Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: grind to a halt (used idiomatically: yes)
And in Naples , 25 per cent of school - age children are not enrolled and truancy rates of the rest are high . Children as young as six and seven work in textiles and leather , unprotected from fire - risk and exposed to poisonous substances which induce respiratory and central nervous system disorders . It has been suggested that were these children withdrawn from the 10,000 tiny workshops in the city , production would grind to a halt . The illegal building industry is destroying vast tracks of Italy . A 1981 census showed that only half the new building constructed had planning permission .
Idiom: play ball (used idiomatically: yes)
Love at first slap ? ‘ It started out with conversations . And then , when we finished it , we decided to play ball,’ he says , adding later , ‘ I do n't feel like we deserve [ to live together]just yet . Not that anything 's wrong , it 's just that there 's time for that , that 's all I 'm saying . There 's time.’
Idiom: run the gauntlet (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ The officer escorted kindly obliged , escorting me to the dressing room door . ’ I could have been anyone . ’ If Lord 's has any thoughts for the anxiety felt by the families at the thought of England 's players running a gauntlet of violence for 11 weeks the tour should be called of . The TCCB might even be able to turn the political situation to its advantage . In February , England will be pitted against the Indians , Pakistan and Sri Lanka and their equally volatile neighbours from Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the bidding for the right to stage the 1995 World Cup .
Idiom: have words (used idiomatically: no)
Throughout the project , all the pupils understood the process in which they were involved and were able to make significant choices and exert control , both individually and collaboratively . All three teachers were adamant that despite the lack of time for consultation , the lack of space and resources and other problems that had nothing to do with the curricular rationale behind the project , it had been a great success . But the project belonged ultimately to the pupils and they should have the last words . Bobbie ( RH ) : It was better working with pupils from another school 'cos everyone 's good at different things so the more people in the project , the more things we can do . Craig ( S ) : I liked the project .
Idiom: come to mind (used idiomatically: yes)
Nothing raises hackles quite so much as the question of access to the countryside . The vast majority of our land — mountains , moors , lakes and rivers — is owned by a handful of individuals , private and public companies , trusts and associations , most of whom seem hell bent if not on totally excluding , at least on severely restricting our freedom to roam . Some of the landowning agencies that are most restrictive are those which might be thought to be answerable to the public , or have their best interests at heart : the Forestry Commission , the Ministry of Defence and sometimes even the National Trust come to mind . Few walkers can have escaped the experience of finding their right of way barred by locked gates , barbed wire , standing crops , grazing bulls , farmers with dogs or keepers with guns . Luckily we have the example of rights won for us by our forebears whose fight is continued by the Ramblers Association .
Idiom: off the wall (used idiomatically: yes)
They flocked for the Calumny of Apelles and Gerda , Princess of Tyre in Newcastle . Not enough handbills , that 's what I say.’ ‘ The Scots do n't look very … amusable,’ drawled Georgie , picking a bit of 1,000-year - old stone off the wall behind him and aiming it at a tent - peg . ‘ I hear the Churches do n't think very well of us.’ ‘ Mmmm … ’ nodded the Duke , licking his fingers and smoothing down his eyebrows,’ … not ready for it .
Idiom: cold feet (used idiomatically: yes)
A gate of 25,837 was returned , representing a gross half million pounds loss . The loss of that money is resented by at least one member of the England Committee , who told me : ‘ Our football in Sweden was the worst in my lifetime , but we should be strong enough to face up to the situation . Instead , we 've got cold feet!’ TAYLOR : Protection McMENEMY : Trip
Idiom: go through the motions (used idiomatically: yes)
CIWF is trying to get the ban to cover the whole EC . Before farrowing , a wild sow leaves her group and builds a nest . Sows in stalls often go through the motions of nest - building , nosing and pawing the floor . Biting the metal bars is thought to be an attempt to gather nesting material . Sows are put in an even narrower stall to give birth .
