Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: pull a face (used idiomatically: yes)
It might possibly be occupied only by a raddled ancient , of no threat . At first there was no response to Cleo 's knock , at which Dauntless was greatly relieved . She looked back over her shoulder at him and pulled a sour face . Then , squaring her shoulders , she lifted the knocker again and pounded it repeatedly against the door . Almost immediately , frenzied barking erupted beyond the door , which to Dauntless sounded like a pack of hellhounds released from sorcerous slumber .
Idiom: on the house (used idiomatically: yes)
The current guillotine motion , however , has been introduced without any attempt to decide whether it was necessary . The Government have used the guillotine in a way that no other Government have — with alarming frequency and absolute severity . They have imposed their will on the House . Despite having a huge majority in the past five years of over 100 Members , they have still felt the need to do what , until he became a member of one , Lord Hailsham used to describe as playing the game of being an ' elective dictatorship ' . That is the way in which the Government have operated .
Idiom: once and for all (used idiomatically: yes)
It impinged on me , this business of always being in the Now . Riding along in my automobile there was no particular time to go to , just a moiling moment . I agreed with Gyggle , only by entering the dreamscape , the hypercast of my hotted - up mind , could I hope to resolve this paradox and once and for all free myself from the malevolent force which I felt had shaped my life . He told me that in the past insulin had been used to put people in coma states but he would n't dream of doing anything as crude or violent ; a silky drip of valium sedation was all that was required . Gyggle would store me in a spare room of the hospital and keep me under twenty - four - hour observation while I was unconscious .
Idiom: out of sorts (used idiomatically: no)
' Going round at dead of night , eavesdropping on people 's conversations . Like damned Peeping Toms . Bet you get a cheap thrill out of that sort of thing , do n't you ? You 'd arrest anyone else who did it . That your idea of detective work ? '
Idiom: off the hook (used idiomatically: yes)
I could n't get through to yes her number 's still engaged , unless it 's been reported . Mm . She might have just had it off the hook yesterday . Come on . Students with O A level passes for ninety three percent of training teachers Eight out of ten graduates have a good second class honours degree .
Idiom: ring a bell (used idiomatically: yes)
I imagine its value is probably pretty cool too . There are tall black iron gates but they 're hooked open so I just drive through and up a drive of pink bricks to the door . I ring the bell and wait . There are no other cars in the drive but there 's a garage block attached to the house with two double doors . The sun 's dipping down over the trees and a breeze gets up , rustling the leaves on the ornamental shrubs and blowing some grit into my left eye , making it water again .
Idiom: keep a low profile (used idiomatically: no)
The public were a ‘ voice offstage’ to be used by each side in their threats , but only in the last resort was public debate considered to have a useful role in decision making . Within the BEA , the need for collusion with Whitehall on matters of this kind immeasurably strengthened the instincts of centralisation and secrecy with which the top management were imbued . The hostile Conservative press environment into which the nationalised organisations were born , and the unusually vituperative and irresponsible anti - nationalisation tone of Churchill 's parliamentary opposition , also strengthened their preferences for keeping a low profile politically . All the chairmen made an effort to reply to inaccurate or unverifiable press criticism , and to stress their Boards ' positive work in maintaining supplies in difficult conditions of great austerity , but experience proved truth to be of only limited effectiveness against prejudice . The ‘ orgy of slander’ against the Labour Government and all its works had already had severe direct impact on the chairmen .
Idiom: under the table (used idiomatically: no)
ROBERT JOHNSON : The Search For Robert Johnson LEGENDARY BLUESMAN Robert Johnson has gone missing . He was last seen floating into a radiation bar in a bid to drink the crew of the USS Enterprise under the table but has n't been seen since . Star Trek IV , The Search For Robert Johnson is the story of how Kirk , Sulu , Page and Plant tried to find him . They go to England , where Eric Claptout , the legendary thief of the blue dilithium crystals , says that Johnson was a top geezer .
