Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: on edge (used idiomatically: no)
They will have to pay a further political price for their insensitive treatment of Scotland . Some hon . Members believe that the Tories have got themselves into a spot of bother in Scotland , and we are not referring to the occasional by - election disaster such as occurred in Kincardine and Deeside recently , or even to the reduction of Scottish Tory representation in the House to the completely inadequate level of nine . We are talking about a spectacular slide in support for Conservatism in Scotland , which has taken the Tories from the high point of being the majority party in Scotland in the mid-1950s to the point today when they are on the edge of extinction as a serious and significant force in Scotland . One might think that , in those circumstances , Ministers would begin to ask themselves a few basic questions , such as , ' Where have we gone wrong in Scotland ? What are we doing or not doing in Scotland that is alienating from us our natural Scottish supporters ? '
Idiom: pull the wool over someone's eyes (used idiomatically: yes)
PREVIOUSLY RELEASED AS ROUND THE BEND ! Right , let 's get something straight — the reason Zeppelin changed the title for this budget rerelease is because the TV show from which it was licensed was changed . Zeppelin are making no bones about the fact that Doc Croc 's Outrageous Adventures was previously released as Round The Bend , and are n't trying to pull the wool over anyone 's eyes . Ahem . Now we 've got that sorted , let 's have a look at the game .
Idiom: out of the woods (used idiomatically: yes)
Oh do n't be ridiculous ! What to do , a little bit of pantomime . Ro rode out of the woods tonight . No do n't keep suffering . Forever while she breathes I 'll go and see and fetch some water , will you come ?
Idiom: save face (used idiomatically: no)
As this is likely to be the last Scottish Question Time before the general election , will the Secretary of State indulge in a deathbed conversion and recognise the frustrations and hopes of the Scottish people about the present constitutional set - up ? Will he discontinue his pre - election pact with the Scottish National party in its all - or - nothing bid ? Does he agree that a meeting with the convention may not be enough to save his seat but may just save his face ? Mr. Lang I look forward to answering Scottish questions from this Dispatch Box at the first Scottish Question Time after the general election .
Idiom: round the bend (used idiomatically: yes)
Maddening for Fergie The Duchess of York is reported to be receiving psychiatric help and has therefore fallen victim of the classic dilemma . If you are known to be seeing a shrink you are deemed to be going round the bend . But if you are going round the bend and resist seeking any help you are deemed to be perfectly okay . THE LIMIT
Idiom: on the ground (used idiomatically: yes)
I saluted him and then made my way back to the farmyard and the comparative safety of the farm buildings . I had gone a few paces when there was a loud crashing explosion behind me . I could feel the blast on my back as I was pitched forward , landing face down on the ground unable to move and gasping for breath . I lay there for what seemed like an eternity and feeling in a sort of panic . Was I wounded ?
Idiom: think twice (used idiomatically: yes)
The prison officers ' dispute Sharon refers to is the Prison Officers Association overtime ban started at the end of April 1986 . It was called off within twenty - four hours after extensive rioting at a number of men – s prisons . If he was to walk in here today and I knew he was my stepfather , I would not think twice about putting a knife through him . My mum is now registered blind : that 's through the severe beatings to the head she had from him . My brother Sean is very slow , and I feel my stepfather had something to do with that too .
Idiom: behind someone's back (used idiomatically: yes)
Braithwaite looked at her . ‘ How so?’ Christina crossed her fingers behind her back . ‘ Well , one of Mr Stein 's first duties as general manager is to recruit the rest of the staff , and he 's already set up some interviews locally . I 'm sure you do n't need me to explain the scale of our requirements here.’
Idiom: walk all over (used idiomatically: yes)
First the scrubbing , and then the almost religious whitening not only of the step , but their share of the pavement before the step . It had to be done every day , too . What was worse , within minutes people would be walking all over her back - breaking work — it did not bear thinking of . She straightened up , and carried the pail , the soap , the brush and the swab , as Miss Mates called the cloth , to the outdoor drain at the back of the house . And she shuddered at the chore the whole thing would be in the winter — if she lasted that long — seeing that it was such a drag in the mildness of summer .
