Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: catch someone's eye (used idiomatically: yes)
Anyone dropping into the church any time , any day , during the sorting period would have been sure to find at least 10 people working ( ‘ sustained solely by lemon barley water’ ) . Early one morning , however , I found myself alone there . As I looked round in the pale dawn light , a piece of paper caught my eye . It was lying beside the great old Bible that goes by the name of John Brown of Haddington . Someone had thoughtfully photo - copied the words that David Hume , the sceptical philosopher , had spoken of Brown : ‘ That 's the man for me – he means what he says – he speaks as if Christ was at his elbow.’ .
Idiom: turn tail (used idiomatically: yes)
And so saying she helped herself . I did n't want to go in . I was so shocked I just turned tail and ran home as fast as I could . I stumbled across the threshold but before I could say anything Mum shouted at me , ‘ Where ' ave yow bin all this time ? An ' what yer cryin ' for now?’
Idiom: blow someone's mind (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I was convinced that this was n't worth releasing,’ he said after accepting the Album of the Year award . ‘ I finally agreed to it coming out in a limited edition . And then it sold a few , and a few more , and I thought ‘ Well why not give it a try?’ … and it blows my mind.’ The album has sold five million copies . Record of the Year and Song of the Year were awarded for Tears in Heaven , which Clapton wrote as a tribute to his young son , Conor , who died two years ago when he fell out of a window of the singer 's 53rd - floor Manhattan apartment .
Idiom: around the clock (used idiomatically: yes)
It is possible to run all lifts on machine - made snow and this means that Killington has been able to open for skiing from October to June every season since 1982 . Killington also boasts the East Coast 's largest fleet of snow - grooming vehicles which , in a single mid - winter night , groom the equivalent of seven interstate highway lanes from Boston to Killington . The piste groomers work around the clock to grind up the snow which , because it possesses a denser molecular structure than the real thing , compacts easily into ice . Killington renders it back almost into its original powder form — leaving only a few ‘ death cookies’(rock - hard lumps ) to trap the unwary . Another East coast resort , Lake Placid , can pump 3,500 gallons of water per minute , along with 19,500 cu ft of compressed air , through 15 pumps and 14 air compressors .
Idiom: tired and emotional (used idiomatically: no)
The odd thing is that the resulting book will have precisely the opposite effect on most readers . George Brown emerges from these pages not as a charming if wayward leprechaun , a well - meaning and decent man who occasionally got carried away by his own exuberance , but as a neurotic monster — vain , rude , self - absorbed , utterly insensitive to the feelings and even the common humanity of those around him . ' Tired and Emotional ' , Mr Paterson 's title , is now the standard English euphemism for drunk . It was originally invented to apply to Brown . Appropriately , when the old man died in 1985 , it was of cirrhosis of the liver .
Idiom: perish the thought (used idiomatically: yes)
Who us ? Talking to the Happy Mondays ? Perish the thought , pal . We did n't know it was them . These funny - looking blokes just turned up on the doorstep with rolls of carpet over their shoulders asking if we wanted to buy them .
Idiom: out and about (used idiomatically: yes)
It is indicative , too , when a mistle thrush changes his tune , forgets to repeat his challenging spring song and slips down self - consciously into the lower boughs of a larch to all but whisper a softer , lazier , persuasive serenade . Though a diligent search of the green mist that is starting to hide the larch branches fails to find a listening hen , he presumably knows what he is doing . Out and About : Turning up new leaves There 's more to garden colour than flowers alone , says Robert Pearson By ROBERT PEARSON
Idiom: apples and oranges (used idiomatically: yes)
Miss Honey 's Cottage Miss Honey joined Matilda outside the school gates and the two of them walked in silence through the village High Street . They passed the greengrocer with his window full of apples and oranges , and the butcher with bloody lumps of meat on display and naked chickens hanging up , and the small bank , and the grocery store and the electrical shop , and then they came out at the other side of the village on to the narrow country road where there were no people any more and very few motor - cars . And now that they were alone , Matilda all of a sudden became wildly animated . It seemed as though a valve had burst inside her and a great gush of energy was being released .
