Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: hot air (used idiomatically: no)
St Albans with its Verulamium , ruined abbey and rose gardens is 15 miles away . Hatfield House , a very fine Jacobean House with gardens and park , is 20 miles away . Local Activities : fly fishing —(£9 per day ) , all - weather tennis court , table tennis ( at Bellows Mill ) , walks , horse - riding , clay pigeon shooting , hot - air ballooning , squash ( locally ) . Dalkeith Overlooking the village green , in a pretty conservation village , this fine Victorian house has a half - acre garden , two greenhouses ( one has a vine that produces heaps of succulent black grapes ) , a sunken - terraced garden with lily pond and an affectionate three - legged cat .
Idiom: lay an egg (used idiomatically: yes)
Q. Can you give me any information on Britain 's common toad as I am interested in raising some tadpoles — presently spawn — from a friend 's pond with a view to setting up some kind of vivarium for housing a mature toad . A. The state of amphibians being so threatened at the moment , I am almost reluctant to suggest that anyone keeps native species , but I have to concede that the common toad Bufo bufo is a fascinating animal . As you probably know , they lay their eggs in strings , not clumps , and the tadpoles are toxic to fish : therefore , in a garden pond , there is a higher survival rate than with frogs . All tadpoles can be reared to the froglet / toadlet stage on Carnivore Flake . The difficult time is immediately after metamorphosis , when they must have live food small enough to ingest .
Idiom: one of those days (used idiomatically: yes)
After 10 ends the score was 18 - 1 and the match was over as a contest . No matter how hard the Provincial champions tried to eat into the massive margin the worse it became for them . Yes , it was just one of those days when Belmont 's name was on the cup right from the off . And Colin Best has brought the Irish Singles title back to his club Willowfield after a 21 - 13 victory over Noel Weir from Rathfriland . It was a solid performance by Best who outdrew the NIBA champion but it was also a gallant attempt by Weir , who plays more golf than bowls .
Idiom: in tandem (used idiomatically: yes)
Maggie glanced sideways at the river , having been concentrating on the fairly heavy traffic . It was now well up , and flowing very fast indeed . The South Hey would be the same , as they both acted in tandem . She sniffed . ‘ And that smell 's got worse’
Idiom: on the ball (used idiomatically: yes)
Already the former Everton manager is being linked with old colleagues such as Peter Reid , Adrian Heath and Kevin Sheedy , plus Mark Hughes and Scott Sellars . Looking at City 's first - half performance at The Dell , he must have wondered if any change was needed at all . Though bottom of the First Division , City played intelligent , skilful soccer , full of simple passes , with players such as Bishop and Lake comfortable enough on the ball to create space , and a striker in Allen sharp enough to take the half - chance that put City deservedly ahead . But City are prone to concede goals in the last quarter of an hour and bang on the 75th minute the impressive young Dodd fed a wonderful 30-yard pass to Rod Wallace , who held off two defenders to equalise . It was a quality goal nearly upstaged five minutes later by a 25-yard screamer from the substitute Horne .
Idiom: by the same token (used idiomatically: yes)
The other demands talents beyond — in the case of the most creative far beyond — the average , the ability to have insights or craft exquisite objects which , by common consent , we judge of great scientific value or aesthetic worth . Contrasted in this way it seems improbable that madness and creativity could spring from the same source . Yet from the earliest times it has been suggested that in the insane there is indeed a hint of genius and , by the same token , that originality demands a degree of lunacy . ‘ Nullum magnum ingenium sine mixtura dementiae ’(no great imaginative power without a dash of madness ) , wrote Seneca . He was quoting Aristotle , who had drawn the same conclusion three centuries before , and Plato 's view of the poet as one possessed by a ‘ divine madness’ .
Idiom: above board (used idiomatically: yes)
His mouth twisted . ‘ At least I 'll say this for Doreen — there 's no deceit about her . She 's open and above - board . She says what she thinks , even if it is terse and to the point.’ ‘ And no matter what hurt it gives to other people , I presume.’
