Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: by the by (used idiomatically: no)
Er it 's agreed by the er Executive that 's doing it . by the by the er s the sa sales the marketing executive and the golf club agreed a number . Okay . All right ?
Idiom: get the better of (used idiomatically: yes)
Not too much to worry about though . ‘ Is anything bothering you , Georgina?’ After a moment 's pause , Georgina feels her emotions getting the better of her . ‘ It 's Mandy . She 's so rude and ungrateful for everything we do .
Idiom: jump to conclusions (used idiomatically: yes)
Unless you have married a man who is unusually attached to his mother ( which is another matter altogether ) , it will be unlikely to occur to your husband that he needs to do anything more to make his mother happy than to be a kind and dutiful son , who has given her sanctuary in his own home in her later years ; but if he is a man of feeling , it will not be difficult to persuade him of her need for his company : her need to be taken out for a run in the car with him alone sometimes , to be kissed when he kisses you when he gets home in the evening , and occasionally to be brought a bunch of flowers instead of you . All are such small things , but they can be surprisingly effective in stopping the rot of jealousy from setting in and spoiling family life , and can make her much more contented and secure . If , on the other hand you are married to a man who , on the surface at least , appears to be more attentive to his mother 's needs than to yours , try not to become upset and regard her as a threat or a rival , and avoid jumping to the conclusion that your marriage is a failure and that you are unloved . Look for the reasons for his behaviour . There can be a great variety of these ; one of the most common is the death , absence , or emotional withdrawal of his father during the formative years of his childhood , which made him draw closer to his mother than he would otherwise have done .
Idiom: in the clear (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ No , we did n't think she did . You see , it needed more strength than an elderly lady or a boy could have . You 're both in the clear.’ ‘ Yeah , that 's all right then.’ Dalgliesh said :
Idiom: off the hook (used idiomatically: yes)
But I had been caught , well and truly , and had paid the price , time and time again . Even worse . Telling the whole truth about the Ayr salmon , rather than letting me off the hook , only improved the tale . Which Sykes still tells , with relish , every time we meet . STABBS
Idiom: apples and oranges (used idiomatically: yes)
Of course it 's the cheese , milk , eggs , meat , fried foods , cakes , pastries , pies , nuts , cream , ice cream , mayonnaise , sauces … the list is endless . What foods are left , then , which contain no fat or at least very little ? At first it is difficult to think of anything except apples and oranges ! I prepared a diet as free from fat as possible yet incorporating protein , carbohydrate , vitamins and minerals . In formulating the diet I paid particular attention to moisture , realizing that , after all , the inclusion of fat in our daily diet added considerably to its palatability .
Idiom: cut no ice (used idiomatically: yes)
That helped nearly halve losses to £ 79 million in the last six months Quit call as Ratners profits dive GERALD RATNER 'S pay cut from £ 574,000 to £ 383,000 a year cut no ice with angry shareholders yesterday after the jewellery tycoon admitted that losses at the chain 's near 2,000 shops ballooned from £ 17,700,000 to £ 30,600,000 in the six months to August . His pay was branded ‘ utterly obscene’ amid calls for him to quit and drop his name from the company . Sales plunged by 14 per cent to £ 364 million , the annual meeting heard .
Idiom: with a vengeance (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ This powder will make Mrs William 's skin white again.’ One evening in mid - April , Dr Jaffery and I were walking down the Chandni Chowk heading towards the doctor 's rooms in the Ghazi - ud - Din Medresse . It was the end of Ramadan and the Old City , funereal for the last month , had sprung back to life with a vengeance . Fairy lights were hung over many of the mosques and houses . As we walked we had to negotiate our way through thick crowds clustering around the sweet shops and the sewing machines of the derzis ( tailors ) :
Idiom: take the plunge (used idiomatically: yes)
More and more professional firms are bound by slower cash flow and increasing debt and there is a need to tighten control and increase efficiency . Computers are one of the aids to achieving effective control of costs and time . The problem which many firms face is overcoming ‘ techno - fear’ and taking the plunge into a new computer system . Common concerns are the expense of a system and ignorance of how computers work . Alasdair MacCormick , who runs Law Practice Management , a consultancy which advises on the selection of computer systems , feels that knowing how computers work is not important .
