Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: on the face of it (used idiomatically: yes)
THERE ARE not many senior medical researchers in Britain who would list the political upheavals of Paris in 1968 among their formative experiences . There are fewer who read Czech poetry , or have their paintings exhibited regularly in London and Edinburgh . But Michael Peckham does all three — which makes him seem , on the face of it , an unlikely character to move to Whitehall as the government 's new Director of Research and Development at the Department of Health . He may be an unlikely civil servant , but his qualities should stand him in good stead for the job of producing a national strategy for the NHS 's science . A cancer researcher by profession , he has the appropriate academic and medical credentials , the respect of his colleagues , and a strong commitment to the health service .
Idiom: pull a face (used idiomatically: yes)
' He wo n't , ' Karelius assured him with confidence . ' If he does , I 'm sure you 'll manage to bluff it out . ' The Hungarian pulled a wry face . ' All right , I 'll give it a try . But in return , there 's a little job I 'd like you to do for me . '
Idiom: fall by the wayside (used idiomatically: yes)
Gloucester beat Bristol 29–15 after both sides decided to throw the ball around in the sun at Kingsholm . Bristol overtook Gloucester 's 14–3 lead in the second half but two late tries by Morris for Gloucester gave the score a more one - sided look than this mid - table contest had actually been . When Newcastle Gosforth fell by the wayside 4–9 to relegation candidates Bedford , West Hartlepool 's 7–0 victory over Wakefield secured them promotion , with London Scottish , to the top division . Stabler put over a penalty and Mitchell secured victory by bursting through Wakefield 's defence . The fight against relegation from League Two remains close and Bedford 's win seems to have postponed the day of reckoning until their game at Morley on April 25 .
Idiom: at the end of the day (used idiomatically: yes)
And we 're here to try and , alright if , if seven out of the ten that we look up tonight come through , we 've done well . No . At the end of the day , you ca n't be one hundred percent , but I 'm , I , I think it 's a good idea , that we actually pass something to the people , pending Trevor being happy . I think that 's a yeah . He 'll look on that .
Idiom: play ball (used idiomatically: yes)
Venetians know all about intrigue . Working out what you 're up to is child 's play.’ ‘ So play ball and tell me my plans , then,’ she said resentfully . ‘ I told you . To carry on the family tradition and blackmail Corosini.’
Idiom: take a bath (used idiomatically: no)
I was crouched in the tin bath soaping myself in front of the range . Jean - Claude half filled a pitcher with pump - water and added hot water from the huge kettle on the hob . Carefully , delicately he rinsed the suds from my body , and taking a bath sheet wrapped me in it . In the silent happiness that was life in la Sologne , Jean - Claude explained to me why he was not working on Frontenac 's libretto and how he would not do so for any amount of money . He did not know I had read his notes and I did not confess I had , but he elaborated on what I had read , and I was convinced he had right on his side — if not prudence .
Idiom: in living memory (used idiomatically: yes)
One more thing , and then I 'm through . It was Amy 's sixteenth birthday and ten girls had to be picked up from town , lunched , let loose on Hampstead , given dinner , board and breakfast the following morning . All of this would have been enjoyable — or at least bearable — without miserable old mother me having the meanest migraine in living memory . It manifested itself in the small hours at such an advanced stage that no cure save amputation of the head could bring relief . Suffice to say the day and night passed in a deeply unpleasant fashion and the following morning brought no respite .
Idiom: up to scratch (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Would n't we have more control over our affairs if the Bank of England had a major say in what happened , as part of a decentralised European banking authority?’ Sir Leon said there was no need for the United Kingdom to wait for its inflation rate to reach the European average before joining the exchange rate mechanism , nor to hold back until the further removal of capital and exchange controls next summer . ‘ Joining the ERM is not a prize to be given to our partners when they come up to scratch , but a benefit to ourselves if only we would take it,’ he said . Hopes rise for European compromise deal on greater telecoms competition . By John Palmer and Peter Large
Idiom: bear fruit (used idiomatically: yes)
And how can you have missed the influence of Bob Mould , ex of Hüsker Dü , or the Butthole Surfers or the Pixies ? And , seeing as we 've skipped the Atlantic , let 's see some of the Seattle bands making waves over here … This music is indeed the food of love and such coverage shall bear the most exceptional fruit , especially for your sales figures . → It seems to me , Dave , that you 've been labouring under a bit of a misapprehension . Our interview policy excludes no - one , and our pages have never been dominated by any one style .
