Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: come to grief (used idiomatically: yes)
It was n't just a sheer and hollow left - hander : it reared up and rolled over right in front of your eyes . Even when you were on the beach it seemed to land in your lap . Sunset had been grand but remote , like listening to a radio signal from some distant country with only a weak transmitter : when a surfer caught a wave or came to grief , you had to filter out a lot of static and strain to follow what was happening . At Pipeline , you could see the whites of his eyes , you were out there with him , in the tube , on the reef , feeling the adrenalin rush , getting your teeth kicked in . Backdoor was breaking too , a mirror - image of its sinister partner , a back - to - front doppelgänger .
Idiom: bring up the rear (used idiomatically: yes)
The rest of the platoon followed as he stumbled through mud over barren land that no longer bore a single tree to protect them . To the left Charlie could see another platoon ahead of him . The unmistakable figure of the immaculate Captain Trentham brought up the rear . But it was Lieutenant Harvey who was still leading the charge as he hurdled elegantly over the wire and into no - man 's - land . It made Charlie feel curiously confident that anyone could survive such stupidity .
Idiom: black and blue (used idiomatically: yes)
The next day a nurse visited him . The same afternoon we were supposed to be interrogated and on this occasion I met my father again , but did not recognise him , since his garments were tattered and torn and he himself beaten black and ~ blue .
Idiom: on the fly (used idiomatically: yes)
An object - oriented parallel operating system that is completely portable between all widely used processors , so much so that applications do not even need to be recompiled is the creation of a British company — Tao Systems Ltd of Belsize Park , London NW — which has substantial financial backing from Japan . Taos relies on a Virtual Processor — a 32-bit machine with 16 registers and support for standard data types and addressing modes , for which all applications are written . The run - time code is loaded onto a real processor and translated on the fly into the chip 's native instruction set . It is currently up on the Transputer and the 80386 , with 68000 family , ARM RISC and MIPS R3000 processors a few months away . The most significant feature of Taos is that the kernel takes up just 13Kb of memory — and is blindingly fast on complex applications such as graphics ray tracing .
Idiom: do a bunk (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ But that was twenty years ago.’ ‘ What 's that got to do with it ? Hubert 's still the clergyman with the flighty wife , the one who used to play cards on Sunday and then did a bunk on him . Oh , they 'll remember , all right . They had n't had such fun for years.’
Idiom: on the fly (used idiomatically: yes)
Well , you could n't have been more wrong . The launch of Windows 3.0 has been rapidly followed by Adobe 's announcement of ATM for Windows and the emergence of a new player , Bitstream . This company already holds the dominant position in add - on type for the PC and has now announced a product called Facelift that , like ATM , will build screen fonts on - the - fly in Windows 3.0 . Add to this the recent announcements by Kodak and Xerox that they have adopted Adobe PostScript as a future imaging model and you begin to see a whole new world opening up where the PC is , at last , able to hold its head up in the Macintosh dominated publishing market . At the moment the problems are merely clouds forming on the horizon , users need to be aware of them and the potential problems that they may bring .
Idiom: look the other way (used idiomatically: yes)
You see ? They , they do n't ask . If you , if you 're telling him not to look at it , they say look the other way it 's nothing to do with you . They tell you that you see . They come to weigh you , see ?
Idiom: basket case (used idiomatically: yes)
Rick Batey asks , ' Is size really important ? ' There 's a junkshop near where I live that sells TVs , videos , air rifles , fishing rods , car radios , outdated hi - fis , cheap guitars and all the general paraphernalia of unfortunate people 's overdrawn lives . Strangely enough , they consistently demand outrageous prices for things like basket - case Eko Rangers and Westone basses that have obviously been used to fell fair - sized pine trees , but they also have the laughably ignorant if highly convenient habit of pricing guitar amplifiers on the simple basis of how large they are . So who knows ? Maybe one day they 'll have a Lakewood Acousticube in the window , and I 'll score £ 1,100 worth of amp for the price of a pair of All - Stars .
Idiom: beer and skittles (used idiomatically: yes)
Name change is part of plan to generate more interest BAIE 's Midlands region has been renamed Central region as part of a new programme aimed at generating more interest among members . New regional chairman Neil McCrae , of Design Publications in Banbury , said : ‘ We want to see an end to the beer - and - skittles approach and arrange a series of events that will be relevant and attractive to professional communicators . ‘ The first will be a publications clinic on 1 September , at a venue to be decided . This and subsequent events will be promoted using flyers in BAIE News , mailshots and a telephone campaign if necessary .