Idiom: across the board (used idiomatically: yes)
Entitled ‘ Brilliant Corner’ , it was held at Café Coste in Robertson 's Close — and it garnered rave reviews in The Scotsman , The List , Festival Times and Review 90 . Management and support skills like those Joseph strives to build are vital to our artistic future — any musician can tell you they 're not a strong point here . But responsive , strategic managership is absent across the board in Britain . That 's one reason Awareness Days are often such a charade . Like other Thatcherite creations , the Enterprise Allowance Scheme is chock - a - block with buzzwords whose connection with reality is , at best , half - baked .
Idiom: go west (used idiomatically: yes)
In monetary terms it made a lot more sense to extend episode numbers within a serial , thereby getting more television hours with fewer changes in location . OVERLEAF : The first crewmembers of the TARDIS : the Doctor ( William Hartnell ) and Susan ( Carole Ann Ford ) and their two human companions Ian ( William Russell ) and Barbara ( Jacqueline Hill ) . The full quota of how many and whose scripts went west in this rethink will probably never be known . For Doctor Who this was a sad loss . Not only was it a loss to the series of Malcolm Hulke for a good many years , it was also a nail in the coffin of the show 's bid to be genuinely educative .
Idiom: turn heads (used idiomatically: yes)
I can hear Andy 's muffled shouting ; for a moment I think I 've lost them and run past them somehow ; then I see them , almost straight ahead . The man is moving up and down over Andy , his backside looks large and white against the green of the ferns ; he still has the rucksack on and it looks weird , frightening and comical at the same time . He has one hand over Andy 's face , clamped tight ; his head is turned away from me , red hair fallen down over one ear . I put the branch two - handed over my right shoulder as I run up to them , jump over a small bush and then as I land at their side bring the branch swinging down . It whacks into the man 's head with a dull , hollow sound , jerking his head to one side ; he grunts and starts to get up , then goes limp .
Idiom: keep your head (used idiomatically: no)
Job satisfaction is so important.’ Mmm — yours or mine ? she thought , and simpered a reply . So for the next few months she used a variant of the tactics she had tried to perfect with her parents : do what you 're told and keep your head down . Only this time Chesarynth did something she never had before . She played down her abilities , fluffed tasks that should have been childishly simple .
Idiom: in black and white (used idiomatically: yes)
Field work to acquire the specimens that I drew took me scuba - diving in the warm , subtropical waters of Natal and Zululand and braving seasickness on a research ship off the Transkei coast . What fun it all was ! My work was executed in pen and ink , mainly stipple , and with this background and my interest in black and white work , I would love to see more articles on this aspect of illustrating . Welcome also would be hints and tips from scientific illustrators and examples of their work . Or is this considered non - U in the world of art ?
Idiom: under the microscope (used idiomatically: yes)
In contrast to these local pottery types , there were also wheel - made vessels decorated with raised cordons or bands on the body . In thin section these have a dramatically different appearance ( plate 6.1b ) . Under the polarising microscope they contain coarse grains which show multicoloured areas , corresponding to interference colours caused by the presence of particular minerals . While quartz gives grey and white interference colours , the bright colours of Plate 6.1b are produced by an amphibole mineral ( pale colour to yellow to red ) and the black and white stripey pattern by the feldspar mineral plagioclase . ( These two minerals form a rock type known as an amphibolite . )
Idiom: game on (used idiomatically: yes)
Meanwhile , Sunderland were yesterday faced with a Monday night FA Cup trek to Chelsea if they overcome West Ham at the second attempt and reach the quarter - finals . The sixth round Stamford Bridge tie has been selected for live showing by BSkyB on March 9 ( 7.45 ) . TV dictates that the four - match round is spread over three days , with Ipswich or Liverpool v Aston Villa earmarked by the BBC as their Sunday game on March 8 ( 3.05 ) . The other two ties , Portsmouth or Middlesbrough v Nottingham Forest and Bolton or Southampton v Norwich , will be played on the original date , March 7 . THE CUP success of Middlesbrough Football Club has forced the nearby Cleveland Park greyhound stadium to switch its racenights over the next three weeks .
