Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: sweep the board (used idiomatically: yes)
The implication of this line of reasoning was that if they could be left alone , insulated from the capitalist global reach , Third World countries would be better off , and would actually be able to develop themselves . The experiences of some of the Second World ( communist ) countries , those who had escaped from the grip of global capitalism , particularly the Soviet Union and then China , seemed to lend support to the argument . The theory was most exhaustively worked out for countries in Latin America , where it swept the board among academics , politicians , bureaucrats and militants for some time under the general rubric of the dependency approach . It did for a time seem to explain the trajectories of development and underdevelopment in some countries of Latin America , but when it was applied to Africa and Asia it was much less successful . This led some writers to suspect that the Third World , like the First World , was not of a piece , but that there might be substantial differences of kind as well as the obvious differences of degree between countries .
Idiom: take it from me (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ With me , or with anyone?’ ‘ That 's none of your damned business ! Look , I do n't know why you imagine you have the right to start probing into my personal life , but take it from me that you have n't . The only dealings we have in common are business ones!’ ‘ So you keep on saying , but I still ca n't help but remember what it was like out on that deck tonight .
Idiom: on ice (used idiomatically: yes)
They ran quickly over the snow and pulled the big sledges from the ship onto the ice . The men ran beside them on skis . They put a big wooden house on the ice . The house was full of food , and skis , and sledges . They called it Framheim .
Idiom: cross swords (used idiomatically: yes)
As usual , he thought he could do just as he pleased , without any regard for the consequences . It was altogether too much . Why did she have to keep crossing swords with that fiendish man ? Sliding into the driver 's seat , she slammed the door shut and turned her key in the ignition . The engine fired and she pushed her foot down on the accelerator so that the fierce roar echoed her feelings of pent - up frustration .
Idiom: stand someone in good stead (used idiomatically: yes)
Sally Webster William Morris Hunt ( Cambridge University Press , 1992 ) 244pp . 154 ills . £ 55 The first study in recent years of this important Boston painter and teacher whose Paris training stood him in good stead in introducing into America a fascinating mixture of French Academicism , Barbizon and early Impressionism . Marianne Doezema George Bellows and Urban America ( Yale University Press , London , 1992 ) 244pp . 94ills . £ 29.95/$50 Thoroughly researched discussion of major themes in Bellows 's work , centering on his painting of the excavation of the foundations of Pennsylvania Station , New York , his boxing pieces and his depictions of working class life in and around New York City .
Idiom: hot air (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Stand back.’ The train came towards them , and the noise got louder and louder . Then it was screaming past , and they could feel the hot air and smell the smoke . They pushed themselves flat against the tunnel wall . ‘ Oh!’ said the children , after it was gone .
Idiom: spot on (used idiomatically: yes)
Jacko and Co were very keen to talk to television , radio supporters last year when the plaudits were flying about . Where are they now when we want answers ? On one point you are spot - on . There is an element at the Oval who would happily finish 15th if the Blues were 16th . Most of these people have only seen a second half since the police closed the Oval club .
Idiom: behind bars (used idiomatically: yes)
Mm . I incurred his displeasure on one occasion , there was a young lady sat on the form in front , we had those , where you sat in pairs , on the iron sort of things . She had plaits , and I tied them together , on to th behind the bar , and he he caned me .. Mm . I suppose caning was a a more frequent form of discipline , in those days ?
Idiom: down the road (used idiomatically: yes)
It 's not acceptable as it is , is it ? I do n't think it 's acceptable as it is . If she wants to go down the road making life more unpleasant then then we got down that road as well and she 'll be the loser Well the thing at the end of the thing is that
Idiom: party animal (used idiomatically: yes)
I am thrilled with the way they got on ' , said Gaselee . ' He is just as fit as he was 12 months ago and just as good ' , he added . Party animal Richard Smith IT WAS every jump jockey 's worst nightmare .
Idiom: larger than life (used idiomatically: yes)
The 20-stone Italian tenor was rehearsing as painter Mario Cavaradossi for a production of Puccini 's Tosca which opens in London tomorrow . With a smock artfully covering his paunchy frame , Pavarotti , 56 , burst into golden - toned song . And , though the story kills off the painter , the big draw himself is sure to return larger than life . Soft cell POLICE cells in Hastings , Sussex , have been painted pink in a bid to relax violent prisoners .
