Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: get on someone's nerves (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ You know something?’ she said to Peggy . ‘ He will repeat everything I say , part of it at least , and it can get on your nerves , you know.’ Peggy smiled and , looking towards her stepfather , she said , ‘ Yes , I can imagine how he gets on your nerves,’ at the same time questioning why her mother should be so happy , and she a settled woman forty years old , whereas she was twenty - one and so miserable inside that there were days where she wanted to take to her heels and run . Run away from the two old women . Run from the ambitious young man who was her husband and who was bringing fear into her existence , a horrible fear to which she dare n't put a name and which had sprung into life a month ago .
Idiom: fight fire with fire (used idiomatically: yes)
The decision to select Alistair Campbell of Wallasey and Louis Botes of New Brighton in Sunday 's President 's Trophy representative side against the Merseyside Competition may mean paid professionals are here to stay but it was not a decision made lightly . Captain Phil Davies said : ‘ There has always been a lot of cloak and dagger about this but this is the first year clubs as a whole have indicated the presence of professionals . ‘ I have spoken to most captains and a lot of players and the general feeling is that we have played against sides in the past with Test players and we wanted to be able to fight fire with fire so to speak . ‘ We 've played against sides from the Durham League and the North Yorkshire League and they have had the advantage of being able to include the likes of Ritchie Richardson , Clayton Lambert and Phil Simmons . ‘ Deprived’
Idiom: all along (used idiomatically: yes)
The happiest . Or would have been had Gemma not insisted on remaining in the very centre of so much decay and corruption and"horridness ' , in Frizingley . She had spoken to her about it , not sharply , of course— she could never do that — but with disappointment to which Gemma had calmly replied,"Mother , I told you all along that I did n't want to live in the country . " Oh yes , dear . " Amabel 's chin had quivered .
Idiom: out of order (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Could be,’ sneered Meredith . ‘ But I bet my bottom dollar she isn't.’ ‘ The phone could be out of order . Perhaps the bill has n't been paid.’ ‘ I 've paid the damned bill,’ shouted Meredith .
Idiom: make a killing (used idiomatically: yes)
Managers like buy - outs because they offer a chance to get rich quick . If the proposed buy - out of RJR Nabisco had gone ahead , the seven top executives would have stood to make up to $ 3 billion . Shareholders are right to wonder whether , if business is going to be that good , it should be they rather than their managers who make the killing . Most bought - out companies aim to return to the stockmarket within five years or less . In a 1987 buy - out , 24 managers at a Welsh steel company , ASW , paid £ 700,000 for a stake in the company .
Idiom: far and away (used idiomatically: no)
Most idioms are homophonous with grammatically well - formed transparent expressions . A few are not in this sense well - formed , although some grammatical structure is normally discernible . Such cases , of which by and large and far and away are examples , are often called asyntactic idioms . From our point of view , all idioms are elementary lexical units . It is interesting that although idioms consist of more than one word , they display to some extent the sort of internal cohesion that we expect of single words .
Idiom: break new ground (used idiomatically: yes)
The conclusion must be that monitoring and review should proceed alongside other quality control exercises which are more pragmatic , which introduce a wider range of data , and which are capable of addressing the question of optimality as well as the question of adequacy . Oxford Polytechnic 's Modular Course has long accepted this conclusion . A consequence of breaking new ground is that received wisdom becomes a poor guide . Instead course development has been informed by a continuing series of evaluation studies which have sought to assist in establishing priorities and in discriminating between alternative developmental paths . The style and method of this form of evaluation will now be described .
Idiom: on the ball (used idiomatically: yes)
We can buff them until they shine , or you can have just a natural erm base coat on just to give it a shine . And then we do pedicures . Now , pedicures is really a manicure of the toes , but what we do with a pedicure , we actually rub away the hard skin that you may have on the bottom of your feet , on the side of your big toe , that 's usually where it builds up , or on the ball of the foot . We are not chiropodists , we do n't actually cut away the hard skin because that i is a chiropodist 's job , but we certainly do have a good try at trying to get rid of as much hard skin as we can . We soak the feet in nice , erm , antiseptic soapy water , and when we think the feet have soaked enough for the skin to become soft , we take the feet out and then we rub with a foot file to get rid of the hard skin .
