Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: hold water (used idiomatically: no)
Pointless samples start every song ; the beat is ridiculously loud and trying to be ravey but is too cluttered and shuffling ; the addition of a backing singer adds little to Peter Hooton 's irritating foghorn voice ; the guitars are still chiming , charmless indie - dance sounds throughout ; they still look like brickies and Peter Hooton still dances like my dad . But dammit if The Farm do n't make a lot more sense live . Admittedly , the ' eat shit — a million flies ca n't be wrong ' argument never did hold much water , but when every single person in the place is singing ' Altogether Now'or ' Love See No Colour ' , waving their arms and jumping about , with sweat dripping from the walls , you 'd have to be a hell of a snob not to be slightly moved . Tonight 's gig encapsulates everything The Farm are good at — simple , terrace - anthem pop which can be entertaining and more affecting than a thousand Simon Dudfield pouts . Regardless of what anyone thinks , The Farm will no doubt continue doing what they do , but I suspect it will get steadily more unfashionable and irrelevant .
Idiom: from the word go (used idiomatically: yes)
Now he is proving that he can do it here with 55-yard boundaries , and when he is batting with Paul Parker , another incredibly fast man between the wickets , it is going to be very difficult for sides to control them.’ Jones 's international commitments ( he departs for Australia 's three - Test tour of Sri Lanka in August ) will limit him to only four - fifths of the county season with Durham , but Graveney added : ‘ His attitude to this situation is brilliant . Because he will have to leave early to join up again with Australia , he feels he owes us runs from the word go . He 's a very aggressive batsman , but he finds the time to be a great encourager of his partners , and Phil Bainbridge is convinced that he 's never run faster than when they were in together against Lancashire.’ There is no greater stimulant to enhanced performance than improved morale , and Leicestershire are happy to report that widely - reported disaffection in their camp is now ‘ a thing of the past’ .
Idiom: get off the ground (used idiomatically: yes)
AT long last , it seems as if work on the proposed new greyhound stadium at Ballyskeagh is about to get off the ground following the signing of a deal between Distillery and the Northern Ireland Greyhound Company . Since the initial idea first surfaced in January 1992 with racing scheduled for the spring of ‘ 93 and then the summer , it will now be the autumn at least before the traps ‘ lift.’ Indeed , many were beginning to doubt whether it would ever get off the ground but news that work will start next week will provide fresh confidence and eagerness to see what develops . It is a vast undertaking at considerable cost and hence a very brave venture in the current economic climate . Only time will tell whether it can hold its place in this competitive field .
Idiom: off the shelf (used idiomatically: no)
Their grand Venetian launch was not being upstaged . However , the America 's Cup is not about launches and , as even Gardini could see , the boat hanging from the crane could take the Spanish far . Designed in the main by the late Pepin Gonzales after the group had studied an off - the - shelf Farr package , Espana ' 92 is the fourth IACC boat to be out sailing . Pedro Campos , project manager said , ' We are aware that a country going into the America 's Cup for the first time has never done well , but at the same time we are going there to win ; no - one knows about the class . ' His theory is that , as they were fourth on the water , the Spanish are at least fourth favourites to win .
Idiom: by heart (used idiomatically: yes)
The teacher said we had to learn all these expressions by ~ heart .
Idiom: hold someone's hand (used idiomatically: no)
Rachel swung round indignantly from the filing cabinet which she had just unlocked ready to take out the records for that morning 's surgery . ' It 's OK . ' He held up his hands . ' As it happens , I think prevention is better than cure , but in some cases I 've found that safety procedures leave a lot to be desired . ' ' I 'm sure you wo n't find that 's the case here at OBEX , ' said Rachel crisply .
Idiom: out of order (used idiomatically: yes)
We have to use the stairs because the elevator is out of order .
Idiom: ride high (used idiomatically: yes)
The contrast with the halcyon days of Italian family capitalism in the late 1980s is stark . Then , Fiat was jockeying with Volkswagen for the top spot among Europe 's car makers . The Agnelli family , which owns almost 40 % of the company , was riding high . Ferruzzi Finanziaria had become a powerful force in chemicals as well as agribusiness through the acquisition of Montedison in 1987 . Raul Gardini , then head of the family group , was battling for control of Enimont , a big chemical company which Montedison owned jointly with the Italian state .