Idiom: leave someone in the lurch (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ You do n't have to , my boy.’ ‘ No , no , please . I 'm not going to leave you in the lurch . Maybe we could have a word in the afternoon , Robert . I 've got a new toy I want to show you.’
Idiom: into thin air (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Was that the last report of anybody seeing her?’ ‘ Almost . A woman friend saw her driving out of town a few minutes later ; after that she just vanished into thin air . Your shout , I think.’ Kersey went to the bar and had to wait while a group of fishermen jointly related to the landlord a story of putting into an Irish port for shelter and being suspected by the Garda of gunrunning for the IRA .
Idiom: in the long term (used idiomatically: yes)
This view is enforced when one remembers that investment lead times — that is , the period between basic investment in assets and the time when the product shows up as profitable in the company accounts — can be quite long . As we have already seen , it can take several years for a product to come on stream , let alone break even in reported accounts ; seven or more years is possible in some industries ( see Tomkins et al . , 1978 ) . The PIMS data still give some cause for puzzlement over the question of investment intensity , however , because Buzzell and Gale show that five - year averages of ROI are highly positively related to increases in the long - term value of the business , both being closely and positively associated with initial competitive position . ( The basis of their valuation of the business will be explained in chapter 6 . ) One might infer from this that investment intensity is therefore also negatively correlated with increases in the value of the business over a five - year period .
Idiom: go hand in hand (used idiomatically: yes)
In the field opposite are fissures in the underlying limestone , entrances to long subterranean passages . Of much greater significance , however , is the skyline of the fells rising to the east , where above the 2000-ft contour and barely a mile apart two important rivers have their beginnings — the Eden , destined to flow north to the Solway Firth , and the Ure , bound eastwards for Wensleydale and ultimately the North Sea . From Aisgill Summit , the railway , the road and the River Eden go hand in hand down Mallerstang , forced into close company by the impending slopes , and almost at once there appears on the right the magnificent spectacle of Hellgill Force where the infant Eden , thus far known as Hell Gill Beck , leaps in a waterfall of 60 feet over a limestone cliff and comes to maturity as the River Eden . You can reach the waterfall by a lane leaving the road at the cottages . A short mile further on , the road passes over the stream , Ais Gill , issuing from the impressive limestone confines of White Kirk , hidden by the railway viaduct and unseen and unsuspected from the road which continues uneventfully down the valley and arrives at the compact little community of Outhgill .
Idiom: make waves (used idiomatically: yes)
I find I am very vulnerable to confusion and regret . If I were given my head , which I never am or will be ( for I am impotent . I can make no waves ) , I would remain faithful to Irene . At least until my wife shows up . It happens to be a matter of principle .
Idiom: sleight of hand (used idiomatically: yes)
STRIPPED OF the spiritual baggage , philosophical hokum and rune mythology he usually insists on dragging around with him , Julian Cope is revealed here as a rock ' n ' roll archivist par excellence . He somehow manages to distil the very essence of everything good in the lineage of Bobby Vee , Jefferson Airplane , Bob Marley and The Fall , mangle the results in the scrambled computer of his mind and offer up a new vision so convincing you forgive his rants against organised religion . And , of course , he 's so revered for this sleight - of - hand that he 's constructed a two and a half hour show to appeal mainly to his legions of cultish disciples who 've been waiting quite a few years for him to make sense again . They 're in rapture tonight . The walls are heaving .
Idiom: babe in arms (used idiomatically: yes)
The kinship evoked of human adult reactions in such circumstances , remembering our previous analysis of recognition , would be reason enough to say that the dog noticed the workmen and did n't like what it saw ; albeit a ‘ thin ‘ attribution . Warnock 's example , and its supporting analysis , might well be grounds for arguing that any living creature whatsoever might see anything . His babe in arms would be no more responsive to Lloyd George 's leonine appearance than would an accompanying parakeet in a cage and if both , having seen him , were then carried around the National Gallery , it would be equally valid to claim that they had seen the works of art on display as well . Warnock 's error is to have neglected the necessity , in any account of seeing , of the subject 's capability of noticing what it can be said to perceive . We can generalise from the rights and wrongs of his account of seeing to the use of the other senses as well .
