Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: have a few (used idiomatically: yes)
I 've read some stuff in the papers about Leeds ' long ball tactics , and I think the point has been overstressed . There was a good amount of passing and creative play going on as well , which dismissive comments about long balls tend to cover over . My worry about the half is that we should have had a few goals in , rather than just the one . The game could really have been over by about 60 mins , if not half time . Second half began in similar vein , but gradually Leeds lost it .
Idiom: serve someone right (used idiomatically: yes)
Ronni glared at him . ‘ Does Jeff know how cynically he 's being used?’ Then , when he simply smiled in response , she added , ‘ It would serve you right if Jeff walked out on you . If he left you in the lurch when you needed him most.’ ‘ Thank you for that kind thought , but I do n't think it 's likely.’
Idiom: laughing stock (used idiomatically: yes)
Green and overeager they were distinctly optimistic to their clients over the telephone . Some of the ex - DPR AEs could n't take this " kindergarten " seriously . When Stox went under it became a laughing stock . The firm had around £ 600,000 in the clients ' managed accounts . " This would have been a much larger sum if the salesmen had been any good . "
Idiom: push the boat out (used idiomatically: no)
The SDLP leader , John Hume , told NSS wryly : ‘ I thought they wanted to unite Ireland.’ Mr Adams is caught between a rock and a hard place . He has already pushed the boat out a long way in distancing Sinn Féin from the IRA , yet to no electoral avail . And Sinn Féin believes that disowning the IRA would be ‘ counter - productive’ . In a new book on the history of the IRA by Conor Foley ( Legion of the Rearguard , Pluto ) , Mr Adams , in a telling phrase , remarks : ‘ We will move as a movement or we will not move at all.’
Idiom: pecking order (used idiomatically: yes)
The best assurance of continued good health in your Koi is to learn how to be a fish - watcher : not just a casual glance at feeding time , but detailed observation of their behaviour . Invariably , the first sign of trouble is when a fish acts out of character — and I use the phrase quite intentionally because , as with humans , there are introvert and extrovert Koi . Some will rise immediately food is offered , while others hang back , seemingly low down in the pecking order ( although Koi are not actually territorial ) . It is when an outgoing fish ceases to swim with the shoal and skulks , perhaps with fins folded and respiring more rapidly than usual , that something is suspect . Even so , do n't immediately reach for the bottle of cure - all .
Idiom: pick up the pieces (used idiomatically: no)
Why ? Her life was turning into a series of unanswered questions . Donna rubbed her eyes and got to her feet , picking up the piece of paper and putting it in her handbag . On her way out of the library she thanked Molly for her help . Donna hesitated on the steps of the library , looking out into the rain , seeing people caught in the downpour hurrying past .
Idiom: on the face of it (used idiomatically: yes)
After all , what is intelligence ? It seems to us to be an evolutionary survival factor : the more intelligent a species , the more likely it is to survive in the long term ; this is a reasonable hypothesis , but it can hardly be considered as any more than that . When we look at the mysteries of life we must look also at phenomena that seem , on the face of it , to have little to do with the way that life works . LEFT Artificially grown crystals of one of the alums ( aluminium ammonium sulphate ) . BELOW The great 19th - century scientist Friedrich Wohler who prepared the first organic compound derived from inorganic chemicals .
Idiom: free and easy (used idiomatically: yes)
I do n't think she is . But no , it is n't you . Alamena , Boz 's wife , is making life difficult for her , telling her she 's not to leave the camp and that she 's too free and easy with everyone . She 's making it very clear she does n't believe Anna 's good enough for that brother of hers . Everyone always said it would n't work having two women sharing a caravan .
Idiom: to the letter (used idiomatically: yes)
However , subject to the normal exemptions and depending upon the individual employee 's particular circumstances , a liability to capital gains tax could arise on a subsequent disposal of the shares . Options may also be granted under the scheme to senior employees overseas . A summary of the Executive Scheme is set out in the Appendix to this letter . The maximum number of new ordinary shares that may become issuable pursuant to options granted under the Executive Scheme during any ten year period is 5 % of the Company 's issued ordinary share capital for the time being subject to an overriding maximum of 11,677,500 shares which represents approximately 7 ½% ; of the Company 's issued ordinary share capital as it presently stands . This overriding limit is subject to adjustment in the event of certain specified alterations to the Company 's share capital .
