Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: sleight of hand (used idiomatically: yes)
A man who was very friendly with another , or his senior kinsmen , could adopt a more expository technique : he would sit facing him and take his left hand ; as he made his points he would take his friend 's little finger , move it away from the others and hold it : ‘ first … ‘then the next finger : ‘ second … ‘ ; until he had moved the digits all to one side , like beads on an abacus . Then he would envelop the whole hand in his , clenching it into a clinching argument , a QED fist . Sometimes there were only two or three points and the quick QED had something of prestidigitation , of a sleight of hand ; even so , it was a compelling way of stating affectionate and didactic disagreement , especially before an audience . A young man , drafted into the army for an indefinite period , was in despair , and he voiced to a group of eight or nine men his resentment of the army , the government , Colonel Qaddafi , the low military pay , his forthcoming separation from his family and friends . His mother 's brother took his hand .
Idiom: make light of (used idiomatically: yes)
But there 's one date I do n't think I 'll ever forget.’ She flicked back through a number of the loose - leaf pages , quickly at first and then slowing as the date that she was seeking came closer . Even though she was making light of it , Charlie could n't mistake the fire that animated her when she reached his entries for the final night of Christine Ashdown 's brief career . These were obviously the pages that she wanted . She unclipped the binder rings and removed them .
Idiom: in the black (used idiomatically: no)
Actually Pembo 's yellow card for that tackle has been withdrawn by the ref in question — the first time such a thing has happened . The ref reviewed the decision on video and told the FA he 'd ballsed up . Well done that man in black . Now will Tinkler do the same ? ? ? ? ? Tim
Idiom: ring a bell (used idiomatically: no)
' Dad had dinner with Bertrand Keane of Farthingdales last night . They 're really interested in a buy - out — ' The name of Farthingdales rang several alarm bells . A numb coldness was enveloping her heart . Something was horribly wrong …
Idiom: tie the knot (used idiomatically: yes)
by Ian Swanson NEWS REPORTER A REBEL priest who defies church law by marrying divorced Catholics is to conduct a wedding in Edinburgh for the first time next year . Father Pat Buckley , from Larne in Northern Ireland , has been to Scotland on three occasions to tie the knot for couples whom the church refuses to marry because one or both have been divorced . He is due to conduct his first such service in the Capital in July next year . He 's also happy to officiate at mixed - religion weddings between Protestants and Catholics , or Christians and Muslims .
Idiom: get on someone's nerves (used idiomatically: yes)
It did n't matter anyway . But she wished the silly sod would look at somebody or something else for a change . He was getting on her nerves . What was the matter with him ? Perhaps he only wanted a cigarette , or a couple of bob for the meter .
Idiom: have words (used idiomatically: yes)
Yes . erm but ea she would n't bring him over to the phone , she said oh he 's too weak to come to the phone . Erm which I think was , disappointed dad because erm I think he would like to have had a word with him . Yes . I 'm sure .
Idiom: bear fruit (used idiomatically: no)
MIRROR PLANT THE Passion Flower ( Passiflora caerulea ) is the most popular of this large family of 500 species , because it has proved to be remarkably hardy in many parts of Britain . It is a vigorous climber bearing masses of exotic flowers followed by yellow , plum-like fruits . Its name was given to it by Jesuit missionaries in South America who saw the flowers as a representation of the Crucifixion — the corona is the crown of thorns , the anthers the five wounds in the hands , feet and side of Christ , the three styles , the nails , the five petals and five sepals 10 of the disciples , less Peter and Judas , the hand-shaped leaves and tendrils the hands and whips of Christ 's torturers . The purple passion fruits on sale in shops come from P. edulis , which needs to be grown in a greenhouse , as does the really spectacular scarlet P. coccinea .
Idiom: make bricks without straw (used idiomatically: yes)
For three weeks we have no proper political events , of the sort that would earn a place on a news programme under normal circumstances . What we have instead is propaganda . For the news programmes , this means finding a thousand and one different ways of making bricks without straw . The political parties are only too happy to help . They know that they will get their allotted portion of time on the news , whether or not they say or do anything newsworthy .