Idiom: turn a blind eye (used idiomatically: yes)
You think it 's bad here in the burrow ? Down round the equator , nobody'll even accept that they 're seeing you . Not even the fine citizens of Ecoville who have to get their rake - off too , or they would n't turn a blind eye to it . You ever figure that ? Did your sister ?
Idiom: call the tune (used idiomatically: yes)
Despite Clinton 's hopes for action within the first 100 days of his administration , it is more realistic to expect legislative hearings during March and April and the earliest Congressional action on any legislation in May or early June . And though the protracted battles between Congress and the Bush administration which have been waged in recent years are unlikely , Clinton 's proposals could be changed significantly by Congress prior to enactment . He 's calling the tune on taxes now photocopier contracts CONTRACTS TO PRINT MONEY ?
Idiom: come to grief (used idiomatically: yes)
Could they swim?’ And he reserved a ladder and a coil of rope , always to be ready . Then might not the rotting stump of the tree split under their weight and they come to grief ? So in winter he kept a large torch to hand , in case . With advancing years , and after the birth of his eighth child , my grandfather left the marriage bed and moved into a bedroom across the landing of the main staircase .
Idiom: head south (used idiomatically: yes)
Even the digression up to Cajamarca now seemed in retrospect more like an adventure than something to send shivers down the spine . But though my spirits were high , the shadow of that man , who liked to be called the Ángel of Death , travelled with me , the memory of his good looks , his well - oiled virility , above all Iris Sunderby 's apparent infatuation , constantly there in my mind . Ward took the wheel as we left the hotel , but instead of heading south , he turned north , and when Iris Sunderby remonstrated with him , all he said was , ‘ Chanchán . Ah'm bloody well goin' to have a look at Chanchán.’ Adding , by way of explanation , that it was the old Chimú capital .
Idiom: play games (used idiomatically: yes)
Even a modest PC has more raw power than an Amiga 600 or Atari ST and comes with hard , as well as floppy , disks , allowing programmers to include more levels and better graphics . They tend to have at least one , and often two to four megabytes of memory and can display 256 colours at once . Prices for a PC with the extras required to play games start at Pounds 700 . Leisure bundles are available from several manufacturers . The practical games PC should have a 386SX processor , 2Mb of RAM , a 40Mb hard disk and an Ad - Lib or Sound Blaster - compatible sound card .
Idiom: up to no good (used idiomatically: yes)
She said : " Yes . " They moved away together towards the music . The waistline of her white dress , belted solid with beads and diamante , gave her the look of a page walking with a courtly gentleman disguised in black — doublet and hose lying in a chest at home an elongated miniature by Hillyard , a gentleman up to no good . Aunt Tossie could never bring herself to disapprove of any man , however loaded with mischief ; she preferred men like that . But , always kind : " Well , Robert , dear fellow , " she crooned when he came back from the bar ( where he had bought a third bottle of champagne ) .
Idiom: against the grain (used idiomatically: yes)
You do n't point guns at people.’ It appeared then that Adam had actually been out shooting the last time he was here . He had only been fifteen and had been given the four - ten , the so - called lady 's gun , which Rufus gathered had rather gone against the grain . Since then he had often recalled what Adam said next , had taken the gun from him and remarked that it was a pump - action shot - gun . ‘ What does that mean?’
Idiom: with a view to (used idiomatically: yes)
THE commodity group , Berisford International , looked set yesterday to take over C&J Clark , the family - controlled shoemaker that has been wracked by internal feuding . On Monday Clark 's board met to weigh up three rival offers , all believed to be about £ 150 million . The board announced yesterday it had chosen Berisford ‘ as the party to proceed to the next stage of negotiations’ with a view to making an offer for Clark . Berisford 's path was also smoothed when another contender , Marks & Spencer shoe supplier Fii , said it was pulling out of the bid battle and relisting its shares , which had been suspended pending the outcome . The third bidder was an investment group said to include Electra , Legal & General and Prudential .
