Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: go to the wall (used idiomatically: no)
They heckled ; they called him a liar ; they turned their backs on him when he spoke . And so comes the baleful conclusion : that Vietnam , a war that split America apart on class lines , continues to be a national sore , causing a steady throb of pain . Hence the perception that , however hard he tries — and it was brave of him to go to the wall at all— Mr Clinton will always carry this particular cross , and that his relations with the armed services will always be shaped by it . But that may not be quite right . The awkward truth is that no power on earth could ease the torment of some Vietnam veterans .
Idiom: pull a face (used idiomatically: no)
Journalists have been asking the question since he was , well , 23 . You must imagine him answering the question in a fruitily quizzical , mostly oafish sort of way . He pulls a rubber Dudley face , like he 's wondering where the rest of the moose is , or he 's thinking of licking the lips of Bo Derek . ' My virginity was wet noodled to death . But you see , what is losing one 's virginity ?
Idiom: cold feet (used idiomatically: yes)
When he returned with the blankets I must have been asleep . I never felt him cover me , or tuck me up … Sometime during the night , I was woken by my cold feet , a warm weight on my chest and the loudest purr I had ever heard . My neck ached from being forced up by the arm of the settee . The lamp on the table was out .
Idiom: talk nineteen to the dozen (used idiomatically: yes)
April — and Carrie met Mrs Gotobed . On the first day of the Easter holidays , Mister Johnny took Nick up the mountain to where the galls nested , on an island in a small lake . They often went on excursions , always talking away nineteen to the dozen . Sometimes Nick understood what Mister Johnny said and sometimes he only pretended he did , to annoy Carrie , but they were always happy together . Had pier alone , Carrie knew , than when she was with them , and although she did n't really mind this , it made her feel lonely this particular day .
Idiom: look on the bright side (used idiomatically: yes)
Local hospital administrator , Carlos Castro , reported that pregnant women were afraid Sarah Helen would reincarnate as a vampire in their babies . But not everyone is unhappy . Looking on the bright side , mayor Edgar Nunez pointed out that tourism had jumped 60 % . Hotels and stores are doing a brisk trade in vampire kits . For £ 1.60 customers receive a crucifix , a mallet and wooden stake , a string of garlic and a booklet containing the legend .
Idiom: fast and furious (used idiomatically: yes)
I write this as the world 's Number One fan of the Demon Boyz , a roughneck little Tottenham posse . They 've got a fine album and a string of great singles a long way behind them , but the Demonz have yet to have the mass market fawning at their feet , unless you count their brief appearance in the video for ' The Bouncer ' . ' Junglist ' is lyrically typical : fast , furious , endless and uncompromising , and musically it 's among the wildest ' Jungle House'(to use the current revolting , faintly racist expression ) tunes you 'll hear . This lot rarely put a foot wrong , and here , all feet are guaranteed right . Fatter than a Weight - Watchers ' enrolment evening .
Idiom: tit for tat (used idiomatically: yes)
This could very easily have occurred . After all , 6 out of the 14 strategies submitted were nasty . If 13 of them had been nasty , Tit for Tat would n't have won . The ' climate ' would have been wrong for it . Not only the money won , but the rank order of success among strategies , depends upon which strategies happen to have been submitted ; depends , in other words , upon something as arbitrary as human whim .
Idiom: keep someone in the dark (used idiomatically: yes)
THE White House was under intense pressure yesterday to demonstrate positive results from its secret , high - level contacts with the Chinese Government , or face sweeping sanctions against Beijing when Congress reconvenes next month . The leaked disclosure on Monday that the National Security Adviser , Mr Brent Scowcroft , and the Deputy Secretary of State , Mr Lawrence Eagleburger , met Chinese leaders in Beijing last July , only a month after the Tiananmen Square massacre , has compounded the furore over this month 's furtive Beijing foray by the two men . The controversy extends to the US Administration , where many officials were kept in the dark over the White House initiatives . After the massacre , the US suspended all high - level contacts with Beijing . President Bush , now stands accused of duplicity in his dealings with Congress , and of exercising a double standard over human rights in China , compared to the Soviet bloc .
