Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: sign of the times (used idiomatically: yes)
Faced with opposition from his own forces , Franco was not guided by ideological principles nor personal loyalty , but purely and simply by whatever would keep him in power . Never before had he capitulated . That he was prepared to do so to retain his position was , in itself , a sign of changing times . By the beginning of 1957 Franco found himself on the horns of a dilemma : both change and immobilism implied a high degree of risk for his continuation in power . The basic problem was that the switch from autarchy to internationalism had not been fully effected : a free - market economy could not exist as long as its component parts — especially investment , supply of raw materials , and the purchasing power of the domestic market — were still closely controlled by the state .
Idiom: take it easy (used idiomatically: yes)
He says you have to have erm nerves of steel . By now they are probably nerves of iron because , you know , you have to co - exist with an army like that he has to really take it fairly easy because they can be quite rude and , you know , shove you around get whatever they want and very harmful methods . So you just have to take it fairly easy , you know , calm down and yes and and everything will go well . And has he seen any particular kinds of treatment of the Kuwaiti people that we 've been hearing about ? Yes , of course , erm you know it 's very humiliating being under that regime now , but as to whether what he 's seen exactly he will not talk about it .
Idiom: on top of the world (used idiomatically: no)
Then he locked his father in a grip Ray himself would have been proud of . There 's no defence against that kind of welcome — and Ray , 29 , was completely thrown . He said : ‘ I 'm on top of the world . I never expected to do so well , and still ca n't believe it.’ Jobless South Londoner Ray fought huge odds to win a medal .
Idiom: on ice (used idiomatically: yes)
Staff numbers : 17 full - time academic ; 3 part - time academic ; 17 full - time research Postgraduate Student Numbers : 58 research ; 38 taught ; 1 non - graduating Major research groupings:(1 ) GIS and RS including spatial searching on large databases , software development , applied research and parallel processing,(2 ) Geomorphology and Soils , including research on ice sheets , tectonics and geomorphology and soil - vegetation relationships in the humid tropics,(3 ) Geography of Social and Economic Change , including problems of restructuring and the dynamics of change in both the developed and the developing world . Research projects have been funded by Research Councils ( NERC , ESRC , SERC ) , government departments ( ODA ) , charitable trusts , the EC , numerous companies and institutions . Current research includes ( i ) gender and gentrification , health and housing , race and racism , and the restructuring of the coal , cotton and timber industries;(ii ) glaciological work in Patagonia , macrogeomorphological research in Africa , tephrochronology and archaeology , mangrove forest biogeography and conservation in Central America , forest nutrition and land development in Amazonia;(iii ) parallel processing and GIS , and developments associated with the Regional Research Laboratory .
Idiom: over your head (used idiomatically: no)
He saw through the toadying , of course he did . My father was just a blatant sycophant . He thought to himself , right , you 've called the boy Hilbert to please me , to make me like him , so I damn well will like him , I 'll like him more than you and leave him the place over your head.’ ‘ Do people really behave like that?’ ‘ Some do.’
Idiom: turn the tables (used idiomatically: yes)
SMALL BIRDS suffer from a lifelong fear of birds of prey , especially owls . It is an inborn fear that develops when they are only a few months old , regardless of whether they have ever met an owl . In general it results in their avoiding owls at all costs , but occasionally they turn the tables on the killer bird — the tormented become the tormentors . Instead of fleeing they stand their ground and confront the owl . Screeching an alarm call , they attract more and more small birds to the scene until the bird of prey is surrounded by a noisy , angry mob .
Idiom: few and far between (used idiomatically: yes)
In fact there were very few guide dogs at that time and erm I 've never felt that erm it 's , I mean maybe just my erm silliness really but I , I never wanted a dog lying about all day because once at the office I stayed put as it were until it was time to go home and I could have taken the dog I suppose during the lunch hour but I preferred that time to erm to reading Mm . and just relaxing and erm in any case as I say er guide dogs were few and far between at that time Mm mm . and I 've never wanted one since because er luckily I 've got erm my wife who , we get about together .
Idiom: don't give up the day job (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Oh , some bloke called Nipper . He fancies himself as a gutter poet and artist.’ ‘ Well , my advice to him would be , do n't give up the day job . The sour smell of the sheets was wafting up to her nose and she grimaced . ‘ Why do n't you skin up?’
Idiom: make a move (used idiomatically: yes)
' That 's his son , ' Jehan nodded . ' Hunh . ' Sidacai looked at a chair which had been placed by the window , but he made no move to sit down . ' That was a good time . Things were simpler then . '
Idiom: at a stretch (used idiomatically: no)
' No , use one of mine . Hodai , your arrows have n't enough spline for use with my bow . They 'll shatter if Suragai pulls it at full stretch . ' The nearest target was about a hundred paces away . Rostov nocked the arrow which Burun handed to him , and sighted on it .