Idiom: keep a straight face (used idiomatically: no)
A style of drama full of ridiculous situations intended to make people laugh , sometimes used as a medium for satire . Perhaps the greatest farceur was the French dramatist Georges Feydeau , 1862–1921 . He wrote,"While planning the lunacies that will make the public laugh , I do n't enjoy myself ; I keep a straight face and the composure of a chemist dispensing a prescription . I take a gram of complication , a gram of shamelessly immoral behaviour and a gram of observation and I mix all these elements together as best I can . And I foresee , almost without fail , the effect they will produce . "
Idiom: on a silver platter (used idiomatically: yes)
I want you every minute of every day that I 'm here with you.’ The words were out . She was offering herself to him on a silver platter , no strings attached , and she would simply cope with the agony of their parting when the time came . He stroked her face , and then ran his fingers through her hair , looking at it as if it were made of some delicate , finely spun silk . She could feel his heart beating steadily under the palm of her hand , and looked into his eyes , gazing down at her .
Idiom: go through the motions (used idiomatically: yes)
Oh yeah , definitely . Yeah . So I mean , we 're just going through the motions at the moment , I mean , quite hone But you have food ? Yeah .
Idiom: curiosity killed the cat (used idiomatically: yes)
As you may know , FAMILY GO TOWN have the unenviable task of warming up for the Inspirals on the current tour and in an effort to be matey , after the Nottingham gig , Graham started chatting away to a bunch of people he took to be the support group . Launching into a big spiel about the merits of Hammond organs and ' 60s rarities , he was greeted with baffled looks all round . Eventually someone put him out of his misery and told him , between guffaws , that he was in fact conversing with has - been ' 80s saddoes CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT . And let their fate be a poignant lesson to him … Fate took a turn for the worst as far as fellow - Mancs NEW FADS were concerned when they had to cancel their headlining London gig this week as guitarist DOLAN has temporarily lost control of his right hand through over - use !
Idiom: on the nose (used idiomatically: yes)
He heard the approaching footsteps on the gravel behind him . ' Cosa desidera ' ? The flush - faced man was in his mid - fifties with a thick grey moustache and a pair of pebble glasses perched precariously on his bulbous nose . He was dressed in a pale - blue tunic and trousers with a red trim around the sleeves and lapels . ' What did you say ? '
Idiom: smart alec (used idiomatically: yes)
No . He knows what 's going on and how to make it work . Smar smart alec . Did you , did you try that erm joining the the dots up on a on a graph that you were going to do last time ? Oh , no , I did n't get , no I did n't get a chance , no .
Idiom: in your face (used idiomatically: yes)
Chicken casserole , and you can have a little bit . . Well you look better than you did , you 've got some colour in your face now . I 'll have a tiny bit . You can have a little bit of something to eat
Idiom: yes and no (used idiomatically: yes)
No ! Are you coming back ? Erm , yes and no . No , er it 's not closed it 's left open . Well I think everyone 's finished anyway .
Idiom: bring someone to book (used idiomatically: yes)
There are tribal things going on there that you would n't know about unless you lived there . ' His TV play Rotten Apples , to be shown over Christmas , is a black comedy set within a Northern Irish police station . Bigoted detective sergeant Robert Spallen sets out to bring a notorious IRA terrorist to book . In his manic enthusiasm he arrests an innocent man , the bear - like Dan Maguire , and sets about framing him . Northern Ireland is the context rather than cartoon style backdrop to Leonard 's piece .
