Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: in the driving seat (used idiomatically: yes)
This bill will give much more autonomy to those people who are delivering the care to patients on the ground,’ he said . The shadow Health Secretary , Mr Robin Cook , said Labour was fundamentally opposed to the principle of the bill and would vote against it because it would destroy the public sector ethos of the NHS and was designed to do so . The bill claimed to be ‘ putting the patient in the driving seat’ , but it did not even allow patients to be consulted if a hospital decided to opt out of regional health authority control , he said . It claimed it would ensure that money in the health service ‘ followed the patient’ , which Labour was not opposed to , but in fact the bill meant the patient would have to follow the money and the contracts . It claimed patients would have more choice over which hospital they went to , but in fact they would have less because they would have to go to the hospital with which their district health authority had placed a contract , he said .
Idiom: sit on the fence (used idiomatically: yes)
Not only did he take about half a dozen players , he took the manager , the tea lady and the backroom staff , and for all I know , the main stand , because that 's not at Banbury any more . And he did the same thing at Brackley Town , he guided them to success , their best ever season , he 's gone to Buckingham Town , took a few players with him , so Brackley Town , they 're not too pleased and they 're going to be out to beat Buckingham Town tonight , but I 'm going to sit on the fence and go for Buckingham 3 1 . Well that sound like sitting on the fence to me Mickey . We 'll hear from you again throughout the evening on the Red Fox and we 'll find out how it 's really going . Rugby Union now , and Mark Eagon , the Oxford University rugby captain has invited Errol Norwitz who gained blues in 1988 and 1989 , to be his vice - captain for the coming term which includes the University 's pre - season tour of the Far East which began last week .
Idiom: free rein (used idiomatically: yes)
The House Speaker , Tom Foley , and the Senate majority leader , George Mitchell , have urged him to reconsider his stance — even though they concede they do not have the votes to override a veto . In a joint statement they said Mr Bush ' holds it in his power to deny the right of choice to the poorest , most vulnerable American women ' . Free rein for FBI ' snatch ' squads From MARC CHAMPION in Washington THE Justice Department admitted yesterday that it had granted the FBI authority to ' override ' international law in order to seize fugitives from US justice living abroad without first obtaining the consent of the country where they were sheltering .
Idiom: blow someone's cover (used idiomatically: yes)
She did n't increase her pace — it would only alert her pursuer . But who was it ? She was more than capable of defending herself if the need arose , but what if her pursuer was someone who had recognized her from a previous UNACO assignment , someone out to blow her cover ? That did frighten her . She stopped again , this time in the doorway of a delicatessen , and reached into her bag for her sunglasses .
Idiom: raise Cain (used idiomatically: yes)
Kenneth O Morgan on the mixed - up Macmillan dynasty ; Valentine Cunningham on the decline and fall of Evelyn Waugh ; Veronica Groocock on Chad Varah , still the good Samaritan Fiction Bryan Cheyette raises Cain with Howard Jacobson Travel Dea Birkett on a debunking of desert island myths
Idiom: as a rule (used idiomatically: yes)
In Tervoort 's ( 1983 ) survey he discovered six of his responding countries had a signed spoken language form ( Finland , Ireland , Norway , Rumania , Sweden and the Soviet Union ) , but he also discovered in a further five countries an ' unofficial ' system of signs structured to reflect the spoken language . In Denmark , Hansen ( 1980 ) describes a mixed language situation : Signed Danish is a gestural / auditive language in which Danish is spoken at the same time as signs from the Sign Language are used for all words which have a concept , and as far as possible grammatical rules [ are used]from sign language . The number of pieces of information visually is equal to the number given auditively . ( 1980 : 25 ) This is perhaps the most fundamental principle of sign systems : no matter how much they are able to draw from a sign language they attempt to match their production to the spoken language which is produced simultaneously .