Idiom: on the back burner (used idiomatically: yes)
Another casualty of the changing market has been Hornet , the Bradford - based microlight manufacturer . The company was less a victim of the recession than of the peace dividend , having geared up for military orders which failed to materialise . Hornet 's Richard Wolfenden points out that the company has not been liquidated but put on the back burner until production can be resumed abroad with lower costs and overheads . There are strong advantages in maintaining the rights to a proven model which requires no expensive , new certification . The triumphant British team at the world microlight competition in Dunakeszi , Hungary , deserve to be congratulated .
Idiom: on the cards (used idiomatically: yes)
The ballerina Lydia Lopokova , pencil on card , 1919 , by Pablo Picasso , which has been acquired by the Fitzwilliam Museum , in Cambridge . By JOANNA GIBBON The ballerina Lydia Lopokova , pencil on card , 1919 , by Pablo Picasso , which has been acquired by the Fitzwilliam Museum , in Cambridge . This is one of three drawings of Lopokova by Picasso , the latter having come to London for the first time to work on designs and sets for Massine 's Le Tricorne , writes Joanna Gibbon . Picasso also made a series of studies of Lopokova and Massine in the can - can for Massine 's Boutique Fantasque .
Idiom: at the end of the day (used idiomatically: yes)
It was n't worth the responsibility . But they tell me now that it 's been increased immensely now what they get for being an oven man . Because at the end of the day nobody would take the job . Because of the responsibility they had a pound was no covering it as far as they were concerned . They so it could be five pound now for the responsibility I do n't know .
Idiom: hands down (used idiomatically: yes)
This is dress rehearsal day , remember ? And I have to meet with Josh first thing.’ He slid one hand down to cup her naked breast , and the breath blocked in her throat as his thumb teased one nipple . ‘ Then I suggest we reconvene our own meeting at the earliest possible opportunity . Do you agree , Miss Lea?’
Idiom: have a heart (used idiomatically: no)
For older people at home , voluntary organisations such as Age Concern may provide a wide range of services and activities , both to help look after older people with care needs , and to provide day centres , for example , where people may meet others with similar needs or interests . Support groups for people with particular needs or conditions also play a vital part in helping some older people and their families to adapt to changes in their lives . These groups include the Alzheimer 's Disease Society , the Parkinson 's Disease Society , the Chest , Heart and Stroke Association , and the Carers National Association . The expectations of older people , their families , and people who work with them , may significantly affect the way that they cope with illness or disability . People who ‘ expect ’ older people to have worsening health or to ‘ decline ’ in their faculties , may not have a positive approach to various ways of coping with physical and mental changes .
Idiom: on edge (used idiomatically: yes)
' Like all provincial towns , it will lose its individuality , ' said Hardy when presented with the Freedom of the Borough in 1910 , but he could not have foreseen the demise of the small local shops so intrinsic to the town 's character , or the threat of a huge new shopping centre . Ironically , as the modernisation gathers pace , words like ' Henchard ' and ' Casterbridge'increasingly crop up on shop signs and street names . Max Gate , the house Hardy designed for himself on the edge of town , is stranded behind a new roundabout and it is difficult now to imagine him setting out from there to ride along the lanes with Kipling or H. G. Wells . At Stinsford , which lies too near the A35 for comfort , a lorry park and a service area is proposed and , perhaps inevitably , there is talk of a Thomas Hardy Heritage Centre . Fortunately , there is another part of Dorset which Hardy was particularly fond of and which has nothing to attract visitors en masse .
Idiom: keep someone in the dark (used idiomatically: yes)
Complaints about the Middlesbrough mosque and procedures for funerals held there have been dismissed as a ' complete misunderstanding ' by Muslim community leaders . But residents claimed they were ' horrified ' by the plans for the building and promised to voice their fears at tonight 's meeting . People living near the mosque at the junction of Princes Road and Bow Street say they have been kept in the dark about the reasons for recent building work . Spokeswoman Lesley Austin , who lives on Bow Street , said : ' We know there is to be a washroom at the rear of the building . We are worried at the emotional impact on the children if bodies are coming and going into the church to be washed .