Idiom: to the letter (used idiomatically: yes)
In view of the high prices quoted it was agreed to replace only one set . 2 Donkey Lane In answer to a letter sent by the chairman , the Department of Planning stated that no restrictions are placed on this road with regard to its use by horses . The owner of Whitelaw Farm confirmed this . 3
Idiom: catch someone's eye (used idiomatically: yes)
Meredith smiled at his pride . She sensed a similar , blissful confidence about everyone around her : the barman , cheerfully serving his customers with a lightning speed , the boatmen and labourers , and the shop girls , who seemed completely sure of themselves and unashamedly exuberant . She caught the barman 's eye and beamed contentedly at his hot red face as he sipped iced water , taking a brief rest . ' Do you speak English ? ' she asked eagerly . He nodded .
Idiom: pissed off (used idiomatically: yes)
You 'll have to off to do something like that , communal I want a wee wee ! And Di will be really pissed off Anyway by the time we 've walked round
Idiom: hold the line (used idiomatically: yes)
Russian President Vladimir ~ Putin 's recent threat to aim missiles at Ukraine highlights what is at stake in that debate 's outcome . The Wall 's collapse in 1989 forced European ~ Commission officials to dust off atlases to find places about which they knew little and cared less . Leon ~ Brittan , then a commissioner and supporter of enlargement , recalls that some officials and countries even hoped that the pre-1989 line could be held . They felt that enlargement even to the Scandinavian and Alpine countries was going too far . Only in 1993 did the EU officially recognize that membership for all the former Soviet bloc countries could be a long - term goal .
Idiom: rags to riches (used idiomatically: yes)
Historians in London 's Hounslow are requesting contributions for a forthcoming book on the history of their Asian community . An exhibition at Gunnesbury Park Museum to highlight the borough 's cultural mix is also planned . In particular , they would also like to hear about any rags - to - riches stories in an area which has one of the highest concentrations of Asians in the United Kingdom . Influx Co - odinator Neil Chippendale says :
Idiom: make the cut (used idiomatically: yes)
' You need a career shot to reach the green if you go into the rough but that 's the way it should be . Colin Montgomerie , who took third place at Pebble Beach last year , was a late starter on the first official practice day after finishing 12 shots behind Vijay Singh in the Buick Classic . Seve Ballesteros 's failure to make the halfway cut at Westchester afforded him , and Jose Maria Olazabal , an early look at the course . Rivals plan tactics as fight moves on By Daily Post Correspondents
Idiom: on the level (used idiomatically: yes)
Mr. Moynihan My right hon . Friend the Secretary of State is to announce today that he is appointing Ernst and Young management consultants to undertake an independent study of the case for and against relocating the Department of Energy 's petroleum engineering directorate to Aberdeen . Whatever the findings on relocation , there may well be an impact on the level of unleaded petrol sales in Scotland and thus in the United Kingdom . Mr. Simon Hughes As the Minister 's first answer made it clear that a price differential has been a major cause of the substantial increase in sales of unleaded petrol , and as the Secretary of State is on record as saying that the market has a role to play in cutting the use of petrol across the market in the United Kingdom , by what figures does the Department currently estimate that petrol prices will increase over the next few years ? Mr. Moynihan
Idiom: read between the lines (used idiomatically: yes)
The fifth case belonged to a different category : a gentleman named Thomas Arundell was given leave to demise a tenement and three yardlands which he presumably treated as an investment . The fines for these licences were uniformly trifling , implying that they were obtainable without difficulty . Frequently it is necessary to read between the lines . Fulco , son and heir of William Michell , surrendered by attorney his copyhold at Cradley , Worcs . , to the use of Richard Smith ; both were non - resident , as was William Bere , who surrendered in the same way at the next court . Exactly half the families who took up or vacated tenements at Hagley in 1521 — 9 were absentees .