Idiom: save the day (used idiomatically: yes)
Certainly , I would not like to be in Dino Zoff 's shoes at the moment.’ Paul is panned PAUL GASCOIGNE saved the day for Lazio with a late equaliser against rivals Roma on Sunday . But Italy 's sports journalists gave a unanimous thumbs down to the show put on by the British player they have dubbed ‘ Gazza di Gateshead’ . Gascoigne 's header just four minutes from time — his first league goal since he joined Lazio this season — was a rare moment of inspiration in an otherwise dull display , they said .
Idiom: in the long run (used idiomatically: yes)
Only if public order appeared to be on the verge of breaking down would the government contemplate restricting political liberty . Provided that people in this country believed they had an honest system of government which dispensed even - handed justice , then there was no need to tamper with the law unless public order was threatened . To do otherwise was to risk driving underground legitimate political expression , which would create worse problems in the long run . Nevertheless , despite this classic defence of the traditional liberal position of the Home Office , the Secretary of State was prepared to examine whether several aspects of the problem which worried the police could be dealt with piecemeal . Emphasis was given by the Home Office and Cabinet to the desirability of laws which banned the use of political uniforms and the establishment of paramilitary organizations , and research was concluded to see how other nations dealt with the problem .
Idiom: join the club (used idiomatically: yes)
' You think you buy into somewhere crime can not reach and then it hits you with the worst kind . ' The wealthy rub shoulders in the village centre with its quaint olde worlde shops comprising almost entirely estate agents . Ian Spiro was a novice in this league but still acted like he was in the big time , joining Lomas Santa Fe Country Club where membership costs ' tens of thousands ' . The houses are set acres apart and noisy neighbours are never a problem . You could n't even hear a gun go off next door .
Idiom: down the drain (used idiomatically: yes)
We went along with the council recommendations throughout . ‘ We were using a 2,000 watt PA — barely big enough for a pub gig — and agreed to finish at 10 pm . It 's £ 55,000 of poll tax payers’ money down the drain and , yet again , the bands and gig - goers have to suffer because of crazy council bureaucracy . Birmingham is crying out for a venue for mid - size bands.’ A political storm has also been sparked by the closure , with the threat of legal action between the council 's Recreation Department and Environmental Services .
Idiom: couch potato (used idiomatically: yes)
' If everything proves satisfactory we should begin construction of the cable network at the end of the year and we should be in a position to provide some services from the spring of next year , ' he said . The building and operating of the new telecommunications infrastructure is expected to create hundreds of jobs for the area . COUCH POTATO fans have launched an S.E.S … SAVE ELDORADO SPUD ! Letters have been flooding in from viewers desperate to see the Spanish soap from the axe in just a few weeks .
Idiom: far and away (used idiomatically: yes)
Though the brand had been in the market since before the war , it had a very small market share . Drunk by the Chinese population of the country , it sales depended largely on a reputation for medicinal properties . Now , the brand is the third largest in the country and far and away the biggest selling stout . The years between 1973 , when Guinness first established a presence in Indonesia , and today have seen a long but seemingly inexorable growth in the Guinness brand . Doddy Abdurachman remembers those early days well .
Idiom: out of pocket (used idiomatically: yes)
The trouble is , if you 're not hitting the balls anywhere near the pockets , dust is scarcely a major factor one way or the other . This frame , in which my highest break is eight ( a fluked red plus follow - up black ) would be too boring to describe in the mildest detail ( yes , yes , he wins ) . The only memorable moment comes when Martin commiserates with me over an ambitious red that squirms in and out of a pocket . This is memorable because , as all Martin 's sporting opponents agree , words like ' Great shot ' , ' What a winner ' and ' Oh , tough'come reluctantly to his lips . But he knows about this tiny character flaw , and is working on it .
Idiom: take to the hills (used idiomatically: yes)
He said : ‘ I found that abortions were regularly carried out on women seven , eight , and even nine months pregnant , often against their will , and that there were even cases of officially - instigated infanticide . Statutes which prohibit these and other inhumane practices were simply ignored by communist cadres in their drive to meet the stringent production quotas they were given.’ Mosher claims the abortions are still going on , but are fewer in number — women are taking to the hills and giving birth under primitive conditions . The Chinese academy of social science , in a letter to Stanford , ‘ hoped that the university would deal with this matter severely’ . But Clifford Barnett , the head of the anthropology department which voted in closed session last week to expel Mosher from his PhD candidature , denies that the department was subjected to any pressure .
Idiom: pie in the sky (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Course I ain't,’ he replied irritably . ‘ Billy 's never gon na raise the money ter open a gym . Yer know Billy , it 's all pie in the sky wiv ' im.’ Nellie was not convinced . ‘ I dunno so much,’ she persisted .
Idiom: join the club (used idiomatically: no)
Rival ‘ Playing against England at the Arms Park would be an experience to rival any in my athletics career , including running at the 1984 Olympic Games , ’ said Walker . Since joining Cardiff , Walker has become an overnight success , scoring eight First Division tries in a dozen matches as the club have moved up from strugglers last season to table-toppers . The other uncapped players in the party are Rupert Moon , Ricky Evans , Nigel Meek , Paul Kawulok and Sean Legge . Squad : Backs : M Rayer ( Cardiff ) , A Clement ( Swansea ) , I Evans ( Llanelli ) , R Bidgood ( Newport ) , S Gibbs ( Swansea ) , M Hall ( Cardiff ) , N Davies ( Llanelli ) , N Walker ( Cardiff ) , W Proctor ( Llanelli ) , A Davies ( Cardiff ) , N Jenkins ( Pontypridd ) , C Stephens ( Llanelli ) , R Moon ( Llanelli ) , R Jones ( Swansea ) .
Idiom: bottom drawer (used idiomatically: yes)
and the pelmet is propped up by the bookcase . You call out ‘ Simon’ in an empty room downstairs while directly above I bend to a bottom drawer where you kept my first cautionary letters . I know there will be nothing in it .
Idiom: game on (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Those last two minutes felt like two hours,’ said Shell . The victory ended a run of three successive defeats , and Shell showed himself to be a relatively undemonstrative head coach prepared to listen to the advice of his assistant coaches and players before calling the big plays . Bo Jackson , the outstanding running - back who rushes for the Raiders when not playing baseball for the Kansas City Royals , returns to practice this week , but is unlikely to be ready for the Raiders game on Sunday … against the Kansas City Chiefs . Rallying : Fiorio keeps his cool to extend lead By STUART ALEXANDER
Idiom: get lost (used idiomatically: yes)
She wanted me to put twenty one ! Bloody hell . I says get lost , I says that 's cheating . I 'm sixteen I am . I put your age in .
Idiom: have a heart (used idiomatically: no)
While Mr Brandreth was at New College , Mr Clinton was at University College from 1968-70 . IN the preface to next year 's edition of The Wine Diary , published by Grants of St James 's , wine lecturer Neil Hadley warns against ‘ the threat of creeping prohibition ’ . Mr Hadley , who teaches at the Grants School of Wine , cites studies which have found that compared with lifelong abstainers , moderate drinkers show a 26 per cent reduction in the incidence of heart trouble . ‘ And on the psychological side , ’ says Mr Hadley , ‘ a review of the results of 66 different studies has shown that moderate alcohol intake is associated with increased powers of expression , happiness and conviviality , and reduced stress , tension , depression and self-consciousness . ’ The message , says Mr Hadley , is ‘ Drink wisely and be merry . ’
Idiom: go down the wrong way (used idiomatically: yes)
Help yourself.’ She stared at him , noting the dark patches darkening his shirt , and became uncomfortably aware of the trickle of sweat running down her own back . Handing him one of the cans , she drank from her own , and coughed as it went down the wrong way . It was removed instantly from her grasp . ‘ Take it more slowly,’ ordered Niall .
Idiom: in the saddle (used idiomatically: no)
Fortunately most equestrian expectations can now be fulfilled . A more demanding public — hopefully prepared to pay the proper price if horse holidays are to survive — have produced a flexibility in which accommodation matches equestrian standards , and individual needs of riders are increasingly met . Naturally the more challenging the holiday the higher the price , especially if the reward for six hours in the saddle — with perhaps some of it spent in the rain — is a hot bath and the creature comforts of at least a hotel . Some , like the Castle Riding Centre ( Tel : 0546 3274 ) tune their trail rides to suit your pocket : the main ones use hotels , with others you stay at the centre or with local families . Self - catering is also available .
Idiom: before you can say Jack Robinson (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Are you contradicting my professional knowledge , you ignorant little reptile,’ he yelled , ‘ I tell you its a bloody sturgeon.’ ‘ Well , it 's my bloody sturgeon,’ said Lofty , surprised at his own courage . ‘ If you touch that fish I 'll have you up the steps before you can say Jack Robinson,’ hissed Herbie , going blue in the face ‘ Whaddya mean,’argued Lofty , ‘ I found i m and I got ta licence.’ ‘ Makes no difference in this case Lofty,’ interrupted Yanto , quietly trying to defuse the situation ; a sturgeon is a royal fish , and all of 'em caught in this country must be offered to the King , that 's the law.’ Herbie turned his attention to Yanto .
Idiom: in someone's pocket (used idiomatically: yes)
Tom found someone 's business card in his pocket , but could n't remember where he got it .
Idiom: quick as a flash (used idiomatically: yes)
We 'd borrowed the car from Biland 's mechanic and had to promise not to let Simon drive it . ' Suddenly a police van came round the corner and pulled up to see what was going on . Quick as a flash , Simon 's laughing was replaced by tutting and headshaking as he dusted the car off , muttering something about hooligans . The police asked what was happening and Simon looked up , completely deadpan and pointed down the road and said : ' Football hooligans . They ran that way ! '
Idiom: get a grip (used idiomatically: yes)
Straining slightly , and with teeth . clenched , Benny lifted her foot above the instruments and lowered it with extreme care towards the handle of the scalpel . On the first two touches , it shifted , and she could n't get a grip on it , but on the third attempt , she clasped it between her toes . Keeping a tight grip , she slowly swung her leg back into a normal position , laying the scalpel down on the end of the bed . ‘ What do you know , those ballet lessons paid off … .’
Idiom: point the finger (used idiomatically: yes)
In the words of one observer : ' There are far too many organisations trying to save hunting . They are making a thoroughly poor fist of it , and many people have virtually given up . ' Fingers are also pointed at the Society 's two tame MPs , Michael Colvin and Sir Nicholas Bonsor . ' They should have spoken up more during the election campaign , ' adds a critic . Perhaps the only good news for hunting people is the impressive progress of Edmund Vestey , new chairman of the Campaign for Hunting and chairman - elect of the Masters of Foxhounds Association .
Idiom: six of the best (used idiomatically: no)
Brick garage . PRICE : £ 79,000 Six of the best FAMILIES searching for extra space should make a quick exit left to Barry Evans & Co. They are handling the sale of this six bedroom detached property in Wood Lane , Huyton Quarry , Liverpool 36 .
Idiom: catch a cold (used idiomatically: yes)
Frazer Digby and Terry Fenwick are back fit in Swindon 's squad of sixteen . Hereford are suffering something of a flu epedemic at the moment . They certainly caught a cold with Preston at the weekend … rather generous in defeat . Chris Pike is back in the side to play Chester tomorrow after going down with the snuffles and sneezes . Gareth Davies is over his injury too .
Idiom: on and off (used idiomatically: no)
Tom stood at the door , flipping the light switch on and off .
Idiom: rain or shine (used idiomatically: yes)
Fi Who faithfully followed every week , hale , rain or shine ! Stand in the stadium and watch it and then come back and watch the highlights on TV at night ! Discuss if we should go out socially , er it becomes a kind of religion !
Idiom: carry the can (used idiomatically: no)
Factually , Mr Graham was right , thought Stevens . President Marcos increased the Philippine national debt from $ 2.7 billion to over $ 28 billion between 1972 and 1986 — slipping around $ 15 billion of it into his own bottomless purse5 . But the people who carry the can for Marcos and other corrupt Third World elites are the millions of ordinary , working poor . Too often the governments that are most genuinely concerned are the ones refused Western aid . Moreover Mr Graham forgot that the West actually benefits from stolen money — at least the banks do .