Idiom: make history (used idiomatically: no)
CAMBRIDGE – Soviet ideology was always about the future . By contrast , today 's official Russian ideology seems to be focused squarely on the past . Prime ~ Minister Vladimir ~ Putin 's recent article for the Polish newspaper Gazeta Wyborcza – written to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Nazi invasion of Poland – expresses his determination to make twentieth - century European history a major part of the Russian government 's business . That article reflects the deep , unresolved problems of Putin 's era : the inability to distinguish between the Soviet past and the Russian present ; an unscrupulous mix of political conservatism and historical revisionism ; and indifference , bordering on incomprehension , with regard to the key values of democracy . In his article , Putin did not mourn the collapse of the USSR , though he previously called it " the greatest catastrophe of the twentieth century . "
Idiom: twist someone's arm (used idiomatically: yes)
How are you ? … Listen , I ca n't stay for long , but I 've twisted Dmitri 's arm and he can find you a couple of tickets for Hedda ! … Yes , it should be very good .
Idiom: force someone's hand (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Well , Dacre came to find me for the purpose of asking my permission to address you,’ said Kirtlington . ‘ And to find out if you were his daughter,’ Benedict put in quickly . ‘ Trying to force my hand!’ Theda said crossly , dragging her fingers from his grasp . ‘ On the contrary,’ came a new voice from the doorway , and Mr Aycliffe walked into the room .
Idiom: on the spur of the moment (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Really ? That 's the first I 've heard of it,’ said Deana , narrowing her muddy brown eyes suspiciously . That she had n't heard of the plan was scarcely surprising , since Belinda had made it up on the spur of the moment . She was just thinking dizzily that perhaps it was what she really should do , in order to get Dr Russell out of her system , when Sharon Blackett 's fat file was dumped unceremoniously on top of the rest of the paperwork and she looked up to see the endocrinologist 's painfully disturbing form looming over her . She stood up instinctively , but he still seemed to tower above her .
Idiom: pick holes (used idiomatically: yes)
What 's the point when you wo n't be here?’ ‘ I 've bought it,’ said Amanda , ‘ and I want to see it up.’ The following Saturday she agreed , at least , to go with him but then all she did was pick holes : ‘ Carpet 's frayed,’ she said , after inspecting an apparently immaculate place in Muswell Hill ; ‘ Too far from the shops,’of a modern luxury development on the prestigious fringes of Hampstead Heath ; and of the one he 'd had real hopes for , a newly - converted maisonette over towards Crouch End —‘original features all been taken out . Pity . And look at those trees .
Idiom: hit the road (used idiomatically: no)
Mr Golyadkin has mustered socks , shirts , shirtfronts , flannel vests , uniform , spare trousers , sheets , blankets , pillows , and a featherbed ; but he also tells his servant ‘ And now , my friend , I am going away . My dear chap , a different path lies before each man and no one of us can tell what road he may chance to follow . ’ Stepan Verkhovensky kits himself up with umbrella , travelling-bag , walking stick , broad-brimmed hat , belted overcoat and top-boots like a hussar 's ; and — Quixote overlaid for English readers by Pickwick , the White Knight , Mr Toad — he talks the language of ‘ high adventure ’ and the open road : ‘ there 's a great idea in the open road too ! ’ But he avoids the language of destination . Whereas Mr Golyadkin , incidentally mad , swaddled in a dream of silk ladders and Spanish serenades , aims for Schiller 's happy-everafter hut on the shore , Stepan understands he has nowhere to go : ‘ to order post-horses one must at least know where one is going .
Idiom: as a rule (used idiomatically: yes)
Do you notice a compensating reaction in your foot ? Whilst windsurfing , by keeping the head level you are giving your body the best chance of keeping its balance beneath you . Now you know this , do n't start applying it rigorously as a rule which will inhibit your sailing , merely let the body work it out for itself by noticing the levelness of the horizon . Windsurfing Blind Pick an open , clear piece of water and close your eyes for small intervals which you gradually make longer at each attempt .