Idiom: jump to conclusions (used idiomatically: no)
Where a journalist intends to refer to an unnamed individual , it is reasonable that the individual should have an action for libel if others have correctly identified him or her as the target , whatever literary devices have been used as camouflage . Asterisks , blanks , initials and general descriptions will not avail , if evidence proves that readers have solved the puzzle correctly . Much less satisfactory , however , is the harsh rule that holds a writer responsible for unintentional defamation , where readers have jumped to a conclusion which was never intended . This rule is the bane of fiction writers , who must take special care to ensure that the more villainous characters in their plots can not be mistaken for living persons . The leading case is Hulton v Jones .
Idiom: tit for tat (used idiomatically: yes)
He is supposed to remain impartial and not get involved in national politics . As the GATT talks broke down , Washington imposed 200 per cent tariffs on £ 650 million worth of EC wines and dairy produce . The move could trigger a tit - for - tat trans - Atlantic trade war if the Community retaliates in kind . The Americans were angered by what they believe is excessive protection for French farmers . The stumbling block in the GATT talks is the level of subsidies to oil seed .
Idiom: rough and tumble (used idiomatically: yes)
They therefore proved natural allies in her assault upon the seat of consensus in Whitehall . Some , like David Young , who had abandoned the law for a career as a property developer , she put in charge of great statutory bodies , in his case eventually raising him to the Cabinet as Lord Young of Graffham . Though much resented by MPs who had had to go through the tiresome business of getting people to vote for them , he proved a determined and effective minister , until he decided he 'd had enough of the political rough - and - tumble which went with the job . At a second level were industrialists like Jeffrey Sterling , the chairman of the P&O shipping company , for whom she arranged a knighthood . Sterling was given an office at the Department of Trade and Industry , where he advised on industrial policy , and had a big say in plans for the future of broadcasting .
Idiom: sign of the times (used idiomatically: yes)
The company founded by Ralph Lauren in 1967 traffics in all manner of hunting , fishing , nautical , equestrian and golfing - themed clothes for Americans who still look to the mythical British Empire for their cultural cues . ( The apex of this Wasp aesthetic is probably George Bush relaxing at his weekend retreat in Maine . ) With adverts exclusively featuring models of European stock , Lauren continues to prosper by bucking the multicultural signs of the times . But when a group of black kids from Brooklyn adopted Lauren 's Polo line of apparel , they gave a new reading to his class / race code . Like the Eighties terrace tearaways in Britain who showed up for the match in Barbour jackets and deerstalkers , these B- boys were appropriating the ruling class style and parading it with a sardonic grin .
Idiom: break someone's heart (used idiomatically: yes)
The IRA has agreed to meet Gordon Wilson , a retired Protestant businessman from Northern Ireland and a new member of the Irish senate . His daughter Marie , a nurse , was killed in the Enniskillen Remembrance Day atrocity in 1987 . Mr Wilson said the news of the Loyalist killings ‘ broke his heart’ . ‘ Northern Ireland and all of Ireland and its people are close to my heart , and we are bleeding to death,’ he told senators . But his appeal to the IRA leadership to call a halt to its bloody campaign is likely to be dismissed as promptly as the Loyalists yesterday rejected calls to lay down their arms .
Idiom: keep up appearances (used idiomatically: yes)
They like foreigners so much that they dispute with one another as to who shall have and treat a foreigner in his house . They are vain and ostentatious by nature . They spend all they have to keep up appearances . They are as well dressed as is possible to be in such a country as that in which they live . They are courageous , strong , quick and agile .
Idiom: make a splash (used idiomatically: yes)
Sun or shade and most soils are suitable , though it will flower best in sun , and has a preference for moist soil . It is not a particularly decorative plant , even in flower , but there is a golden - leaved garden form , S. n. " Aurea " , which makes a good splash through spring and summer . USES Culinary
Idiom: get the show on the road (used idiomatically: yes)
The aims of any programme of research should be fully specified at the outset . Often they are not . Such are the weaknesses of human nature that initial enthusiasm sometimes overcomes care and prudence in a desire to get the show on the road . Also , the task can be quite daunting ; assumptions and approximations may be required that the originator of the project can not accept , leading to revision of the goals or abandonment of the study . Just as students are often unwilling to check arithmetic because they would ‘ rather not know about any errors’ , so researchers are reluctant to examine their aims , hoping rather that all will become clear in the writing of the final report .