Idiom: cut and dried (used idiomatically: yes)
Then he came second after losing a playoff in the Glasgow Open . Both have got many years of winning left , but you can bet it wo n't take it out of Sandy the way it does out of Seve . If Seve Ballesteros had looked a winner all along in 1979 , and certainly looked likely to lift the claret jug from a long way out , Dave 's second Open success was not so cut - and - dried . In fact , Sandy Lyle had to emerge from a pack of players at Royal St Georges in 1985 to become the first British winner for years . But the build - up to it had a familiar ring about it for Dave .
Idiom: hold your tongue (used idiomatically: yes)
I blame myself for talking to those other lassies . I would have done better to have held my tongue.’ ‘ You did hold your tongue . You said nothing to me . You only let it out to the girls because you got a shock when they said they 'd seen .
Idiom: over the hill (used idiomatically: yes)
Then I skipped downstairs and went out to the wheels , locking the back door behind me . It was a good day , sunny like the day before but with more wind . With a feeling of having been unexpectedly let out of school , I drove over the hills on the road to Reading and coasted along the unfenced part of the Quillersedge Estate until I thought I 'd come more or less to where Gareth had dropped the paint : parked off the road there and searched more closely for the place on foot . No one had driven the paint away on their tyres . The splash was dusty but still visible and , without much trouble , I found the beginning of the trail about twenty feet straight ahead in the wood and followed it as easily through the tangled trees and undergrowth as on the day before .
Idiom: on the ground (used idiomatically: yes)
He is picking his way through the Moscow Record of 27 November 1869 , and there he reads about a murder which had occurred six days earlier . An unnamed man had been killed and his body dumped in a pond in a park . The alarm had been raised by two peasants who , as the first sentence of the newspaper story recounts , were walking in the park and noticed a cap lying on the ground , together with a hood and a cudgel . Dostoevsky had no use for the two peasants or for the hood and the cudgel , but he wanted the cap . In The Possessed , the conspirators have enticed their victim to a dark remote spot where nothing will be seen or heard , and have done the deed and tied two heavy stones to the body so that it is sure to sink , and have carried it to a pond and thrown it in : then , ‘ With extraordinary carelessness ’ they overlook that cap which has no doubt fallen off in the struggle , and which the police will soon find .
Idiom: do the trick (used idiomatically: yes)
Innovation — developing new products to fuel sales . Productivity — lowering the cost of making things . ‘ Becoming better at what we do and widening the gap between selling price and manufacturing cost is the only target that will do the trick for us,’ he declared . ‘ Manufacturing excellence has to be high on everybody 's priorities . It is the only sensible response to a situation where sales prices are static.’
Idiom: sign of the times (used idiomatically: yes)
This month he offers some suggestions on nipping all of them in the bud . We 've looked at the correct placing of a tank , at filtration and other life - support systems for tropical fish , and at the fish themselves . Before we once - and - for - all set up our new tank ( and next month look at tank decor ) , it 's a sign of the times that we have to pause and consider the single most important item in our tank — water . Many expert fishkeepers will tell you that to be successful in the hobby you must first and foremost be a water manager . At the highest level , this can mean changing the acidity or alkalinity and/or hardness and softness of your water to suit your fish 's requirements .
Idiom: on the level (used idiomatically: yes)
In its union struggles , ANDES achieved parity for women in salary payments and three months maternity leave after the second general strike in 1972 . ANDES has criticized the way in which the mass media portray women and in 1975 staged a protest march against the Miss Universe beauty contest held in San Salvador that year . Here ANDES placed emphasis , not so much on the exploitation of women as objects but on the general level of exploitation of Salvadorean women from the poorer classes . We participated as part of the mass political movement against the exploitation in our country . We opposed the machista attitudes that the beauty contests promoted and argued that women were being used to divert the attention of men and women from the social and economic contradictions of our country .