Idiom: food for thought (used idiomatically: yes)
1991 GBH ALAN BLEASDALE had already carved his name into TV history in ' 82 with the harrowingly funny Boys From The Blackstuff . But last year 's GBH was seven hour - and - a - half episodes of broad , jaundiced political satire laced with classic double - bluffs , highly effective set - pieces , a touch of ( Tory ) evil and an abundance of food for thought . Michael Palin played goody goody headmaster Jim , Robert Lindsay the deeply insecure bad guy allegedly not based on militant councillor Del Hatton — both lent the vastly ambitious saga the power and sympathy crucial to flesh out Bleasdale 's artful comic polemics . 1992 TV Heaven
Idiom: in business (used idiomatically: yes)
Walkinshaw has now washed his hands of the BRDC , saying : ' You should speak to them . I do n't really want to say anything else , except that SMG is now operating quite nicely . ' Ken Tyrell , head of the Tyrell Racing Organisation and leader of a members ' action group opposed to the deal , says : ' I 'm not involved in this business anymore , but I 'm sure the new board will sort it out . ' Obviously they 're looking at every aspect and it may include action against Tom Walkinshaw for putting together a deal that has been ruled unlawful . ' Peter Jopp , a former director kicked off the BRDC board at an extraordinary general meeting on October 1 , says : ' What has happened is very sad for Silverstone and the BRDC .
Idiom: run the gauntlet (used idiomatically: yes)
It could be part also of an effort to raise a smoke screen to divert public attention from Reagan 's plan for a massive military build - up . Over the past few years , the Pentagon has invested several billion dollars in technology related to defences against ballistic missiles , including guided anti - ballistic missiles , particle beams and high - energy lasers . Military planners have also developed a strategy for nuclear defence in which attacking missiles would have to run a gauntlet of several ' layers ' of defence . One or two layers would be in space — first shooting at missiles as they left the atmosphere and then shooting at re - entry vehicles as they travel through space . Vital strategic sites , such as fields of missile silos , would be protected by ground - based systems , which would hit incoming warheads .
Idiom: have a heart (used idiomatically: no)
[ PAMELA makes another journey round the stage with her bundle . She stops stage centre and finds a letter in it . ] [ reading ] " When you read this letter you will be far on your way to your father and mother where you have so long desired to be , and I hope I shall forbear thinking of you with the least shadow of that fondness my foolish heart had entertained for you . I bear you no ill will , for well I found the tables entirely turned upon me , and that I was in far ore danger from you than you were from me for I was just upon resolving to defy all the censures of the world and to make you publicly and openly my wife . " " publicly and openly " …
Idiom: ring a bell (used idiomatically: no)
In its drive stood a Japanese four - wheel - drive vehicle and as Meredith looked across the laburnum hedge at it , a woman of about her own age came out of the house , slamming the door crossly , got into the vehicle and reversed out into the road , driving off at speed . Meredith had only time to see that she was expensively dressed , sharp - featured and bad - tempered in looks . She dismissed her from her mind and rang Aunt Lou 's bell . ' Come in , my dear , ' said Aunt Lou , dragging open the door . Aunt Lou had never looked young , at least not to the child Meredith .
Idiom: my bad (used idiomatically: no)
You have it in you , you know.’ ‘ Of course I don't.’ ‘ You are my bad conscience , Nick . That is why I need you.’ He looked across the room to where a famous actress held scornful court .
Idiom: go to your head (used idiomatically: yes)
Root touch - ups are required every four to six weeks . Feed your hair An unhealthy diet can go straight to your head . Drastic dieting puts stress on the body , leaving less energy for synthesising non - essential proteins — such as hair — and this can lead to temporary hair thinning . Anaemia , caused by iron deficiency , also makes hair sparser .
Idiom: to boot (used idiomatically: no)
Do you want that scholarship or not ? After all the trouble your mother 's taken driving you round the country , why the hell are you deliberately trying to hurt her ? ' ' So we 'll no more go a - Land - Roving so late into the night , ' sang Daisy five minutes later , as , dizzy with pride and vodka , she weaved back to Drew 's boot looking for her bag and went slap into Drew . ' The Coleys have asked us back for drinks at Château Kitsch — that 's worth seeing anyway , ' he said , ' but lots of potential patrons will be there and the Pony Club Committee , so it could be useful to Perdita . They 've just confirmed her scholarship by the way , but do n't tell her or she might blow it .