Idiom: in a fog (used idiomatically: yes)
HAS - BIN : Fergie 's head goes out with the rubbish yesterday at the waxworks Pictures : ANDREW STENNING Crash kills 82 AN Aeroflot jet crashed in fog in the Russian city of Ivanovo , killing all 82 people on board , it was revealed yesterday . Boy drowns A BOY of four drowned yesterday after being swept three miles down a flooded river near Ammanford , West Wales .
Idiom: on the pull (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ By yourself?’ Kelly narrowed her eyes with mock suspicion . ‘ The eligible bachelor on the pull?’ Nick did n't smile . ‘ I rather think my pulling days are done .
Idiom: on the double (used idiomatically: no)
Nor did it go unchallenged . The evangelical and puritan strands vigorously opposed the double standard , and by the last decades of the century were able to pose a significant challenge to its easy acceptance . Nonetheless , it is inescapably true that the familial ideology was accompanied by , and often relied on , a vast underbelly of prostitution , which fed on the double standard and an authoritarian moral code . Other tensions were clearly focused in the bourgeois family , belying its apparently ‘ natural’ and harmonious imagery . Juliet Mitchell has argued that ‘ it is against a background of the remoteness of the kinship system that the ideology of the biological family comes into its own’ .
Idiom: down the road (used idiomatically: no)
Not to be out - done by the opening of Northern area 's new office in September , Central and Western moved into their new premises in Uxbridge 's Cowley Business Park on May 7 . The ground floor of the two storey building is principally devoted to new training facilities while the first floor provides spacious and airy office space for the 1OO staff . The building sits beside a river and is surrounded by carefully landscaped lawns — a far cry from the old office above the Uxbridge JS , only a mile down the road . David Quarmby , joint managing director , took an informal tour and commented in his opening address : ‘ A quality business deserves a quality environment for all those who work hard to support Central and Western stores , and that is what this office represents.’ A bit of a brew
Idiom: left and right (used idiomatically: no)
Such patterns are n't very easy to analyse . But amongst the easier and more obvious structures to count are the dendritic spines , and a graduate student of Mike 's , Sanjay Patel , did just that in the mid-1980s . He trained chicks and twenty - four hours later took out and stained left and right IMHV with the golgi method . He then selected a particular class of neurons , recognizable by their long axons , measured the length of each dendritic branch and counted the spines on each , which lie then calculated as number of spines per µm — that is , millionth of a metre — of dendrite . Much to our delight ( and , I must confess , to my astonishment ) Sanjay 's counts showed dramatic effects .
Idiom: to the letter (used idiomatically: yes)
There was affidavit evidence before the judge which , if admissible , showed that the appeal committee had in fact approached their task in accordance with the two stage test propounded in the Croydon case . However he held that such evidence was inadmissible since the letter to Mr. Purkayastha unambiguously showed that the committee had misdirected itself . Without specifically referring to the letter to Mr. Choudhury , he quashed both decisions by the appeal committee . The Court of Appeal held that the letter to Mr. Choudhury unambiguously showed that the appeal committee had correctly adopted the Croydon approach and there were no grounds for impugning the decision . They regarded the letter to Mr. Purkayastha as more problematic .
Idiom: in the club (used idiomatically: yes)
Andrew Beattie was secretary - treasurer of the Eastway Social Club . The club account books were in the house and over £ 2,000 in cash . He drew the attention of the soldier - in - charge and explained about his position in the club . He accepted the explanation without question . He did not check through the money .