Idiom: anything goes (used idiomatically: yes)
yeah and like , just blended it in with like one of these pencil stuff , so funny apparently he went , he went round telling everybody erm he was doing a live exercise and he got singed or something but this , this erm , its Browndown on the South Coast and it was , it was a Christ it was a Christmas piss up , regiment Christmas piss up and anything goes , as long as you do n't physically hurt somebody , although that has been known to happen and its not criminal anything goes right , but honestly the worse you do to somebody the worse they do back to you , and people are getting tied bollock naked up the flag poles , dumped in bins , erm , tied in their beds , put out in the middle of the parade ground , fucking all sorts of things you know , like what we can do , the most common thing is nicking , you know the old walking pay slips they 've got yeah nicking them and capture there pay slips and you get it , you get a little brass plaque on it saying captured by so and so and the date , cos obviously they get fined for loosing it and all that sort of stuff
Idiom: have someone's number (used idiomatically: yes)
Have you arranged to meet family / friends afterwards ? Do you know your way to the start ? Make sure you have your race number Have you packed a pair of flip - flops for after the race ? Have you got your stop watch on ?
Idiom: man's best friend (used idiomatically: yes)
It was an impulse out of which he made a whole book ( or at least a whole appendix ) : the Dictionnaire des idées reçues . At the simplest level , his Dictionary is a catalogue of clichés ( DOG : Especially created to save its master 's life . A dog is man 's best friend ) and cod definitions ( CRAYFISH : Female of the lobster ) . Beyond this it 's a handbook of fake advice , both social ( LIGHT : Always say Fiat lux!when lighting a candle ) and aesthetic ( RAILWAY STATIONS : Always go into ecstasies about them ; cite them as models of architecture ) . Sometimes the manner is sly and teasing , at others so challengingly straight - faced that you find yourself half - believing it ( MACARONI : When prepared in the Italian style , is served with the fingers ) .
Idiom: gather dust (used idiomatically: yes)
With effect from this month it has been decided to organise the Society 's ‘ appro system’ on a slightly different basis . At present there is no time limit on how long you hold stock — with the result that many appro forms date back some years . This results in goods gathering dust and discrepancies occur . It is our intention to keep goods turning over at a livelier pace and it would therefore be appreciated if you would return any goods which you are unable to sell . You can then begin afresh and show your classes the latest lines and colours .
Idiom: laughing stock (used idiomatically: yes)
Again on the subject of change , this week a major new survey of British manufacturing industry showed 2pc four companies from the sample of 200 could be regarded as world class . Not much new about that you might think , given the traditionally British trait of self - denigration , but the survey also found a further 42pc , or 84 companies , were genuine contenders for that elite gathering . And that less than a generation after British industry was the laughing stock of the world . Interesting too was the conclusion that BS5750 , for so long regarded as the quality benchmark for British industry , is out of date and no longer relevant to the demands of the current marketplace . The survey , conducted by IBM and London Business School , also discovered that the main obstacle to progress for manufacturers was not government policies or interest rates but the ability to implement change quickly .
Idiom: on the rocks (used idiomatically: yes)
A man is standing bare - chested beside a yellow canoe on some rocks with water in the background
Idiom: on the mend (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ There were experienced rescuers at the resort but doctors from the hospital were probably better placed to deal with the victims.’ He said the head of rescue services in each resort chose whether to call on further help from Chambery . Volcano hero on the mend A FILM cameraman was airlifted to safety yesterday after being trapped inside a volcano for two days . Michael Benson , 42 , of Los Angeles , was whisked to hospital with serious lung damage after the daring helicopter mission in zero visibility .
Idiom: come to terms with (used idiomatically: yes)
WHEN SHE WAS 15 , Neneh says , she knew she wanted kids , and ‘ it was going to be a good thing for me to have them young’ . Her decision was made on ‘ kinda like a mass exodus trip’ from New York with her natural father , Amhadu Jah ( a Sierra Leonese percussionist who lives in Stockholm ) , and his family , to West Africa . The experience was a defining period in her life , one which ‘ really gave me a lotta confidence , and helped me come to terms with my womanhood’ . Landing in Nigeria , en route to Sierra Leone , and struck , initially , by the intense heat and strange , over - powering odours , Neneh felt frightened and alienated : ‘ It was like a world I 'd never been in , that was looking at me as being different — but also part of . First night we got there , we hitched a ride with these Lagos ragga kids in a VW bus .