Idiom: go all the way (used idiomatically: no)
To tell what the Tories are doing to the N H S , I mean I do n't think it 's a case of us making them aware of what 's happening . They know what they 're doing to the N H S. I , come on I mean , if El Presidente Michael Heseltine , has to go all the way to Venice to have a heart attack . Because he 's very much aware of what the Tories are doing to the Health Service same as the rest of the cabinet . And he has to go abroad before he dare have a heart attack .
Idiom: spill the beans (used idiomatically: yes)
Please do n't spill the beans to Elizabeth that I bought her a gold necklace for her birthday .
Idiom: take a back seat (used idiomatically: yes)
The link between urban form and transport was never clearer , but realizable solutions seemed as far away as ever . Glasgow , Liverpool , Newcastle and Leeds pressed on with their extensive highway systems , but other cities abandoned them and by the mid-1970s an urban road policy in the context of an explicit town planning framework was stood on its head . Urban road construction took a back seat as new interest was shown in restrictions on existing road usage , possibilities of upgrading public transport ( as suggested by the introduction of the metro for Tyne - Wear ) , and policies on subsidized fares . In a sense , however , the problem identified by Buchanan may have passed . The working group forecast 19 million cars ( 27 million vehicles ) on British roads by 1980 and 30 million cars ( 40 million vehicles ) by 2010 .
Idiom: do a runner (used idiomatically: yes)
We had one or two , one or two vagrants knocking about , and we just asked them to move on , and they moved on . We 've had one or two juveniles that 's run away from home sleeping in the in the outhouses . There again , rather than wake them up , and the they do a runner , we get on to the phone , tell the police that there 's a a juvenile or what looks like to be a juvenile , sleeping in in part of the flats but where it 's a a stairwell , an ou outhouse , erm even under the stairs , then they 'll come along and check it out . Nine out of ten it 's a runaway . And they 'll just , they 'll eit you know , just hand it over to the police and that 's as far as we 'll go .
Idiom: point the finger (used idiomatically: yes)
Right , a few problems yesterday , a forklift and trailer keys not being signed in and I had taking them home . Yeah . Pete says nobody 's pointed a finger , can we get big fobs on like hotel keys so they do n't take the damn things home or leave them in their pockets . Or if you Yeah you 're right I mean
Idiom: get off the ground (used idiomatically: yes)
Harris smiled gently , shaking his head . ‘ I do n't want to sound patronizing , Paul , but you 're talking about a fuel - load/ power ratio which is just not feasible . In strictly layman 's terms , the amount of additional engine - weight and fuel that any supersonic aircraft could get off the ground would give a few minutes of sub - orbital time , if that . It just would n't be worth it.’ ‘ Would n't it?’
Idiom: hold someone's hand (used idiomatically: yes)
I had aches in muscles I never knew I owned . from a standing position the bathroom was even colder and smellier than it had looked before . I went across to the dripping tap and held my swollen hand under the cold running water . I splashed more over my face . It looks therapeutic in movies but it made me feel worse than ever .
Idiom: in the bag (used idiomatically: yes)
all like me Walkman Where is it ? In your bag with your kit ! It is in me bag and with me kit now . I know I 've seen it .
Idiom: my eye (used idiomatically: yes)
I began to take notice of her when she was hardly thirteen years old . [ PAMELA enters behind him as if in his imagination ] Her charms increased every day , not only in my eye but in the eyes of all who beheld her , for my mother took the greatest delight in her waiting maid . [ MRS . BELVILLE enters with MRS .
Idiom: steer clear of (used idiomatically: yes)
His method was simple and direct . He visited , at considerable risk to his health , prisoners at their place of confinement . Not for Howard the prison tour which , avoiding the darker recesses , steered clear of the conditions endured by all those confined . Howard 's accounts received such widespread attention at the time and are still read two hundred years after his death because he so precisely ‘ set down matter of fact’ . His general purpose was to humanize prison conditions and to provide prisoners with opportunities for personal reformation .