Idiom: pop the question (used idiomatically: yes)
yes , Casey there 's something I 've been wanting to say to you . Casey . Casey , here , here , he 's popping the question . You 're fucking flaming cow . You 're so bad beat him up .
Idiom: bring up the rear (used idiomatically: yes)
The platoon commanders shout their commands and the recruits manoeuvre into the required formations . Past the saluting dais in perfectly straight lines , shoes glinting in the sun and heads held high . The TA bring up the rear , dressed in their lightweight trousers , boots and shirts ; many a member of staff and Regular recruit wishes that they were dressed the same , as the sun is high in the sky and their No 2 dress is somewhat warm . Minutes later the band strikes up again and leads the parade off the square . No longer recruits , but trained servicewomen ; amongst the smiles there is the occasional tear , as it is almost the end of recruit training .
Idiom: way to go (used idiomatically: yes)
For example , to prepare lilies of the valley for pressing , you must remove each bell and press it individually . You can then press a few sprays from the top of the stem or , alternatively , press the entire empty stem , encouraging it to bend in a pleasing curve , and then re - assemble the bells on to the stem when you come to use it in a design . Although this may seem a very tedious way to go about things , it is the only sure method of success . I can not think of any flower that does not press better for being taken apart , although of course you will have to spend time putting it back together again when you want to use it . A great deal depends on the level that you wish to achieve : I believe that only the highest standard is worth aiming for , but your patience may dictate otherwise .
Idiom: go all the way (used idiomatically: yes)
Only their subscribers have been able to watch the races on national television , and this will continue until ABC screen the Cup races themselves , starting on May 9 . Yet in France , even as early as the Janaury draw for the challengers ' trials , the event was screened nationally — and special television walls were installed in Tokyo stations to carry pictures in Japan . Italy has also provided extensive coverage , while in New Zealand there has been almost saturation screening of races , no doubt fuelled by the hope that , although the All Blacks and their cricket team failed to win their respective World Cups , New Zealand sailors can go all the way and clinch the oldest international sporting trophy in the world . The same pattern has applied to the print media . Cuttings books show that many foreign newspapers have carried far more reports and feature articles on the event than American newspapers and magazines — particularly in Californian , where the event is talking place .
Idiom: play ball (used idiomatically: yes)
Tim Horan had kicked the ball well into the home 22 metres area when Danie Gerber collected the ball and was immediately tackled by Horan . The ball was released as per Law 18 , Horan collected and fed Campo for the try . The question was : Did Tim Horan play the ball after the tackle legally ? The new law change for this situation , Law 18 Tackle ( 1)(b)states : ' After a tackle any other player must be on his feet when he plays the ball ' . So , what constitutes being on the ground ?
Idiom: come unstuck (used idiomatically: yes)
This accusation had been set temporarily to one side after the discovery of the Phillips curve and its subsequent absorption into income - expenditure models . The missing equation had been found , the system had been closed and the Keynesian model at last formed a cohesive whole . This cohesion came dramatically unstuck as a result of two developments , one theoretical and the other empirical . On the theoretical front Milton Friedman and , independently , Edmund Phelps , had powerfully rejected the idea of a Phillips curve as a trade off relation . If it was anything , the Phillips curve was a disequilibrium reaction mechanism , and even then it had been theoretically misspecified .
Idiom: get the better of (used idiomatically: yes)
If he did n't go soon she would explode . She could n't just ignore him in his own house and she had the nasty feeling that she would not have been able to ignore him anywhere . And he was right in one way — she would love to get the better of him very decisively . ‘ Why do you do that with your hair?’ He suddenly snapped the question at her , taking her by surprise .
Idiom: lie low (used idiomatically: yes)
Katina puts out her best potted plant on a stand on the pavement in the summer . JTR It was Saturday evening as we neared the low - lying reaches of sandy shore and the outlying rocks of Tiree , and the sun was setting peacefully as our steamer came alongside of the stone pier at Scaranish Harbour , and we saw a sand - environed bay with some veteran sloops fixed in the sand — no more to mount o'er the waves of ocean , and spread ample sails to the breeze of heaven — left there , I am told , because it would not be deemed lucky to break them up . I got a room in the inn , and despite the windiness of the house and the army of earwigs that people it , I was very snug : a friend who has been there in winter gives amusing particulars regarding the draughts that are vocal as well as felt in this palace of the winds ; he found it necessary to nail up his bed - room windows with many plies of blanket , and thus to allow day and night to glide unnoted past , for all was dark — yet were not the breathings of the winds hushed ! I love that wind of the Hebrides .
