Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: bow and scrape (used idiomatically: yes)
A greasy tub of lard with filthy hair and a red , unshaven face introduced himself as the keeper and became almost fawning when Benjamin informed him who he was . The keeper wiped dirty fingers on a stained leather jacket and jangled a huge bunch of keys . ‘ Come , come , my lords!’ he murmured , bowing and scraping before us . He smiled ingratiatingly . ‘ After all , Master Taplow has n't much time left , he 's to die at two this afternoon .
Idiom: unknown quantity (used idiomatically: yes)
In all likelihood Dean Richards will play on the blind side in the Test Team and hence it will be necessary to have additional cover at No 8 . Size undoubtedly told against Dennis McBride while Terry Kingston would have needed to have played in all four Internationals . Similarly Eric Elwood , whose attitude was so positive and who played such an influential role in his two matches , was too much of an unknown quantity for the selectors to risk selection . I believe that the out - half position will prove troublesome for the Lions in New Zealand as I would have serious reservations about Stuart Barnes being the right player under the type of physical pressure he is likely to be subjected to in the important matches . Ireland 's defeat of England may have come too late to influence the marginal selections but it certainly highlighted the shortcomings of some of the English players who were subsequently selected .
Idiom: head south (used idiomatically: no)
Azhag flew over the battlefield on his wyvern , swooping upon regiment after regiment and harrying the retreating army as it made its way to the refuge of Wolfenburg . After the battle Orc tribes came from the Forest of Shadows , swelling Azhag 's horde still further , but the Count of Ostland built his defences well and Wolfenburg held out . Frustrated at this set - back Azhag headed south , where the horde wreaked havoc , destroying the town of Forstich before turning back east through the Great Forest and into Ostermark once more . By now the Emperor 's army was approaching from the south , led by one of his most able generals , Marshal Otto Blucher . The two armies met near the village of Osterwald , where , after a long and close fought battle the Orcs were driven from the field .
Idiom: at the end of the day (used idiomatically: yes)
( FN 16/11/87 , p. 25 ) These were the sort of respondents who nicknamed the fieldworker ‘ Tell her Nothin ’ and ‘ Nosebag ’ , and tried to assert informal checks on colleagues who were conversing with her by reminding them of the notepad and that she ‘ writes everything down ’ . The ethnographer 's conventional notepad can be obtrusive , yet when time in the field extends to a full eight-hour shift , it is impossible to dispense with it , for without notes one is left only with general impressions recorded at the end of the day or fragmentary notes recorded surreptitiously ; yet to use a tape-recorder would have been more obtrusive . We tried to allay these fears by taking notes in as unobtrusive a manner as possible . This was done primarily by reducing the visibility of the pad and the physical activity of notetaking , occasionally forgoing it when the situation seemed appropriate , as in the canteen or recreation and television rooms , and by emphasizing that the notebooks were not secret .
Idiom: crystal clear (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Oh , it 's perfect for what 's required,’ Luke acknowledged ironically . ‘ Distracting , though.’ The way he went on looking at her made her flesh heat , and she took a second or two to ensure that her voice would emerge steadily before saying , ‘ I want to make one thing absolutely crystal - clear , Luke.’ ‘ Yes?’ ‘ I 'm not a priest.’
Idiom: come to terms with (used idiomatically: yes)
I mean I 'm going on the on the opinion that full function'll come back and I 'll be able to do any work that I was doing before , and there 'll be no change at all . The only problem is with er the skin grafts and that . They say that I mean any changes any in temperature are very noticeable so w Like it is working in the middle of winter offshore would be something I would have to come to terms with but no I mean I do n't think there 's any problems work - wise . I would hope not anyway . Clearly it has been a an extremely trying time for you .
Idiom: pissed off (used idiomatically: yes)
Bill told her to stop in bed this morning and he 'd w he 'd get her up when he come in at two o'clock this afternoon . She would n't . Cos you get pissed off of Only she 's coughing that bad it 's keeping him awake . And that 's why he says to sleep and then if she could n't get to sleep she could like sit up tonight so he could get some sleep instead .