Idiom: open someone's eyes (used idiomatically: yes)
The sun was beating down and there was a sort of mistiness in my head , but a pleasant mistiness . Was I dreaming when the misty feeling changed into a sudden heightening of all my senses : the scent and the vivid costume of the young man and the sound of droning bees and the taste of summer in my mouth ? I stood a few yards away from him , my sandalled feet feeling the mossy lawn underneath,— and then he opened his eyes . He seemed real and solid ; it was myself who felt weightless as though I was just a conduit for all these sensations .. ‘ A vision fair’ he said , staring at me .
Idiom: under the microscope (used idiomatically: yes)
Plants like these are very likely to have been among the earliest forms to colonise the moist margins of the land , but so far no fossil relics of undoubted mosses have been discovered from this early period . The first land plants we know , dating from over 400 million years ago , are simple leafless branching strands which occur as filaments of carbon in the rocks of central Wales and in some cherts in Scotland . Like moss , they had no roots , but when their stems are carefully prepared and examined under the microscope , they are seen to contain structures that no moss possesses — long , thick - walled cells for conducting water up the stem . These structures gave them strength and enabled them to stand several centimetres tall . That may not sound very imposing , but it represented a major advance .
Idiom: rise from the ashes (used idiomatically: yes)
The body has undergone major alterations . It is not the same body . A new self has risen from the ashes of the old body . ( Seymour , 1989 , p. 122 ) So convinced are such people that to be impaired is to ‘ die’ that no amount of protestation to the contrary seems to make any difference .
Idiom: that makes two of us (used idiomatically: yes)
I could n't look after her . I was suicidal . ' John snorted and said , ' That makes two of us . ' ' There 's something I never told you . I had a child . '
Idiom: ring a bell (used idiomatically: yes)
I 'll go myself . ' Myles shook his head . ' No , no , no sick call , ' he said , regretting now he had rung the bell . ' It 's of no consequence . Just tell him Myles Burke called , ' he said and moved away .
Idiom: see the light (used idiomatically: yes)
Cameron had not the energy to reply , but he was thinking , So would their masters . Dogs would do it to us with their teeth but they have laws and guns instead . They had passed through the blackest part of the valley now and it was a relief to see a light or two at Weem , and across the invisible river at Aberfeldy . The McCullochs turned into their cottage with a brief good - night and Cameron , James , and Allan let themselves into the tall , silent house along the road . It smelled of wine dregs , damp soot , and whitewash .
Idiom: chase rainbows (used idiomatically: yes)
Reid 's star began to rise with a vengeance last year when he became associated with the stable of Peter Chapple - Hyam who provided him with the horse every jockey wants to have — a Derby winner . ' I still regard my win in last year 's Derby on Dr Devious as the greatest , thrill of my racing career , ' he told me . ' The feeling was indescribable and nowadays when things do n't quite go as planned I often sit back and think of other jockeys who never had a Derby win and who , for the remainder of their careers , will be chasing this elusive rainbow . ' I can at least say that I have been there and I count myself one of the lucky ones . ' Reid almost did n't have the mount on Dr Devious for the maestro Lester Piggott , was hovering in the background and might have pushed Reid to one side .
Idiom: scratch the surface (used idiomatically: yes)
Akeredolu - ale , one of the Nigerian analysts of local entrepreneur , writing in 1975 saw deeper problems : Private indigenous entrepreneurs in Nigeria are still to cultivate the discipline of conserving more than they consume of their trade surplus and of re - investing such surpluses to expand the firm . Very limited entrepreneurial ambitions , conspicuous consumption and a tendency to spread their thin investments over many ventures [ the ‘ group of companies’ mentality ] , a tendency … to only scratch the surface of innovation , the aversion to teaming up with others , all these and other motivational factors are likely to continue to limit the growth of Nigerian enterprises even in those spheres which are exclusively reserved to them and to postpone the day when they may hope to take over the higher reaches of enterprise . In his earlier analysis in 1969 of Nigerian businessmen , Kilby reached similar conclusions : While Yoruba and Ibo patterns of status mobility based on achieved wealth provide a strong incentive to establish a business enterprise as a means of obtaining high social status , once established there are no antecedent roles conferring respect for efficient managerial performance .