Idiom: seen better days (used idiomatically: yes)
Oq . of dressed ore from Tilberthwaite … at least it shows that very little was being done there . In a lighter vein — There was once a man who was at work kibble filling . A man , it is said , who had seen better days , but whose humour and wit had not been impaired by his fallen fortunes . One of the agents observing some fragments of rock clattering down the shaft and falling around him , warned , " take care or you will have your brains knocked out . " The fellow continued his work replying coolly , " If I 'd ever had any brains Captain , I should n't have been here now ! "
Idiom: strike a chord (used idiomatically: yes)
Such criticism leads us directly to the higher plains of aestheticism from where it becomes possible to adopt a universal outlook , a point of view based on the sort of timeless values that enable one to study objectively ( unsentimentally , unemotionally and ' without rancour ' ) the lower depths of social reality . Any grubby social thoughts the film might have evoked can be swiftly rejected in favour of a more universal muse . Thus we are told by Robinson that Distant Voices , Still Lives is not really about working - class family life in Liverpool at all , for this is simply ' a metaphor for the human condition that strikes universal chords ' — chords which ring true through ages past , present and future , inspiring Beryl Bainbridge to opine that ' I do n't think anything alters . We are all victims of the past … it could be anywhere'(The Independent , 13 October 1988 ) . By this fantastic ideological wrench these critics are able to turn the world upside - down to prove that those films that appear ' … most local and concentrated are often the most universal in appeal'(Philip French , The Observer , 16 October 1988 ) .
Idiom: hot air (used idiomatically: yes)
The mullah made a drink from the berries which kept him awake throughout his prayers , and so began the tradition of coffee drinking . Widely available since the 1930s , instant coffee is produced commercially by brewing ground freshly roasted coffee to a strong concentrate . It is then passed through an atomising spray into a stream of hot air to evaporate the water and leave a fine coffee powder . Freeze dried instant coffee is more aromatic than the instant coffee powder and more expensive . The brewed coffee is frozen and then ground .
Idiom: in bed with (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ What kind of ward is it ? Surgical ? I warn you , I ca n't stand seeing people lying in beds with bottles hanging up beside them and tubes coming in and out of their noses . I faint . They wo n't want another patient on their hands.’
Idiom: out of order (used idiomatically: yes)
I could see from the four small puncture marks on Fenella 's wrist that she had tried to stroke him during lunch . Silly girl . He 's an ungrateful bastard at the best of times but biting the hand that feeds you while it 's feeding you is a bit out of order . ‘ Hello , Fenella,’ I said because she would n't have spoken if I had n't . ‘ Has he conned you as well?’
Idiom: behind bars (used idiomatically: yes)
The law had failed , time and again , to protect his property and that of his neighbours . He had felt driven , as the judge said , to take that law into his own hands . Now the forces of law and order that left vandals to do as they pleased were putting him behind bars . Norman Waller and his neighbours at Low Fell suffered an endless plague of crime before the night he finally snapped . Vandals struck six times at his car and his parents ' car .
Idiom: hands down (used idiomatically: yes)
In the 1970s there were only two types of potential replacement DMU being considered by BR 's passenger marketing people and the engineers . The Class 210 diesel-electric design of three-car or four-car unit had actually been produced to a business specification developed in conjunction with the board 's passenger commercial managers . It was intended as a high-performance set which could inherit the reliability associated with previous BR ( SR ) DEMUs , thus beating the older , inherently unreliable diesel-mechanical multiple units hands down . Its problem , when analysed by the new Provincial sector was its price : it would cost too much to enable a financial case to be made for the 210 breed to replace existing DMUs even taking asbestos removal into account . The other design in the offing was the two-axle railbus which had started life as a Research Division project aimed at combining high-speed freightvehicle technology with that of the standard Leyland road bus in order to produce a low cost diesel train .
