Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: under a cloud (used idiomatically: yes)
Standing at more than 18 hands , Party Politics is almost certainly the tallest horse in training . He is also a much - operated - on ex - invalid who owes his success , if not his life , to the patient care of trainer Nick Gaselee and his staff — and to the precise surgical skill of the Irish vet Charlie McCartan . The first time Party Politics ' breeder David Stoddart sold him , the horse was ‘ spun’ for a breathing defect and returned under a cloud from the Doncaster Sales . So McCartan — whose understandably well - celebrated 40th birthday coincided with the Grand National , performed the conventional Hobday operation . It succeeded at first , but Party Politics ' breathing was still impaired and a second , much more difficult ‘ tie - back’ operation had to be attempted .
Idiom: in the pipeline (used idiomatically: no)
The show ran for nearly two years at the Arts Theatre in the West End to rave reviews . Despite all the publicity through word of mouth and a high profile national tour last year with Gary Glitter , the show remains relatively unknown . All that could change , however , as another West End run , a film and possible TV series based on the play are all in the pipeline . Successful productions are currently running in New Zealand , South Africa , Ireland , Germany — in both German and English — and Japan , in Japanese . Others are set to open in Australia , Mexico , Israel , Russia , Canada and America .
Idiom: spit feathers (used idiomatically: yes)
It 's not a riot of pleasure , but we 'd be there together . ' She returned his kiss , but declined firmly to join him at the Allied Steelmakers ' annual dinner ( carriages eleven - thirty ) , saying she would actually rather go to the cinema with a girlfriend , and tripped out of the office looking considerably less harassed than when she had arrived . At New Scotland Yard , John McLeish was spitting feathers , as one of his staff graphically put it . He had arrived , pale and markedly short of sleep , at seven - fifty and at eight - thirty had rung Penelope Huntley 's flat to find her barely awake , bad - tempered , vague and professing not to have made an appointment at all . Furious but civil , he had offered to go round to her flat to see her , an offer which she had declined with the first sign of decisiveness she had been heard to display .
Idiom: every last (used idiomatically: yes)
Tax allowances Personal allowance Income tax is not levied on every last penny of your money . There is a certain amount you are allowed to retain before income tax becomes applicable . This is known as your personal allowance .
Idiom: no laughing matter (used idiomatically: no)
Easter 1992 . The City is as jumpy as a cat . Least funny of all , of course , was that no - laughing matter in the Gulf . No , it 's not exactly a joke out there . And as for the future , the economist 's forecast is about the same as the weatherman 's : cloudy at best , more likely bleak .
Idiom: close shave (used idiomatically: yes)
Former Oxford Cheetah skipper , Hans Nielson has qualified for his 14th world speedway final , after winning his semi in Italy . But Martin Dugard has been eliminated . It was a close shave for Oxfordshire 's Janet Goodman and her fellow England Cricketers , against India in the World Cup . Beating them by just three runs . Today they 're hoping to do , what the men couldn't … by beating favourites Australia .
Idiom: to the bone (used idiomatically: no)
In other words , instead of trying to simulate grief or whatever , the emotional aspects are held in abeyance in order to make decisions about the external features of the depiction . There are many advantages of working this way , two of which are that the performance technique required is minimal , well within the abilities of the class to achieve a satisfactory result from their point of view , and that it allows the class and its individual members to control the emotional input . If they wish they can stick to the bare bones of the task , as an intellectual exercise , but if they feel secure they may inject ' feeling ' ideas . The second structure , involved in the line of dialogue round the graveside , is more exposing , for it really tests each participant 's commitment to the affective aspect of the event . But each is still strongly protected by the very form of the performance mode .
Idiom: wear the trousers (used idiomatically: yes)
I became aware that my mother was pushing her way towards me . Her face was flushed with excitement . ' The men are n't wearing trousers , ' she stage whispered . I looked at her , then behind me . They all had jumpers on but she was right , definitely no trousers .