Idiom: carry the can (used idiomatically: no)
At the upper critical field the magnetic field completely penetrated the sample and it reverted entirely to its normal state . The upper critical field was estimated to be about 800,000 times stronger than the earth 's magnetic field , advantageous for applications of the superconductor . Researchers used the measurements to estimate the value of the critical current , or how much electricity the material can carry in its superconducting state . ‘ The critical current calculated is already higher than the critical current first reported for the high-temperature superconducting materials based on copper-oxide compounds , ’ says George Gruner , director of UCLA 's Solid State Science Centre . Researchers have also measured the response of the superconducting properties of a potassium-doped buckyball compound to changes in pressure — one of the fundamental measurements of any new superconductor , as it sets immediate constraints on the theoretical interpretations of the material 's behaviour .
Idiom: on ice (used idiomatically: yes)
I did not want to go into the dark house , where I would spend the evening quietly with old Mrs Fairfax . So I stayed outside , staring up at the moon and the stars with a beating heart , wishing and dreaming of a different , more exciting life . When I entered , the servants told me that Mr Rochester had arrived , and that he had hurt his leg when his horse slipped on ice on the road to Hay . Getting to know Mr Rochester Thornfield Hall became quite busy the next day , now that the master had returned .
Idiom: play games (used idiomatically: yes)
That depressed me . I thought , Oh no , when I marry , if I marry , things have got to be straight , out in the open . I 'm not going to play games or have secrets . But it seems to be starting already . Perhaps it 's inevitable .
Idiom: have a heart (used idiomatically: no)
Furthermore , as some of you here know , the diocese of Bath and Wells set up a working party in 1986 to set out our own policy . This was published in a useful report , Our Relationship with the whole of Creation ( 1987 ) . This has been studied in many parishes and has led to some changes of heart and attitudes . It is clear despite this that not enough is being done , and the seriousness of the position is still not fully realized by the average person . Groups in our society such as Friends of the Earth , Greenpeace and the Green party are to be congratulated for the energetic way they are drawing our attention to the issues involved .
Idiom: on board (used idiomatically: yes)
Moreover , the world ’s democracies are themselves divided on how to deal with Islamic terrorism or genocide in Darfur : it was France , after all , which led the opposition in the UN ~ Security ~ Council to the US invasion of Iraq . Moreover , on issues like terrorism , nuclear proliferation , and climate ~ change , the US needs Russian and Chinese help . Stigmatizing Russia and China as pariahs will not get them on board . ( China must learn to behave “ responsibly , ” McCain declares with breath - taking condescension . ) In fact , Russia has mostly cooperated with the US in the “ war against terrorism . ”
Idiom: easier said than done (used idiomatically: yes)
But the Consumers Association say products like these are unneccesary and not worth buying . In a report published today the Association claims that most people can get all the vitamins they need from a healthy diet . Manufacturers say that 's easier said than done . The report agrees that certain people like pregnant women or those convalescing may need extra vitamins . But is accuses manufacturers of being misleading .
Idiom: left and right (used idiomatically: yes)
The eleven - metre long Allosaurus — the ‘ leaping lizard’— weighing up to two tons , as big as a bus , was able to take strides two metres long . Allosaurus was assumed from its long hind legs to be a kangaroo - type reptile that actually bounced on its prey . New French findings hint that the tetrapods probably hopped like kangaroos , as their tracks show left and right hind footprints in parallel , rather than alternating , some reaching up to two - metre intervals . The leaping deinonychosaurs were a sub - order of the coelurosaurs . They hunted in packs , and were individually from two to three metres long .
Idiom: take someone to task (used idiomatically: yes)
Jane ~ Fonda reportedly scolded her co - star Lindsay ~ Lohan about her antics on the set of their film Georgia ~ Rules . The veteran star is said to have sent Lohan a note taking her to task for widely - publicized bad behavior . Fonda 's publicist denies reports that Lindsay ~ Lohan is not welcome at the film 's May 7 premiere . Held in Atlanta , Georgia , it will benefit the non - profit organization G - CAPP , which Jane ~ Fonda co - chairs .