Idiom: out of the box (used idiomatically: yes)
White should either flow in an unbroken line from the shoulder to the ground or be superbly cut and tailored . Veils do n't help . They make the poor girls look as though they had n't been properly unpacked , as though they 'd been taken out of the box and someone had left half their wrappings on.’ ‘ I do n't know why you have to be so contrary,’ snapped my mother . ‘ Brides always wear white and veils .
Idiom: for good measure (used idiomatically: yes)
There was nothing . Suddenly , salvation : Jo took hold of my arm and dragged me away , giving several extremely good reasons why we should leave as soon as possible . Honour having been saved , I for one was certainly not going to argue but , just for good measure , I hurled a few more insults back at the towering colossus who was marching towards us . As we got round the corner , Jo and I took one look at each other and ran . So much for heroism .
Idiom: have a heart (used idiomatically: no)
‘ It will be a wonderful Christmas . ’ George Michael FAME is blocking heart-throb George Michael 's road to romance . The 29-year-old singer , who has set up his own charity The Platinum Trust since opting out of the limelight two years ago , told Best magazine : ‘ Everyone stares at you but not because they 're attracted to you . ’
Idiom: in the hole (used idiomatically: yes)
She had n't looked happy when Marion had first seen her . She 'd been crying : blowing her nose into a lilac - coloured tissue . She was sitting hunched up on one of the two comfortable chairs in the cubby - hole where the staff went for their breaks . " Hello , " said Marion . " I 'm Marion .
Idiom: fall into place (used idiomatically: yes)
I mean I 'd had a sort of cry I suppose , but at the actual time I was glad I had a daughter [ after two sons ] . And after he said typical mongol , I think , I do n't know , it 's awkward to explain : everything seemed to fall into place . Just as the clinical professions can provide parents with the language and the concepts with which to take a negative view of the child , so they can provide the unwitting stimulus for the parent to enter a new , positive world in which things ‘ fall into place’ . Helen : For some reason I thought of it that they 've given me this monster of a baby that I was n't going to be able to love , and some woman came round — she may have been the hospital social worker or an almoner — and spent about an hour telling me how this was going to completely change the course of my life , I was going to be saddled with this child that would need twenty - four hour care and attention , and I had to think carefully about whether I wanted that for the rest of my life , i.e. was I going to keep him — virtually talking me into not keeping him , and I think the turning - point was that I felt there was something coming from the outside that was , sort of , really trying to urge me to reject him , and that I rebelled against it . So that I ca n't say I had any positive feelings in the first place , but the realisation that everybody else had negative feelings made me love him .
Idiom: go by the board (used idiomatically: yes)
Yeah well we had , we had to abandon that , we brou we brought all our Employment Officers in on a Friday , erm and we just could n't staff the office the rest of the week you see Yeah I know . It 's gone by the board and I have to confess we 've not had a I think a meeting of me proper meeting for a long time .
Idiom: in the red (used idiomatically: yes)
The man in the red jacket is standing next to the yellow kayak on some rocks by the ocean
Idiom: kick ass (used idiomatically: no)
See what he comes up with . And maybe you can get Penikos to find out who 's renting the apartment . ' ' Better than that , I 'll have him kick their ass off the island . ' ' Well , why do n't we see what 's going on first ? ' Coleman suggested .
Idiom: time will tell (used idiomatically: yes)
In bits and pieces.’ He sighed . ‘ Only time will tell if we are successful.’ They found Colebrooke and the rest of the group sitting on benches in the Chapel of St John . Their displeasure at being summoned was more than apparent .
Idiom: cost the earth (used idiomatically: yes)
And , is there any good reason the Royals can not use the same commercial flights as the rest of us ? Prince Philip 's use of the flight two weeks ago to travel to Argentina was a scandal . He was n't on UK business and it cost the earth . Why should he — or anyone — be allowed to abuse the public purse ? Many of us have to forego our perks .
Idiom: game on (used idiomatically: yes)
Is it bad to game on a laptop while its charging ? Using the laptop while it 's charging should not cause any problems at ~ all .