Idiom: beg the question (used idiomatically: yes)
Quirk et al . 1985 : 1206 ) . While it is true to say that the bare infinitive is more frequent in American English — Algeo ( 1988 : 22 ) found that the Brown University Corpus has only 25 per cent usage of to infinitives after help where the Lancaster - Oslo / Bergen Corpus has 73 per cent— this begs the question nevertheless because both the bare and the to infinitives are used on both sides of the Atlantic . This means that the problem of whether they can be used to make distinctions of meaning is a real one and must be addressed , instead of merely alleging geographical distribution as the explanation for infinitival usage with this verb . This is all the more requisite as there are certain uses in which the to infinitive can not be substituted for the bare form ( e.g. ( 13 ) ) and , vice versa , where the bare infinitive can not replace its counterpart with to , as in ( 14 ) .
Idiom: rock bottom (used idiomatically: yes)
In fact it is a characteristic of teachers that their spirits vary quite markedly . They have good days and bad days : days when things seem relatively easy , they are on the ball , and a lot gets done , and days when they just ca n't face it and phone in sick — only to feel much perkier half - an - hour after putting down the phone , and a little guilty that ‘ I could have gone in if I 'd really had to’ . Resilience is highest at the beginning of the new school year and hits rock bottom in February . A good lesson or a little breakthrough with an awkward pupil can light up the rest of the day , while an unresolved clash with a colleague during morning break can equally knock the stuffing out of you . And the available reservoirs of good sense and good humour vary too with the class to be taught , and the short - term or long - term history the teacher has had with it .
Idiom: come to grief (used idiomatically: yes)
A spokesman for the Department of Transport last night welcomed the code and said it would be added to the IMO submissions already drawn up by the Government . It was hoped some aspects of traffic separation would be made mandatory , although he would not specify which . The DoT said there was as much traffic in three days in the Dover Strait as there was in a year in the Fair Isle Straits , where the Braer came to grief . Around 1400 tankers pass through the northern and southern Fair Isle channels a year , of which 70 per cent are connected to the Sullom Voe terminal . The Government has recommended a ‘ one - way’ traffic separation scheme , with ships routed either north or south of Fair Isle , and masters are advised to report their movements to Lerwick Coastguard .
Idiom: spit it out (used idiomatically: yes)
The two men took liberal helpings but Ruth put her hand over the top of her glass when the flask came in her direction . Once , she being childishly curious , her father had given her a sip of the tot of rum he had bought to ease her grandfather 's chest . She had hated the taste of it and spat it out immediately . Not so Miss Beard . She sipped at her cordial with evident pleasure , and when Herbert Fraser offered her another nip she accepted without hesitation .
Idiom: in the works (used idiomatically: yes)
That was my first touch with death . She looked very peaceful , and I was quite unafraid , interested to know what had happened . Living next door to the churchyard , I was also interested in the occasional work of the gravedigger , and after school hours would help him with the digging or the filling in of a grave , again without any sadness and certainly no feeling of fear . One of the most frequently recurring memories of childhood is of picking primroses . Every year after the three - hours service on Good Friday , in which we choir boys were divided into three groups to lead the singing of the hymns , each group for an hour , a number of villagers went off to look for primroses in the hedgerows and woods .
Idiom: in business (used idiomatically: yes)
Army bomb disposal experts scoured the city for 5 hours , after receiving a coded telephone message . Thousands of shoppers were evacuated . It 's thought to have cost the Dickens and Jones department store £ 100,000 in lost business . But owners House of Fraser say police should have allowed trained staff to search the shop first . But police say the IRA message gave them less than an hour to respond .
