Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: Dutch courage (used idiomatically: yes)
She did n't normally drink any alcohol , but , if there was ever a time that she stood in need of hard liquor , this was definitely it ! Tipping down her throat a large measure of neat bourbon , she gasped , leaning weakly against the wall and shuddering as the fiery liquid scorched its way down into her stomach . And then , feeling slightly light - headed from the Dutch courage , Laura returned to the living - room . ‘ I 've just had a quick word with Carole Meadows,’ Ross told her as he put down the phone . ‘ Apparently Emma and Sophie are fine — bearing up very well — although Mrs Meadows says that she has n't done any more than to tell the children that their parents have had a slight accident .
Idiom: lay odds (used idiomatically: yes)
Not only is it an American plane that is responsible for the dreadful situation in which we find ourselves , but it was someone in America who was ultimately responsible . if they ever do discover who was responsible , and it 's not without the bounds of possibility , it 's going to cause an awful lot of red faces and I 'm not just referring to the villain himself . I 'd lay odds that the person responsible is an insider , a pretty high - up insider with free access to secret information , such as closely guarded secrets as to the composition of the cargo , the destination and the time of take - off and arrival . Would n't you agree , Commander?’ ‘ I do n't see how it can be otherwise .
Idiom: out and about (used idiomatically: yes)
I mean , is it going to be dangerous in any way ? Oh , no , no . We 've got to realise that there 's going to families out and about , and what we 'll do is the aircraft er I have n't seen the scenario on paper , but just off the top of my head , I can tell you that the aircraft will make their approaches to the base as if it were a real target . The aircraft will not be armed in any form whatsoever . Our safety regulations er dictate that they be a certain distance from the crowd , so that if anything did go wrong , the aircraft would be able to er get out of the way , but no , there is not going to be any danger at all , they 'll make their approaches to the base as if they were attacking , and then we 'll have simulated ground bursts , a large fire as it were , on the ground , it will be going off , providing the sound effects for it , but it 's going to be just a great thing to sit and watch .
Idiom: err on the side of (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ It is for government to regulate on behalf of the community , to set the standards and the environmental goals,’ said Mr Patten emphatically . ‘ Planning,’ he later added , ‘ is a form of regulation to enhance the quality of life.’ Pattenism is not to be a continuation of Ridleyism : an important theme underlying the whole speech was that he intends not to err on the side of market forces at the expense of planning restrictions . Regulate ? Deregulate is the British cry for the Europe of 1992 .
Idiom: tell tales (used idiomatically: yes)
This time it did n't . It happened to me . I lived to tell the tale , but my aeroplane , G - FLIX , Flyer 's own , did n't . The first questions which faced me after my own Worst Day were simple . Was it an accident , was I pushed , or was I just plain stupid ?
Idiom: shut the door on (used idiomatically: yes)
He ca n't talk ? the priest murmured : how very distressing . He took his leave . Madeleine grimaced after she 'd shut the door on him . Two small whiskies and her words were unguarded . It looks better , does n't it , if he agrees with what the Bishop wants .
Idiom: out of the blue (used idiomatically: yes)
Cabin crew immediately flashed her reply from Bangor in Maine to Colin Gardener waiting anxiously at his home near Wigan , Lancs . Medical rep Janet was coming home after winning a trip to Jamaica . She said yesterday : ‘ The proposal came out of the blue . ‘ I was so stunned . I love Colin dearly but we 've never even discussed marriage .
Idiom: under the sun (used idiomatically: yes)
Looking back at the variety of studies conducted on plants in the little field at Henfaes , I feel little temptation to explain the behaviour of organisms within it as perfectly fitted for adaptive optima in an ideally evolved ecosystem . Rather , I see the population of plants trapped in narrowly constrained evolved ruts , bearing the battered imprint of recent and not - so - recent selective and other forces . ‘ I returned , and saw under the sun , that the race is not to the swift , nor the battle to the strong , neither yet bread to the wise , nor yet riches to men of understanding , not yet favour to men of skill ; but time and chance happeneth to them all’(Ecclesiastes ) . PLATE TECTONICS AND EVOLUTION A. HALLAM In his famous concluding paragraph of The Origin of Species Darwin expressed wonder that the diversity of the organic world can have been produced from one or a few ancestors by the operation of several natural laws —‘there is grandeur in this view of life … ’ .