Idiom: writ large (used idiomatically: yes)
This fall has subjected part of the income of the poor to taxation , while , conversely , continuing to exempt part of the income of well - heeled tax payers . Apart from personal tax allowances , there is a whole range of other allowances , or benefits , which are gained only on condition that taxpayers undertake a certain pattern of expenditure , such as buying houses , or acquiring a private pension . Despite Mrs Thatcher 's rhetoric , bribing people by way of tax allowances is the paternalistic state writ large ; taxpayers pick up considerable tax benefits on the condition that they spend their money in ways approved by the Government . It has been the growth in tax allowances that has allowed the rich to hide behind a smokescreen of high marginal tax rates , while , in reality paying an average rate far below that of many ordinary households ( see the answer given to Gordon Brown MP above , in ‘ Tax Benefits’ , p. 99 ) . A radical government should commit itself to phasing out these tax allowances .
Idiom: in the fast lane (used idiomatically: no)
Zeno spoke the name to himself ; a little fluting sound . To Carey he said , ‘ Is that too much to ask … ?’ Ellwood made the distance in under five hours , overtaking on the inside , riding the rear bumpers of faint - hearts in the fast lane . He arrived in a violet twilight ; a sickle moon standing in a hoop of its own light , birds making dark arrows just above the wavetops . He stood at the lit window of his hotel room and saw his own reflection , and beyond it the room , and in that ghost - world the image of Tom Carey walking to and fro , a glassy shadow .
Idiom: catch someone's eye (used idiomatically: yes)
He looked around him at the other producers and researchers . All bright young things , on their way up , or looking as if they were , with their murderers and their mercenaries and their adulterers . He caught Emily ' s eye on him and looked away quickly . Adulterers . That 's what they both were , technically speaking .
Idiom: in the club (used idiomatically: yes)
Then perhaps you 'd be good enough to answer the first of those questions,’ she said . He gave a nod of assent . ‘ Several moments ago I asked you why you thought there was a drugs ring operating in the club,’ she said . ‘ So far I have n't heard your answer.’ ‘ I was given the information,’ he told her , ‘ by a young man who 's horrified by what his brother has become because of drugs .
Idiom: on a roll (used idiomatically: yes)
The next day , Dr Ralph Shaw publicized Richard 's claims to the throne in a sermon at St Paul 's Cross . The justification for Gloucester 's assumption of power confused contemporaries and has continued to arouse controversy . The fullest version of Gloucester 's arguments is to be found on the parliament roll of January 1484 and purports to be the petition presented to Gloucester when he was asked to take the throne in June . It is , however , doubtful whether this genuinely represents the ideas circulating in 1483 . The 1484 act is scathing about the misrule of Edward IV :
Idiom: separate the sheep from the goats (used idiomatically: no)
The unrepentant cities will be condemned because they did not turn from their sins despite his mighty works ( Matt . 11:21 ; Luke 10:13 ) . Christ himself will appear as the judge of all people to separate the sheep from the goats ( Matt . 25:31 ) . He will discern between those who say ‘ Lord , Lord’ as an empty profession and those who yielded their lives to the service of God ( Matt .
Idiom: play into someone's hands (used idiomatically: no)
It is the Yemeni government 's inability to find a political solution to these problems that has led Yemen to the brink of fragmentation . So far , Obama and Brown seem unable to fully grasp the fact that Yemen 's problems go well beyond Al ~ Qaeda 's presence in the country . As a result , they appear to be playing into Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh 's hands . Saleh wants to use the London conference as a means to leverage Western backing , particularly military aid , to pursue his wars against the Houthis and the southern secessionists . Saleh has regularly employed the danger of Al ~ Qaeda to obtain additional financial and security support from both the West and Saudi ~ Arabia .
Idiom: in a rut (used idiomatically: yes)
It 's no accident that you wo n't find many of them working at Mephistco , despite our much vaunted equal opportunities policy . I know I should n't say so , but they 're obsessive , reactionary and excruciatingly provincial . Stuck in a late - medieval rut . She sits there , nearly crushing the spindly , modish bench some twee designer has deemed appropriate for business chitchat . Implacable , with arms folded , and a mulish pout .