Idiom: face to face (used idiomatically: no)
There are a large number of situations in which it is expected that professional judgement will have a considerable influence upon the implementation process . Clearly explicit in many policies is an expectation of this . This applies to many decisions made in face - to - face relationships between professionals and their clients . Many of the issues involved are increasingly the subject of controversy , involving arguments about ‘ rights’ versus ‘ discretion’ . Within these arguments disputes occur about the significance of expertise and about the scope for effective limitation of discretionary power .
Idiom: come to think of it (used idiomatically: yes)
I think he just wants to keep putting it off ; he might be frightened of me gaining too much independence , or he might simply be scared that I 'll kill myself the way a lot of youths seem to when they get a bike . I do n't know ; I never know exactly how much he really feels for me . Come to think of it , I never know exactly how much I really feel for him . I had rather been hoping that I might see somebody I knew while I was in the town , but the only people I saw were old Mackenzie in the gun and tackle shop and Mrs Stuart in the cafe , yawning and fat behind her Formica counters and reading a Mills & boon . Not that I know all that many people anyway , I suppose ; Jamie is my only real friend , though through him I have met a few people of about my own age I regard as acquaintances .
Idiom: follow suit (used idiomatically: yes)
As a result the company now runs several page makeup stations equipped with Ventura 2.0 and owns two VT600 printers . That the system has been a success is not in doubt . The fortnightly Classical Music title was the first to be converted and all the company 's other titles , including their reference books and directories , have followed suit . In addition , all new publications are designed for creation on the system — a subtle distinction from being designed on the system . In terms of cost effectiveness , a single Ventura / VT600 installation applied to Classical Music should have paid for itself in eight months — costed against the savings in typesetting .
Idiom: out of line (used idiomatically: yes)
Incantrix … lamia … femina saga … maga malefica … sortilega … venefica … fascinatrix … screech - owl … pixidria … There were hundreds of exotic handles used in the Middle Ages to describe a witch . All you had to do to qualify for torture , persecution and death was to be a female who dared step out of line with patriarchal society . Millions of women died and with them a certain untamed aspect of the female spirit . That suppressed anger has had its volcanic eruptions in many aspects of popular culture , but never has it had such a lava flow in the realm of rock'n'roll .
Idiom: hot air (used idiomatically: yes)
It holds 216 packets of food in a freezer unit fitted with a first - in - first - out stock rotation system and an alarm , which will shut down operations if the temperature gets too high . Once the machine is activated , either by coins or cards , a hydraulic lift places a plate with the selected food into a microwave for defrosting . The food is then pushed out of its protective package and left in its serving dish to be cooked in a hot - air oven . After cooking , the protective cardboard outer is removed and the cooked food dispensed . The machine is fitted with a computerised management system to control stock flow .
Idiom: yesterday's news (used idiomatically: no)
That message , and yesterday 's speech , contrast sharply with previous conference speeches in which the Prime Minister insisted that there could be no let - up in the long Thatcherite march . Nevertheless , she did give outright support to the stand taken by the Chancellor of the Exchequer . Repeating yesterday 's news that inflation had risen to 7.6 per cent , she said it was too high — it must and would be reduced . She stressed , however , that that could be achieved only through interest rates . There would be no resort to devaluation .
Idiom: make light work of (used idiomatically: yes)
The delays are very varied and multiple repeats stay true to the original tone , as do the chorus and pitch - shifted sounds . Subtle use of the EQ here can help add sparkle , or crispen a flat - sounding amp ; conversely it can dull a digital sound to create an analogue type effect . The rotary encoder makes light work of selecting the various effects and parameters and the keypad 's addition of ‘ Patch Recall’ is useful in the studio ( you can dial a patch number on the keypad , thus saving time running through the encoder ) . Also useful in the studio should be the onboard sampler , but with only 1.30 seconds of sampling time available it 's obviously limited in what it can do . Drum samples should be alright , though , and the sample patch I tried had its own reverb , which could be very useful for snares and toms .