Idiom: get off the ground (used idiomatically: yes)
Aha That should be quite good , but it 's not enough of course No , I mean that , you know , that , that all kind of gets off the ground Aha Mm
Idiom: as luck would have it (used idiomatically: yes)
Now let me just , let me just run , run the story by you . Here comes a brief history of the Korean war starting in about , yes , about ninety seconds on the Korean war erm North Korea invades South Korea and won . The Americans decided that an armed resistance was necessary and they went to the United Nations , shades of Bosnia here , they went to the United Nations to get support and , as luck would have it , the Soviets were sulking , this was quite common in the nineteen forties and fifties , and the a the Soviet ambassador to the U N was having a sulk and was refusing to attend the Security Council and he therefore persuaded the Security Council to pass a resolution er producing a United Nations force to aid plucky little South Korea against its vicious oppressive northern neighbours and so the Korean war started and the United Nations ' forces were commanded by one General Douglas MacArthur , General Douglas MacArthur , in case you do n't know , won the second world war single handedly er it 's not funny , he believed it . Erm he , he won the second world war in the Pacific and after the war he became emperor of Japan , well that was n't his title but that 's how he saw it .
Idiom: hit the sack (used idiomatically: yes)
Oh Brenda , it 's no fun , not getting a wink at night — you could end up some kind of insomniac or a nymphomaniac , whatever the correct term is ! You may not know this — I 've studied sleeping , around the corner at the local college — grinding 's the result of too much stress . Your husband needs to relax before he hits the sack . Make him a delicious cup of 99 tea , Brenda , it licks other bedtime drinks — and it 'll put an end to his night - time grinding ! I married Batman
Idiom: get the nod (used idiomatically: yes)
Gary Speed now has the opportunity to play in the middle of midfield , I hope that 's where Wilko plays him . Will Speed be our ballwinner as well ? Mark Tinkler is a pretty good ball winner / tackler himself and may get the nod when he recovers from his injury . I suppose now Rocastle will see a run of games in the 1st team . How about trying to get Peter Ndlovu ( Coventry ) and play him on the wings , now that we have some money in the bank ?
Idiom: take the plunge (used idiomatically: yes)
They emerged as the early leaders of the still embryonic search industry , but were not to maintain this dominance for very long . Gardner Heidrick , like Sydney Boyden , originally came from Booz , Allen & Hamilton , having joined them in 1951 ; John Struggles , also like Boyden , had been Vice - president of the mail - order house Montgomery Ward . Heidrick took the initiative in persuading his more cautious partner to take the plunge and set up their own headhunting operation ; he chose an opportune moment . In 1953 , start - up costs were still low , and the partners were able to begin business on a capital of less than $ 25000 , from a tiny office , employing their wives as secretaries . Their initial growth was slow .
Idiom: go under the hammer (used idiomatically: yes)
Sale sounds like a bargain Ex - Miss UK Amanda Flood , from Chester , with a 1910 HMV gramophone A COLLECTION of unusual antiques that has been 30 years in the making will go under the hammer this weekend . Their owner , a collector from Rossett who wishes to remain anonymous , said it was time to let his collection go . ‘ It was all or nothing,’ he said .
Idiom: in the hole (used idiomatically: yes)
Xmas Croppers — From Crackers 1 . " How do you punch a hole in a hole ? " " You do n't , but building fresh matter round it , might cause it to drop right through into the downness of spatial alti - librium . " 2 .
Idiom: buy time (used idiomatically: yes)
I mean the whole point of this really is to Rupert Murdoch 's only got eight of the however many channels . Oh right , no it 's Olympus and it 's erm why we 're doing this is partly because the European Space Agency is trying to encourage people who were n't previously satellite users to become satellite users and in the next century , or whenever , erm to to actually buy commercial satellite time for from them . erm So that 's why all this is happening . Should we have
Idiom: dead to the world (used idiomatically: yes)
It 's that … ’ ‘ Ssh … ’ murmured Helen . ‘ She 's dead to the world . Lucky little beggar . Extraordinary , is n't it ?