Idiom: come to a pretty pass (used idiomatically: yes)
Anything , in fact , except a normal , healthy , adult female . Clinical obesity is , of course , both grotesque and unhealthy . But things have come to a pretty pass when obesity is confused with the wobbly bits the good Lord designed for girls — the bits that should stick out at the front and back of a strapless ballgown . Nowadays , you 're never too young to start fretting about calories . Last week a psychologist , Andrew Hill , revealed that of 213 nine - year - old girls interviewed , a third yearned to be thinner ; some claimed to be dieting .
Idiom: see stars (used idiomatically: yes)
Riven struggled out of the blankets and the cold ate into him at once . He shivered as he buckled on his sword and took up his post , hating the chill darkness and the loneliness . But the wind had dropped , and he could see the stars . He stamped up and down at the limit of the firelight and listened to the silence of the hills . And heard the crunch of brittle snow , out in the darkness .
Idiom: the die is cast (used idiomatically: yes)
At the beach sites of Scheveningen ( Netherlands ) and Cervia ( Italy ) , the girls demonstrated and fought with valour . They were narrowly beaten by a four - nation , eight - man team of elite males in Italy in a spectacle that proved you did n't have to be one of the team to enjoy the fun . The die was cast . Within the year , both the International and the UK Rokkaku Challenges became established . Rules
Idiom: get stuck in (used idiomatically: yes)
Once on board Plan A was rapidly abandoned , carefully prepared by supervisor Dick Hewett and fumigator Denis Dowle . It was sabotaged by an unforeseen fire drill . Plan B sprang to life as technicians , supervisors and even branch manager , Neil Gibson got stuck in . The Russians and Ukrainians could n't have been more friendly or helpful , but after having treated the galleys , on a democratic vote , the entire branch defected to the Deep Pan Pizza restaurant for dinner . Suitably fed and watered , battle was commenced again .
Idiom: kick up a stink (used idiomatically: yes)
The Essex - based rave stars insist on using an ear - crushing 70,000-watt sound system at concerts but council chiefs in Cambridge , Hull , Coventry and Hereford claim local venues could suffer structural damage at that volume . A spokesman for the band , at No 11 with Fire says : ‘ We 've played dozens of gigs in recent months and we have n't brought the roof down yet . ‘ The only reason they 're kicking up a stink is because they do n't like rave music.’ CLAUDIA 'S POISON TERROR SEXY Top Of The Pops star Claudia Simon was rushed to hospital in agony after eating some dodgy olives .
Idiom: paint the town red (used idiomatically: yes)
Poor little rich girl . His remark flashed through her head , stirring her anger , making her respond to André with much more warmth than she normally would have . By the time they were ready to leave she was having to use every ounce of effort to convince André that no , she did n't want to paint the town red , or any other colour , for that matter , and no , she did n't want to have any candlelit dinners with him . Finally she agreed to meet him for lunch the following week , and they agreed a time and a place . All the while , Piers hovered in the background , not saying a word , like some dark , dangerous force that she could turn her back on but could n't quite manage to ignore .
Idiom: have a heart (used idiomatically: no)
It 's like the story Mum used to read me when I was a kid about the white puppy - dog that got lost and its little girl owner looked everywhere for it and when she found it again she did n't recognize it because it 'd got so dirty it was n't her little white dog any longer . I found an indoor market , full of crafty pots and some interesting earrings . I tried some on at £ 16.50 and thought — Dad 's had a heart attack , Mum 's on the verge of suicide . It could happen , if they cared that much . I made a face at my face and it made a face back at me .