Idiom: hold the line (used idiomatically: no)
If the pointer is steady at 1½ dots then the aircraft is on a position line which is 5 ° less than track ( if the pointer is left ) , or 5 ° more than track ( if pointer is right ) . 12 . Thus the heading now being held is 5 ° less , or 5 ° more than the heading required to hold the centre line ( the track ) . 13 . Regain the centre line by turning 10 ° towards the needle .
Idiom: pick up the pieces (used idiomatically: yes)
SMOKERS are quitting the habit by spraying nicotine up their noses , the medical journal Lancet says today . ONE YEAR TOGETHER And the look in her eye says Jill Morrell and John McCarthy have managed to pick up the pieces of their love CATHERINE O'BRIEN SHE had feared that she would not know him any more … that his 1,943 days of hell as a hostage would have left them strangers .
Idiom: in the bag (used idiomatically: yes)
and just breaks it cracks it mm its ever so clever , dead ingenious good god there 's enough almonds in this bag here you are that 's it look ah
Idiom: breathe down someone's neck (used idiomatically: no)
‘ It 's not that,’ said Constance , ‘ I believe you all right . Only when you 've got brothers like mine , what you want is a bit of peace . All my life I 've had brothers breathing down my neck , watching my every move , checking on who I 'm going out with and what time I 'm getting home . If I ever got talking to some man in a pub , it was more than his life was worth . My brothers'd be watching his every move , just hoping he 'd put a foot wrong so they could jump in and scrag him .
Idiom: rule of thumb (used idiomatically: yes)
Only a minority of properties are rented and few at a market price . Selling prices are at a market level and more readily available . Rebuilding costs might be calculated on a rule of thumb basis but the assumptions would be relatively arbitrary . Like the poll tax , the council tax would also take account of the number of adults in each household . The basic tax would assume there were two or more in each household .
Idiom: turn the corner (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I gather you 've spoken to him as well.’ ‘ I thought it best.’ ‘ Where is’— Protheroe turned the corner of Culley 's report to find the name —‘Nicola Hammond?’ ‘ I do n't know.’ Culley shrugged , palms up , the whole business .
Idiom: a penny for your thoughts (used idiomatically: yes)
Stronger ones , at least to her eyes . Now and again there was a light in his eyes , a far - off look , that was so appealing to her senses that she had to break it to ease her own pain . ' A penny for your thoughts , ' she said brusquely , and he glanced up . From the way he frowned , he had n't missed her tone . ' I was wondering what it would be like to battle with a marlin . '
Idiom: steer clear of (used idiomatically: yes)
In return they will be allowed to raise prices by several per cent more than competitors who have not signed the government convention . Only three non - French companies have agreed to the new deal — Dow Chemical , Upjohn and Riker . Most of the multinationals have steered clear of commitments so far . Medical technology is one of France 's priority sectors for industrial development . But this is the first major announcement of aid for the drug industry , apart from £ 9 million for biotechnology research last month .
Idiom: open someone's eyes (used idiomatically: no)
What are they remembering ? What are they saying ? If you 'd like to open your eyes and if you would like to list your response on a piece of paper for me . The questions I asked were are what are they feeling ? What are they remembering ?
Idiom: get away with murder (used idiomatically: no)
On other occasions he acts like a cross between Rambo , Hitler and Albert Einstein ! But that 's precisely the problem — you never know where you stand with him . One lesson he can be really soft and anyone could get away with murder ( well , almost ) and the next lesson he goes all strict on you and starts giving out lines and detentions like they were past their sell - by date . Of course‘Boggers’ is n't the only teacher with his own funny little ways ; all teachers take a bit of getting used to . In fact that 's another problem with teachers — they 're all different .
Idiom: do the right thing (used idiomatically: no)
So I was glad to feel I had no choice , that I was forced … .’ He gave his apologetic cough . ‘ I 'm sure you did the right thing . And that 's what matters after all . What you do , not why you do it.’
Idiom: she'll be right (used idiomatically: no)
She had been shocked and upset to see her friend so ill , and suddenly John realised that she was weeping as she walked along with her face averted . ' Do n't cry , Anne , ' he said gently , putting his arm around her . ' She 'll be all right . The doctor told Mum that Sarah had everything in her favour . She 'd always had good food and warm clothes and a comfortable house to live in .
Idiom: do the trick (used idiomatically: no)
I found her , officer , ' Catherine croaked . ' That 's as maybe . But I do n't want you doing a disappearing trick on me . ' Catherine dug into her handbag and produced her card . ' Look ! ' she cried .
Idiom: go all the way (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ But I 'm spot on . I feel confident , and I feel good . I 'm sure I 'm going all the way this year . I did n't box all that well at Bletchley . I was disappointed with my form , but I feel really good right now.’
Idiom: go round in circles (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ You 're right . I 'm getting nowhere at the moment with this . My mind is going round in circles.’ She saw Tom 's brow clear and was absurdly gratified to find that her advice was of some use to him . ‘ In that case,’ he went on suddenly , ‘ to clear my head … shall we go and have coffee somewhere?’
Idiom: small print (used idiomatically: no)
Now , pick up that phone and dial the Note Tracker Hotline on 0891 100734 , giving your answers , your name , address and a daytime contact number . If you 're one of the lucky twelve winners , we 'll be in touch … the small print The Editor 's decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into . This competition ends on 28th February 1993 .
Idiom: out of the blue (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ When I said ‘ serve’,’ Fen informed her from right at her shoulder , ‘ I was n't suggesting a Wimbledon performance.’ Robbie swung around on her heel , prepared , despite her resolve , to give him a tongue - lashing , only to see his quizzical expression . Quite out of the blue her sense of the ridiculous erupted ; the parallel he 'd drawn appealed to her , and she found herself actually laughing as she handed him one of the bowls . ‘ That 's better,’ he observed . ‘ I was beginning to wonder if you were always so prickly .
Idiom: one and the same (used idiomatically: yes)
Hypnosis is identical with group formation in that it isolates the relation between the leader and follower , but between two people , not a large number , as in a crowd with a leader . Furthermore , most people under hypnosis do not lose their moral conscience , and their ego ideal retains some critical functions which both the person in love may not retain and which people in crowds may also lose . A primary group , with a leader , but with little other ‘ organization’ in it , can therefore be said to be ‘ a number of individuals who have put one and the same object in the place of their ego ideal and have consequently identified themselves with one another in their ego’ . A crowd or group of this type has two emotional components : namely , a relationship to a leader similar to the emotional structure of unrequited love , where the loved object replaces the ego ideal ; and secondly , identification with other members of the group , where part of the object is introjected , which leads to the strong emotional ties among the members of the group . All these statements are best treated as being theoretical models , which are built up by Freud on the basis of the types of emotional relationship which he had observed during his work with patients and conceptualized in a terminology of his own .
Idiom: every last (used idiomatically: yes)
He was a very sick man before the operation , and there was clearly small prospect that he could hope to be anything else , even if the machine worked well . The whole incident is reminiscent of the obscenities surrounding the deaths of President Tito of Jugoslavia and General Franco of Spain . Tito , at the age of 87 , was forced to stay alive for a few extra weeks by the vigorous application of every last trick of the medical trade , including the use of a kidney machine , long after it was apparent that he had reached the end of a pretty long road . On his deathbed General Franco was attended by 32 doctors , who , in their efforts to delay his end , employed , among other devices , a kidney machine and a respirator , and who performed at least three major abdominal operations , and administered an unknown number of gallons of blood . By attempting to sustain life at all costs , and by refusing to admit the fact that death is a good and proper part of life , doctors are in error .
Idiom: time will tell (used idiomatically: yes)
Its white , openly gay editor Jonathan Van Meter says he 's a journalist not a hip hop artists , but this assertion ( and the fact that other staff members are gay ) did n't stop Russell Simmons , Def Jam owner and Jones ' original partner in the project , from resigning — because of'philosophical differences ' rooted in hip hop 's general ambivalence towards homosexuals . Are these just bad vibes and sour grapes or is hip hop just too naughty by nature for the mainstream ? Time will tell . David Troop Vibe : Naughty By Nature , nice by design
Idiom: with a vengeance (used idiomatically: yes)
The Thatcher years were not kind to Lord Weinstock , GEC 's legendary managing director . Originally one of Mrs Thatcher 's closest confidants , he soon became disillusioned when increased competition in the defence and telecommunications industries threatened to weaken his beloved company . But with Margaret Thatcher gone and the much more understanding Michael Heseltine installed at Trade and Industry , he is back with a vengeance . He enjoys close links with senior Conservatives . Lord Prior is GEC 's current chairman and his predecessors have included Lords Carrington and Aldington .