Idiom: name names (used idiomatically: yes)
However , he added : ‘ I 'm quite shocked that this has happened . It 's a sad day when a trade union delegate and a member of the Labour Party ca n't pass an opinion.’ John Murphy : claims he could name names Community service for killers TWO men who battered a man to death with hockey sticks after he shouted racist taunts at them walked free from the High Court in Glasgow yesterday .
Idiom: get a life (used idiomatically: no)
Exactly . you sell me a When you go to buy it you think oh I 've got a life I can change it . you take out , I think most people take out life insurance
Idiom: all over the place (used idiomatically: no)
they had a row at erm petrol station when that happened to her . And they said it was our car . and , and it went , cos it was quite a bit more worth petrol that went all over the place . And she refused to pay . And they me up about it .
Idiom: do the right thing (used idiomatically: yes)
My life belonged to them ; my duty was clear . I was , of course , very stupid . Because , apart from the emotion of the moment , what had made me take this decision was really a kind of pride : I had to see myself as someone who had done the ' right thing ' . I was , simply , not prepared to go on with the discomfort of feeling — or knowing other people might feel — that I was in any way neglecting my family . Nor could I face , any longer , the shame of admitting I wanted a life of my own , in case this should lay me open to a charge of pretentiousness or self - importance .
Idiom: fall by the wayside (used idiomatically: yes)
ROYAL CONCERTGEBOUW / JARVI Neeme Järvi probably turns recordings out faster than any other artist in recorded history . Inevitably some fall by the wayside , but his success rate is surprisingly high considering the breadth of the repertoire he tackles . The fact that he is capable of making discs of superlative quality is also in no doubt , as this stunning new Stravinsky disc strikingly bears out . Jeu de Cartes , in particular , is nothing short of a tour de force or orchestral wizardry , superb engineering , and interpretative control .
Idiom: too clever by half (used idiomatically: yes)
It is very difficult to understand the root causes of our failure to take industrial R&D seriously , but Sir Eric thinks that it is at least in part simply a reflection of a more pervasive anti - intellectualism which seems to run through British society . There is a distrust of the intelligentsia and of theoretical learning . Britain , says Ash , must be one of the few countries where being ‘ too clever by half’ is regarded as a stinging insult . ‘ On the whole intellectual sparks are not admired all that much . People tend to admire common sense and strong business instincts rather than going for those who can out- think the competition.’
Idiom: fly a kite (used idiomatically: yes)
Paul remembered the Colonel , an old martinet who was one of those who had made it evident that he ought to be at home helping his mother . He was glad that the matter was dealt with ; it would have been inconvenient to travel south just now , he would have missed an important part of the moral philosophy course . But the end of his mother 's letter cheered him despite the regret he felt , the memory he could still conjure up of Jonas and himself as boys , flying a kite in a London park , tussling with one another , kicking a football . There will be a little more money as a result of this sadness , she wrote . I do not need it and will set it aside for you , my dear boy , to complete your studies .
Idiom: in this day and age (used idiomatically: yes)
And what a better place to achieve this , industrial conferences in our own union . Come on John , think again . And what is long term unemployment in this day and age ? I can assure you , it 's nearer to five years than eighteen months . The eighteen months out of Trade Rule made some sense when this great nation of ours had something resembling full - time employment .
Idiom: off the shelf (used idiomatically: no)
She did n't answer . Good God , he thought , I should like to do something that would really make her jump out of her skin for once . He pictured himself smashing both fists down in the middle of the kitchen table , or taking a china jug off the shelf and hurling it across the room . It was absurd that Norman Ward Westerman and Lord Boddy should listen with real deference to his views on Halifax , while at home he could n't even get a hearing from his own wife . Scribble , scribble , scribble , she went .
Idiom: have a cow (used idiomatically: yes)
. I mean you have to watch things a bit , but you know basically it 's a good experience for them . And erm he said , I 've got no erm pension or anything , you know I , cos they do n't , they pool the money you see , they , and I mean they do things like erm oh I do n't know have cows and make cheese and ice Mm . cream and grow potatoes and all this and probably they have bees and sell honey and you know they eat er they really try to be self- sufficient sort of community as much as they can .