Idiom: join the club (used idiomatically: yes)
GIRL guides in Darlington are planning to help children in County Durham 's beleagured Russian twin city Kostroma . They hope to collect around 800 tins of food at their annual Thinking Day service at St Teresa 's Church on Sunday . Big rush to join new fitness club WEAR Valley 's newly - launched Wear Fit Club has attracted more than 3,500 members more than 50pc of its 6,000 target since enrolment started on Monday . The club is a discount scheme to be operated in all the district council 's leisure facilities from April .
Idiom: blow the lid off (used idiomatically: yes)
SEXUAL HARASSMENT IN THE WORK PLACE by Eileen O'Connor Since we included a short article on this topic in the ' Newsheet ' last year , the lid has been blown off several skeletons in the National closet . During the last twelve months subjects that would have been considered taboo , in this Country , have received widespread media attention . Behaviour that historically , we would have pretended , did not happen in our good , God - fearing country , has suddenly become the latest front page filler this year .
Idiom: up in the air (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ A what?’ interrupted Molly naively . Yanto tried to be serious as he explained to the girls , which was n't easy with Billy 's skinny six foot frame shaking with mirth alongside him . ‘ Well , when a stag mates with a hind , he first scrapes a hole in the ground Then he gets her head and shoulders down the hole , leaving her rear end sticking up in the air so he can sort of get at her easier like.’ Both the girls had started to turn pink . ‘ But what 's all that hair?’
Idiom: take it or leave it (used idiomatically: yes)
One basket was for the house ; a different basket held larger eggs , chosen to be set for hatching . For winter time , when hens were cold and idle , great crocks of waterglass stood , massive , under the lower shelves to receive and preserve eggs for cooking — scrambling , perhaps , never poaching or boiling . Nicandra looked forward to Sunday mornings when she had a soft - boiled egg for breakfast — on weekdays it was porridge and milk , take it or leave it , sometimes fried bread , the fat not always bacon . Breakfasts in the holidays , when Mademoiselle had gone back to France and Nicandra to old Nannie in the nursery , were of even poorer quality . Mrs Geary had a low opinion of Nannie a spy and reporter when she was n't mending the sheets and darning the stockings , and at all times a pensioner to be despised and deprived whenever possible .
Idiom: in the black (used idiomatically: yes)
Profits from food distribution rose from £ 6.8 million to £ 7.0 million with the US business , Martin - Bowers , gaining from new accounts won during the year . The shares added 3p to 470p . Market members back in the black MEMBER firms of the London Stock Exchange were thought to be back in profit in the last quarter of 1992 after a third - quarter deficit caused by heavy dealing losses and falling revenues . In the first six months of 1992 , member firms ' pre - tax aggregate profits totalled £ 131 million .
Idiom: green light (used idiomatically: yes)
Tour goes ahead Graham Otway ENGLAND 'S winter cricket tour to India received the green light yesterday despite the recent fierce rioting on the sub-continent between rival Muslim and Hindu factions . The Test and County Cricket Board 's chief executive Alan Smith said he was satisfied with assurances he had been given about the safety of Graham Gooch 's 16-man squad . Smith received a telex yesterday from the Indian Board president Mahdav Cindra , via the British High Commission in Delhi , confirming that the rioting that followed the destruction of a Muslim mosque had died down .
Idiom: sleep rough (used idiomatically: yes)
The major problem faced by homeless people is that of not having a home . Most homeless people are not ‘ social problems’ in any other respect than that they need a roof over their head . The stereotyped view of a homeless person used to be of a drunkard who has slipped into the gutter as a result of a lifetime 's fecklessness and , more recently , the visible evidence of frankly mentally disordered people on city streets , the phenomenon of ‘ Cardboard City’ and the increasing numbers of people sleeping rough has merely added to the belief that most homeless people are destitute wrecks or foolish youths . In reality , however , the majority of the homeless are families , particularly single - parent families , living in bed and breakfast lodgings or cheap hotels while they wait to be rehoused by the local council . The physical conditions in which many of these families live are extremely seedy , with seriously inadequate sanitary and cooking facilities and little privacy or space .