Idiom: left and right (used idiomatically: no)
Dr Runcie , he writes , ‘ is calling for a social market economy’ , the implication being that such a marriage between free market principles for wealth creation and collective provision for social needs does not exist in this country . How can this implication be justified when the last decade has witnessed a real growth in public spending , particularly on health and society security , coupled with an increase in overall taxation ? Judged on the facts , rather than the political rhetoric of both left and right , the present Government deserves neither the undying praise of the supporters of laissez - faire nor the unremitting invective of collectivists . Letter : Fees and taxes From Professor MALCOLM GRANT
Idiom: drunk as a lord (used idiomatically: yes)
Played for Yorkshire , ' e did . Reg'lar as clockwork . Then turned up one morning drunk as a lord . And Lord ' Awke , the captain — well , ' e was a lord as was n't drunk as a … anyways , ' e turns round and says , ‘ Peel , yer orft.’ And ' e niver played another day 's cricket for England for Yorkshire .
Idiom: asleep at the wheel (used idiomatically: yes)
Passion . Passion is blushing furiously across pop , rapidly turning it to ashes in its shame . The blight of ‘ 87 is not media cowardice , record companies asleep at the wheel , callous insipidness , the return of rock , incoherence , a lack of great songs , but rather , a surfeit of PASSION . In 1987 , the consensus is that everything must be stamped with soul and franked with passion . We 're thinking Terence Trent d'Arby , but also U2 ; Tina Turner , but also Chuck Brown ; Mick Hucknall , and all soul music .
Idiom: behind closed doors (used idiomatically: yes)
Cottages of local stone are adorned with holly , as Lanchester , County Durham , puts on its festive finery . But the heart of this community has been pierced with terror — there are no children playing , no young voices raised in glee . Since Saturday 's brutal rape of a 14-year - old papergirl , all Lanchester 's young people stay behind closed doors . Yesterday paper boys and girls were accompanied by their parents or big brothers and were n't allowed to start rounds until after it was light . At least one girl delivered newspapers escorted by her mother and a policeman .
Idiom: weather the storm (used idiomatically: yes)
To abuse my hospitality in such a way , take advantage of my trust — never enter this house again , I will have the servants throw you in the street —’ Robert Asshe was in full flood , his very beard vibrant with rage , his eyes flashing , a mixture of Tamburlaine the Great , Lear at his most unreasonable and , above all , a Victorian father who was much displeased . Paul weathered the storm , bewildered by its existence . ‘ Sir , I have made you an honourable proposal for the hand of your daughter , whom I am in a position to support now and , later , in increased comfort —’ ‘ Comfort !
Idiom: get away with murder (used idiomatically: yes)
And for all Karan 's bravado , it is one which will be settled not by Vestel , but by Polly Peck 's London administrators . A case of art and the round table The English National Opera hopes to get away with murder . It has just invited audience sponsorship for this season 's revival of the Shostakovich opera Lady Macbeth of Mtensk . For £ 25 you can secure two tickets to the dress rehearsal , an LP and personal line credit in the programme .
Idiom: the icing on the cake (used idiomatically: yes)
I think he 's going to be very sleepy at the end of the day . Female speaker It 's an added bonus , the icing on the cake . I did n't dream it would be as good as this . Voice over
Idiom: play to the gallery (used idiomatically: yes)
It is liturgically unsound , they might say , to use worship as instruction . Of course this all depends on your opinions or your taste , factors which play a large part in religious observance . Playing to the gallery Some ministers perhaps keep it on because they feel that it caters for a section of the adult church with whom they are unwilling to compromise in the sermon . This would be quite acceptable if the discipline of expressing their message in simple terms were followed through .
Idiom: walk all over (used idiomatically: yes)
To die , to sleep ; To sleep : perchance to dream : aye , there 's the rub ; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come When we have shuffled off this mortal coil , Must give us pause . Charles , Prince of Wales : Act 1 , Scene 1 . CHARLES : Well , frankly , the problem as I see it At this moment in time is whether I Should just lie down under all this hassle And let them walk all over me , Or , whether I should just say : ‘ OK , I get the message’ , and do myself in . I mean , let 's face it , I 'm in a no - win Situation , and quite honestly , I 'm so stuffed up to here with the whole Stupid mess that , I can tell you , I 've just Got a good mind to take the quick way out . That 's the bottom line .