Idiom: do someone's head in (used idiomatically: yes)
See you in a few years time with fucking . Cos Charles is off the er drugs . He was reputed to have personally killed five men because he , they done his head in . Alias Mark . A reformed hippie with a food complex .
Idiom: on a roll (used idiomatically: yes)
Any model that lies directly under the hole in the template is hit automatically . Note that only one model can lie within the hole and if there is any doubt it is the model which lies under the exact centre which is hit . Models whose bases lie under the rest of the template are hit on the D6 roll of a 4 + . As with stone throwers this is a matter of judgement and common sense . A good rule of thumb is that a model may be considered a potential hit if at least half its base area lies under the template , while models whose bases are only touched or grazed can be ignored .
Idiom: my bad (used idiomatically: yes)
Yes , I was jealous , that 's why I drank deep . I could not but notice how tenderly Rachel looked at Benjamin and jealousy , a flame so quickly started , is the most difficult fire to extinguish . After a while I became so deep in my cups I grew surly , said I felt unwell and trotted off to bed where I could nurse my hurt as well as conceal my bad manners . I lay on my fourposter ready to bemoan what had happened but the next minute I rolled over and sank into the deepest sleep . God knows when the banquet ended .
Idiom: to a turn (used idiomatically: yes)
But I have sometimes thought there might be a problem in the afterlife , if there is such a thing — one hopes but I am not convinced — when one is supposed to be reunited with one 's loved ones . I have been to funerals in Baldersdale where bereaved people have shown supreme faith , being convinced that death is only a temporary thing and that they would meet up with their loved ones again . So maybe I will lose out a little in the romantic sense when it comes to my turn . Of course , one hopes to meet one 's parents and other dear relatives , but there wo n't be someone special to me . And now it seems that I will go to my grave without meeting that special person .
Idiom: get the picture (used idiomatically: yes)
I thought for a moment . ‘ I 'll see your ‘ buggered’ and raise you a ‘ shagged out’.’ ‘ You get the picture,’ he said , not wanting to play any more . After all , this was business . ‘ So we find a terminally sick company with — what was it?’
Idiom: foam at the mouth (used idiomatically: no)
This can be proved by the character of Ulysses , who can perceive that social and military values have been twisted . He is completely detached , as his final lines show : Ajax hath lost a friend , And foams at the mouth , and he is armed and at it , Roaring for Troilus , who hath done today Mad and fantastic execution … There is a definite sense that Ulysses is above the cynicism and sourness , even if he has to descend to the level of the other warriors to convince them of his ideas . He realises they are fighting only to ‘ gild’ Menelaus ' horns ; and is disgusted by Cressida 's easy morals when she arrives in the Greek camp , kissing anyone that offers :
Idiom: take heart (used idiomatically: yes)
I have been reading AIM as long as I can remember , and over the years have gained great inspiration form it . I live in Scarborough , and some time ago enquired about leisure art classes ; this led to me taking an interview for a full - time art and design course , which I have been accepted for . I would like to thank all concerned with your magazine especially the readers who sent letters of encouragement , because whilst I was struggling to paint , I read AIM and took heart from all those like - minded people ! I would just like to say that I am 44 years of age , so art has no barriers . It 's never too late to start painting .
Idiom: live it up (used idiomatically: no)
Several members of the Inspirals contingent are going to watch mud wrestling in some dodgy bar . The hotel on Sunset Boulevard is full of nutters playing Heavy Metal in their rooms and there 's a jet - lag hell - hound on my tail . Turn on the radio and on every station The Eagles are ' Living it up at de Hotel California ' . Go downstairs to buy a pizza , and on the way back up to the room there 's a short , familiar figure in the lift . It 's Bruce Dickinson .