Idiom: cross swords (used idiomatically: yes)
' I was under pressure from my grandfather to become a teacher and that 's the last thing I wanted to be . I knew quite a number of people who had gone into the Civil Service and it seemed a good thing to get into . ' Ironically , fate intervened and he never did make that his career , which is probably just as well , since when he was given the task many years later of steering British Aerospace into the private sector he crossed swords with more than a few civil servants and did n't have a lot of time for them . The reason he never became one himself is very simple . Germany marched into Poland on his eighteenth birthday and the Civil Service entrance examination he was scheduled to take was cancelled .
Idiom: on the rocks (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Oh , but there is,’ Corbett said smoothly . ‘ Was it common practice for you to journey after the King to ensure all was well . And , if you were riding along the cliffs at Kinghorn , how on earth did you see the King 's corpse lying on the rocks below?’ Selkirk grasped Corbett hard by the wrist . ‘ I do not like you , English Clerk,’ he muttered menacingly .
Idiom: in the running (used idiomatically: no)
For example , an individual might go to bed later than usual on one occasion because a piece of work or some leisure time activity took longer than normal . It is likely that this will make him more tired than usual and so we might guess that he will sleep longer . This would result in his rhythms running more slowly when he was interested and more quickly when he was bored ( because he would go to bed earlier due to the lack of something interesting to do and so require less sleep ) . This idea — that longer activity spans would be followed by longer sleeps and vice versa — does not find experimental support . The reverse is seen : long ‘ daytimes ’ tend to be followed by shorter sleeps and vice versa .
Idiom: cap in hand (used idiomatically: yes)
Until recently , the society has guarded its isolation . In 1974 , it turned down an offer to join New York City 's Cultural Institutions Group , comprising those institutions receiving city funds for their operations . One veteran observer of the New York museum scene summarised the insular society 's predicament : ‘ During the 60s , 70s and 80s when all other institutions realised that there was no way that they could build up an endowment without catering to the masses and without appealing to the federal government , museums went with cap in hand ; they saw this was now the game . The New - York Historical Society could n't bring itself to do that . It was run like a club .
Idiom: take a dive (used idiomatically: yes)
My Nirvana shirt seems to be well enough made . The security actually did a great job . I do n't know which firm they were from , but as well as stopping people from hurting each other , they helped the more diminutive among the crowd on to the stage if they had problems getting free of the moshpit so that they could take a dive . No violence , and a good understanding of the crowd , and thus a good time was had by all . And to put an end of the Hendrix debate , his spirit is alive and working to equal , if not greater effect in Kurdt Kobain .
Idiom: go to town (used idiomatically: yes)
But would it be the last ? Environmentalists and defenders of popular culture launched into a week - long debate about the pros and cons of the bonfire culture . Some went to town on Bolivia 's planetary responsibility , warning that such barbarian customs would eventually lead to the flooding of New York and Miami and the extinction of the human race . But as one leading ecologist pointed out , close - knit communities and their traditions tend to stay in greater harmony with the environment than modern urban society . Banning the yearly fiesta of San Juan may be Bolivia 's gesture towards fighting global warming .
Idiom: keep someone in the dark (used idiomatically: yes)
Of ~ course , none of us knew the precise moment when catastrophe struck at Chernobyl 25 years ago . Back then , we lived under a system that denied ordinary people any right whatsoever to know about even essential facts and events . So we were kept in the dark about the radiation leaking from the shattered reactor at Chernobyl – and blowing in the winds over northern Europe . But the more bizarre fact about the Chernobyl disaster , we now know , is that Mikhail ~ Gorbachev , General ~ Secretary of the Communist ~ Party of the Soviet ~ Union , was also kept in the dark about the magnitude of the disaster . Indeed , it may be this very fact that finally condemned the old system to the dustbin of history a mere five years later .
Idiom: grasp the nettle (used idiomatically: yes)
If effective competition is to be introduced , whether in gas supply , telecommunications , water or electricity , there will have to be a division of the market into effective competitors . That has not taken place . At present , we are the only party prepared to grasp the nettle and to recognise that consumers ' interests require both effective competition in the marketplace — the Government have a long way to go before they create that — and effective regulation where the market can not produce a solution . The Bill provides a little extra competition and regulation on the margin , but it does not fundamentally transform the regime . The Bill was brought forward in response to the outcry from consumers and the industry about the way that , over the years , they have been ripped off by the privatised utilities and the fact that , while the regulators have made a contribution — no one would deny that — they have not done anything like enough and do not have the necessary power or resources to advance consumer interests and issues .