Idiom: on the level (used idiomatically: yes)
According to the theory , pre - industrial populations can be characterized by high levels of birth and death rates , and low growth rates . However , due to changes incident to economic development , mortality decreases rather promptly while the decline of fertility lags behind it , causing rapid population growth . Industrialization , urbanization , extension of education , etc . then gradually erode the old , traditional social institutions , customs , norms , etc , that regulated fertility and create new conditions conducive to small family ideals realizable through birth control methods that lead to a decrease in fertility and , finally , to the restoration of the balance between birth and death rates on a lower level , when the demographic transition is considered as completed . TODDLER MORTALITY — mortality of one - year - old children ( i.e. mortality during the second year of life ) . See child mortality .
Idiom: over the top (used idiomatically: yes)
Her veterinary interest must be sacrificed in order to avoid his taunting remarks . Accompanied by the head keeper , they made their way towards the leopards ' enclosure . It was a large , grassy paddock , wired in over the top to stop the high - climbing cats from escaping . The keeper called , ‘ Sue , Sue — come here,’ and a young leopard came up to the bars and rubbed herself against them while he stroked her back . ‘ I 've known her since she was born,’ he said .
Idiom: not miss a trick (used idiomatically: yes)
Disney should recoup some of that on worldwide sales of television rights to the gala performance . And the free publicity the event will gain will be worth a fortune . When it comes to promotion , the Disney people do n't miss a trick . They have given each guest a limited - edition Disney sweatshirt and insisted that they wear it to gain entry to the gala performance . Every member of the audience has effectively been transformed into an advertising hoarding .
Idiom: make the grade (used idiomatically: no)
Grade takes a shot at movie master Barry By Tim Satchell MICHAEL Grade , head of Channel 4 , is to make a concerted attack on the movie world supremacy of television presenter Barry Norman . On January 17 Mr Grade launches a new programme , Moviewatch , to be broadcast on Sunday night , a day before Mr Norman 's weekly show on BBC1 . ‘ It 's amazing that Barry Norman , a cosy sort of guy , has ruled the roost on British television for 20 years and there has never been a real attempt to displace him before , ’ says cinema historian and Anthony Hopkins biographer Quentin Falk .
Idiom: behind the scenes (used idiomatically: no)
The 10,000 sq ft purpose - built premises in Perth suburb Kewdale opened in November . From the front it appears as two separate stores , each with its own entrance and service counter . But behind the scenes it is one operation , with Taubmans and Cromadex staff interchanging job functions . The idea of this joint venture is to reduce overheads and the whole set - up is run by a staff of just seven . The savings are not just confined to sharing overheads like accommodation , services and phone system .
Idiom: home and dry (used idiomatically: yes)
HOLDERS Barcelona crashed out of the European Cup after squandering a two - goal lead in front of their stunned fans in the Nou Camp stadium . The Spanish champions were beaten 3 - 2 by CSKA Moscow to go out 4 - 3 on aggregate . Barcelona looked home and dry when going 2 - 0 up after 31 minutes but the Russians refused to surrender and scored three goals in 16 minutes either side of half - time . Pensioner , 84 , relives terror of gun raid By Graeme Wilson Daily Post Staff
Idiom: white hat (used idiomatically: yes)
They wore things . Things which left their genitals exposed . One man had a rucksack , another a white cotton hat , a third an unbuttoned shirt , a fourth , sandshoes . It was , she supposed , a reduction of clothes to pure function — to protect one 's head , back or feet from summer 's elements . Her own body was nearly ready again for clothes .
Idiom: pull out all the stops (used idiomatically: yes)
The same strictures apply in spades to Unix , an environment that in its conception is quite unsuitable as a production operating system : its priorities were easy sharing of files and code and interaction between members of development teams and between teams working on different projects , where the priority for a business operating system is security and protection . Had IBM known back in the early 1980s what it knows now , it would have opened up its VM operating system , which also has its roots in development , but , coming from the button - down IBM world has many more security and management features than Unix started out with . Too late now because the Open Software Foundation in particular is pulling out all the stops to get Unix under control , dump its unpopular policies , rein in its unruly socialistic element and render it electable as a production operating system for mainstream business data processing . Populists And does anybody now doubt that , as our sister publication , Computergram International , has been arguing since its foundation in 1984 , the inadequacies of Unix as a business operating system are irrelevant .