Idiom: turn tail (used idiomatically: yes)
Leonora shuddered . ‘ No!’ With every nerve straining to turn tail and run , she 'd backed away as quietly as possible and once she was out of earshot raced back down to the beach to find the tide had turned . ‘ Picture my feelings when I found the causeway was under water ! I tore along the beach like a maniac , looking for some kind of boat I could borrow to get away .
Idiom: come to think of it (used idiomatically: yes)
Oh god . We 'd probably blow round the edges when I put in the freezer . Come to think of it , yeah Yeah . Somebody there I think might like a bit of that .
Idiom: behind the scenes (used idiomatically: yes)
Bernd Alois Zimmermann 's Die Soldaten was mounted in the cavernous drill hall of the Park Avenue Armory . VOA 's Behnam Nateghi takes us behind the scenes for a closer look at the staging of this German opera .
Idiom: to boot (used idiomatically: yes)
Judging by the sound of the guns , they must be of a heavier calibre , and their target many miles away . It 's raining heavily as I wrap myself in my gascape and move further to the back of the trench . At least the rain keeps the mosquitoes away , and the flashes from the guns lighting up the sky appear somewhat comforting as I doze off , conscious of the rain dripping on to my boots . Pleasant break in the daily routine on 16th August . During a visit to Brigade Headquarters I overheard Officers discussing the situation in our area .
Idiom: get the picture (used idiomatically: yes)
Yeah . Shame you have n't got one . We 've got a picture of her in the health club in a leotard doing a pose like that . In a white leotard . Oh it 'd be good if we could make a money tree .
Idiom: in light of (used idiomatically: yes)
In the Netherlands , Wolters - Kluwer Bookshops are extending their range of book stocks with up to 100 CD - ROM titles and have appointed a new media adviser to help them plan future developments . In the UK , W.H. Smiths , once consisting of a modest number of bookselling outlets , is now one of Europe 's largest retail chains , aggressively selling a wide range of non - print products , including satellite television services , computer software , audio CDs and other technology - related items . Other major groups such as Pentos and Sherratt & Hughes & Waterstones , continue to focus on books but are sufficiently commercial and pragmatic to be ready to re - define what is meant by a book in the light of technological developments . There are a number of important questions for the Book Trade to address . First and most fundamentally , are the members of the Trade sufficiently aware of coming new generations of information products to have a view on whether they should be selling them ?
Idiom: in the short run (used idiomatically: yes)
In the longer run , a measure which drew the line between voters and voteless was bound to increase the consciousness of the latter in ways that would encourage an upsurge of working - class political aspirations . The act may have been intended as a " final measure " by those who wished to steady things , but the flow of politics is rarely so easily contained by the comma of a constitutional concession . In the shorter run , however , the property qualifications for the franchise set down in the act did effectively exclude the working class from political participation through the ballot box , although the franchise itself was only increased by some 220000 in England and Wales . At the time , what was of greater political significance was the redistribution of seats in the House of Commons . Small boroughs lost 141 members , and the newly developed industrial areas of the North and Midlands secured representation through the creation of 65 new seats .
Idiom: in the bag (used idiomatically: yes)
Until now he had never believed it to be true , that something as heavy as gold could fall naturally from the sky . As he drew level with the opposite alley mouth some more fell . It was still in its bag , there was an awful lot of it , and Rincewind brought it down heavily onto his head . When the guard came to he found himself looking up into the wild - eyed face of a wizard , who was menacing his throat with a sword . In the darkness , too , something was gripping his leg .
Idiom: all along (used idiomatically: yes)
Canaries fly in face of opposition Roy Collins WHEN the so-called elite of the Premier League find the bottle to break away and form the small , private division they wanted all along , there 's one club they wo n't be touching with a bargepole . This club are a serious inconvenience to the high and mighty through having a home in one of England 's most remote corners . So remote that a bargepole is more use to a traveller than a British Rail season ticket when the London train breaks down .