Idiom: have words (used idiomatically: no)
Ronni followed him back into the sitting - room and stood awkwardly watching him as he poured himself a whisky . Just being in the same room with him was an exquisite torment . ' As I said , I want to have a word . ' ' Oh , yes ? ' He seemed distracted .
Idiom: pull out all the stops (used idiomatically: yes)
And that 's why we , we were dispatched out to Jordan , er at sort of very very quick , very short notice . The water side now is actually , is , is , is , is more or less all sorted out . The , we 've been working with the water authorities as I said , they 've pulled all the stops out to provide the actual water resource and we 've provided the tanks and the distribution systems . And , you know , with , with their help the whole thing has gone together quite nicely , so it 's , it 's from the water point of view , the basic problems are , are solved . Are you pleased with what you achieved ?
Idiom: on the money (used idiomatically: no)
he would get called at but as far as she did erm thing do da 's mm still it 's all good money int it ? , must be on better money now than he was as a G P an ordinary G P , otherwise I do n't think he would of given it up
Idiom: more's the pity (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ But man traps are illegal,’ she pointed out . ‘ Fiddlesticks!’ said Dotty firmly . ‘ So are heaps of other traps , but they 're used , more 's the pity , on poor animals that are doing no wrong . This wretched man knows quite well he is doing wrong in taking my eggs . He deserves the consequences , and I shall point them out to him — from a safe distance , of course— as soon as I 've trapped him.’
Idiom: steer clear of (used idiomatically: yes)
Had he been in love with her before she had married ? Were they sleeping together now ? She remembered what he had said about steering clear of married women , and she decided that they probably were n't , not that the thought gave her any pleasure . God , how she hated this . She dragged herself from the sofa and listlessly prepared herself some lunch , making do with bread and Camembert cheese and some of the pâté which had been left over from the night before .
Idiom: under a cloud (used idiomatically: yes)
They would find out about this . Everybody would talk about it . Can you imagine them growing up under a cloud like that ? They would hate you for it.’ Tess 's head was bent .
Idiom: go all the way (used idiomatically: no)
There was n't many people up there . But there 's a few th , I got a few , few little things there . It 's bit , you know handier than going all the way down like you know ? Yeah . So I 'm going again tomorrow with Alison ..
Idiom: cut and dried (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I have received Doctor Sparrow 's report,’ the Matron said , accepting a cup of tea but refusing anything to eat . Alida frowned . She had hoped to guide the early conversation along vaguer , more social channels , not to have this immediate plunge into medical details , definite decisions , not to face a situation already cut and dried by her opponent . ‘ Doctor Sparrow was concerned about the lifting,’ she said . ‘ Lifting ? ‘
Idiom: cock a snook (used idiomatically: yes)
But the old ways and attitudes are still there behind the double glazing and the latest edition of Neighbours . All that celebratory burning of good kindling at the onset of the darkest and longest months of the year must assuage some deep primitive need . The very cavalier nature of such waste seems to cock a snook at the Presbyterianism that controls a large section of the community . This interweaving of pre - Christian , reformation and contemporary religions gives Lewis its unique flavour and an opportunity for a lot of us to take stock of all that is slowly being eroded in our own cultures . RAMBLE SEVEN
Idiom: down the tubes (used idiomatically: no)
We went to Leisureworld Is that the swimming pool ? We went down the tubes , the blue one is erm just as good as the green one , the blue one longer . Mhm . You go whoosh
Idiom: bark up the wrong tree (used idiomatically: yes)
I have seen it.’ ‘ Wonderful chaps . Ca n't help thinking that they are on the right track and it 's we who are barking up the wrong tree . That 's not for publication . So what is the problem?’