Idiom: catch fire (used idiomatically: no)
However , the damage to health may have been much more severe than this . Indeed , it could represent the worst environmental disaster that Western Europe has known this century . On 9 October , 1957 the atomic pile of No . 1 Reactor at Windscale in Cumberland , north - west England , began to overheat and part of it caught fire . The fire was finally put out on the morning of 12 October . Probably the best and most independent description of the accident in the site is given by C. R. McCullough of the US Atomic Energy Commission .
Idiom: back to the drawing board (used idiomatically: yes)
Woosnam weighs up OUT - OF - TOUCH Ian Woosnam is debating whether to go back to the drawing board and change his putting style for today 's Honda Open in Hamburg . Woosnam is not sure whether to follow Bernhard Langer and several other leading players and putt cack - handed in future left hand below right in a determined bid to get back to his best . Woosnam , currently 25th in the Ryder Cup points table , has been struggling both with his long game and his putting in recent weeks and believes that confidence is the key .
Idiom: on the rocks (used idiomatically: yes)
They bought their own tools and powder , and were paid by the number of slates they made . The quarry provided the heavy gear and engines . Still embedded high on a rock is a tangle of telephone wires and a ceramic insulator . What messages would have passed along those lines ? ' Summer must have come .
Idiom: let sleeping dogs lie (used idiomatically: yes)
Yeah . single ones ? Well all sorts , let sleeping dogs lie , the ones that underline them as I 've underlined in biro . Where did you get that Sort of big words for little words that 's a big word , you have to think of an addition , I 've had it in nineteen
Idiom: pack a punch (used idiomatically: yes)
Thus the Metropolitan Commissioner 's testimony to a brand of tyre as a major contribution to road safety carries weight because of who he is rather than what he looks like . Or some years ago , if you travelled on Southern Region trains , the tennis star Ann Haydn Jones would beam her endorsement of Biostrath elixir . Anne Packer packed a punch with Baked Beans . Henry Cooper used brute strength to promote after - shave . Needless to say I have not been asked to endorse anything .
Idiom: the icing on the cake (used idiomatically: yes)
HARRY EYRES cautions about the practice of buying wine en primeur and advises on the recent form of the best Bordeaux châteaux Bordeaux has never had it so good . Polo parks ( one was constructed recently at Châteaux Giscours ) , marble bottling halls ( Michel Delon 's at Léoville - Lascases is so highly polished that workers have been issued with special boots ) , Versailles - style formal gardens with sunken cellars provide the spectacular icing on the cake of wealth accumulated by the leading châteaux over the last decade by the simple expedient of charging much more for their wines than it costs to make them . Nature , the global warming effect or a claret - loving god has contributed to Bordeaux 's boom by granting good - to - exceptional vintages in 1981 , 1982 , 1983 , 1985 , 1986 , 1988 and 1989 . Such a string of successes is unprecedented in the history of the region .
Idiom: on and off (used idiomatically: yes)
Consequently , you need to build and send a complete line at a time . In addition , you must explicitly send the line - feed character at the end of the line . If you are using the : COM.0 device , everything is sent to the printer and you do n't need to turn it on and off . However , you must send the printer specific control codes for underline , etc since the Printer Filter is not being used . The Printer Filter 7.4
Idiom: wear the trousers (used idiomatically: yes)
So it has become a fashion now . Er instead of buying ready - made er dresses I suppose which wer became er very popular at one time with the Indian girls and the Pakistani girls . Pakistani girls used to wear er trousers underneath that . We have stopped that and now they are making their own , most of them are making their own fashionable garments out of the loose material we sell and er , some ask the friends to make for them . Are they warm enough ?
Idiom: on ice (used idiomatically: yes)
The stomachs were removed , opened along the greater curvature , and examined under a dissecting microscope with a square grid for lesions developed in the glandular portion . The extent of the gastric damage was expressed as the total area ( ( mm ) of haemorrhagic erosion . The gastric mucosa was scraped off by means of two glass slides on ice , and homogenised with 1.5 ml of 10 mM potassium phosphate buffer ( pH 7.8 ) containing 30 mM KCl in a Potter - Elvehjem homogeniser , to measure concentrations of lipid peroxides and tocopherols . To measure the activities of SOD and glutathione peroxidase , the homogenates were sonicated over ice for two minutes . The sonicated samples were centrifuged at 20000 g for 20 minutes and the supernatants were stored frozen at -80 ° C until assay .
Idiom: with a view to (used idiomatically: yes)
Foster placement with strangers with a view to custodianship if all goes well . 6 Foster placement with a new family with a view to adoption if all goes well . 7 Foster placement leading quickly to adoption .
Idiom: on cloud nine (used idiomatically: yes)
That Ross — so handsome , so much older and more experienced than she was — should be interested in her , had seemed to be almost a miracle beyond belief . However , as he had continued to see her , monopolising every free moment of her time , she had slowly come to accept that he was indeed ‘ interested’ . And yet … and yet … despite floating on cloud nine , Laura had found herself — most inexplicably — also beginning to feel extremely depressed . It was laughable , really , but when she looked back on her nervous apprehension regarding his overwhelming sexual magnetism she almost felt like weeping with frustration . Although Ross had insisted on seeing her every day , during that time he had never done anything more than kiss her hand .
Idiom: bring the house down (used idiomatically: yes)
Standing barefoot on the club stage with acoustic guitar , Carol Laula presented the new , official Glasgow song — winner of a competition sponsored by Glasgow District Council , which is organising next year 's celebrations . To the outsider there was no hint of Glasgow in the verses — but the message was powerful nonetheless . With a hint of Joni Mitchell and Joan Baez , Carol brought the house down : ‘ He has a family / He has a home / He 's wearing some new shoes that he does n't quite own / He does n't have work yet / He 's trying hard to get / But he 'll give you his fortune when he has one to give.’ Mr Palmer and the Labour council are doing their best to make next year a people 's celebration . Of course , the new £ 25 million concert hall , the visit of the Berlin Phil , the Bolshoi Opera , Jessye Norman , Pavarotti and the rest provide what Palmer calls the ‘ high culture’ .
Idiom: change hands (used idiomatically: yes)
Even more serious may be the effect of a take - over of the business that you work for . We saw in Chapter 3 that the law now offers you some protection if there is a ‘ transfer of undertaking’ , although not if there is a mere sale of shareholding control . Instead of being made redundant when the ownership of your employer changes hands , you are nowadays automatically transferred to work for the purchaser . Nevertheless , you may still lose your job because of the take - over or for a reason connected with it . If so , whether you work for the buyer or the seller , you will be able to complain of unfair dismissal , subject to the normal eligibility rule outlined in Chapter 20 .
Idiom: take it from me (used idiomatically: yes)
He gave her his most disarming smile . ' Look , I am Simpkin 's right hand man and he believes that I tell him . Take it from me , the job is as good as yours . ' She relaxed , a smile creeping across her lips . They clinked their glasses and she tucked into her lobster .
Idiom: all along (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I was expecting you to deny it when Jones guessed,’ Luke retorted . ‘ You expected too much of me , then ! You had no right to be ashamed of me , and I knew that all along , remember , even if you 've only just discovered it , so I did n't see why I should pander to your wish to keep our affair a secret,’ she confessed defiantly . ‘ As far as I 'm concerned , the whole world could have known about it.’ ‘ It was never you I was ashamed of , Maria , and as for keeping our affair secret , I did n't care one way or the other,’ Luke asserted impatiently .
Idiom: in stitches (used idiomatically: yes)
For a test piece cast on the usual 60 stitches and allow for 30 stitches at the centre and three groups of five stitches at each side to form a curve . this will be quite a pronounced curve but shows the procedure very aptly . Knit a hem in the usual way in stocking stitch ending with the carriage at the right . Bring 15 stitches at both side edges to E holding position . You will gradually bring these needles back to working position to form the curve lower edge above the hem .