Idiom: in the black (used idiomatically: yes)
Those troubles now appear to be over , but Aerolineas Argentinas is still losing money . So is Viasa , a Venezuelan airline in which Iberia has both a 45 % stake and management control . By contrast , Chile 's Ladeco , in which Iberia has a 35 % stake but which it does not manage , is in the black . Iberia is also keen to buy a stake in Pluna , Uruguay 's state airline , and has made three unsuccessful bids for a slice of Bolivia 's flag carrier , Lloyd Aereo Boliviano . The ambitious Spanish carrier is almost certain to make an offer for Peru 's state AeroPeru when it is ( eventually ) privatised , and is also eyeing the Dominican Republic 's airline , Dominicana .
Idiom: green light (used idiomatically: yes)
Designing Regulatory Failure PRAGUE – At the close of last year , European ~ Union finance ministers gave the green light to a new supervisory architecture for the EU ’s financial markets . Now it is up to the European ~ Parliament to address this hypersensitive issue , the most controversial part of which is the powers and responsibilities to be given to the three new pan - European supervisory agencies for banking , securities , and insurance . The parliament ’s decision will be far - reaching , and will affect European finance for many years to come .
Idiom: keep the peace (used idiomatically: yes)
Having been offered shelter by one of the Armstrongs , Hector of Hardlaw , whom he had helped some years previously , he was treacherously handed over to the Earl of Moray , Regent of Scotland since Mary 's enforced abdication . Himself an illegitimate son of Mary 's father , James V , and a collaborator in the murder of Darnley , Moray held on to his captive for a time in that Loch Leven castle where the queen had also been imprisoned . His successor , the Regent Morton , was anxious to keep the peace with England at least until he had consolidated his own position , and ingratiatingly delivered Northumberland up to the East March Warden at Berwick in June 1572 in return for a large cash payment . The rebel lord was beheaded two months later at York . Meanwhile his Countess had been rescued from a Liddesdale cottage ‘ not to be compared to any dog kennel in England’ by the chivalrous Kerr of Ferniehirst , in spite of past feuds with her husband 's family .
Idiom: go from strength to strength (used idiomatically: yes)
Well you got the win , well done . Thank you . Well more misery for Forest another defeat more injuries less to go from strength to strength and we 'll be right back . Hello again . Well we 've heard Brian Little 's point of view .
Idiom: to say the least (used idiomatically: yes)
By nine a.m. , Detective Inspector Richard Montgomery of Nottingham C.I.D. and his trusty assistant , Detective Sergeant William Bird , were speeding up the same road . The information they had was sketchy , to say the least , but they had responded immediately to the appeal of Retford 's station sergeant . ‘ A young doctor on a conference at Randall Lodge . Blunt instrument murder .
Idiom: go straight (used idiomatically: yes)
She will stay at home , even though she has no engagements that night . Yesterday , the couple were apart as Diana lunched at the Brazilian embassy , with her close friend Lucia Flecha de Lima , wife of the ambassador to London . The Prince , arriving back from his trip to Hong Kong , went straight to Highgrove . At Last ! Christian Gysin
Idiom: keep the peace (used idiomatically: no)
The Court of Appeal by a majority ( Bankes and Scrutton L.JJ . , Atkin L.J. dissenting ) affirmed the judgment . VISCOUNT CAVE L.C. : No doubt there is an absolute unconditional obligation binding the police authorities to take all steps which appear to them to be necessary for keeping the peace , for preventing crime , or for protecting property from criminal injury ; and the public , who pay for this protection through the rates and taxes , can not lawfully be called upon to make a further payment for that which is their right … But it has always been recognised that , where individuals desire that services of a special kind which , though not within the obligations of a police authority , can most effectively be rendered by them , should be performed by members of the police force , the police authorities may ( to use an expression which is found in the Police Pensions Act 1890)‘lend’ the services of constables for that purpose in consideration of payment . Instances are the lending of constables on the occasion of large gatherings in and outside private premises , as on the occasions of weddings , athletic or boxing contests or race meetings , and the provision of constables at large railway stations .
Idiom: get the picture (used idiomatically: yes)
Brenda ( seventeen , Jamaican parents ) commented that in Jamaica she had been teased as a " foreigner " because her Creole was not up to scratch : Oh , they call you all — " English gyal , come here English gyal ! " yeh , my sister ' ad it all , my sister ai n't English , my sister 's Jamaican , because she come over here when she was young , when she went back over there they were callin ' her English gyal , the lot [ ] but when she , she ai n't forget nothin' , she can still speak it so she open her mouth and they say sorry [ ri ] ! Then they pick on my cousin . By simply questioning informants it is difficult to get an accurate picture of where and when Creole is actually used at home . Answers tend to be vague and general , and sometimes phrased in terms of domains or interlocutors , as in the following description : Well they do n't really use it , like , well , now and then , like if we 're all in the family , if like my mum 's going to say somefing , right , she wo n't say " Wayne would you go do de dishes please " , she 'll say [ z]somep'n like dat — she would say it in a West Indian talk but normally if like if there 's a visitor or something it would be plain English … It 's like slang like , if two people do n't know each other they talk like formally but if two people know each uvver they use slang , you know to get across because they know each other personally .
Idiom: make the cut (used idiomatically: no)
So in the long run , first of all we saved ourselves an initial risk outlay of a quarter of a million pounds on legal fees , the second thing is that we now have that common land back under control , and within ten years we will recoup all of that money . Okay , let me bring Jean back in , your comments to that then Jean — that 's the answer . Well , not an awful lot really I mean , you know , you , you ca n't win , as I say , it just seemed wrong that you know when people ask being asked to make cuts and make these charges that that amount of money should be spent on something else But , as Mr Powers just explained erm I mean , the decision was taken on in , in view of the fact that it was actually going to save them legal fees Yes
Idiom: mean business (used idiomatically: yes)
I made my choice and went for it . I jumped in , let out a few expletives and was out again just as quickly . Feeling really invigorated I decided to spend my remaining time in the gym and let those machines really know that I meant business ! I had a really great time . When Iarrived home that night I fell into bed and went straight to sleep .
Idiom: run into the sand (used idiomatically: yes)
But it can scarcely be in doubt that these books have in them home truths , and an ironic obliquity or duplicity , which richly relate to the world of Jaruzelski 's predecessors , and indeed to the experience of other countries where literature and opinion have been repressed . Their writing coincided with the rise of Solidarity . They are books which bring together all three of the worlds we inhabit , and they are books which appear to thrive on being seen through — on the transparency of their suggestion that tyrannies , that sycophancy , conspiracy and repression , courts and courtiers , are all on the royal right , and in the bush , and running into the sand . Heroine of Our Time SUICIDE was thought damnable in the Middle Ages , and I expect there are those who have been brought to feel by a book called The Monument that the Middle Ages had a point .
Idiom: do a runner (used idiomatically: yes)
Never!’ ‘ Believe it true , my pretty boy . He did a runner on her , turned up here with a split bone or two , which I fixed , and then he headed off again.’ ‘ Where?’ ‘ Only the Great Lady in the Sky knows that , boy .
Idiom: green light (used idiomatically: yes)
But if you 're going to fail you 'll do it full - face on , not flinching , not whining . You 've done more than you thought you 'd ever get away with and so in a sense it 's all gain from here , in fact it 's been all gain for some time and so you ca n't complain and you do n't intend to if fate deserts you now . He comes to the door just like that ; no servants , no security phone , and that by itself gives you the green light ; you have n't the time for any finessing so you just kick him in the balls and follow him inside as he collapses , foetal on the floor . You close the door , take off your glasses because your vision is so distorted , and kick him in the head ; far too softly , then still not hard enough , as he scrabbles round on the floor , one hand at his crotch and the other at his head , making a spitting , wheezing noise . You kick him again .
Idiom: do the right thing (used idiomatically: no)
She simply sat there , her head sunk down . I wanted her to praise me . Tell me I had done the right thing . After all , I had taken vengeance on her behalf as well as mine . She was the one who had always gone on about what a paragon my father was .
Idiom: out and about (used idiomatically: yes)
Robyn stretched her arms high above her head , releasing some of the tension in her aching shoulders from being hunched over her drawing - board for so long . Friday night , and tomorrow held the prospect of a trip to the Cotswolds to see a prospective client . It would be good to get out and about , to conquer new territory , she thought . The plans had arrived yesterday , promising enormous scope and opportunities . Robyn looked forward to a change from the suburban backyards and business parks she had created of late .
Idiom: in business (used idiomatically: yes)
Then a mother from Clwyd in Wales : ' I am fully in agreement with her motives . When our second child was very ill , the most distressing thought was that total strangers would be the last to touch him . Has she thought of setting up in the coffin business herself ? Someone should . ' And a lady writing from Bristol , who achieved a DIY funeral herself : ' Keeping the funeral in the family made it warm and home - like .
Idiom: out of line (used idiomatically: yes)
So I went back to alight indicator , pulled down only a few inches , which was enough to allow the bream to suck the bait to their lips , and then I paused for a few seconds while I watched the line from the rod - tip tightening in the water . Once the light indicator had reached the limit of its travel the bream had to grip the bait to stop it pulling away from its lips . The line tightening in the water told me they had done so , and I struck before all the bow had been taken out of the line . A simpler way , and often very effective , is to fish with a conventional indicator system , then allow the bream tot take line against an unchecked reel , i.e. with the reel handle revolving backwards . It was not the complete answer to the problem , and I doubt if anyone will find it , but it works better than anything else I know .
Idiom: left and right (used idiomatically: yes)
CAMBRIDGE – What a difference the crisis has made for the International ~ Monetary ~ Fund . It was just a few months ago that this important but unloved institution , a landmark of post - war global economic arrangements , seemed destined to irrelevance . The IMF has long been a whipping boy for both left and right – the former because of the Fund ’s emphasis on fiscal rectitude and economic orthodoxy , and the latter because of its role in bailing out indebted nations . Developing nations grudgingly took its advice , while advanced nations , not needing the money , ignored it . In a world where private capital flows dwarf the resources at its disposal , the IMF had come to seem an anachronism .
Idiom: on paper (used idiomatically: yes)
Minton was also on friendly terms with the fourth ‘ Kitchen Sink’ painter , John Bratby , whom he got to know whilst acting as his tutor . Bratby had obtained permission to paint in the roof area of the Victoria and Albert Museum and there Minton visited him for tutorials . Bratby was intrigued by Minton and soon after he got to know him painted a huge picture on paper , entitled ‘ Homage to John Minton’ . Some took it as a satire on Minton 's sex life and the tutor Colin Hayes was so angered by it he ordered it to be torn off the wall . Hayes may have been protecting Minton from hurt , but Bratby saw in his action the kind of censorship that accompanied then anything to do with homosexuality .
Idiom: by the book (used idiomatically: yes)
I 'm a high - power man myself , always have been . Never mind your down - and - dirty , hands - on , feel - the - response nonsense for me . I do it by the book . Compton One - Charlie departure , squawk 7026 and contact London Control , maintain flight level three nine zero , descent checks complete , good morning Frankfurt Tower , established on the localiser , flap 30 , reverse thrust , thank you very much . It has its price , of course .
Idiom: in the long run (used idiomatically: yes)
I , on the other hand , he wrote , have always held that precisely because there is no discernable principle of order in the universe or in our lives we should live in the greatest possible self - created order . The greatest possible self - created order , he wrote , compatible of course with the freedom to work , which may mean very little order indeed or may mean a great deal of order , depending on the individual and the circumstances . It is up to each one of us , he wrote , at every point in our lives , to decide how much order and how much disorder , how much discipline and how much freedom we need for the best realization of our project of the moment , even though that project may turn out to be flawed or even utterly mistaken in the short run , of course I am only talking about the short run , he wrote , in the long run , as I have already said , both success and failure are quite without meaning , the notion of meaning is quite without meaning . Long run , wrote Goldberg in the margin , wiping the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve , no meaning . The real question , wrote Harsnet , is where the short run ends and the long run begins , since in the long run long and short are also without meaning .