Idiom: when the chips are down (used idiomatically: yes)
' I believe that this club atmosphere in the Irish squad is very important . We have shown our critics that the summer reverses and the indifferent form in the warm - up matches meant nothing . We showed when we pull on the green jerseys , when the real chips are down , that we would die for each other . ' But I think we must move the ball a bit more effectively . We are well aware we must do that but I 'm sure we will with the confidence of the good displays in the World Cup behind us ' .
Idiom: yes and no (used idiomatically: yes)
The second case , that of Crockett and Estridge ( 1951 ) , survived for a period of four months after left hemispherectomy . Immediate post - operative speech was limited to " yes ' and " no " but after two weeks the patient was able to say " no , I do n't want any " and " put me back to bed " . During the following two weeks his speech improved and he began to use a few more simple words , but subsequently " a block in his speech appeared " and he only said " aw - caw and " yes ' and " no " . Such limited expressive speech following left hemispherectomy was also observed in the third recorded case ( French , Johnson , Brown and Van Bergen , 1955 ) . A more recent case of dominant hemispherectomy in a right handed adult is that reported by Smith and Burkland ( 1966 ) and Smith ( 1966 ) .
Idiom: out on a limb (used idiomatically: yes)
Mexican by name , thoroughly patronised by America . My finger traces a path down to the peninsula of Grand Isle . I want to be out on a limb with my back to the water so that I can see what the rest of the world is doing . Grand Isle is a precarious headland , little more than a sandy breakwater , a mile across and less in some places . One long straight road runs like a main vein down the arm of Grand Isle .
Idiom: round the clock (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ The hoteliers have coped . The show goes on.’ Up to 60 Clwyd firemen worked round the clock to help their Gwynedd colleagues on rescue work . Twelve appliances were sent to Gwynedd from Clwyd but Clwyd fire chief Ken Hayton says fire cover was not endangered . Although Clwyd was not hit as badly as Gwynedd , there was widespread flooding , including pensioners ' flats in Cae Brachty , Mold .
Idiom: follow suit (used idiomatically: yes)
Efforts by the EC to introduce a tax last year were frustrated by the Bush administration 's opposition to the concept which European industrialists claimed would put them at an unfair disadvantage in world markets . The commission had proposed a tax starting at a level equivalent to $ 3 per barrel of oil this year , rising to $ 10 per barrel by the end of the century . But Sir Leon said that the plan would only be implemented if trading partners followed suit to ensure that the measure was ‘ fiscally neutral’ for companies operating in Europe . He also said that the EC hoped by the summer to complete negotiations on an energy charter involving 50 countries which would serve as a blueprint for co - operation in developing oil and as resources in Eastern and Central Europe . Discussion of the details has been delayed by the breakup of the Soviet Union which increased the number of potential signatories and created differences over the role of private investment in energy industries .
Idiom: way to go (used idiomatically: yes)
It does n't seem that long ago that this column reported an addition to Matthew Hall 's family and hey presto he 's done it again . This time its congratulations to Matthew and Dorothy on the birth of Tobias Matthew , a brother for Rosie . The birth was on July 1st and at 7 lb 7 oz he 's got a long way to go to catch up to dad . Past President Jack Lee had a surprise whilst on holiday with Shirley in Austria . Like everyone else on holiday , he thought he had ‘ got away from it all’ for a few days until he arrived at the famous White Horse Inn and was confronted by … fellow Fellow ( ! )
Idiom: fly a kite (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ The means and opportunity you 've established . But what would have been the motive?’ ‘ Well , I daresay it 's just me flying a kite , but the fact is Everett was too bloody inquisitive for his own good . Planned to be a criminologist after Oxford , you know , and started applying the craft to friends and acquaintances at Breakspear . He 'd think nothing of checking up on a fellow 's credentials .
Idiom: up to scratch (used idiomatically: yes)
John McAdam ( 1756–1836 ) concerned himself less with the bed of the road and more with drainage . He stressed consistency and proper and regular supervision . His basic method became a generic term in the English language , and his special contribution was to develop an economical way of bringing and keeping existing roads up to scratch . Thomas Telford ( 1757–1834 ) was renowned as a bridge - builder , but he produced roads of great solidity through the intermeshing of small , angular stones . Only the wealthier trusts could afford his standards , but if they did so they purchased a road good for more than a century .
Idiom: seen better days (used idiomatically: yes)
Archie was understood to say that he would . I got in beside him , and we set off . The Land - Rover had seen better days , and once we had left the village street and taken to the track — it was little more — that wound up from the village towards the moorland , conversation was difficult . After one or two tries , met by a nod or a non - committal noise from Archie , I gave up , and looked about me . I suppose that there are very few places on Moila from which one can not see the sea .
Idiom: on the spur of the moment (used idiomatically: yes)
Sweeping the debris of her engagement to some distant corner of her mind , and throwing herself trustingly at a man who , in the cold light of reality , had no time for her ? She turned over on to her stomach and tried to put things into perspective . Piers Morrison was a dangerous stranger , one who made no effort to treat her with respect , far less subservience , and who had kissed her on the spur of the moment , then instantly regretted it because he basically did n't like her . Of course , more fool her for having succumbed to the moment , but it was over and done with , and that was the end of it . Put like that , it seemed a simple enough equation , and at least now , she thought , she could be on her guard , would not let anything get in the way of level - headed logic .
Idiom: at a loose end (used idiomatically: yes)
Jacob Epstein had been the unwitting means of introducing Nina Hamnett ( Miss Hamlet to Montparnasse ) to Modigliani by recommending Rosalie 's restaurant to her . By coincidence it was also Epstein who brought Modigliani together with a woman writer who was to have a profound effect upon his life — Beatrice Hastings . At a party in Soho in 1914 Epstein was talking to Beatrice , who made it clear that she was at a loose end in her life . ‘ Go to Paris’ , he advised , ‘ there is a painter there who is a beautiful man and a genius — Modigliani.’ At 35 Beatrice looked like the thoroughly modern woman she was , with high breasts , a little pert head , and a slim body .
Idiom: part company (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ It has already been agreed that the company will be as generous as British law allows,’ Muldoon said reassuringly . ‘ The company wish you to know , Mark , from Nate Cocello down , that your work over the years is sincerely appreciated . I know that the organisational change has come as a shock to you , as it has for me , but we want to part company after all these years , on the best and friendliest of terms . I am assured that you will be well looked after,’ he reiterated . ‘ In the meantime you are free to do whatever you wish to do over the next few weeks .
Idiom: out and about (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I do n't stay around here because I get bored . That might make me drink . I go out and about and keep busy . You ought to be pleased.’ She sighed .
Idiom: spill the beans (used idiomatically: yes)
The report is more interesting than by the member for South East Derbyshire er not that there 's much sex in it but if er er i it 's more interesting er sexual favours provided by B C C I officials to certain persons affiliated er with the firm . Now this is an appalling situation , er th the B C C I 's books were certified by the auditors as a true and fair record from December nineteenth er December thirty first nineteen er eighty seven forward a and that meant that people had confidence in B C C I , here we 're told that the auditors are giving it er a certificate of a a true and fair record er encouraging therefore people to in t to to invest and yet prior to nineteen eighty nine Price Waterhouse knew of gross irregularities er in B C C I 's handling of loads , particularly the load to C C A H which was the holding company for First American er bank shares . All this was known to the auditors , they did n't spill the beans . Now why have we not had an inquiry which will bring out what happened in the case of B C C I so we can base proper and effective regulation er on that er in i in in in in inquiry . The government feels it can rely on er auditors to protect the interests of share holders and the creditors and the other stake holders but I have to tell the minister that that reliance which is now er strengthened by the regulations b by the er the order today has always proved er inadequate in the er in in the past er because poor auditing practices always get covered up , there 's no way for anybody to know how bad or how good er the audit is as long as a company er survives and we have n't developed in this country , the proper institutional framework to regulate auditors er effectively and to actually make them er er accountable .
Idiom: in Dutch (used idiomatically: no)
There are few private agencies , but Adia , Manpower and Interim can be found in larger cities . HOLLAND : The Dutch version of a JobCentre is the Arbeidsbureau ( AB ) . Find them in the Yellow Pages — Gouden Gids in Dutch . Private agencies deal with temporary work for a maximum six months . These are called Uitzendbureaux , and the Yellow Pages will list many .
Idiom: foam at the mouth (used idiomatically: no)
In this case it seemed to increase it , and the kitchen rang with Mrs Blunt 's vituperations before she finally took her leave . ' Well , ' said Breeze , ' that 's that ! Exit char , foaming at the mouth . Let 's hope all the inhabitants are n't quite so temperamental . ' Susan gave a wry smile , then clicked her tongue .
Idiom: pull someone's leg (used idiomatically: yes)
Were you annoyed or No I think well I said I think he was pulling your leg . slightly ! you could have got through there you chicken .
Idiom: come of age (used idiomatically: yes)
His descendants continued to regard Richard III as the founder of the family fortunes and the fourth duke kept a portrait of him in the long gallery at Kennington . The other ally whom Gloucester gained as a result of Edward IV 's policies was to prove an altogether more dubious asset . This was Henry Stafford , duke of Buckingham , who had come of age in 1473 but had been refused any political role by Edward IV . The areas of traditional Stafford influence , the Welsh march and north midlands , had been otherwise provided for during the duke 's minority but there was a degree of political reorganization in both areas in 1473 , which could have been exploited to allow the duke a role there had the king wished . In Wales , the prince 's council , established in 1471 , was expanded in 1473 by the appointment of ten new councillors .