Idiom: mean business (used idiomatically: no)
At the time when the income of many of the top charities is said to be either static , or to have fallen , it 's essential for public in the private sector , do not forsake their supporting role . I read only last week , for instance , that the N S P C C is suffering severely from the recession and higher running costs , and I 'm sure they 're not alone . The perceived decrease in the public 's generosity means that it is even more important for businesses , and I mean all business , not just the larger ones that have traditionally provided the pool of resource , to realise that their businesses would only succeed within a healthy society , and a healthy society means the support of business men and business women . It 's not good just to occasionally buy a flag , or to sponsor some friends mor marathon , one needs more than good intentions . It was heartening in fact to hear that W H Smith is to celebrate is bi - centenary next year , by providing the Samaritans with a special telephone link line .
Idiom: catch someone's eye (used idiomatically: yes)
Zen went over to the row of luggage lockers , laid the plastic package in one , dropped in three - hundred - lire coins , locked the door and pocketed the key . On the wall opposite there was an illuminated display listing the tourist attractions of the city . The word ‘ Cinemas’ caught his eye , and one of the names seemed familiar . He gave it to the driver of the taxi he found outside , who whisked him back up the hill again , back through time to a medieval alley smelling of woodsmoke and urine . A more unlikely situation for a cinema was hard to imagine , but the driver pointed to a set of steps burrowing up between two houses and explained that it was as near as he could get in a car .
Idiom: think twice (used idiomatically: yes)
This has the following points in its favour : ( a ) With the concern for injuries this may afford protection to the catcher faced with two or three tacklers bearing down on him : ( b ) The ground gained from the mark and subsequent kick may encourage teams to think twice about kicking . My second idea is this , which is similar to the above . The current laws on all kicking should remain except that any ball caught on the full from kick in general play can be returned directly into touch with the line - out at the point where the ball goes out of play — e.g. a scrum - half kicking for touch would still need to bounce the ball into touch but , should the kick be gathered on the full , then it can be kicked directly into touch .
Idiom: leave someone in the lurch (used idiomatically: yes)
The condemnation of the figures that the hon . Gentleman has read out is that in those boroughs we need never have had so many liability orders or so many people taken to the courts or threatened with prison if they had not been misled by Labour Members of Parliament and councillors into running up enormous debts . Now that those people have run up those enormous debts , where are the Labour Members of Parliament who led them into that position ? They have fled the field and left their constituents in the lurch . Derbyshire County Council Mr. Oppenheim
Idiom: at the end of the day (used idiomatically: yes)
It makes no sense at all.’ With his back still rigidly and unrelentingly turned towards her , he said miserably : ‘ If things are as you say , then a man can never be sure of his wife ; never be sure that he 'll find her there when he comes home at the end of the day . How can he live like that ? How does he hold up his head if he knows his wife is deceiving him ?
Idiom: come to mind (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Well , listen,’ Culley 's tone was low and unhurried , ‘ one of several things can happen here . You can tell me the things I need to know and I can go away . Or I can charge you — withholding information , conspiracy , being an accomplice , possession of heroin , indecent exposure : anything that comes to mind , really.’ He paused . ‘ Murder , perhaps ; Susan was killed , after all.’
Idiom: pissed off (used idiomatically: yes)
Under 15 in League and cups will be regarded as failure in my book . Wilko : I know we 're pissed off with him over certain things , but even if we 're unhappy about his recent decisions , no - one can deny that going from bottom of Div 2 to League champs in 3.5 years was remarkable . Even if we always had ‘ potential’ . His strategy was that he spent big , to give the club momentum , once he had got us to the top , he knew we were living beyond our means , but hoped that the structure he created would maintain our position .
Idiom: lie low (used idiomatically: yes)
In response to growing criticisms of its economic policy , from Mr Giscard d'Estaing among others , the government has decided radically to revise its original economic package , announced barely a fortnight ago , by launching a record FFr40 billion state loan , of which FFr25 billion will be used to create jobs and generally give the economy a shot in the arm . But it still may not be enough . Mr Mitterrand , meanwhile , is lying low . He knows he has little room for manoeuvre while the government 's popularity is so high and his so low . But he knows , too , how to wait patiently for things to change .