Idiom: hammer and tongs (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Gas masks on,’ ordered the commander of Special Services . ‘ Fire on my command.’ The mob , now several hundred strong , and going at it hammer and tongs , took time out to boo and jeer at the military presence . Some began to hurl stones . Shaven - headed Nationalists rolled a car on to its side and took up positions behind it .
Idiom: young blood (used idiomatically: yes)
Bradford was ‘ not troubled with them’[fascists ] , ‘ The Movement does not receive much support’ in Dewsbury , and there appear to have been only a couple of modest meetings in Huddersfield . Elsewhere , there may have been more support . It was claimed that there were about 350 members in Sheffield , ‘ 50 wear uniform’ , and in Harrogate the fascists ‘ appear to confine their attention to younger members of the Tory Party , particularly those interested in sports , rugby and golf players ( the boisterous kind of young bloods).’ It was feared that the fascists might be ‘ gaining considerable ground’ in the Harrogate area . Nevertheless , any fears about Harrogate and Sheffield becoming centres of fascism proved unfounded .
Idiom: make history (used idiomatically: yes)
In support of this fiercely disputed position Althusser went through Marx 's output designating certain ' texts ' as scientific theoretical works and others as pre - scientific in character . Other Marxists have contended that Althusser 's rendering of Marx compels him to deny the evidence of Marx 's texts in which intentionalist as well as structuralist arguments are present ( Elster , 1985 ) . Marx 's famous dictum in the opening page of The Eighteenth Brumaire of Louis Bonaparte is not structuralist in Althusser 's sense : ' Men make their own history , but they do not make it just as they please'(Marx , 1977 , p. 300 ) . Contemporary Marxist structuralists arguably confuse voluntarism ( the notion that individuals have unconstrained choices ) with methodological individualism ( the notion that social phenomena should be explained through the intended and unintended consequences of human actors making choices within constrained feasible sets of options ) . Critique and theoretical work
Idiom: in the hole (used idiomatically: yes)
So is that a better way of doing it ? No the only , I would say personally , I would say the best dredging method is buckets because you can , you can keep a level , you could keep a level with a sucker dredger but not a ground dredger unless like grabbing out the hole . Er er in hole that 's like that and you 're grabbing out , well you 're only making a hole and fill in again but they into that one place do n't they like down at the erm , when I was crane driving , we used to have ships coming from Casablanca , with phosphate in and then there be a , another part there was sulphur , then they used to be erm , there 's green oar , what we used to call Green oar ?
Idiom: with bated breath (used idiomatically: yes)
The Austrian students have an entrance examination and only a few are allowed to enter annually . But for foreigners it is different , but they have to pay three times the Austrian fees . So now I wait with bated breath . October 16th And now for sleep .
Idiom: rank and file (used idiomatically: yes)
The garrisons of all the little towns southward had split hopelessly , bitterly into two factions - or three : the high command being on the side of Kerensky , in default of anything stronger , the majority of the rank and file with the Soviets , and the rest un happily wavering .
Idiom: come to terms with (used idiomatically: yes)
All those feelings of who had fathered it evaporated.’ If anything , their so - far unsuccessful crusade has brought them closer together . A year ago , they joined Child , a registered self - help charity set up to assist couples in coming to terms with infertility . ‘ I discovered lots of people as desperate as me,’ says Wendy . ‘ You 've been told one in 10 couples is infertile but they ca n't be in your street , can they ?
Idiom: on ice (used idiomatically: yes)
But it was funny . THE film made me laugh and I really loved it when Kevin set the traps for the two bad men . Macaulay Culkin is wonderful — I like him a lot — but I did get frightened at the bit when he slipped over on the ice and the bad men caught up with him . I 'm glad it had a very happy ending but I did n't cry or anything like that even though there were some scary bits . IT was hilarious .
Idiom: food for thought (used idiomatically: yes)
And , exactly a quarter of a century ago today , Nikita Khrushchev fell . As glasnost has its way , and Khrushchev 's ‘ rehabilitation’ proceeds apace , the occasion has not gone unnoticed . And there is plenty of food for thought . For one thing , the memoirs of several surviving actors in the drama have appeared with compelling new details of the intrigue . Far more pertinently , the parallels with what is happening now scream at anyone with the slightest sense of history .
Idiom: right as rain (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Do n't worry about that,’ mumbled Pooley in deep embarrassment . ‘ You 're sure you 're all right now?’ ‘ In the pink , tickety - boo , right as rain and ready for action . I do n't think I 'll be going in for one of those prolonged periods of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or whatever it 's called . Spare me the bevy of counsellors .
Idiom: follow suit (used idiomatically: yes)
Elimination of CFCS Environmentalists do not believe that this phase - out is fast enough . For example , the Swedes and the Norwegians are seeking to eliminate CFC use by 1995 , and it is possible that the rest of the world could follow suit . Manufacturing companies such as ICI and Du Pont say that it will take between five and seven years to develop suitable alternatives , and in some cases much less , so compliance with a 1995 withdrawal should pose few problems . The UK British Aerosol Manufacturer 's Association has committed its member companies to a 90 per cent reduction in the use of CFCs by 1990 , together with a voluntary ‘ ozone friendly’ labelling system .
Idiom: give and take (used idiomatically: no)
Relatively weak description of the ‘ he was very glad of my arrival ’ sort is cut , and we are left with the histrionic handclasp of Stepan Verkhovensky the actor manqué whom no reader of The Possessed will ever forget . He imagines he is going to be arrested and whisked off to Siberia . After two fumbled attempts Dostoevsky lands with a leap upon ‘ Il faut être prêt , voyez-vous ’ — he gave me a meaningful look — ‘ chague moment — they may come and take me , and phew ! — a man has disappeared ! ’ In the draft he has hidden thirty-five roubles inside a slit in his frock-coat pocket . The final text substitutes waistcoat for frock-coat — ‘ I do n't think they 'll get as far as taking my waistcoat off ’ — even better for the pampered softy with his vein of oldwomanish guile .
Idiom: over the top (used idiomatically: yes)
But it does n't really come close to Rangers . ‘ While United are a very big team in British terms , Rangers are one of Europe 's elite and one of the biggest clubs on the continent . ‘ I think if you asked most players in England if they 'd like to swap places with me they 'd be jumping over the top of each other to do it . ‘ People ask me if it 's embarrassing to be missing from the Rangers side when England is focused on our big European nights . ‘ The simple answer is no .
Idiom: throw down the gauntlet (used idiomatically: yes)
So th this a aggressive attitude . Now the other way of course which your attitude can er be affected is that you 're probably yourself quite a relaxed steady sort of guy , but do you respond , do you react to the antics of another road user ? In other words , someone throws down the gauntlet , do you pick it up ? You know we 've all see th t One we 've discussed a couple of times . Down the motorway , say just two lanes , or whatever , roadworks ahead , all moving down , the offside lane closes in eight hundred yards , six hundred yards , and you 're going along in your lorry and the cars going .
Idiom: do the right thing (used idiomatically: no)
Friedrich ~ Merzprobably did exactly the right thing by hurriedly capitulating , like the princes used to capitulate before Catherine the Great .
Idiom: odd one out (used idiomatically: yes)
odd one out . up on her own ? She 's not going to feel the odd one out . Mm . It does n't make much difference to us , we 're not that hard up , that we ca n't afford
Idiom: out and about (used idiomatically: no)
Two hours for the approach march to the enemy 's encampment and everyone to be in position before the first hints of dawn . Sleep - drugged figures stumble quietly around their bivouacs , feeling for the last few items of rain - sodden kit to stow in their bergens . The Directing Staff are out and about , unobtrusively encouraging , cajoling and even hissing the occasional order until the column moves off . The enemy 's base , a disused farmhouse , has been examined in great detail by an earlier reconnaissance patrol and everyone knows , in theory at least , how to reach it and What to do on arrival . The drills begin to take over … movement by night , how to react to any unexpected encounters en route .
Idiom: slippery slope (used idiomatically: no)
Round this way it 's not so steep . Here , let me go first.’ He took possession of her hand with almost too much confidence , drawing her with him down the slippery slope of wet grass towards the waterside . Her smooth - soled court shoes glissaded in the glazed turf , and he stood solidly , large feet planted , and let her slide bodily against him . He looked willowy enough , but he felt like a rock .