Idiom: in black and white (used idiomatically: no)
Erm I do n't just hate the thought of doing , I just I do n't like colour photographs at all . They do n't do anything for me at all . I I love the tonal range in black and white . So erm I 'm hoping to be able to do it , just off what I can do , m my experience as it is like . Or what it will be by the time I 've finished this job .
Idiom: play ball (used idiomatically: yes)
The pitch had recently been relaid and proved itself slow but uneven . When Richards won the toss he decided , after some thought , to bat , and Greenidge and Haynes were soon strolling along . They had reached 62 and looked good for 200 when Greenidge played the ball to long leg and , seeing Devon Malcolm fumble his fielding , came back for a second . Malcolm 's throw was superb , thundering into Russell 's gloves at the top of the stumps , and Greenidge was on his way . And then , against tight bowling and good catching , wickets just slipped away .
Idiom: come to terms with (used idiomatically: yes)
It was hopeless . For effective study one required emotional calm , self - satisfaction , routine , the minimum of distractions and discomforts , mental or physical . The troubled conscience , the tortured mind , compelling one to come to terms with life , made one impatient of the mere accumulation of facts . But after all , he had come far in the last few months . Should he not have acquired a deep mental calm and certainty ?
Idiom: have it both ways (used idiomatically: yes)
When she came back from Confession , uncomforted , she found her cell mate kicking the doctor who was trying to feed her , and at the same time yelling that he should take his hat off in the presence of a lady . For Harriet this was the end of Votes for Women . She had no idea what she wanted , but it was n't a licence to have it both ways . She left cold and fraudulent . After making several trips to Headquarters in Lincoln 's Inn and each time letting the bus take her on to Aldgate East , she managed to resign from the movement .
Idiom: go public (used idiomatically: yes)
The 88000 line and the PowerPC will be handled by the same sales team though Motorola is thinking of dividing the world into vertical segments . Could it have it both ways ? Could the Santa Cruz Operation Inc go public and get acquired ? Think about it . Meanwhile , some quarters are wondering why Sun Microsystems Inc has n't been around to kick SCO 's tyres .
Idiom: food for thought (used idiomatically: yes)
At the beginning , I spent the whole summer reading everything du Maurier had written . I do n't think you should go to a writer 's life through the life ; I think you should go through the work.’ That body of work provided much food for thought and Forster responded with a series of questions : ‘ Firstly it was interesting to note how varied it was . Why , in the middle of her life , her writing changed . Why the men are always awful .
Idiom: call the shots (used idiomatically: yes)
A misunderstanding then seems to have occurred with Fimbra writing to its members last week saying that its scheme had not been altered in any way and that members could not renew existing policies if the renewal date was after 1990 . BIIBA 's director of public affairs commented : ‘ Fimbra have clearly reneged on their agreement . In view of the rumours of meetings between it and the underwriters of the Fimbra scheme it appears that the insurers are calling the shots . For a scheme which was claimed to take independent financial advisers out of the power of insurers , this is an ironic situation for Fimbra to have got itself into.’ The campaign continues .
Idiom: place in the sun (used idiomatically: yes)
A sudden and decisive upturn in the fortunes of farm workers seems unlikely . Any improvements , if they occur , are likely to be slow and gradual and as much the result of long - term and somewhat extraneous factors . ‘ A place in the sun’ ? In order to give a rounded picture of the changes confronting the farm worker today , we must not only consider the transformations in work and technology and the equally manifest , if less discontinuous , factors underlying his level of pay and conditions . There are other factors , less tangible and less easy to generalize , which are affecting , to use a trite phrase , the outlook of the farm worker .
Idiom: for a song (used idiomatically: yes)
Somewhere close , somewhere — yes ! just minutes away ! — somewhere she was a child again , and Gaunt was pottering , and her father was getting angry with her antics … And it was summer , late summer . Mr Williams was walking in the countryside , listening for odd songs , looking for that magic to be found in a new song . The festival would soon be under way . The dancers would dance , the mannequin would shiver and give birth to the green girl .