Idiom: cry wolf (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ They ca n't cut until you 're on the spot . Scott.’ Scott nearly said , ‘ My wife is ill,’ but he had cried wolf too often : other people 's wives did n't telephone the station as relentlessly as Annabel . Eventually Scott heard Adam 's faint but reassuringly calm voice . ‘ Anything I can do to help , Scott ?
Idiom: spot on (used idiomatically: no)
November is seldom an easy month for you and , until the Sun enters Sagittarius around the 22nd , life tends to be somewhat dreary and downbeat . Although there will be occasions around November 4 and 14 when you feel let down , there 's no need to be completely negative . There are some bright spots on your horizon and what occurs around the 7th ought to add a fillip to career or cash matters . But , above all , the New Moon in your own sign on the 24th indicates some happy twists of fate . Capricorn Dec 22–Jan 20
Idiom: in the hole (used idiomatically: yes)
Colin Magee , of Douglas , receives our accolade for a hole-in-one at the demanding 188-yard second ( stroke index 6 ) at Rowany Golf Club , Port Errin , Isle of Man . He used a TPX 7 wood for added height to stop the ball dead on the green , placed behind an out-of-bounds fence . ‘ My heart leapt as 40-yard chip went right in the hole ’ Carol Barnes IT IS normally gratifying enough for me to hit the ball in the air and in the general direction of the green .
Idiom: up the river (used idiomatically: yes)
In 1758 an expedition following a more northerly route than the one taken by Braddock was able to capture Fort Duquesne , which was renamed Pittsburgh by grateful Pennsylvanians who felt that at last a British politician had emerged who understood American needs . Louisburg was captured again , and by the beginning of 1759 British forces could close in upon the centre of New France in the St. Lawrence valley . Earlier expeditions , in the wars against Louis XIV , had twice failed to make any progress up the narrow estuary of the St. Lawrence ; the new expedition under Wolfe sailed up the river and established itself outside Quebec , the capital of New France : British troops took up positions east of the city and also on the south side of the river , but there was no attempt at a seige and the routes north and west of the city remained open . The British sailed up and down the river , trying to find an opening to land troops to the west of the city , and in September they were successful . Wolfe led his troops up the cliffs on to the Plains of Abraham which commanded Quebec from the west , and so there emerged the unusual sight of infantry lined up in the formal European manner on North American soil .
Idiom: at sea (used idiomatically: yes)
Green parents will like Babette Cole 's Supermoo ! ( BBC , £7.99 ) . The bovine heroine has connections with Cowpeace International , and deals with a huge treacle slick at sea . The holograms on every spread of Ghost Train ( Orchard , £9.99 ) are genuinely spooky , and with its amusing story Stephon Wyllie stands a chance of being one of the top sellers this Christmas , along with new editions of former top-sellers such as Roald Dahl 's The Giraffe and The Pelly And Me ( Cape £8.99 ) . The Great Euro Job Hunt
Idiom: by the same token (used idiomatically: yes)
While there has been a world recession to contend with on top of the problems the UK would otherwise have faced since 1979 , public choice theorists would not be surprised that the Conservative government has sought to minimize the level of reported unemployment . By February 1986 the government had announced fifteen separate changes to the way the unemployment figures were calculated and presented . By the same token , the public school choice would not be surprised to find that the Labour Party opposition regarded the official unemployment figures as underestimates The arguments that divided them are illustrated in Table 10–2 , which reproduces in a slightly amended form a table that appeared in The Sunday Times ( 6 November 1983 ) . Furthermore , whatever reducing arguments are accepted , nearly all commentators acknowledge that Britain did have an unemployment problem of some considerable dimensions in the 1980s ( which was heavily age- and geographically concentrated ) . How is this accounted for ?
Idiom: cheek by jowl (used idiomatically: yes)
This set will give a lot of pleasure . Prunella Scales has no special voice for children and reads Laura Cecil 's anthology of stories for young children , ‘ Listen To This’(TS404 — one cassette ; 55 minutes ) , with her customary forthrightness and versatility . There are tales from James Reeves , Margaret Mahy , Mary Calvert ( The Biggest Cream Bun In The World , baked by Big Fat Rosie , the farmer 's wife , with important sound effects ) among others , cheek by jowl with Kipling 's How The Rhinoceros Got His Skin and a story by the Brothers Grimm warning children not to trust anyone . A good lucky dip , to please the sixes and upwards . With ‘ Tony Ross 's Fairy Tales’(TS399 — one cassette ; 25 minutes ) we are getting more sophisticated .
Idiom: on the back of (used idiomatically: yes)
The dogs are raised mainly on breeding farms and are described as ‘ generally well kept in outdoor pens with adequate room’ . The traditional method of slaughter by slow strangulation might well seem revolting but that is admitted to be a ‘ waning practice’ . Its replacement by ‘ a sharp blow on the back of the neck or a blow from a mallet to the forehead’ is relatively humane if administered skilfully . The transport to market is certainly slipshod but the dogs illustrated look in good condition and , indeed , would not sell if they were dilapidated since the animals are generally sold live . If there are abuses then they are clearly avoidable , and this , as we have seen , provides inadequate grounds for abolishing the ( in Korea 's case admittedly illegal ) practice of dog eating .
Idiom: all in a day's work (used idiomatically: yes)
Due to popular demand ( a letter from Corky 's mum — Ed)(nice one , ma — Corky ) , coin - operated Caswell has been allowed to take a pocketful of ten pees to the arcades again . Once there , he 's assaulted by a mad General , rides a phrrrt ! -inducing rollercoaster and joins the Arabian Knights ( size of an elephant ) . But it 's all in a day 's work for the manmountain … well , in a day 's lounging around , actually . TOTAL CARNAGE ( Williams / Midway )
Idiom: jack of all trades (used idiomatically: yes)
Prices can be , but are not always , keenest from this source . Most operate nationwide . Janitorial Supply Houses : largely the ‘ jack of all trades’ supplying anything and everything on a commodity basis . Unbranded or own label products may undercut substantially manufacturers lines but some are suspect on concentration and others , particularly detergents , may be contaminated as a result of d.i.y . formulation and packaging in unsatisfactory conditions .
Idiom: sick and tired (used idiomatically: yes)
And as Stavrogin describes his search after new and ever stronger and more bizarre sensations , and as he laments his boredom , and as suicide is touched on , tracts of Crime and Punishment open up again : but without the astral , feathering humour of America , anatomy , and ordinary ghosts . And as he mulls over his reasons for behaving as he has and for writing and publishing this record , the footnote status of ‘ At Tikhon 's ’ causes it to embrace a wide range of familiar themes . To loose them off together , scatter-gun fashion : Stavrogin says ‘ I am making this statement , incidentally , to prove I am in full possession of my mental faculties and understand my position ’ ; ‘ I want to forgive myself , this is my chief aim , my whole aim ’ ; ‘ I want everyone to look at me ’ ; ‘ I fall back on this as my last resource ’ ; ‘ The thing about me then was I felt bored with life , sick and tired of it ’ ; ‘ I am seeking boundless suffering ’ ; ‘ I took it into my head to mutilate my life somehow ’ ( not necessarily the same thing as seeking suffering , any more than seeking suffering need entail accepting it ) . Let us pause for a moment over ‘ I want everyone to look at me ’ . And I would also like to add yet another ‘ reason ’ to the already formidable pile , which is that Stavrogin intends a ‘ challenge to society ’ .
Idiom: tongue in cheek (used idiomatically: yes)
The ‘ Jungled Up To F— ’ mix brings in XTC ( ho ho ) of Manchester 's Mix Factory to remix and get down with some roughneck business . There 's also the weird extra track , ‘ Survey Bass Tune’ . Rave suffers from a slew of sub - standard rubbish , but compared with the general bollocks Hypno Genesis shine through with a tongue - in - cheek optimism reminiscent of early Altern 8 . WW : Small Town Boy IN THE absence of original ideas , programmers and producers seem very keen on the old cover version .
Idiom: grind to a halt (used idiomatically: yes)
The juggernaut thundered through the countryside , returning to Salisbury Plain . The Doctor found the porthole to the otherworld almost instinctively . He slowed the lorry down and ground to a halt . ‘ You do n't have to come,’ he said . Blake nodded , knowing there was no choice .
Idiom: to all intents and purposes (used idiomatically: no)
If a Labour Government were ever to be tried , he declared , ' it could hardly be tried under safer conditions . ' Whoever might be in office , ' it is we , if we really understand our business who really control the situation . ' To all intents and purposes , a Labour Government was now certain . Early in January , MacDonald returned to London from Lossiemouth . Parliament met on January 8th , and that evening MacDonald addressed a great demonstration at the Albert Hall .
Idiom: get a grip (used idiomatically: yes)
I must be mad , she thought . But she did n't feel mad — just confused , terrified , changed . She sat there for nearly half an hour , staring at the wall , trying to get a grip . Presently there were feet on the stairs — a headlong clatter that would have frightened her had she been capable of ordinary feelings . Adam .
Idiom: stay the course (used idiomatically: yes)
Royle backs leaders Graham Fisher OLDHAM boss Joe Royle is backing his old Norwich City pals to stay the course and pull off the first Premier League title . Royle , who finished his distinguished playing career at Carrow Road before taking over at Oldham , destroys the suggestion that the Canaries will not have the bottle to see off a glut of high-powered challenges . Only three seasons ago , under Dave Stringer , Norwich led Division One until New Year 's Eve , hung on to second place for nearly three more months but collapsed to finish fourth , 14 points behind Arsenal and Liverpool .
Idiom: in the club (used idiomatically: yes)
That 's right we made it straight away , we were working Saturday and Sunday in London as soon as we were finished I always used to make us a pack of sandwiches about six or eight did n't I ? A massive great big flask of coffee and when we got there we stopped and had a sandwich and a coffee , and we 'd go in the club , set all up and we 'd sit quiet and then we 'd have a quiet drink would n't we ? As soon as we 'd packed all the stuff in the ba van we 'd have the rest of the sandwiches the rest of the coffee or another cup of coffee and then we 'd get on the road and even if we 'd got back for four , by the time we 'd got home and , and had something to eat or if we did n't want nothing to eat , watched the telly for half an hour and get to bed , you 've got from eleven till sort of three or four the next day which is just nice because you 're in your own home That 's right .
Idiom: in living memory (used idiomatically: yes)
The British believed France would be vital to the control of Germany in the future , especially because American troops were expected to leave Europe in 1947 . France 's leader , General de Gaulle , had his own aims in Germany however and ironically France , rather than Russia , became responsible for the early failure of the joint Allied administration . De Gaulle , determined to weaken Germany after three invasions of France in living memory ( 1870 , 1914 and 1940 ) , wanted to destroy all signs of a centralised German government and vetoed moves by the Allied Control Council to treat the country as a whole . As a result the military occupation zones because four distinct political entities , where each power pursued policies which reflected its own values , with the ‘ Sovietisation’ of the economy in the East , the fostering of capitalism in the US zone and the encouragement of social democratic reforms in the British zone . Meanwhile , other important East - West differences arose .
Idiom: every which way (used idiomatically: yes)
Head - dresses flew in all directions . There were shrieks of laughter and I felt a thousand bruises rising . The laundered clothes had fallen every which way and my cases were in a jumbled heap in the back , but we did n't stop . The car went racing on while the friends tried to tidy up the mess . Later we were forced to stop .
Idiom: on the face of it (used idiomatically: yes)
Unfortunately Hollywood Pictures , part of the ever - expanding Disney Corporation , has decided not to stage regional previews . I ca n't tell you whether the national critics are being unnecessarily difficult or whether it is truly deserving of some of the harshest write - ups to be given to a film this year . On the face of it the film has a lot going for it — Pakula as director , and a cast including the frequently brilliant Kevin Kline , Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio , Kevin Spacey , Rebecca Miller and Forest Whitaker . The story is designed to be a modern - day film noir . Kevin Kline and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio play Richard and Priscilla Parker , the perfect couple .
Idiom: hear things (used idiomatically: no)
‘ Dorothy,’ I said . ‘ Dorothy Streeter.’ ‘ I hear things are n't going too well for you at the moment.’ ‘ Er , well , I 've nowhere to go and it 's causing me something of a problem.’ ‘ Well if you 've no place to go you should stay here .