Idiom: steer clear of (used idiomatically: yes)
Recently , and at vast expense , Loch Ken has been revitalised and restocked , because it had become fishless ; and there is evidence that many other lochs , surrounded by conifer plantations , will need similar treatment to save them from ruin in the foreseeable future . We first fished the South - west in the early 1960s when Ann and I paid a visit to Carsfad Reservoir , near New Galloway . In spite of being a reservoir , Carsfad provided excellent sport and we had great fun ; as long as I steered well clear of the dam . Ann does not like dams . Loch Doon , to the north , is much more attractive , to my mind , still retaining a wild , untamed atmosphere .
Idiom: down the road (used idiomatically: no)
She says that fifty percent of her trade is from passing traffic . The bridge closure is affecting many businesses . Just down the road this garage has seen a drastic cut in takings . He says the garage is losing about nine thousand pounds a week in takings , most of which came from lorry drivers who are now using other routes . This Welcome break restaurant has suffered such a drop in trade that staff have agreed to work on short time , with a cut in wages , to try and keep it going until the bridge reopens .
Idiom: through thick and thin (used idiomatically: yes)
( In Victorian times , the shaved head was the mark of the institution . As soon as a slum kid entered a Ragged School or a Borstal or a Barnardo 's Home , the hair was shorn to prevent infestation ) . The skinhead style , for all its apparent knuckleheadedness , is a consciously held pose , a deliberate turning back to earlier , more certain times when men were men and girls stuck by their blokes through thick and thin , a time when an observer could tell an individual 's social status by merely glancing down at the footwear or at the way a person walked . Just watch the way a skinhead moves . The posture is organised as carefully as the length of the red tags or the Sta - prest or the hair .
Idiom: ride high (used idiomatically: yes)
Talking of grunge … Block Out the Sun — Slug ( cassette ) . Those sub - pop noise boys — Slug — have been riding high in the local artists chart with their brand new demo . Drawing on influences from across the Atlantic as well as from fellow grungers back home , the trio have put out some convincingly fresh material , never lacking originality in any of the seven tracks . Outstanding tunes are Fisted , Some and Giant Drag .
Idiom: pleased as punch (used idiomatically: yes)
Oh I bet she looks forward to that does n't she ? Ah yeah she loves it Yeah , pleased as punch . Yeah . Yeah .
Idiom: as a rule (used idiomatically: yes)
And in the 1960s the Government gave a tax holiday , which lasted 14 years , to the struggling automobile industry . Such help to industry shrinks the tax base . Third World elites , as a rule , get off lightly when it comes to paying tax — certainly in comparison with their counterparts in the developed world . Industrial countries in 1980 took 33 per cent of their tax from incomes while least developed countries collected only 17 per cent from incomes , getting most of their revenue from trade and sales duties . This system hits the Third World poor hardest .
Idiom: go halves (used idiomatically: yes)
I asked . His normally open , boyish face closed for a moment , and then he said warily , " Why do you ask ? " " Because we 're going halves , of course . " " We 're not , " he said in a rigid voice that should have warned me . " But Toby , we are , of course we are !
Idiom: take a back seat (used idiomatically: yes)
GORDON Hamilton remains hopeful of a return to competitive rugby — but he wo n't make any hasty decisions . Now back with North after a spell with Ballymena he is keen to resume his playing career , injury permitting , but he wo n't allow his heart to rule his head . Capped 10 times by Ireland the former Ulster captain was forced to take a back seat just before Christmas because of a recurring back injury . He has n't played a competitive game since , but turned out with an Ulster XV in the unlikely setting of Sheephaven Bay yesterday to mark the local club 's introduction into the Ulster League . Reflecting on the way ahead he said : ‘ I 'll have a couple of low - key junior games with North and see how it goes .
Idiom: sleep rough (used idiomatically: yes)
Er invariably the co accommodation was er was provided in the in the local halls , there were two local halls in those days , but er primarily the public hall , wi that was the local council hall . Er , this er provided the er this provided the accommodation . They all slept there , you know , they s th they they they slept rough . But it was warm , er and er meals were provided for them . And do you have any specific memories of er the hunger marches ?