Idiom: come to terms with (used idiomatically: yes)
The coins which bear his name are the first Northumbrian silver coins . His failing health , however , by late 704 presented a serious crisis for his immediate family , for his son Osred was very young and this time there was certainly a rival for the throne in the person of Eadwulf . According to the testimony of Abbess Aelfflaed , it was Aldfrith 's dying wish that his successor should come to terms with Wilfrid ( Vita Wilfridi , ch . 59 ) . It may be that Wilfrid 's personal support could still be of assistance to an aspiring aetheling , but it is interesting that Eadwulf spurned Wilfrid 's overtures . Wilfrid 's failure to secure a sympathetic hearing suggests that it was not only Oswiu 's family which found him unpalatable .
Idiom: take stock (used idiomatically: yes)
I do not believe that that prescription is in the interests of Scotland or of the rest of the United Kingdom . I said that we would be taking stock , and I meant precisely that — taking stock on the basis of an increased vote in Scotland , on the basis of more Members of Parliament for Scotland and on ways of seeking to increase the strength of the Union . That is what I mean by taking stock . Mr. Dover Is the Prime Minister aware that millions of people are fed up with having to pay extra community charge to cover those who do not pay ?
Idiom: pull the plug (used idiomatically: yes)
They realize , without necessarily evaluating the implications of the realization , that patients can not be kept on a machine for ever . The most common justification offered is elaborate and unsatisfactory . Turning off the ventilator , ‘ pulling the plug’ , the argument goes , is an omission , rather than a positive act . It is an omission because it represents a failure to continue treatment . The doctor , to use George Fletcher 's language , merely ‘ permits’ the patient to die .
Idiom: born and bred (used idiomatically: yes)
TO THE WOLDS AND TENNYSON COUNTRY The East Lindsey region of Lincolnshire is blessed with a large portion of the wolds , which are designated as an area of outstanding natural beauty . Part of this region is now known as Tennyson Country and is indeed a perfect paradise for a potential poet to have been born and bred in . A landscape which has changed only a little since Tennyson 's birth is now , as it was then , quietly , naturally , yet profoundly charged with a sense - awakening atmosphere . This very landscape must have played no small part in the formation of Tennyson 's poetic mind , as it is vibrantly alive with nature and natural forces .
Idiom: hell for leather (used idiomatically: yes)
He got back to his flat and our people spotted him . I spoke to him , on the phone , and he said he would come in this morning . Next thing I know , he 'd driven out of there , hell for leather , in a bright red sports car , and headed south . We 're trying to trace him now.’ ‘ Was the woman with him?’
Idiom: out of this world (used idiomatically: yes)
I hung on there until , well my fifteenth birthday was in the July and it was November before I actually left . So I went down there and er well I suppose fell in love with the job right away . It was good , everybody had told me that erm , you know , you did n't get very much money when you left school , about ten shillings and to offer me fifteen shillings I thought was out of this world , so erm Wh what did you actually start as ? Well I suppose a very junior clerk , the first job I was given was , well it 's unheard of in this day and age but what they had was what they call a bundi clock and there every driver and conductor had got a key that was inserted in this clock and on it was his personal number , well when he reported for duty , he inserted this key into the clock , turned the handle and stamped on to a piece of paper , a roll of paper , his number and the time he reported and the next day it was my job to go through and record from this piece of paper how many minutes they were late f reporting for duty and if they erm were more than , I think about three or four minutes we had to send them a memo telling them , that 's how things were in those days that people were , they toed the line or else .
Idiom: break even (used idiomatically: no)
There was a time when I could have stocked a chemist 's shop with male toiletries ! Yet leaving that aside , our gifts are signs of our love or respect for one another . Parents know what their children are longing for and will give them what they want , even if every piggy bank in the house has to be broken open . Love gives . You see , there are many talkers about : politicians who want to change society but have not got time to help their next door neighbour ; Christians who want to sing their hymns but ca n't be bothered to get involved in their local church .