Idiom: through thick and thin (used idiomatically: yes)
Kinnock , however , must be regretting the firmness with which he declared in his resignation statement that the elections for the leadership and deputy leadership ‘ will take place in the second half of June’ . Already his power to sway the national executive has diminished . Persuading the soft left to back him through thick and thin on the national executive was one of Kinnock 's greatest achievements . It is for this that he was so praised by the right for his managerial qualities . This soft - left grouping has now re - emerged on the national executive , with David Blunkett as its standard - bearer .
Idiom: beard the lion in his den (used idiomatically: yes)
Once a pan of vegetable soup was simmering fragrantly on the stove she put potatoes to bake in the oven then sprinkled rosemary and garlic slivers over some lamb chops , ready to grill when her dinner companion chose to put in an appearance . Refusing to let herself think beyond the tasks she was performing , Leonora listened to the radio as she worked , and when the meal was well advanced she went quietly upstairs to find the bathroom empty , and Penry , fully dressed in fresh clothes , fast asleep on his bed . She washed swiftly , brushed her drying hair into softer curls , then flicked on some mascara and gave her lips a touch of colour before bearding the lion in his den . Standing at the foot of the bed , Leonora touched one of Penry 's bare brown feet . ' Dinner 's almost ready .
Idiom: take the plunge (used idiomatically: yes)
A new flow of leisure and tourism attractions has transformed Leeds into one of the most dynamic and exciting areas of waterside development in Britain . The Royal Armouries Museum arrives at Clarence Dock in 1996 , bringing its breath - taking collection of treasures to a waterfront location . A wealth of inviting attractions await all visitors who take the plunge … Leeds lies glittering between the valleys of Yorkshire 's dales and the heather of Yorkshire moors . The city 's central positioning — midway between Edinburgh and London — placed Leeds in the heart of the country , and at the crossroads of the North / South M1 route and the East / West M621 .
Idiom: set eyes on (used idiomatically: yes)
He is younger than Howard expected , with crisp curly hair , full smooth cheeks which are just about to smile , at his own jokes , but never quite do , and thick horn - rimmed spectacles through which his magnified eyes watch carefully to estimate audience reaction . The office is littered with scripts . ‘ Howard,’ he says , ‘ I think this is far and away the subtlest , most exciting … zaniest … most realizable , wittiest , sexiest … most lovable White Paper that I have ever set eyes on.’ ‘ Well … ’ says Howard politely . ‘ I love McKechnie .
Idiom: pull a face (used idiomatically: yes)
Lindsey was instantly alert . ‘ Did she say what kind of attack?’ Jill pulled a face . ‘ It was all a bit garbled . Something about breathlessness , chest pain.’
Idiom: in the clear (used idiomatically: yes)
was follow that music to its source . SOURCE Domes of clay burst in the clear depths and trout hang in the upthrust of pure cold in the pool where Arethusa rose for air
Idiom: rise to the occasion (used idiomatically: yes)
We knew Nelson Mandela would be powerful , disciplined , and clear in his sense of purpose in going to Wembley . The revelation was that the crowd proved to be those things too . It knew it was playing a role in history , and it rose to the occasion . The Germans had the Berlin Wall to dance on , the British had the Wembley pitch ; both events were part of the same great story of liberation . Mandela himself was said to have been overwhelmed by his reception .
Idiom: tongue in cheek (used idiomatically: yes)
The musings of a man as witty and erudite as Mr Moynihan contain many plums . Yet they leave the reader hungry . An inordinate proportion of this slender book is given over to digression and quotation ( including a graceful , tongue - in - cheek , tribute to The Economist ) . It is an expansion of a lecture given in Oxford in 1991 , and was probably more satisfactory in its spoken , unpadded form . Discursiveness in a lecture can be a delight ; in print , the eye wanders .
Idiom: on the level (used idiomatically: yes)
The conceptual rationale for judicial intervention has already been examined . When the courts intervene to control the X factor they do so in purported fulfilment of the legislative will , by delineating the boundaries of one institution 's powers from that of another : a public body adjudicating on furnished tenancies can not trespass on the territory of a different body dealing with unfurnished tenancies . The rationale for judicial intervention on the Y level is more indirect . The authority is within its assigned area , it is for example properly adjudicating on furnished premises , and the question before us now concerns the rationale for judicial control over the fair rent which should be charged for such premises . The link with sovereignty and with the ultra vires doctrine is provided by implication : parliament only intended that such discretion should be exercised on relevant and not irrelevant considerations , or to achieve proper and not improper purposes .