Idiom: once and for all (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ This last letter is so telling , so optimistic . It was not written by a man who was drugged . It puts the suicide theories to bed once and for all.’ Message that spells hope AFTER three days of tests , handwriting expert Ruth Myers was in no doubt .
Idiom: think the world of (used idiomatically: no)
The Ahlbergs have been accused of not facing up to the harsh realities of life , of being too cosy and sweet , but their latest picture book , Bye Bye Baby , published today , breaks the mould . In it , a small child roams the streets , talking to strangers , until he finally goes off with a woman who has been wandering about pushing an empty pram . Curious subject matter for a children 's picture book , you might think , and hardly guaranteed to win the approval of the gimlet-eyed children 's book world . But the Ahlbergs have no time for literal interpretations of their work . How , they argue , would Alice , or The Wind in the Willows , stand up against such scrutiny ?
Idiom: hit the road (used idiomatically: yes)
I let go of his foot and he just kept going . By this time , Pointy - Beard was out from under me and on his knees . Doogie allowed himself a small smile of satisfaction as Shifty - Eyes hit the road , then he turned and grabbed Pointy - Beard 's tie . That was all he did . He did n't physically touch him , just grabbed his tie .
Idiom: on the shelf (used idiomatically: yes)
Yeah , that 's right , yes , yeah you do n't see erm doing this but , well after that , I mean and er , well years ago they had all these bottle of potions on the back shelf I suppose they were mixing up all the time , it 's all antibiotics now and is n't it tablets or Mm
Idiom: give head (used idiomatically: no)
CSM and Mick Farren instituted ' Kitsch Corner ' decorated with all manner of gaudy tat . The NME 's resistance to the move was legendary and was reported in The Guardian of May 12 , 1976 , an article by Robin Denselow detailing the fact that the journalists had removed ceiling panels , daubed graffiti and generally run amok . A week 's issue was missed after a spate of illness and walk - outs and eventually IPC agreed to give the paper its head and sanction a move to Carnaby Street . Reports persist that the final straw came when an emotional Mick Farren threw a typewriter through the windows , from whence it travelled the 21 floors to ground level at high speed , narrowly missing terrified pedestrians . Just the thing for the Summer Of Punk .
Idiom: hold court (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ When you have a real problem with drink and drugs when you 're in your twenties , you 're still young and everything . But when you see older people who are addicted , I think it looks double sad’ So Shaun got to hold court , shoot his mouth off and was rarely challenged for his dodgy comments . In return the press , from tabloids to music magazines , got vicarious thrills from the Mondays ' precarious lifestyle , great copy in a dull climate . A strange code of double standards emerged where artists such as Sinéad O'Connor were universally slated for putting one foot out of line , and yet the Mondays were somehow immune from serious criticism .
Idiom: on the back of (used idiomatically: no)
The lady dashing along against her will on the back of the divine bull is not exactly politically sexy .
Idiom: slippery slope (used idiomatically: yes)
We have earlier discussed the prevalence of ageism . Inherent in such attitudes is denigration of old people . There is a terrifying slippery slope in the process , by which old people come to be regarded as less than fully human and are therefore not treated as persons deserving equal respect . This may be exacerbated by their mental frailty or by their neglected appearance ( a vicious circle in this context ) or by sensory deficits such as deafness . Secondly , in family abuse , the history of the relationships may be of great significance in current abuse .
Idiom: left and right (used idiomatically: yes)
Even if we agree with his general hypothesis , we have to accept that in some instances people will eat the dead bodies of other people — if only in order to stay alive . The conclusion to which we can come is that cannibalism is rare but that , in extremis , it is something to which the human species will resort . LEFT AND RIGHT Two famous figures reputed to have indulged in cannibalism , Annia Gakria Faustina and ( pointing ) Idi Amin , onetime dictator of Uganda . Why Are Human Beings Monogamous ? Humans are not the only animals to display the habit known as pair - bonding — the practice whereby parents stay together throughout the time that their offspring require to attain adulthood .
Idiom: behind someone's back (used idiomatically: yes)
Look how they all speak ill of me behind my back because I married a woman thirty years younger than me .
Idiom: on someone's mind (used idiomatically: yes)
And it was a perfectly well - deserved honour which was not open to the same criticism as many of the other honours that Wilson made or unhappily was persuaded to make . I remember one day prior to the publication of an Honours List in 1974 when Harold Wilson and George Wigg had dinner with me . Harold Wilson obviously had something on his mind and he told us that if we watched the television news we would hear something that he was sure would be of interest to us . It turned out to be the announcement of the elevation of Marcia Williams to the House of Lords . George Wigg almost had a stroke , in view of his undoubted and continuing hostility to her .
Idiom: face to face (used idiomatically: yes)
The beginning of relief and architectural sculpture I have left this subject to the last because of the peculiar character and importance of relief - sculpture in the development of Greek art . A statue in the round was surely conceived as in some sense a being to be met face to face , so was designed primarily to be seen from in front . Drawing and painting are narrative arts where the figures are concerned not with the spectator but with one another and the action they are taking part in , so the opposite convention prevails : they are normally shown with faces and feet in profile . In Egypt and the Near East relief - sculpture ( mostly in very flat low relief ) goes in this respect with drawing and not with sculpture in the round .
Idiom: get stuck in (used idiomatically: yes)
Although described as core troops , you might consider including smaller units of Boar Boyz in a supporting role . You can deploy such a unit beside a core unit to prevent an enemy attacking its flanks and , to a degree , to draw fire away from the main unit . A Mob of even five Boar Boyz is potentially very strong and can get stuck in once your core units are committed . The disadvantage of using these troops in this way is that they are very expensive , and it 's easy to lose such a small unit to a hit from a war machine or good archery . Although this might seem a ‘ safe’ option compared to buying Goblins , this is n't really the case .
Idiom: get the boot (used idiomatically: yes)
She 'd get the bus Let me take her . She 's getting the boot . Well let me That 's nice .
Idiom: to all intents and purposes (used idiomatically: yes)
THE Duke of Roxburghe is to be presented with a splendid new £ 3,500 desk made from timber on his Roxburghshire estate , Floors Castle . The desk — one of a limited edition of 250 — has been made from the last commercially viable elm wood left in Britain . ' To all intents and purposes elm is finished as a commercial product in this country after the ravages of Dutch elm disease , ' Lucia Ercolani , whose company Ercol Furniture is manufacturing the desks , tells me . ' We discovered there were elms which we could use on the Floors Estate and so the Duke agreed to sell them to us . ' Each desk comes complete with a brass plaque , a signed letter of authenticity from the duke and a brochure extolling the virtues of Floors Castle .
Idiom: food for thought (used idiomatically: yes)
Allen was man of the match … him and Cusack looked sharp up front and what 's more important they found the back of the net … It was Allen who all but put United two - up when he went flying through again only to be bodychecked … he was too quick for Bristol and penalty taker Jim Magilton was too accurate … Just before half - time City came back with a goal from Ian Baird it was well made and well taken … food for thought for the United defence and of course Smith who started off in the directors box but was down on the touchline after this incident in which David Penney charged into Junior Bent … The Bristol player suffered a broken cheekbone and his club are considering legal action against Penney … but the United bench were angry too It was that sort of game though … too much referee 's whistle … too many niggling fouls … it worked in United 's favour … when they won another penalty …
Idiom: make the cut (used idiomatically: yes)
12.51 Richard Whyte ( Bungay & Waveney ) ; Paul Ashwell ( Wyboston Lakes ) ; Michael Corlass ( Panshanger ) . ROBIN Mann jets off to Italy today to prepare for the Lancia Martini Italian Open near Bologna which begins on Thursday . The Fynn Valley professional has enjoyed little success so far this year — he has made the cut in just one tournament — and his latest downfall was in the Spanish Open where rounds of 76 and 73 kept him out of the prize money . Results round - up Help for food industry
Idiom: fit the bill (used idiomatically: yes)
Being Royal is all about being . Stiff upper lip , crystal cut accent , county pursuits , castles and crowns and being ever so proper . Fergie , it has to be said , never did fit the bill . But who would want to ? Being Royal is no fun at all .