Idiom: in the clear (used idiomatically: no)
Since females reap substantial protective benefits from associating with alpha males , this is perhaps not surprising . When it came to subordinate males , however , there was a strong relationship between how nice males had been to infants and how likely they were to be attacked by the female : nicer males fared better . In the one-way mirror treatment , when males were unaware they were being watched , they were more aggressive towards infants than in the clear screen treatment and as a result they received a drubbing from the female . The experiment thus suggests that while alpha males can trade on their superior competitive ability to obtain mates , subordinates may have to wheedle their way into favour . Judiciously patting junior on the head when mum is watching may be a useful way of doing it .
Idiom: squeaky clean (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I think that you 're too fond of using Bella as an excuse . She 's probably had one helluva lot to put up with . I do n't suppose your behaviour has been all bright and squeaky clean since you got married.’ ‘ Did you expect me to live like a bloody monk ? Besides , I 've not touched a woman for months — except you , of course .
Idiom: chapter and verse (used idiomatically: yes)
I 've done as much as I can to make it comfortable , but , among other things , it needs a modern bathroom , a new roof and all the windows replaced . As soon as the cash is available I shall have the jobs done , though when that will be —’ Ashley stopped short . Whenever she felt nervous she had a tendency to chatter , but there was no need to give chapter and verse . ‘ I live here,’ she confirmed . ‘ But , unlike your grandfather , you live here permanently,’ Vitor said .
Idiom: all over the shop (used idiomatically: yes)
And I was inspired by the size of the contribution they were clearly destined to make . It would all work out . Wisely cautious at first— awed , probably , by sheer numbers ( because they were coming in , now , from all over the shop , from Canada , from Palestine)— German society duly broadened itself to let the newcomers in . Their brisk assimilation , and their steady success , caused some harsh words to be spoken . The Jews were walking into all the plum jobs , in the medical profession especially , which infuriated Odilo and his friends , and which , to be frank , even worried me .
Idiom: off your rocker (used idiomatically: yes)
And your own exceptional gifts would help us to confound critics , experts and scoffers . What d'you say to that as a triumphant finale to our partnership , old man ? ' ' Off your rocker , ' repeated Joe . ' Alas , ' sighed George , ' have you so little faith in our collective talents ? ' ' We 'd be on a hiding to nothing , ' said Joe , ' and that would probably include being shot at dawn .
Idiom: walk of life (used idiomatically: yes)
According to Dr. Sommer , multimedia art gives people from all walks of life an opportunity to experience new technologies in a very different way .
Idiom: put down roots (used idiomatically: yes)
' But even now our tastes are very different , I 'm reading a French classic novel at the moment and he 's reading a book on Jim Morrison . Despite Eric 's move to Manchester , Isabelle says they will not be crossing the Pennines to look for a new home . They have put roots down in Leeds . ' I moved here in September so I have only been here a short time and we have had a lot of changes in the past because of the moves Eric has made , ' she says . ' I moved over from our house in Nimes with Raphael after Eric but now he is going to Manchester we 're staying here to live .
Idiom: close to home (used idiomatically: yes)
reputation — the preferred institution was felt to be of higher quality course content — was seen as more appropriate elsewhere location — the preferred institution was usually closer to home . These reasons were given in response to an open question and more than one reason was allowed . Perceived reputation of institutions and the suitability of course content obviously have implications for the marketing policies of institutions .
Idiom: mean business (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ They need solicitors and accountants to legitimise the scam . I have heard stories where such people will offer you something that appears to be ‘ too good to be true’ . ‘ When you expect a deal to happen they may tell you there has been a last minute problem and the people either providing the funds or the guarantee either require a non - performance bond to be put up or require some kind of payment up front to prove you really mean business . The money , however , always disappears — leaving the professional high and dry and minus a considerable sum of money . ‘ A little bit of knowledge is dangerous,’ concludes Mr Hann .