Idiom: in the bag (used idiomatically: yes)
I was billeted in a block of flats in St John 's Wood — luxurious before the lush fittings had been removed . But they could n't take away the heavy bathroom ware and one of our blessings was the unlimited hot water gushing at our touch into the expensive surroundings . Alter that first crowded day I retired to one of those green - tiled sanctuaries and lathered myself with a new bar of a famous toilet soap which Helen had put in my bag . I have never been able to use that soap since . Scents are too evocative and the merest whiff jerks me back to that first night away from my wife , and to the feeling I had then .
Idiom: pay the piper (used idiomatically: yes)
Date : Tue , 26 Oct 93 17:19:22 MET Subject : The hens have come home to roust Is it time to pay the piper . The costs of running a club of the size of Leeds is large and the easy way out is to sell the best players . Though I think 2.75 million is n't a great price for a player of Battys quality .
Idiom: on the wagon (used idiomatically: yes)
Later vehicles were of a more standard type , such as the Bedford 3-ton and 30 cwt lorries and the 5 ton Leyland . These stronger vehicles were fitted with full metal protection and , to protect the driver , the ordinary doors and windscreens were removed and armour plating provided . In December 1940 , Wolverton Road Vehicle Shop undertook the construction of four Mobile Kitchens , on the lines of a container which could be lifted and placed either on a road trailer or lorry , or on a railway freight wagon — exactly the same idea as the container which the LMS developed pre - war for removing furniture directly from door to door . The kitchens were complete with stoves , racks , hot water facilities , ample cupboard accommodation and a wide range of equipment . Wolverton had the opportunity of giving concrete expression to a gift from the Canadian Government to the Home Office ( Fire Office Division ) by way of the manufacture of 18 mobile kitchens constructed to standards laid down by the Home Office .
Idiom: hit and miss (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ But my poor right nipple just got sorer and sorer . I do n't think Conrad was latching on properly , but I must admit breastfeeding did confuse me . When it did work , I was never sure what I 'd done right , and when it did n't , I was never sure what I had done wrong — it was very hit and miss . ‘ I did have help from my cousin who 's a midwife and also a good friend . She told me just to feed him from the other side , so I did , fully expecting my right breast to explode , but it did n't !
Idiom: fill the bill (used idiomatically: yes)
Kent this month and until 3 December does a reprise of the issues in their current ‘ Primitive and Modern Masterworks’ show . Works by Senufo , Urhobo , Bangwa , Kuba and Baule , among other examples from Africa , are juxtaposed with appropriate works by Picabia , Picasso , Schmidt - Rottluff , Laurens , Archipenko and others . ( Wilfredo Lam , who would have filled the bill , is not included . ) A recent phenomenon in art is the husband and wife team : think of Helen and Newton Harrison or Hilla and Bernd Becher . Then there is Claes Oldenberg .
Idiom: lay eyes on (used idiomatically: yes)
When I parked the car at Woodside , I noticed the lights were on in the apartment next to mine . According to my neighbour on the other side , this apartment contained something very unusual in the way of leggy redheads . He could be right too , but I 'd never laid eyes on her . I wondered what she was doing , whether she was the eyeful I 'd been told , and whether she 'd appreciate a neighbourly call at two a.m. I decided that the answers were none of my business , probably not , definitely not .
Idiom: stand someone in good stead (used idiomatically: yes)
Lowest points means highest place . Male speaker it 's a little disappointing because we had been lying insecond place and that would have stood us in good stead for the rest of the competition Male speaker It was very upsetting .
Idiom: over the counter (used idiomatically: yes)
He was at once timid and status - conscious . His friends called him an easy - going chap ; his enemies called him weak . ‘ The other lady here —’ there was only one other female executive , though plenty of secretaries mincing about —‘Phyllis — she 's brand manager for one of our OTC ( over the counter ) products — Bitewell Baby Rusks . The factory 's moved to Southampton — part of our diversification . And Phyllis put her skates on — off she went — bought a house down there — she moved in before the factory opened .