Idiom: over the top (used idiomatically: yes)
They were made from a variety of timber , some from sawn splines and with points burned to make them hard . They pegged their nets about every 5 yards ( 4.5 metres ) , pegging top to bottom lines . This was necessary because the nets were not very high and one rabbit caught midway between stakes would sag the net and allow other rabbits to escape over the top . The poachers used stones to frighten their rabbits into the net , walking about and rattling one against the other . If confronted by keepers they used the stones as missiles in their bid to escape .
Idiom: under fire (used idiomatically: yes)
Fighting also set alight the oil refinery in Bosanski Brod on the Bosnian - Croatian border . Sarajevo itself came under artillery fire on April 21 ; the Bosnian leadership believed that the Serbs were attempting to cut the city in two . Moslem counter - attacks followed on April 22 , with hospitals and EC monitors ' headquarters coming under fire . An EC - brokered ceasefire on April 23 [ see below]collapsed within hours as heavy fighting resumed . On April 27 there was a heavy bombardment of Sarajevo , and fighting intensified thereafter .
Idiom: get it up (used idiomatically: yes)
Great ! there . Get it up to Terri . I 'll get you a bottle full then this . Yeah .
Idiom: strike a chord (used idiomatically: yes)
It is available free from the Countryside Commission Publications , 19–23 Albert Street , Manchester . Peter Rabbit goes to Japan Beatrix Potter 's Peter Rabbit is one of Japan 's most famous characters : he is often the first Englishman encountered by young readers , and the miniature quality of Potter 's stories and illustrations strikes some deep chord in the Japanese heart . To tell the story behind The Tale of Peter Rabbit , an exhibition of Beatrix Potter 's Lake District will open in Tokyo on 20 September in the presence of HRH the Princess Royal , before moving on to Osaka and Okayama and finishing on 16 October in Kyoto . The exhibition has been mounted by NHK , Japan 's national broadcasting company , who last year made a successful documentary on Beatrix Potter and the National Trust 's conservation work in the Lake District .
Idiom: fight fire with fire (used idiomatically: yes)
This has been emphasised by a series of British chiefs of the defence staffs , by the chairman of NATO 's military committee , by former US Defence Secretary Robert McNamara , and by Lord Zuckerman , formerly chief scientific adviser to the minister of defence and to the prime minister . Instead of increasing the flexibility of our defence forces by rectifying weaknesses in our conventional defences , the British government is spending £ 10 000 million on the Trident strategic missile system and is encouraging the US also to divert resources into dangerous non - essentials like cruise missiles . By equating cruise with SS-20s , the NATO governments may feel that they are signalling to the Soviet Union their preparedness to fight fire with fire . But in reality this is precisely the approach that is most likely to set Europe aflame and leave it a burning ruin . Nuclear weapons are infectious .
Idiom: drive someone up the wall (used idiomatically: yes)
It was a crap heap , really by the time he 'd got it , but you know , it had been a good car . It just annoys me , the way they do n't tie their hair back in the coffee shop . It just drives me up the wall . Yeah , yeah . it 's a bit unrealistic , is n't it ?
Idiom: off the hook (used idiomatically: yes)
This is inevitable if an issue is to be constituted in terms of legal discourse . Law is hegemonic , and subjects all who come within its scope to a reconstitution of their problems in terms of a fundamentally bourgeois set of ideological categories . The struggles of radical lawyers to get off this hook are well documented , most classically perhaps by Lefcourt ( 1971 ) . Two points are more interesting for the current argument . First , there is the recognition that to trade in categories and interpretations must necessarily be to trade a way not just of perceiving but also of constructing situations .
Idiom: run riot (used idiomatically: yes)
had a message saying the mailer was about to shut down and I did n't want to lose what I 'd typed in . OK . 2nd half . Cov giving up , Leeds running riot . I think this was at its most obvious after Leeds scored their second goal . A beautiful cross in from the left , a dummy by Speed , leaving Wallace to volley home .
Idiom: turn a blind eye (used idiomatically: yes)
The individual must come to his , her , own decision as to where morality lies . Do what you like in your own home , worship whatever God you please , but shut up about it in public . In Darcy 's Utopia church services of various denominations will exist , and blind eyes will no doubt be turned . Common sense will prevail . But the jury of neighbours who decide upon your fertility might not look too kindly upon you if they think you are going to bring up your children as Jehovah 's Witnesses or Servants of Baal , or use the terror of hell as a way of controlling them : or beat the soles of their feet if they get the Koran wrong .
Idiom: bear fruit (used idiomatically: yes)
More important , as armies became more highly organized , more permanent and more self - conscious , the temptation to use them as moulds in which civilian societies might be recast became stronger , at least in the relatively poor and backward States of Eastern and Northern Europe . In these a clear tendency developed to militarize society in general in the quest for greater political and economic efficiency . This bore fruit in Peter I 's Table of Ranks of 1722 ( see p. 50 ) , itself based largely on Swedish precedents , and in the subjection in Prussia of the administration and much of the economic life of the country to the needs of the army . Finally many of the checks on the ferocity of West European warfare did not exist , or were less effective , farther east . In the West most eighteenth - century campaigns were fought in densely populated and wealthy areas .
Idiom: black and blue (used idiomatically: yes)
thirty seven , ha , do n't get red No I do n't like red , I 'd get him black Black and blue ? Yeah , yeah so they wo n't , not , well they wo n't get so dirty , again with these you can just stick them in the wash What , if they ai n't got the size you ca n't
Idiom: in the final analysis (used idiomatically: yes)
For ‘ serious’ misdemeanours such as fighting , miscreants were asked to account for their actions in a formal setting : the manager 's office . Besides emphasising the fact that certain behaviour was unacceptable , this ritual reaffirmed senior staff 's superordinate position in the system . This was important because they had a predominantly ‘ social’ rather than a ‘ professional’relationship with users , and it acted as a reminder that in the final analysis they had the power to impose sanctions when necessary . However , this power was rarely used because both the main sanctions available to staff — contacting users ' families and exclusion — have negative implications for both parties . For example , contacting users ' families not only causes unpleasantness for the individual concerned but also damages the centres ' carefully nurtured congenial atmosphere .
Idiom: hear things (used idiomatically: yes)
' I said I was not experienced with Englishmen . I 'm wary of you , as a breed . We hear terrible things of your schooling system in my country , and I 've met a lot of you . If it was dark , I would make you turn the light out ! ' While she spoke , Hannele undressed herself , unhurriedly .
Idiom: stand someone in good stead (used idiomatically: yes)
Foulds came back from 4 - 0 down to take the match into a decider . ‘ I fancied my chances then,’ added Foulds . ‘ The adrenalin was pumping and my experience should have stood me in good stead . But all credit to Danny , he held himself together superbly.’ The defending champion , Jimmy White , had a 5 - 4 victory over Canadian Brady Gollan , helped by breaks of 107 and 117 .
Idiom: black and blue (used idiomatically: no)
‘ Private Smith , you 're playing up again.’ ‘ Me?’ said Dolly . ‘ I beat you black and blue , do I?’ ‘ No , not all the time,’ said Dolly , ‘ just once so far.’ ‘ Like some more , would you?’
Idiom: think twice (used idiomatically: yes)
Where do you get these ideas from?’ Maria derided angrily . ‘ Apart from anything else , these are the nervous nineties , in case you have n't realised , not the sixties or seventies when no one thought twice about having lots of different partners.’ ‘ Oh , I know people such as you and Jones like yourselves too well not to make sure you 're safe.’ It was so cynically dismissive that she was momentarily speechless , and he added , ‘ Shall we go?’
Idiom: hit the road (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ The bed is aired.’ ‘ Oh , I forgot,’ McQuaid said hastily . ‘ I have to be hitting the road any minute now . I should have told you earlier but it must have slipped the old mind.’ Moran did not protest .
Idiom: follow suit (used idiomatically: yes)
Shock tactics often fall wide of their mark . This lesson was learned , and urgently , with HIV focusing our minds on a more realistic target — damage limitation . As parents , sensibly , we can only follow suit . We may long to scream , ‘ If you ever , ever so much as look at a prohibited substance , I 'll lock you in your bedroom until you 're 30,’ but we have to master our panic . And then we have work to do in two important areas .