Idiom: high and low (used idiomatically: yes)
Broad cultural contrasts emerged as a series of themes from the interview data : living patterns , family networks , sleeping patterns , and concepts of time and dependence . Conclusion — Bangladeshi infants were cared for in a consistently rich sensory environment ; Welsh infants , in contrast , were more likely to experience alternating periods of high and low sensory input . Long periods of lone quiet sleep may be one factor that contributes to a higher rate of sudden deaths in white than in Asian infants . Introduction
Idiom: out on a limb (used idiomatically: yes)
LORD 'S — LAUGHING STOCK OF WORLD CRICKET TEST CHIEFS ARE WOBBLING LIKE JELLIES Lamb 's out on a limb ‘ They bowed to pressure’ COLIN PRICE
Idiom: make light of (used idiomatically: yes)
Most men with receding hairlines are very self - conscious of it , but he makes light of his .
Idiom: think the world of (used idiomatically: yes)
Lucy with some of her 200 cards from well - wishers How the Echo reported the accident MY marriage has been in trouble for two years , ever since my husband started having affairs . We have two children , aged eight and six , and I know my husband thinks the world of them , but he is carrying on living the life of a single man , with no thought for me . I have started divorce proceedings , as we have been living apart for the last two months , but now he is pleading with me to take him back . I do n't know what I am doing .
Idiom: writ large (used idiomatically: yes)
This magnanimity is precisely the problem . The traffic is all one way . Callinicos appears to think that he can detect ‘ aesthetic merit’ from the position given to him by his politics ; politics , writ large , as embodying an ethics and a philosophy , is the active force . Thus post - Second World War art is as it is —— with an ‘ emphasis on the autonomous and abstract work of art’(p . 154)— allegedly because of the ‘ effects’ of the stabilisation and extension of capitalism . Cause and effect : what took place was a ‘ flight into abstraction’ .
Idiom: pick someone's brains (used idiomatically: yes)
' I never thought that was your problem . ' Bunny pursed his lips and whispered : ' Bitch . ' ' I wanted to pick your brains , ' I said . ' Find 'em first . ' ' Think back to your carefree youth before the cares of the world descended on your manly shoulders . '
Idiom: stand someone in good stead (used idiomatically: no)
I used to keep what I called me tithe.’ ‘ Oh , you did , did you?’ ‘ Ay , it 's where an ignorance of good book - keeping stands you in good stead.’ ‘ And where is this money then?’ ‘ Ah , that would be tellin ' now .
Idiom: turn heads (used idiomatically: yes)
She stopped now ; then with a wicked grin on her face she added , ' but never from the school to the Folies - Bergère , eh , Grace ? ' ' You 'd be surprised at that too , Nessy . ' The old lady now moved her shoulder to let George Banks , the butler , take her plate away and hand it to Patrick McCann , who was standing behind him , then to place before her a plate he had taken from the sideboard ; and she , after looking down on it , turned her head up towards him and said , ' Iced pudding , Banks ? Oh ! that 's my favourite . You remembered . '
Idiom: have a heart (used idiomatically: yes)
But what Yeah . what what the insurance salesman do is do wobble you a little bit so that you will take it out , you know , can you afford down , if you were forty having a heart attack leaving a wife and young child behind . I mean , they do tell you , they sell on that way do n't they ? Yeah .
Idiom: rub shoulders (used idiomatically: yes)
The church seemed to be a microcosm of Coptic society , with representatives of all social layers . Perhaps because it was conveniently placed on the edge of the Old City closest to the modern , developed parts where the more well - to - do lived , there were surprisingly wealthy people in its congregation . The Zosers rubbed shoulders with men with a hundred times their income . Another way in which the church was comprehensive was in the range of cultural levels among its members . Primitive fundamentalists like Zoser stood alongside sophisticated civil servants like Sesostris and Ramses .
Idiom: off the mark (used idiomatically: yes)
However , the tannins are least abundant in the younger leaves . Natural selection obviously favours the most successful caterpillars , and these are the ones that hatch out early enough to get their jaws into the young , tender , comparatively tannin - free leaves . One result of this is that the pied flycatcher must be quick off the mark early in the season in order to get the most nutritious caterpillars . Those caterpillars that feed on older leaves , with a high tannin content , are less nutritious for the chicks . The tannins affect the absorption by the birds ' guts of certain essential nutrients causing low growth rates which are sometimes fatal .