Idiom: come to a head (used idiomatically: yes)
The editorial policy that he pursued in Monde was ultimately no doubt as much a product of his natural inclination for popular front co - operative politics , as it was a consequence of his scepticism regarding the possibilities for the development of proletarian literature in interwar capitalist France dominated by a hegemonic bourgeois cultural tradition . Be that as it may , the discrepancy between the editorial objectives of Monde and its editorial practice was so great as to cause embarrassment in official communist circles , and to provoke open hostility from Young Turks such as Breton , Aragon and Nizan himself . Matters came to a head at the International Congress of Proletarian Writers held at Kharkov in November 1930 . The Kharkov congress , attended by Aragon and Sadoul , was the occasion for public condemnation of the " right - wing deviationist " editorial policy pursued by Barbusse in Monde . Aragon was not reluctant to join in the chorus of voices repudiating Barbusse .
Idiom: break someone's heart (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ And you , my darling.’ Then she was giving him her mouth again so that he might swallow the choked cries of pleasure rising from her throat as the frenzy claimed her once more , and a little later she was thrashing against him , pleading hoarsely for his possession , until Luke held her down and sank into her with a harsh groan . And when the frantic , plunging ride was over , ecstasy a fading quiver of memory and her swollen lips no longer muttering his name over and over in a delirium of rapture , he broke her heart all over again by moving right away from her , the distance between them , now that passion was spent once more , saying everything about their relationship . So their affair was begun , their part - time affair , as Maria took to calling it , at first only to herself , but then aloud in Luke 's presence when she discovered that it could bring a quick frown to his face . She loathed herself for such pettiness , but she was so helplessly without any control over their relationship that pride or all that remained of it demanded that she administer these little pricks to his satisfaction , although she knew she had no hope of succeeding in puncturing it properly .
Idiom: in the long term (used idiomatically: yes)
In fact , there was a trend towards a greater likelihood of requiring hepatic transplantation , although this did not reach statistical significance . Mortality was not different between the two groups . In the long term , the use of ursodeoxycholic acid has been reported to be of benefit in primary sclerosing cholangitis , but the mechanism by which ursodeoxycholic acid exerts a beneficial effect is unknown . The effect of this agent may be a result of its ability to reduce the lithogenicity of bile and it may therefore be of particular benefit in patients with complicating biliary calculi . In conclusion , the results of this study indicate that biliary tract calculi may complicate the course of otherwise typical primary sclerosing cholangitis and therefore their presence should not necessarily exclude the diagnosis of primary sclerosing cholangitis .
Idiom: off the hook (used idiomatically: yes)
It was a disastrous collective slump that left British Tennis supremo Richard Lewis scratching his head . Zina Garrison , the beaten Wimbledon finalist last summer , lost in the first round , but not much of consequence occurred until Sanchez - Vicario toppled Mary Joe Fernandez in the quarter finals — and then came the heavy matches . Seles had no trouble beating Conchita Martinez and Gabriela Sabatini , who was let off the hook in the quarters by Jana Novotna . Steffi Graf sailed through until Sanchez - Vicario whipped the rug from under her feet in the last four . So Seles triumphed alongside Courier .
Idiom: take the plunge (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Of course.’ ‘ And I can still find some men sexually attractive.’ I took the plunge : ‘ Sergei , for instance?’ ‘ Well , yes , he 's quite attractive.’ She became involved with scraping butter and marmalade on to a piece of toast .
Idiom: few and far between (used idiomatically: yes)
You can almost remember them on the fingers of one hand . There was Land 's End and the skiing one . They 're very few and far between.’ He says there 's no shortage of guidelines from educational and sporting bodies . They are continually monitored and updated .
Idiom: on the game (used idiomatically: no)
Suddenly she caught sight of the child 's mother . Immediately , her expression and pace of approach changed and instead of the lambasting , or worse , she had seemed about to deliver , she gave the child a tolerant smile and began to pick up the scattered cans . Most of us have experienced similar examples of such ‘ audience effects ’ on behaviour : playing a game to perfection ( or otherwise ) when the team selector is present , for instance . What you do depends very much on who might be watching , often with good reason . Prudently taking cognisance of onlookers also turns out to be important in the social behaviour of other primates .