Idiom: at the end of the day (used idiomatically: yes)
By Ben Bacon and David Harrison ARSENAL and Aston Villa are planning dramatic changes for their clash tonight as managers George Graham and Ron Atkinson desperately seek to beef up their stuttering title challenges . Graham was unhappy that his forwards again failed to convert a succession of chances against Ipswich on Saturday , and said : ‘ Maybe I 'll have to leave one or two skilful players out , because at the end of the day you have to win games . ’ And a big revamp is threatened by an angry Atkinson in the Villa line-up after their 3-0 hammering at Coventry . Defender Bryan Small , midfielder Garry Parker and striker Cyrille Regis are all in line for the chop .
Idiom: on the rocks (used idiomatically: yes)
The enclosing matrix is a fine - grained sandstone , and the original calcite shell material has dissolved away to leave impressions of the shells on the sandstone . This sort of preservation is very common in European Ordovician and Silurian rocks . The fine radial ribbing is characteristic of many such brachiopods ; internal moulds show the impressions of strong hinge teeth ( showing as hollows on the rock surface ) . Species like these are abundant in rocks of Ordovician age , often forming shelly bands . This species is from Near Meifod , Wales , but similar species are very widespread .
Idiom: against the grain (used idiomatically: yes)
There were , of course , a good number of poets who moved beyond such limitations . Jones 's comments are actually part of a favourable reaction to Mary Barber 's poems . Nonetheless , a woman poet who attacks the naivete of a purely romantic view of marriage is , in some sense , going against the grain . Jonathan Swift often presents a decidedly unpleasant view of women 's sexuality , yet his poetry provided a model for women poets of the time who wished to expose the deceptions of romantic love , and the concealed dangers of marriage . For Swift , of course , the disillusionment will come when the man discovers that the woman he worshipped as a goddess is only too physical , as in ‘ The Lady 's Dressing Room’ :
Idiom: under fire (used idiomatically: yes)
All ranks when in action look at , and study , the facial expression of the Officer in Command . If he is cool and relaxed , all ranks can cope with the situation . I was impressed by Lovat 's manner during the landing , on the beach under fire , and especially at the crossroads as he stood and directed the attack on the village of Amfreville . No doubt there are those who have seen fear on my face in certain circumstances in this campaign , just as I have seen the same fear on their faces in the same circumstances . After a few minutes ' walk I arrived at the edge of the wooded area ; in front of me was about two hundred yards of grass , rising to the high ground covered by thick gorse and ferns .
Idiom: moment of truth (used idiomatically: yes)
This effect is doubtless less for victor than for vanquished , but the victor will not be spared it . In spite of victory , Britain 's participation in two world wars accelerated social changes , altering both social attitudes and power relations . By ‘ militarising’ their society in peacetime , the Soviet authorities aim to spare their society similar effects , ensure that the nation stands the test and that the Party will not be pronounced ‘ calcified’at the moment of truth . But , as a multinational state with restless minorities and a multinational empire with resentful subjects , the CPSU has reason to confront the prospect of major war with apprehension and a long war with dread . But if war should occur , it will be war not only between states but between exploiter and exploited ; there is thus real potential for war to turn into what Clausewitz called ‘ war of hatred’ .
Idiom: first up (used idiomatically: yes)
Pride of place in the leather and wood - panelled coffee lounge is a portrait of Frank Wittenoom , the man who gave Mr Hancock 's father his start — he sold Mr Hancock Snr the land on which the wealth of iron ore was found . ‘ I think we were all going to pay the price for that’ , said a member of one of Perth 's oldest families . ‘ Honestly , Lang caused nothing but trouble in the Pilbara when he was first up there . He was always flying to Canberra , stirring it up , trying to create problems for the stations in the north - west.’ It fits the mystique surrounding the man that the mineral deposits were found through apparent chance .
Idiom: from the word go (used idiomatically: yes)
We were fortunate that there were several people present at the Forum who were familiar with the oil industry internationally . Among the presentations was one from Dr Clive Morgan , Director of the Field Studies Council Environmental Assessment Unit . Clive , who is an active CPRW member , felt it was vital that environmental groups took a very tough line with the industry right from the word go . In this respect , there were many at the meeting ( including me ) who felt the least we should be demanding of the industry and the regulators ( the DTI ) was that only the very highest environmental standards currently practised internationally ( the Norwegian oil field was given as a good example ) would be acceptable for operations in Cardigan Bay . In eco - jargon this means a ‘ zero emissions policy’ should be applied .