Idiom: buy time (used idiomatically: yes)
Other truces have been repeatedly broken in the past week . This weekend 's referendum was supposed to be the Bosnian Serbs ' last word on the Vance - Owen peace plan , which has been rejected three times by their self - styled parliament . US President Bill Clinton has dismissed the referendum as a ploy to buy time , and is expected to press reluctant Europeans for military action against Bosnia 's Serbs . But Russian Foreign Minister Andrei Kozyrev made it plain that his country still prefers peacekeepers to military action . Be thankful for the country
Idiom: off the beaten track (used idiomatically: yes)
It is equipped with the latest UK Resuscitation Council guidelines and includes a section on paediatric arrests . There are also helpful tips on troubleshooting . For instance , what to do when the defibrillator requires intermittent cranking up , which is sadly often the case on wards off the beaten track . There are important omissions , such as the 5 mg adrenaline ampoule on the crash trolley and aspirin as a main line treatment in myocardial infarction . The text is clear and concise , although the need for extended detail on the pathogenesis of myocardial infarction is debatable .
Idiom: in the flesh (used idiomatically: yes)
Its arrows do not travel very far but at a short distance it inflicts a very bad wound . The head of the arrow used with it is usually barbed and if lodged inside the flesh , the shaft is liable to break off . This leaves the head , which is usually poisoned , in the flesh . It is impossible to extract . The bows of Central Asia use horse hide as the bowstring .
Idiom: throw in the towel (used idiomatically: yes)
There is a postscript to this valedictory . One can say that Niki continued to drive on for McLaren in 1985 . One can also say that with his third championship he had thrown in the towel . He and his Ibiza neighbour , Keke Rosberg , were both fed up with the sport , and things were going badly for both of them . Keke was having a totally unsatisfactory time at Williams and Lauda the miseries at McLaren .
Idiom: word of mouth (used idiomatically: yes)
All the brothers are attending the opening nights of the show , which is seven weeks into a national tour . The show ran for nearly two years at the Arts Theatre in the West End to rave reviews . Despite all the publicity through word of mouth and a high profile national tour last year with Gary Glitter , the show remains relatively unknown . All that could change , however , as another West End run , a film and possible TV series based on the play are all in the pipeline . Successful productions are currently running in New Zealand , South Africa , Ireland , Germany — in both German and English — and Japan , in Japanese .
Idiom: all over bar the shouting (used idiomatically: yes)
Derbyshire 's West Indian fast bowler Ian Bishop can claim much of the credit for the Gloucestershire collapse ; he was flying . An early breakthrough saw the end of opener Hinks and when Dean Hodgson was trapped lbw by Sladdin for 38 . It was all over bar the shouting . Allan Warners spell claimed two quick wickets . Tony Wright was in the wrong and landed this into the safe hands of Barnett .
Idiom: on the level (used idiomatically: no)
Ehrenburg reported it , and he is one of the few who described Modigliani in serious mood , not merely hitting the bottle or making a scene . Fernand Léger , on leave from the Engineering Corps , was a socialist , profoundly affected by his army service . ' I found myself on a level with the whole of the French people ; my new companions … were miners , navvies , workers in metal and wood . Among them I discovered the French people . At the same time I was dazzled by the breech of a 75-millimetre gun which was standing uncovered in the sunlight : the magic of light on white metal .
Idiom: get the picture (used idiomatically: yes)
This is a much more like a , a kind of total dissection of the personality . It means that psychoanalysis takes a lot longer , because you are looking at defences and ego as well as at , at the . You get a much more complete picture . Erm , was with archaeology . But in the nineteenth century , archaeology was a kind of treasure - troving erm , explorers , a kind of raid on , on the very past , to discover the treasure .
Idiom: on the carpet (used idiomatically: yes)
She felt too vulnerable , sitting here naked in bed . If the note was some cryptic escape - route , if Guy had woken to bitterly regret last night 's impulsive actions … Swinging her legs out of bed , she hunted around for her nightshirt , flung in a crumpled heap on the carpet , then studied the piece of paper . Nothing dramatic , no soul - searching … Guy had gone to get a paper , and some fresh croissants from a nearby bakery .