Idiom: life and limb (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ The action was well - supported by members , including many social workers’ , said a NALGO spokeswoman . Three branches went out on strike in South Tyneside , Walsall , and Hackney . Only ‘ life and limb’ cover was provided on the day . Other areas organised rallies , petitions , and lobbying of management . But the Local Government Management Board denied the action had much effect .
Idiom: weak at the knees (used idiomatically: yes)
Suzie gave a derisive little snort . ‘ You and a few thousand other women . Show me a woman who says Dane Jacobsen does n't make her go weak at the knees and I 'll show you a liar!’ ‘ Come on,’ the blonde said decisively . ‘ He 's about to go and join the tow queue again .
Idiom: in the pipeline (used idiomatically: yes)
I think we ought to sort that out Well that will be , I personally think that 's the only thing we can do . And we should just sort of say what is necessary to find out and everybody gets a few telephone numbers or telephone calls check out addresses find out about new ones , get in contact with the district council erm what is in the pipeline . Find out about Uttlesford possibly why there 's is running and whether that is going to br breakdown . Erm and if we then find money for printing it I would approach Barclays Bank , banks , local banks and would it do it very modestly the same local the same style er and only hand it out to places where people are likely to pick it up .
Idiom: once and for all (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ It almost broke me to hear you accuse me of going to bed with you to get a story . I loved you , Luke , and that 's why I slept with you . I have to be honest and admit that I accepted the invitation to dinner to try to find out once and for all if you were involved with Martin , but that was because I needed to know , needed to prove your innocence , because I was falling in love with you . Hearing you on the telephone just seemed to confirm my worst fears , and I did n't stop to reason things through . I was hurting , so I hit out at you.’
Idiom: in the works (used idiomatically: yes)
Before ten minutes had passed he had rejected this in favour of a 50″ × 40″ canvas that made possible a full - length portrait ( Plate 19 ) . He also asked Norman to remove his sandals which he said were hard to draw . The desire that he felt for Bowler , and which he admitted to David Tindle while this portrait was in progress , is made palpable in the finished work through the gentle , even pressure of the dusky light as it falls on the sitter 's head , hands and feet . The use of a shifting viewpoint spreads out the seated figure with the result that the genital area is prominently positioned at the centre of the canvas . It also allows Minton , without breaking the realist mode , to manipulate scale so that , by academic standards , the feet are too large in relation to the head .
Idiom: come unstuck (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ That was exactly what I did intend to do . You must have a sixth sense,’ I said . ‘ But plans have a habit of coming unstuck.’ It did n't take long to tell him my story . I spared no details — there was no good reason why I should .
Idiom: behind bars (used idiomatically: yes)
It 's helped many people start on a new life away from crime and that 's good news for Marconi Electronic Devices of Swindon who design and manufacture the electronic tags . Originally they were cumbersome , but Marconi have now designed a lightweight model . The idea has had opponents who claim its an easy option for people who would otherwise be behind bars . Nevertheless , Judge Edward Garrison went against the general feeling of his colleagues and gave the idea its trial run . I do n't believe the programme has taken off here as rapidly as it possibly could have had all the judges been as enthusiastic as I was in the beginning , but I would say 5 to 10 per cent of the sentenced people now are at least given that option .
Idiom: rule of thumb (used idiomatically: yes)
Steaks and chops retained their natural juices without drying out , and this was assessed as being because of the much shorter cooking time . Two whole racks of lamb cooked out to just pink perfection in under 15 minutes and gave a markedly superior eating quality , and a best method for roasting a 4 lb boned lamb averaged out over all tests with remarkably only an 8 per cent weight loss . As a general rule of thumb , darker meats and large joints benefit from a lower microwave power level than full . This was borne out by the tests on ‘ bootiful’ Norfolk turkeys which needed an hour at half microwave power to cook right through without drying the breast meat . But the smaller 3 lb chickens , cooked with best results at full microwave power .