Idiom: in the bag (used idiomatically: yes)
It was a white shirt , buttoned at the neck without a tie . The man had large hands covered with dark hairs , and a delicate mouth between fat cheeks . He fumbled in his bag and drew out two guavas . " Itfadel , " he said , handing them to us . Outside the windows were fields of silver cabbages and tall sunflowers , their heads drooping .
Idiom: fall short (used idiomatically: yes)
I used to buy the shuttlecocks in the town toy and sports shop and cut the rubber end off , then squeeze the protesting guinea - pig ( I did use one once , just on principle , but as a rule they were too expensive and a little too big ) up through the funnel of plastic until it sat round their waist like a little dress . Thus flighted , I sent them shooting out over the mud and the water towards their suffocating ends ; then I buried them , using as coffins the big matchboxes we always kept by the stove , and which I had been saving for years and using as toy - soldier containers , model houses and so on . I told my father I was trying to get them over to the far side , to the mainland , and that the ones I had to bury , the ones which fell short , were victims of scientific research , but I doubt I really needed this excuse , my father never seemed bothered about the suffering of lower forms of life , despite having been a hippy , and perhaps because of his medical training . I kept a log , naturally , and therefore have it recorded that it took no less than thirty - seven of these supposed flight experiments before my trusty long - handled trowel , in biting the Skull Grounds ' earth skin , struck something harder than the sandy soil , and I finally knew where the dog 's bones were . It would have been nice if it had been a decade to the day since the dog died that I exhumed its skull , but in fact I was a few months late .
Idiom: stand on ceremony (used idiomatically: yes)
( FN 6/11/87 , p. 15 ) Formal control , however , is only one aspect of the labour process in any work organization . Constables have a definite view about the style of authority they prefer in officers , which is summed up well by the remark that they need to be ‘ one of the boys’ : that is , they should not stand on ceremony and overtly assert their authority . Some sergeants conform to this , others do not , but the general resistance from below to the excesses of authority , coupled with a relative autonomy in the work place , affords the men and women in a section the latitude , if they so wish , to ‘ ease’ , using Cain 's now familiar term ( 1973 ) , or , to use their word , ‘ bluff’ . A whole system of informal work practices is able to exist alongside those of the police management and they form a vital part of the labour process in the station .
Idiom: follow suit (used idiomatically: yes)
In a speech to the Japanese Diet on April 17 Gorbachev made a wide - ranging appeal for an end of the bilateral relationships in the Pacific which were a legacy of the Cold War . Instead he called for a new security order based either on " trilateral Soviet - Japanese - US consultations and concrete agreements " , or a five - power conference involving China , India , Japan , the Soviet Union and the USA . He also promised unilateral Soviet military reductions in the region , and called for other Pacific powers to follow suit . Both leaders expressed themselves pleased with the symbolic importance of the visit , and a joint communiqué , signed late on April 18 , expressed a desire to " promote mutual relations " in trade and other spheres . They also agreed to hold further talks in Moscow in the summer of 1991 .
Idiom: in the long run (used idiomatically: yes)
Population may keep growing until mid - century , owing to rising longevity , but , reproductively speaking , our species should no longer be expanding . What demographers call the Total Fertility Rate is the average number of live births per woman over her lifetime . In the long run , a population is said to be stable if the TFR is at the replacement rate , which is a little above 2.3 for the world as a whole , and somewhat lower , at 2.1 , for developed countries , reflecting their lower infant - mortality rates . The TFR for most developed countries now stands well below replacement levels . The OECD average is at around 1.74 , but some countries , including Germany and Japan , produce less than 1.4 children per woman .