Idiom: under the table (used idiomatically: yes)
Shepherd . The names . And under the table — the shepherd , the ram , the axe . Jack felt quite strange . Was it just a coincidence that the names were so similar ?
Idiom: in black and white (used idiomatically: no)
THE final slide competition of the current season was held at Alton Camera Club on Friday , judged by Bryan Powell , ARPS of Farnborough . Beginning with monochrome slides , Mr. Powell expressed his pleasure at being asked to judge this type of work which is now very rare in photographic circles . He considered that several of the entries were very effective in black and white . The full ten marks were awarded to Peter Talbot 's The First Ironbridge’ , a fine view of the bridge with good lighting picking out the structural detail . Technical quality and the use of the right exposure coupled with careful composition were all considered in the beginners ' and intermediate sections of the colour slides .
Idiom: drop a hint (used idiomatically: yes)
His Auntie ( Mothers sister ) lived most of her life in Harwell village , having come down this way to do domestic service . Her daughter ( Jack 's Cousin ) runs our postroom at Rutherford here , and her garden literally backs on to mine . I talk to her quite often , so I 'll have to start dropping hints about tickets . She tells me that Jack was a real piss - head , and was always having to borrow money off her husband when they went out on the town . They have been going to stay with Jack regularly for years , and the only thing that has changed is that Jack does n't need a sub any more .
Idiom: behind closed doors (used idiomatically: no)
I shall not really want to . Isolated It is still much more common than not for teachers to do their teaching behind closed doors , unobserved by another adult , and to feel somewhat threatened on the odd occasion when they are being watched . Perhaps as a result of their experiences during teaching practice and their probationary year , observation has come to connote judgement rather than support . This tends to leave their perception of their own teaching — both how they do it and how well they are doing — in a rather uncomfortable vacuum , especially if the staffroom ethos prohibits any kind of discussion other than crisis - management and grumbles about individual or whole - class ‘ personalities’ .
Idiom: take no prisoners (used idiomatically: no)
Tethlis was cold and ruthless , even by the standards of Elves . He ordered the entire city rased . No prisoners were taken . Salt was strewn in the fields . Shocked though his subjects were they obeyed .
Idiom: keep tabs on (used idiomatically: yes)
The Bishop reached for his diary . ‘ As far as I can see we can either go for Dersingham or for the man himself . I think I 'd better go for Dersingham and you 'd better start keeping tabs on Hereward . In the end I 'll have to see him , but I want to keep that as the reserve move.’ ‘ Just a thought,’ said the Archdeacon helpfully .
Idiom: one of those things (used idiomatically: no)
Any advances on that ? Anybody think any different ? Have one of those things in the car and you speak to the R A C or the A A Yeah . clearly
Idiom: catch fire (used idiomatically: yes)
Two buildings collapsed , trapping scores of people in the rubble . There were at least 45 bodies and many more victims were critically injured , the officials said . Both buildings caught fire after the explosion and at least 10 fire engines spent more than two hours fighting the flames , police said . Bowbazaar , in the centre of Calcutta , is a crowded business and residential district surrounded by the city 's main gold and furniture markets . The city 's police headquarters and the headquarters of the West Bengal state government , of which Calcutta is the capital , are nearby .
Idiom: set eyes on (used idiomatically: yes)
No I would n't have thought so . But some people do n't go to the dentist regularly , so they need to be checked at school . People like Michelle probably never set eyes on a dentist normally . It 's probably a good thing for a dentist to have a look at her teeth and see what needs doing . Because her mum and her mum does n't ?
Idiom: lay a finger on (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Oh , no , you don't!’ Kath vowed , and , snatching up a stitch - cutter , she held it in front of her . ‘ You lay a finger on her and I 'll kill you myself . Put the knife down.’ ‘ Bloody IRA trash — get out of my way!’ he roared , and lunged at her .