Idiom: argue the toss (used idiomatically: no)
" The novel is the one bright book of life , " Lawrence had didactically exclaimed and Bill Potter had didactically reiterated . " The novel is the highest form of human expression yet attained . " If anyone had challenged Frederica directly as to whether she believed that , she would have argued the toss . But — however Wordsworthian the roots — in the 1950s the recording compulsion took Lawrentian forms . And she had no plot .
Idiom: on the run (used idiomatically: yes)
Almost everybody was smoking . There were two Frenchmen in the corner with shifty eyes and scarred faces who looked away when I stared at them , and a friendly Scandinavian with a tan and fine blond hair who shook my hand and said , ‘ France fucking shit , yes?’ I smiled in answer to this , and started talking in French to a small , balding man who turned out to be Swiss and who was on the run from the customs in Geneva . There were Belgians and Dutchmen , a Spaniard and a silent Italian smoking through nicotine - stained fingers who , Alex told me , was suffering withdrawal from drugs . I changed into my tracksuit and took my civilian clothes downstairs to the Corporal .
Idiom: curry favour (used idiomatically: yes)
Later , he used the opening of the Cortes , on 17 May 1952 , and the International Eucharistic Congress , held in Barcelona in June , to indicate that nothing essential had changed . The quasi - religious ceremonial which surrounded Franco 's attendance at both events served both to sacralize power and to secularize religion , making the two indivisible in the person of Francisco Franco . In purely pragmatic terms , such identification with Catholicism was a way of currying favour with the Vatican and with the influential Catholic lobby in the United States . For , by mid-1952 , Franco had decided that Spain 's international standing and his own personal prestige would be enhanced by concluding a bilateral agreement with the United States and a concordat with the Vatican . He secured both in 1953 .
Idiom: drop the ball (used idiomatically: yes)
It took the mantri a long time to work right round the bull , from shoulder to rump down one side and then from rump to shoulder back up the other . When she had finished she turned to Nara , who had just come back with the things she needed and was peering round the door , as if he was too scared of her magic to come right in . ‘ Take this to the crossroads,’ she said , dropping the ball of cow - dung into his cupped hands , ‘ and bury it so none of it 's left showing.’ Then she took the willow twig , laid it across the bull 's withers and secured it in place with a rope tied firmly beneath the soft folds of flesh on the underside of the neck . ‘ That represents its ploughing yoke,’ she told Chola .
Idiom: on the game (used idiomatically: yes)
Broad , Gower and Lamb fell in quick succession and then it was just a case of mopping up . Botham delayed the inevitable with a fifty , but Holding finished with 5 for 43 and England were all out for 202 . At least defeat by a mere 172 runs represented something of an improvement on earlier games . The Oval 1984 . it might be raining but a ' blackwash ' is not far away . There was no doubt , though , that the banner proclaiming ' Blackwash ' said it all .
Idiom: for a song (used idiomatically: no)
The amount of money you have to spare If money is tight , you can get plants as gifts from generous friends ; even just cuttings will turn into plants , or collect wayside seeds or seedheads , but not plants ( remember there are Wildlife Preservation Orders in force in most countries ) . You can acquire some most unusual species for a song at village jumble sales , country fetes , and street markets . Many herbs grow easily from seed , fortunately still reasonably inexpensive , and you can save seed and take your own cuttings from year to year . The amount of time you have to spare
Idiom: have a heart (used idiomatically: yes)
Eubank is also asking for £1m to fight Benn once more but admitted : ‘ I would even take it if it meant that the winner got Pounds 1m and the loser only half as much — the fight is that important to me . ’ And Eubank added taunts to temptation by saying : ‘ Despite what Benn says , I still think the man is bottling another fight with me . I do n't think he has the heart for it . ‘ He is misleading people and will do everything in his power to keep away from me because we both know I 'll beat him again . ‘ And if he is not prepared to fight , then he should say so but there is no point in lying to the people around him saying he can do the job if he really believes he ca n't . ’