Idiom: above board (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I lost a little bit of love for St Mirren that day,’ he recalled . ‘ I did n't like the situation and when Hibs came in for me , it made it easier to move . Having said that , everything was done above board . Things could have been done in an underhand way , but I insisted that Hibs ask for permission to speak to me . ‘ I had too much respect for Yule Craig and would not have been part of anything that let him down .
Idiom: make light of (used idiomatically: yes)
ELSEWHERE : Sunderland may be without Agboola ( hamstring ) at Leeds , who hope to recall Hendrie in place of Williams … West Ham are without Gale and Brady for their visit to Second Division leaders Sheffield United . Judo : Hughes makes light of her load From PHILIP NICKSAN in Belgrade ‘ THEY keep on writing you off — but they 're wrong,’ beamed a delighted Roy Inman , the women 's team manager , as Ann Hughes , Britain 's top lightweight , stepped off the mat having won her semi - final at the World Championships here yesterday .
Idiom: change hands (used idiomatically: yes)
See?’ He put a hand in a pocket and brought out a key , the duplicate of the one I had been given , which fitted both front and back doors . ‘ I 'd no idea the place had changed hands . I 'm sorry.’ ‘ I 'm sorry , too.’
Idiom: grind to a halt (used idiomatically: yes)
The drug companies are not simply ‘ crying wolf’ when they say their success in high technology will be jeopardised if the Greenfield recommendation for generic substitution are enforced . One has only to look across the Atlantic to Canada , where similar government policies shattered a once - successful Canadian pharmaceuticals industry . Most drug research in that country has ground to a halt , and Canada is now a substantial net importer of medicines . It would be an additional folly to impose generic substitution at a time when the Japanese government has singled out pharmaceuticals as a significant area for growth and one to which high technology is applicable . Tokyo is encouraging Japanese companies to increase their research and to move out of Japan into Europe and the United States .
Idiom: squeaky clean (used idiomatically: yes)
Not only do they believe their own PR , they generally eat and wear it too . Where there 's muck , there may be brass . But brass in squeaky - clean Dusseldorf still comes sculpted into Very Important Buttons . Cricket matches ? They 're a test of my patience
Idiom: as a rule (used idiomatically: yes)
A further difficulty is that , within a particular culture or sub - culture , religion will have a socially defined image , so that in some circumstances respondents might feel they ought to say that they are more ' religious ' than they really are , or , in other circumstances , that they are less so . One way of trying to overcome such problems is to ask people for a ' life - history ' during an unstructured interview , and see whether and in what contexts religion or religious ideas or behaviour are mentioned . It is always possible to raise questions concerning religion at a later stage , but , as a general rule , it is probably always safer ( assuming one has the time ) to ask the more general questions first , and see if specific answers come up . When , for example , I was interviewing Moonies , I would ask them to describe their childhood and see whether religion was mentioned , then ask about the place of religion in their lives and see what kind of response I received before posing more specific questions about church going , belief in God , confirmation , the religious beliefs and practices of their parents — and so on . In other words , I was trying to establish whether religion had been important enough in the interviewees ' childhood ( at least , as it was now remembered ) for it to be mentioned , without any prompting on my part ; and then , I would try not to prejudge what the interviewees thought was involved in religion , but let them decide what aspect would come out ' naturally ' — whether they would talk about the institutionalised churches , private prayer , a personal relationship with God , a way of looking at the world or the ultimate meaning of their existence .
Idiom: cramp someone's style (used idiomatically: yes)
I do everything from the Gaul huts and chariots to people . I work in pencil , then outline it all in heavy black ink.’ Being colour - blind has not cramped his style : ‘ Although , because I mix up greens and browns , I seem to have had lots of green hair.’ Sketching , says Uderzo , is a fast process . It has to be as , apart from briefly translating ideas for a new character on to paper , he finds ‘ there is so little time .