Idiom: steal someone's thunder (used idiomatically: yes)
Haden sounded just a little off - key about the whole affair . It was just the sort of nose - thumbing exercise toward the NZRFU that Haden would loved to have devised and put in action . And here was someone else stealing his rebellious thunder . While the middleweights were sparring away , the heavyweights of the All Black selector - coach battle were staying in their corners . Nominations for the three All Black selectors closed on November 27 .
Idiom: behind the scenes (used idiomatically: yes)
A senior civil servant , Trevor Brown , a chemist at Aldermaston Atomic Weapons Research Establishment , was severely reprimanded for publicly voicing his concern about health and safety standards there . Dennis Mitchell , an intelligence officer at GCHQ for 32 years , was compelled to take early retirement because he had argued against the introduction of polygraph tests and the removal of rights of employees to go to industrial tribunals . What is striking about all these cases quoted is that , in every one , the eventual victim had already pursued his or her complaint exhaustively behind the scenes with the employer and only went public in desperation when the outrage was intense and no other recourse seemed available . There is evidence that the same trends have begun to permeate the private sector . One recent example was Vaughan Mitchell , an oil rig welder , who blew the whistle on safety violations by his drilling company on a North Sea oil rig , two months after the Piper Alpha disaster .
Idiom: face to face (used idiomatically: yes)
Among Shetlanders the ideal , acceptable or usual ways of ranking individuals ( and families ) seem to be multivarious . Numerous different scales are apparent e.g. productive skills , industriousness , intelligence , helpfulness , friendliness , modesty , wit and especially for women , religiosity . Assessments of individuals along any of these scales is an element of the shared local knowledge which develops out of living in face to face ( or often back to back ) communities . Despite differences in wealth , or in occupation , Shetlanders assume that evaluations of a person 's worth should be a result of his or her behaviour , not according to what an individual ‘ has’ or ‘ is’ . Apparent claims for superiority made in terms of wealth or occupation are invariably countered ( in gossip ) by negative assessments along one or more of the other scales .
Idiom: behind the scenes (used idiomatically: no)
Such strict training was given by Tiller that none of his dancers would have contemplated talking in the first place . It may have been a glamorous enough life on stage and , despite the famous Tiller ethos , at the stage door , where the young lads who laid siege to the girls came to be known as Stage Door Johnnies . But behind the scenes it was a different story . Hardened professionals were disgusted by the so - called dressing rooms . A comedian of the time described them in The Stage :
Idiom: bite someone's head off (used idiomatically: yes)
He could n't help smiling . She was some girl ! Not two minutes in his company and she was biting his head off . Now she did n't want to go to an expensive restaurant in the West End . He shook his head at her .
Idiom: to the tune of (used idiomatically: no)
I mean , it is n't afraid of the big issues . Most films are n't about anything , are they , that 's what I find more and more . ‘ Two Priests up the Jungle’(which is what Old Fish Sparks sings from time to time to the tune of Red Sails in the Sunset)— sure , but it 's about the sort of conflict running through human life in every time and every civilization . Discipline v. permissiveness . Sticking to the letter of the law v. sticking to its spirit .
Idiom: behind someone's back (used idiomatically: yes)
He felt the depression of the seat cushions above him as Simon Cormack was made to lie along the back seat . He , too , was covered by a blanket . The two smallest men climbed in the back , sitting on the edge of the seat with the slim body of Simon behind their backs , their feet on Quinn . The giant climbed in the passenger - seat , and Zack took the wheel . At his command all four took off their masks and tracksuit tops and threw them through the windows on to the garage floor .
Idiom: true blue (used idiomatically: yes)
The company declares that it has replicated the functions of APPN , without any inside information from IBM , and this , together with the required patent permissions , should be enough to to avoid it being fingered by IBM 's corporate lawyers . Data Connection says that there is sufficient published about the protocol in terms of research papers , tutorials , patents and standard algorithms to understand around 98 % of what is required to put a network node together . The remaining 2 % was inferred from the results of interoperability tests with a variety of true - Blue implementations , says the company . The results will be shown off at InterOp . APPN an open standard