Idiom: in the running (used idiomatically: yes)
Jones based her judgement on the fact that yesterday Indonesia crushed Malaysia in the qualifying round , losing just two games in their 3-0 win . In many eyes , Britain could leave Tokyo as winners anyway . In yesterday 's opening ceremony they wore one of the most striking two-piece outfits which put them in the running for the ‘ elegance ’ award for the best dressed team . The award will be presented tomorrow night . The Soviet team had a go , too .
Idiom: all over the place (used idiomatically: yes)
I would ask of the game 's administrators here in Ulster is — when the money was being made freely available to provide all kinds of sports and leisure facilities here , where was the Ulster Council of the Lawn Tennis Association ? . Funds In the relatively affluent days of the 70s and early 80s leisure centres , squash courts and swimming pools sprang up all over the place , much of it made available through international funds . Unfortunately local officials seemed unable to look beyond the confines of their own little scene and the opportunity to develop the game here was lost . Talent
Idiom: think twice (used idiomatically: yes)
With his leg and one thing and another it does make a difference having a ‘ phone … Now it 's like robbing Peter to pay Paul , you 're not living you 're just existing . Now you 've got to think twice before you can breath tidy . The women cashed in insurance policies and used up their savings and redundancy money . They cut down on cigarettes , food , heating and lighting , and stopped buying clothes and presents .
Idiom: spit it out (used idiomatically: no)
I had been bred to regard the Jews as a people of the Book , who had suffered for their devotion to one God . The word Jew was sacred to my family for being not the sign but the symbol of something we all deeply intuited . Jean - Claude 's use of the word — the way he spat it out as if dirt clung to it — was a blasphemy that made me feel sick . And then there was his secrecy , his concealments , his clandestine behaviour . I wondered whether he preferred the sexual experiences I imagined he must be having with all sorts of men to the one we shared .
Idiom: foam at the mouth (used idiomatically: yes)
But after one particularly long session of playing on it he began to feel strange . He says that he felt strange and fell onto the floor . She says he was shaking and foaming at the mouth — she was terrified . Doctors at the National Epilepsy centre at the Park hospital in Oxford carry out research into what can trigger epileptic fits . They can simulate the flashing effects of video game and TV screens and measure it 's effects on the brain .
Idiom: in bed with (used idiomatically: yes)
No well what they 've got is they 've got that little settee thing that two seater Oh yeah . so he can either sleep in bed with his dad and J J or but they make him up a bed on that . But they will give him a bed if he 's got him right , right ? Mm .
Idiom: change hands (used idiomatically: yes)
It was not entirely satisfactory ; the arrangements were complicated . " Even at one or two a.m. the night before , we were not sure we could go there , " said the Queen later . But at the last moment , the Bahamian government agreed ( there were rumours that a good deal of money changed hands ) , and a new flight plan was drawn up for Hassan 's 747 . The plane crossed the wine - dark ocean with very few passengers aboard . Apart from the Shah and the Queen , there were Colonel Jahanbini , the Shah 's principal bodyguard ; a few other guards ; his valet , Pourshoja ; the faithful Dr Lucy Pirnia , the family doctor ; and the dogs .
Idiom: on edge (used idiomatically: no)
Kubrick presumably thinks that scientists , engineers and astronauts are dull dogs , a perception ( or rather , opinion , since it 's often untrue ) that he may not have imparted to Clarke . A similar banality in 2010 is unrelieved by Kubrick 's wicked irony , but is partly concealed by the excellent acting of Scheider , Mirren , Balaban , Lithgow , Baskin , and , of course , Douglas Rain again as the voice of HAL — he alone had escaped from Kubrick 's anti — acting regime in 2001 , to become the only character that anyone cares about or indeed remembers . MGM 's studio at Borehamwood , on the northwest edge of London and just along the road from Elstree , was made by Kubrick to accommodate a space station interior over 300 feet ( 90 m ) long , sloping up at one end nearly 40 feet ( 12 m ) . The background screen for the African transparencies in ' The Dawn of Man ' was 40 x 90 feet ( 12 x 27 m ) . The centrifuge in which Poole ( Gary Lockwood ) jogs was some 33 feet ( 10 m ) high .