Idiom: strike a chord (used idiomatically: yes)
He is popular in Japan , more like a movie star than a politician ( partly because his brother , Yujiro , was a real film star until he died last year ) . The public also remembers Mr Ishihara 's early career as a novelist . In 1956 his book ' Season of the Sun ' , which won the Akutagawa award , struck several chords in a Japan seeking to restore its confidence . In one famous passage the hero vents his frustration by masturbating through a paper shoji screen — a sign of contempt for yet another revered symbol of Japanese culture . The proud flouting of taboos remains the Ishihara style .
Idiom: put down roots (used idiomatically: yes)
Female speaker Being an Army wife can still be difficult . She 's had 8 quarters , so it 's hard to put down roots . And she worries about Steve when they 're in Northern Ireland . Voice over
Idiom: in the clear (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ He says he 'd won the right to kill.’ The sergeant added : ‘ He thinks he 's dying . I think it puts you in the clear . He 's admitting it was his fault.’ ‘ Good,’ said Paul Lane .
Idiom: think twice (used idiomatically: yes)
It is the people . Belgium 's businessmen have become almost neurotic about the price of what they eat , said Mme Bernadette Paesbrugghe . Until this year , the expense - account diamond merchants and shipping barons would not have thought twice about paying up to £ 30 for turbot or lobster . But now M Philippe Maystadt , Belgian Finance Minister , has abolished the system which allowed them to set 100 per cent of the bill against tax as a business expense , she said . With 50 per cent coming automatically from their own pockets , the remaining customers are martinets .
Idiom: on the wagon (used idiomatically: yes)
When Huston began his next project , Freud , he was enthusiastic to have Clift play the title role . But in the space of little more than a year he found that Clift had ‘ deteriorated to a shocking degree’ : Monty was supposed to be on the wagon and I certainly did n't see him drinking , until I discovered that every time he passed the bar he 'd pick up any bottle that was on the bar and drink it . I knew also that he was on drugs . Because he 'd been seeing psychiatrists since 1950 he fancied he was an expert on Freud and wanted to sit in on all our discussions .
Idiom: no spring chicken (used idiomatically: yes)
You blag a meeting with the band 's lynchpin , organist Clint Boon . In the hushed surroundings of a smart restaurant , Boon fiddles enigmatically with a fob watch on a neck chain . The shirt 's a bit bright , and he 's not as young as you thought , but that 's OK . hell , Nick Cave 's no spring chicken . Enigmatically , Boon sits in silence for a while . Then he leans forward .
Idiom: in the driving seat (used idiomatically: yes)
The car has its idiosyncracies . The brake pedal is on the right , the accelerator in the middle . Back in the driving seat for the first time in 40 years the memories came flooding back . Male speaker We used to take it to vintage sports car events .
Idiom: take heart (used idiomatically: no)
Zeinab agreed that she would like a coffee and Mahmoud wanted to talk about what they had seen , so they stopped the arabeah when they reached the Ismailiya Quarter with its more Westernized restaurants into which women could go , and got out . It was late in the afternoon , almost evening by now , and the restaurants were beginning to fill up as people emerged from their siestas and began to promenade the streets . The shops took on a new lease of life , the street - sellers , with their lemonade and nougat , ostrich feathers , mummy - beads and scarabs , carnations and roses , and the street - artists , with their boa - constrictors and baboons , took new heart , and the city in general resumed its normal manic rhythm . They found a restaurant in a side street , where they would be pestered less , and took an outside table . ' Of the three , he 's the most likely , ' said Mahmoud .
Idiom: head south (used idiomatically: yes)
In years to come the commercialisation of BR via sectorisation could well be seen by historians as important as grouping and nationalisation . Scottish Region . The extremely utilitarian front end of the Sprinters is displayed against the massive ironwork of the Forth Bridge by No 150284 as it heads south working the 13.40 Dundee to Edinburgh train on 29 August 1988 . Anglian memories . Class 47 No 47580 County of Essex pulls away form the elegant Norwich Thrope station with the 15.20 to Liverpool Street on 22 June 1984 .