then have a go at throwing suspicion on A … hmm.’ She opened her eyes and said emphatically , ‘ No good . A has an alibi.’ ‘ Assuming the alibi holds water .
Idiom: foot the bill (used idiomatically: yes)
But Conservative Coun . Peter Jones said the bill would have only been a fraction of that if the controlling Labour group had taken action when defects in the building were detailed in reports in 1985 and 1986 . ‘ A stitch in time saves nine,’ he said . ‘ The Labour group ignored the reports and instead the community charge payer has to foot the bill.’ Coun . John Williams , Labour leader , chose not to comment on the matter . Defects in the mortar holding bricks in the outside walls of the ten year - old sports centre were discovered in 1990 after consultants were brought in to examine the building .