Idiom: get the boot (used idiomatically: yes)
Yeah . And then all baby 's stuff , he said Well they 've got a boot ! So Ah !
Idiom: have a ball (used idiomatically: yes)
Only when the opposition are right back on the defence or for free kicks . With us we try and break down the flanks with the full backs . Thinking about it it used to work with Sterland , but then he only came forward AFTER strach had the ball and when the opposition were pushed right back … and he crossed it while in front of the defender rather than having to get round him . That s it . We get caught out with long balls to where our defender has just come from .
Idiom: paper over the cracks (used idiomatically: yes)
Wycliffe , anxious to get away , kept comment to a minimum . The Chief sighed . ‘ It 's part of the pattern , Charles ; society disintegrates before our eyes and we are expected to paper over the cracks.’ It was mid - day before Wycliffe made his escape . He had his week - end bag in the car and , short of an emergency , it would be several days before he was home again .
Idiom: way to go (used idiomatically: no)
THE MODERN ERA We are now in the midst of a most exciting stage in cell and developmental biology . The revolution that resulted in molecular biology enabled us to begin to understand many of the processes in the cell at the molecular level , although it must be stressed that we have a long way to go . The fundamental achievement was the elucidation of the structure of DNA and proteins together with the mechanisms by which genes code for and control the structure of proteins . Part of the beauty of this revolution was the recognition that at the level of genes and proteins the mechanisms used by all animals are almost universal .
Idiom: get to the bottom of (used idiomatically: no)
I 've heard name before but I do n't know who he is cos I were n't watching it , I were upstairs , I 've only just come Hey guess what ! What ? I got to bottom of washing basket . And he ca n't spoil it . Why ?
Idiom: under the influence (used idiomatically: yes)
Similarly , convicts can not vote , while unconvicted ( remand ) prisoners can use a postal vote . Apart from those who have been deprived of their freedom by the state , and at the discretion of the electoral registration officer , anyone over the age of 18 is eligible to register to vote . On polling day , it is the responsibility of the polling officer to decide whether someone who is under the influence of drink or drugs , or someone who has a severe learning disability , should or should not vote . In the latter case , it is extremely rare for a potential voter who is in possession of a polling card to be turned away . An ESRC - funded study at the department of psychology of the University College of Swansea of 52 people in their twenties with Down 's syndrome found that there is obviously confusion about who can and can not vote , that there is clear overlap in the abilities of those who vote and those who do not and that decisions on voting are not made strictly on the abilities of the person with Down 's syndrome .
Idiom: bounce off the walls (used idiomatically: yes)
' Basically we have adopted the original Decca configuration of microphones used from the 1950s through to the 1970s , but we do n't use a tree microphone in the middle of the orchestra ; we have a three - point microphone in front of the conductor and an omni - pair on either side to cover the first violin and first cello . Then for the acoustics of this hall where sound gets congested at the back of the orchestra we have two hyper - cardioid microphones ( which are very directional ) looking down onto the percussion . We have also set up a couple of microphones in the real of the hall to break up the echoes which would otherwise bounce off that wall . ' Even with the simple approach it was important to run acoustic tests in the hall beforehand . ' All the microphones are carefully calibrated for the working distance that is being used , ' Johnson said .
Idiom: to say the least (used idiomatically: yes)
A PRESTIGIOUS FAMILY Leonard Norman Cohen was born on September 21 , 1934 , to Nathan B. Cohen and his wife Masha , citizens of Montreal , Quebec . The times , to say the least , were not propitious . The New York stock - market had collapsed but five years previously , ushering in a period of need and anguish not only across America and Canada ( New York is but 400 miles from Montreal ) , but throughout Europe , too . In Canada it came to be known as ‘ The 10 Lost Years’ , which were devastating for those on the prairies and very difficult for those in the cities .
Idiom: play games (used idiomatically: yes)
My Nexus 10 is Heating , that often happens while playing game for more than 5 minutes Is it normal ? Any processor will get hot when it 's working hard , like playing a game .