Idiom: ahead of the game (used idiomatically: yes)
Though in the last resort any conductor is an autocratic figure , Karajan 's methods of musical preparation tended to be practical and co - operative rather than formal or didactic . It has been said that he understood the psychology of an orchestra better than almost any other conductor . In the first place , his rehearsals were always scrupulously prepared ; in the second , he generally tried to ensure that the players themselves felt that they were ahead of the game . Rehearsals , older Philharmonia players recall , never overran . However pressed they were , Karajan would always contrive to finish that little bit early .
Idiom: out of the blue (used idiomatically: yes)
She did something to a man : made him feel about six , and caught with a warm jam puff from the kitchen table . His eye , coasting with embarrassment round the room , fell on a letter from Jackson 's , the publishers . Out of the blue he said : ' I only wish she could still be alive to enjoy it . The fuss , I mean , and the money . She would have enjoyed having a bit of extra money . '
Idiom: pull the plug (used idiomatically: yes)
They reckon that if erm Australia lose another match it could mean that they wo n't even make the semi finals and erm they reckon like that , that channel nine that 's supposed to be backing all this Oh yeah , aha well they think they 'll pull the plug on it Oh yes and show re - runs of Neighbours instead , now can you think can you imagine anything worse than that ?
Idiom: out of the box (used idiomatically: yes)
' What is your name ? ' it asked . The voice was faint and troubled , and sounded like that of an old female eagle . When they had carried him into his cage that afternoon and taken him out of the carrier box in which he had journeyed for so long , he had hardly dared to look around him at the other cages . But he had finally done so and had seen other eagles , each in his own cage , all mature , all seeming big and threatening . Most had ignored him , some had ruffled and flown in their cages from side to side , clashing their great talons on the bars to intimidate him .
Idiom: go to ground (used idiomatically: yes)
Warner asked . ‘ In what way?’ ‘ He 'll probably go to ground . I just spoke to Jackson . He 's hopeful.’
Idiom: fly off the handle (used idiomatically: yes)
He did n't bother to look at Tessa . ‘ You can scarcely pretend that I 'm a prowler or whatever : someone you 've never met . But I do n't want you to fly off the handle,’ he smiled at Annie as if he knew her temperament of old , ‘ or do anything rash . I think you should talk it all over with Miss Nice Tits , here . But I can see how you might think you could gain an advantage — me having problems with the local police while you work out a way to come up smelling sweet .
Idiom: up and running (used idiomatically: yes)
Project engineer Geoff Woollard , who is based at Brunner House , said ‘ We have built a data base of refrigeration sets within ICI and produced technical information on good containment practice and refrigerant conversion for ICI sites.’ Solvents plant benefits from Hydecat The award - winning Hydecat process is up and running … at Solvents ' Per / Tri plant at runcorn . If the trials prove successful further installations could follow . A Hydecat , developed by C&P 's Katalco business at Billingham , uses a unique catalyst to convert unwanted hypochlorite into oxygen and salt water .
Idiom: on the shelf (used idiomatically: yes)
' Very much , ' he said . ' They 're in your library . ' They were made in Plasticine , and obviously based on photographs of Hindu sculpture in the art books on his bottom shelves . The six - year - old instinct had made them curiously abstract , and Thomas was much moved . The two were poring over them when Simon came into the room .
Idiom: make history (used idiomatically: yes)
The organisers responded to the possible lifting of sporting restrictions on South Africa by reserving a place in the 24-team line - up when invitations were sent out in June this year . For several months the Hong Kong Sevens waited , hoping that the country 's two rugby bodies would unite as quickly as they had in some other sports — most notably cricket . But while their cricketing cousins were making history at the Calcutta Eden Garden pitch , rugby was still embroiled in the hard world of politics . With no hint that unification was soon forthcoming , the Sevens ' organisers sent their invitation elsewhere , and despite the absence of the Springboks , the April 4–5 tournament will still see some new faces . They may not be in the same class as the Springboks , but Namibia and Romania will be as heartily cheered by the tournament 's crowd when they make their appearances next year .