Idiom: on the up and up (used idiomatically: yes)
We follow our parent 's line . We become doctors , nurses , hoteliers , lawyers or writers because our parents were . Only a fraction of us really break the mould : immigrants usually , or women ; others on the up and up . The fourteen female students of engineering at the Polytechnique . Or Marc Lepine .
Idiom: play ball (used idiomatically: no)
And the example set by Chanel Plus in France can only improve his chances of success in England . In the 12 months since Chanel Plus bought Paris St Germain , the club has been transformed from a financial cripple to a top - of - the - table French First Division outfit where crowds have doubled . Central TV have not yet made any approach to Villa owner Doug Ellis — but if Ellis wo n't play ball , then Newbon may try his luck with other Midlands giants like Coventry or Nottingham Forest . Misfit Webb seeks move HARRY HARRIS
Idiom: play ball (used idiomatically: yes)
The referees for the 1991 World Cup were always going to be placed under close scrutiny by the media , as well as spectators both at the ground and watching on television , and so it turned out . At the commencement of the tournament it was made clear that referees had been instructed to apply Laws 18 and 19 . The tackled player carrying the ball must immediately play the ball and not hold onto it . But , perhaps more importantly , no other player could ( Law 18 . ( 2)(d ) ) wilfully fall on or over a player lying on the ground with the ball in his possession . In the early pool games , the referees proved to be very strict indeed in applying this particular law , even to the extent of penalising players who had been pushed on top of other players lying on the ground with the ball .
Idiom: meat and potatoes (used idiomatically: yes)
Mind,’ he added , ‘ you 'll be drippin ' . And put yer old socks on.’ After a meal of meat and potato stew of which Willie only managed a few mouthfuls , Mr Fletcher returned accompanied by his two teenage sons . They were carrying spades and measuring sticks . Tom pointed sadly to a patch of grass in the back garden .
Idiom: small potatoes (used idiomatically: yes)
canned new potatoes ( iii ) small whole potatoes graded from suitable maincrop varieties canned for the catering trade . Canned Dice requirements
Idiom: make hay (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I have n't had any lunch,’ she complained . ‘ We 'll stop at a drive - in , and then what say about a nice , quiet park?’ He might as well make hay while the sun shone , he told himself . She giggled and looked sly . ‘ O.K.’
Idiom: pass the buck (used idiomatically: yes)
By sticking to the letter of the law , the spirit of the law may be lost . Bureaucratic red tape may prevail , and risk- averse officials become ‘ sticklers’ for the rules . There is frequently a tendency to ‘ pass the buck’ . In giving orders to subordinates , an official will go by the rule book and will blame someone else for the existence of the rules where his decision appears inappropriate . He may also act on the principle that ‘ things have always been done this way’ and justify his actions accordingly .
Idiom: in hot water (used idiomatically: yes)
sugar , to taste 1 Soak the matzos in hot water , then squeeze out . 2 Heat the tomor in a frying pan , add the matzos , then pour the eggs over the top .
Idiom: black and blue (used idiomatically: yes)
Well , Monty kept punching Clark in the arm out of sheer exuberance . Clark kept saying , ' Please , stop ' , but Monty just kept hammering away and Clark said , ' For God 's sake , Monty , take it easy . ' When Clark took off his shirt he had black - and - blue bruises over his shoulders and arm . But Monty hit him again and Clark turned on him and said , ' I 'm going to hang one on you , you little bastard , if you do that again . ' Monty burst into tears and Clark looked at me and said , ' What the fuck is the world coming to ? '
Idiom: off the hook (used idiomatically: yes)
When , unwillingly , she did , he smiled and remarked , ‘ As soon as you 're ready I have a surprise for you.’ His words alone were a surprise . She had n't expected to be let off the hook so easily , but still … ‘ I do n't know if I … ’ He raised a dark brow .
Idiom: break even (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ He saw a number of them in America when he visited during the Thirties . When he died it was passed on to my father and then to me . It does n't make much money now , just enough to keep it running , but we break even every year . I would n't want to close it down.’ Paxton smiled affectionately and touched the picture of the Wax Museum taken in 1934 .
Idiom: ahead of the game (used idiomatically: yes)
I want to ride as much as I can , but I want to try to be sensible at the same time . ‘ I am in the latter part of my career , not the beginning.’ By definition , racing is not a sport in which you can quit when you 're ahead of the game . But anytime the brilliant 34-year - old Scudamore , eight - times champion jockey and the most successful jump rider in history , decides to leave the sport , he can do so with honour . