Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: spot on (used idiomatically: yes)
The tragedy happened a mile and a half south of Northallerton . Mr Thompson , 78 , of St James Road , Romanby , Northallerton , was rushed to the Friarage Hospital but died after being transferred to Middlesbrough General Hospital . Earlier , driver Geoffrey Wellens had stopped to ask Mr Thompson if he was alright after spotting him on the road . ' He said he was walking along the middle line so he could see where he was going , ' said Mr Wellens , of Blue Ridge , Morton - on - Swale . ' I thought it was very dangerous . '
Idiom: laugh all the way to the bank (used idiomatically: yes)
He is extremely critical of the recent takeover bid by Australia 's largest company , BHP for the US Coal Group , Utah . A move that will allow Utah 's parent company General Electric to expand into high technology . ‘ General Electric must be laughing all the way to the bank,’ he says . ‘ BHP should have used at least part of the money to invest in new technology and upgrade and improve its competitive standing in Australia.’ Jones has one particular pet project to establish the equivalent of an Australian Nobel Prize .
Idiom: talk shop (used idiomatically: yes)
Really he is Delhi 's Yves St Laurent.’ Most of the guests seemed to be either journalists , politicians , or fashion designers , the three occupations most favoured by the nascent New Delhi chattering class . The different cliques stood together in their separate groups , talking shop : the ethnic collection of the new Paris - trained designer ; the likely winners in the next cabinet reshuffle ; the latest chapter in the interminable Bofors corruption scandal . Only the Sikh men seemed to have other things on their mind as , twirling their moustaches , they downed great tumblers of whisky and tried to lure the prettiest girls on to the dance floor . Around the room the chatterers were still gossiping :
Idiom: run riot (used idiomatically: yes)
FURTHER to recent correspondence in WCM , there were in fact five wicketkeepers on the field simultaneously during the England v Sri Lanka Test match at Lord 's last August . In addition to Stewart , Russell , Kuruppu and Tillekaratne , Asanka Gurusinha kept wicket in his first Test match against Pakistan at Karachi in November 1985 . Runners run riot I THOUGHT you might be interested in what happened during the Cornwall League Division 6 match last summer between Barripper and Rosudgeon . Set 156 to win in 48 overs , Barripper reached 91 for 9 in reply .
Idiom: teething troubles (used idiomatically: no)
When your child is unwell , you suffer too . But most of your worries can be put to rest with a spoonful of Calpol . For over 20 years mums have been able to rely on Calpol to relive their children 's aches and pains , fevers and teething troubles . And for over 20 years those children have swallowed their Calpol without complaint . So , next time these problems come along , you can be sure of fast , effective pain relief with Calpol .
Idiom: walk of life (used idiomatically: yes)
Now , the point about merit has to be recognised side by side with opportunities , because the points that I want to say , firstly the the many women and people with disabilities under achieve . Th they then very able to do jobs , but the lack of , for example , training and they do n't get into those jobs , and secondly , we need to make an equal opportunities culture , very clear , so that women can come forward , and do n't feel as though the they 're going into a workforce that it to totally male dominated , which is quite off - putting . So it 's about culture , training , opportunities and to make sure that people from whatever walk of life , and whatever gender or race or ability to have , or disability , do not under achieve . I mean , that 's m my contribution as as a committed person to equal opportunities , but I 'd welcome an example Well , if I may , Chair , I would like deal with it in terms of the principle or the policy and then the application to highways planning .
Idiom: behind the scenes (used idiomatically: yes)
For more than a decade , I have criticized the Fund ’s governance , symbolized by the way its leader is chosen . By gentlemen ’s agreement among the majority shareholders – the G-8 – the managing ~ director is to be a European , with Americans in the number two post and at the head of the World ~ Bank . The Europeans typically picked their nominee behind the scenes , as did the Americans , after only cursory consultation with developing countries . The outcome , however , was often not good for the IMF , the World ~ Bank , or the world . Most notorious was the appointment of Paul ~ Wolfowitz , one of the main architects of the Iraq War , to lead the World ~ Bank .
Idiom: meet someone halfway (used idiomatically: no)
‘ Dad 's home for his dinner . You 'll have to ask him,’ she said , looking at him with delight . Pat Fitzgerald appeared and began to walk down the stairs and John met him halfway down . ‘ I 've got my papers for the Army , Mr Fitz . Can Anne and I get married?’ he said eagerly .
Idiom: go to town (used idiomatically: yes)
So I say " Beware ! " Patience is not inexhaustible , and the clean gun may yet need to be brought in to redress the corruption of our so - called democratic system . " The leader writers and political correspondents went to town on this . Some of them said that Carolan was a kind of licensed political buffoon , not to be taken seriously , and that in some ways his wild oratory was a useful escape valve in a complex society . Others argued , however , that the man was straining political toleration too far , and that his nominal adherence to the Government was becoming absurd .
Idiom: on the level (used idiomatically: no)
On a supranational level , international accords , which in some countries have constitutional quality , are effective .
Idiom: in the club (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Yes , and I hear there are plans to open a licensed supporters’ club just outside the ground . You know Donald , I feel oddly discontented with the way things are done these days . Oh not only in the club but in everything I see and hear.’ ‘ There is not much you can do about it . You know the rules .
Idiom: play possum (used idiomatically: yes)
His flesh was soft ; a badly - fitting mask that around the eyes showed a moist pink edge . The yellow skin freckled brown shone like the well - fingered ivories of a bar - room piano . His white - gloved hands played possum on the desk - top until one of them walked across to the baton , picked it up and hit the desk - top a sharp blow . ‘ They told me you were belligerent,’ said Midwinter . ‘ I said I did n't mind 'cause I 'm a little belligerent myself.’
Idiom: by the same token (used idiomatically: yes)
Monopolistic employers ' associations , combined enterprises , and the penetration of banking capital into industry created a new model of production relations , which transformed the unorganised commodity capitalist system into a finance capitalist organisation . The unorganised relationship of one enterprise with another , through buying and selling , has to a considerable extent been replaced by an organised relationship through the ' controlled holding ' of shares , ' participation'and ' financing ' , which find personal expression in the ' Dirigenten'of the banks , industry , the enterprises and trusts . By the same token , the exchange relation expressing the social division of labour and the separation of the socio - production organisation into independent capitalist enterprises is replaced by a technical division of labour within an organised ' national economy ' . Here we see how Bukharin viewed the changes wrought by finance capital in the national capitalist economies . It is not merely that ' state capitalist trusts ' compete on the world market , but that their creation has brought about a new and different model of production relations .
Idiom: point the finger (used idiomatically: yes)
A small portly figure swathed in robes waddled out of the darkness . ' My name 's Arrowhead ! ' he bellowed ' John Arrowhead , alderman of this ward . ' He pointed a finger at Corbett . ' You , Sir , are under arrest until the watch arrive ! ' Corbett leaned against the corner of the house , trying to stop the trembling in his legs .
Idiom: think twice (used idiomatically: yes)
A part of his inheritance has gone in a number of ventures ; his books make about two and six a year . ‘ Unlike Mr Crane 's . I told her to think twice.’ ' ’ Then you have n't got a jealous disposition?’ ‘ He said coldly , ‘ Of all human failing jealousy is perhaps the most deplorable and most dangerous.’
Idiom: rule of thumb (used idiomatically: yes)
How then do firms determine their prices in practice ? How can they achieve maximum or target levels of profits or sales without precise information concerning their revenues and costs ? One possible answer to this question is that in practice firms may apply a rule - of - thumb pricing method and then use a trial - and - error technique over time to close in on the price and output combination which achieves the chosen objective . For example , consider the monopolist discussed above and suppose that the firm 's executives wish to maximise profits , but have only limited information about the true revenue and cost functions . Suppose in fact that they can only estimate accurately the total and average cost of the output level the firm is currently producing .
Idiom: one of those things (used idiomatically: yes)
' And with what shall we light it , dear Liza ? ' ' One of those matches that you use on those filthy things you smoke . ' ' Have you noticed me smoking one of those filthy things ? ' ' As a matter of fact , I have n't . ' ' I have n't had one since your little lecture on my lungs , actually . '
Idiom: have the last laugh (used idiomatically: yes)
But let me first applaud the coupling : it works like a charm . These have to be the finest among American concertos : the Barber is standard repertoire now , but Serenade ( after Plato , ‘ in praise of love’ ) is only just beginning to emerge as one of Bernstein 's highly select group of masterpieces — about time too . Quite apart from its technical ingenuity , its wily thematic evolutions and transformations , I love its eccentricity : only Bernstein could have ‘ tuned in’ to Plato 's timeless dinner party and still had the last laugh . Kun is quickwitted and charming ; his easy grace and sweet but never cloying tone are a real boon in the playful little Rosenkavalier -like inflexions which characterize so much of the score ( Bernstein was always so Viennese at heart ) ; his quiet contemplative manner pays rich dividends in the slow movement , ‘ Agathon’(seven of Bernstein 's most poised and affecting minutes ) . How discreetly Kun plays them .
Idiom: stand up and be counted (used idiomatically: yes)
Yet although her support for women priests is well known , she says it was her interest in a wide range of other issues that persuaded local clergy and laity to vote her on to the Synod for five years . I 'm concerned with the centrality of prayer and spirituality in the life of the Church and the need to nurture this . I 'm concerned with er third world issues and the wider world , and the need for the Church to be prophetic and stand up and be counted for the sake of justice . Mrs Cole - King has already caused a stir by suggesting she had no objection to the idea of women holding communion in private homes , but she now says she realises that is n't a good idea and it certainly wo n't be something she 'll be campaigning for . No I 've never campaigned for that , and I 've never supported it in that sense .
Idiom: on the trot (used idiomatically: yes)
Five straight wins — three in the League plus success in the Senior Cup and the Schweppes All - Ireland competition — is clear evidence of the confidence sweeping the Strabane pavilion . At the heart of the latest revival is a familiar cricketing name in Strabane — Gillespie . Skipper Michael , leading the side for the fourth year on the trot , is joined in the team by brothers John , Mark and Peter . Tradition As so often happens in North West cricket , they are following a family tradition .
Idiom: in the running (used idiomatically: no)
Plain English the set course for Boothroyd By Tim Satchell SPEAKER of the House of Commons , Betty Boothroyd , has yet again made a change in the running of Westminster , by ensuring that menus for her official dinners are written in English instead of French , the traditional language of banquets . Speaker Boothroyd has decided that in future all menus in her house will be in English . ‘ It 's not chauvinism or anything of that kind,’ Yorkshire - born Speaker Boothroyd tells me .
Idiom: over the counter (used idiomatically: yes)
by John Hiscock in Los Angeles HOLLYWOOD producers are scrambling over each other to snap up rights to top - secret data on some of the biggest Cold War spy scandals . The material , long hidden in KGB files or in the memories of intelligence operatives , is up for grabs as ageing ex - KGB agents come in from the cold to trade in their undercover pasts for over - the - counter assets . Eager Hollywood producers , always on the lookout for real - life dramas and entranced with the idea of revealing untold Soviet secrets , are funnelling hard currency their way . But the negotiations have been fraught with enough intrigue and duplicity to do justice to any spy drama .
Idiom: on the dot (used idiomatically: yes)
In 1979 I interviewed for the first ( and last ) time the newly elected Prime Minister , Margaret Thatcher . The occasion was a documentary film I was making on the life of Airey Neave , the MP who had masterminded her election to the Tory leadership and , as Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland , been killed by an IRA car bomb when leaving the Palace of Westminster . We were informed that the Prime Minister had set aside an hour for us , and she arrived on the dot , nicely accoutred and coiffeured and saying she was ready to go when we were . It was as satisfactory an interview as I have conducted in that , it being entirely non - controversial , question and answer flowed without interruption or the need for retakes ; and in her assessment of Airey Neave both as friend and politician she seemed entirely relaxed . Indeed so professional was her performance that halfway through the time allotted to us , we found we had finished .
Idiom: by the same token (used idiomatically: yes)
And , as we have seen , there is plentiful evidence from a variety of experimental procedures to encourage the conclusion that this prediction is well founded , The theories of latent inhibition that I considered earlier in this chapter ( e.g. that proposed by Wagner ) were concerned with phenomena that suggested that latent inhibition depends upon how well the target stimulus is predicted by its antecedents . Clearly , theories of this sort must be extended in some way if they are to accommodate the fact that latent inhibition depends in part on what the target stimulus predicts . But by the same token , theories like that proposed by Pearce and Hall must come to terms with the evidence that has been taken to show that what the stimulus is predicted by can also play a role . The role of contextual factors However much we may criticize the details of the explanation they offer ( above , pp . 86–9 ) , the clear fact that latent inhibition shows context - specificity ( i.e. is most likely to occur when the context predicts the occurrence of the target stimulus ) constitutes good support for theories that emphasize the role of stimulus predictability .
Idiom: shoot the bull (used idiomatically: yes)
" Would n't it be better to wait some , Dad ? " yelled Chuck as his father reached a narrow defile between the thorns . The older man stopped and turned . " It was me that shot the bull , son . You wait there with the trackers , if you 're feeling nervous . " Without waiting for a response he stepped into the thicket .
Idiom: rock bottom (used idiomatically: yes)
BASEL . Is Europe 's oldest art fair going down - market ? Organised guided tours for the uninitiated and the last minute promotion of the multiples section , where the less well - off will have the opportunity to acquire first - class signed works at rock - bottom prices , might suggest that it is . Knowing how hard times are , local dealer Ernst Beyeler is inviting visitors to join a pilgrimage from market to temple : until 27 September , he is taking over both Kunstmuseum and Kunsthalle to stage an exhibition . Although the famous gallery owner is thinking of retiring and has for some time been searching for an institution to take on his private collection , the title of the event ‘ TransForm’ is not a veiled reference to his forthcoming conversion from art dealer to museum collector .
Idiom: in the long term (used idiomatically: no)
They are unconscious , blind , replicators . The fact that they replicate , together with certain further conditions means , willy nilly , that they will tend towards the evolution of qualities which , in the special sense of this book , can be called selfish . A simple replicator , whether gene or meme , can not be expected to forgo short - term selfish advantage even if it would really pay it , in the long term , to do so . We saw this in the chapter on aggression . Even though a ‘ conspiracy of doves’ would be better for every single individual than the evolutionarily stable strategy , natural selection is bound to favour the ESS .
Idiom: from scratch (used idiomatically: no)
Alternatively , you could take a holiday specifically with the aim of windsurfing , as these carefully chosen centres are often in pleasant holiday surroundings . BASIC TECHNIQUE Since a book by itself can not teach you to windsurf from scratch , this beginner 's section is a guide to be referred to . It is not a ‘ how to do it’ text but rather one that is best read in conjunction with an RYA Level 1 course . Assembling and Carrying the Equipment
Idiom: in the long term (used idiomatically: yes)
As cities continue to grow and spread across the world , reducing energy consumption and improving our quality of life require us to ensure that their inhabitants can travel relatively short distances to work The common expression in France that great rivers are created out of tiny streams captures the sort of strategy for countering global ~ warming through sustainable development that I believe could be effective . Local actions that are then developed as part of an exchange between cities could have a global impact in the long term . That is why I am keen to encourage local initiatives that have a global perspective . Among the issues raised at the Copenhagen climate conference last December was the EU member states ’ failure to perfect a post - Kyoto international system for fighting global ~ warming .
Idiom: I'll eat my hat (used idiomatically: yes)
He has a new suit of clothes , some valuable books , and a five - pound note in his pocket . He 'll join his old friends the thieves , and laugh at you . If he comes back , I 'll eat my hat.’ The two men sat by the window with a pocket - watch between them , and waited for Oliver 's return . Oliver hurried through the streets to the bookshop , thinking how lucky he was .
Idiom: behind someone's back (used idiomatically: yes)
She shouts as I enter her . She 's soaking wet and within a few thrusts I 'm ready to come and she 's panting , then grunting then calling out , ‘ Oh , fuck , yes ! ’ and then it 's all over and I collapse over her and then fall off her and almost cut my ear on the cool blade of the kitchen knife lying on the sheet . She lies there on her side , facing me , watching me , still panting , hands still trapped behind her back , a strange , charged expression on her face , and after a bit she says , ‘ Is that it?’ I breathe deeply and say , ‘ No.’ I haul her roughly back up onto her knees with her face down on the sheets again and spread her buttocks and stick an index finger into her anus , sliding it quickly half into her .
Idiom: take someone for a ride (used idiomatically: no)
Well , off you go and start taking those drugs , getting involved in that sex scandal , committing those murders . The audience will know your name , they will know what you did , they will know when you did it , and where . But if you want your life story to grip them by the throat and take them along for a rattling good ride which will haunt them for years to come — forget it . ON RELEASE ' HOMICIDE '
Idiom: on the house (used idiomatically: yes)
The fire by which we sat , Mrs Browning in front , I to one side , consisted mainly of a branch of beech which she had brought in from the woods : the thick end was in the fireplace , surrounded by burning twigs cosseted into flame by Mrs Browning , who puffed upon them with a pair of leather bellows when they faltered , and the other end , in shape and size rather like the antlers of a deer , reached out into the room . ( I was well aware that the man in the bushes was not Mrs Browning 's only worry , and that she lived on interest from a small amount of capital fast diminishing in value . ' Could you not perhaps raise a mortgage on your house ? Or use a little of your capital ? ' I could not bring myself to suggest that she was not likely to live much longer , certainly not long enough to make either course imprudent .
Idiom: every last (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ You do n't want me to know anything about you , so why should you want to know anything about me?’ ‘ Good point,’ he agreed , ‘ why should I?’ Carefully he scraped every last vestige of ice - cream from his bowl , then stood up . ‘ Want to have another go at steering the boat — in open water this time?’ He need n't force himself to be sociable , Robbie thought .
Idiom: in the sticks (used idiomatically: no)
Is trade unionism soon to become ' the sin that dare not speak its name ' within the Labour Party ? I ask , because after reading 22 pages of closely argued articles in the Fabian Review about Labour 's defeat , I can only find one reference to the unions , and that not from any of the 18 invited contributors . It is possible that I missed someone 's parenthesis , but only a promise in the editorial that ' the link between the party and the unions ' will be among subjects discussed in future sticks in the memory . And ' the link between the party and the unions ' , important though it is in the debate about internal democracy , is not germane to our theme today . This is to ask whether Labour is not in danger — again — of preparing itself to address yesterday 's agenda .
Idiom: to the bone (used idiomatically: yes)
Like other reptiles the saurischians had three bones in the hip : the one above the hip socket is called the ilium , and the one below — pointing forwards and down — is called the pubis . The other bone — pointing backwards and down — is called the ischium . But the anterior of many other dinosaurs was aligned alongside and parallel to the posterior bone ( the ischium ) , instead of pointing forwards as with the saurischians . This bone configuration is today found only in birds , hence the origin of the ornithischians . One simpler , broad definition is to distinguish between bowl - shaped and fork - shaped hips .
Idiom: buy the farm (used idiomatically: yes)
They had two hearts but shared a fused liver and lower bowel . Pedigree Charolais heifer helps boost African project A PEDIGREE Charolais heifer has been donated by Harry and Jean Marguess of Muckamore for the ‘ Farm for Africa ’ project , part of an overall drive spearheaded by Magheralin Parish Church to buy a 100-acre farm in Uganda and stock and equip it . Many organisations and businesses have joined the project and already Automart Livestock have organised a ‘ Farm for Africa ’ sale of dairy stock . Harry Marguess says : ‘ Our own sale was being held at Automart and when we heard the ‘ Farm for Africa ’ event was the following day we decided to donate a heifer to this very worthy cause . ’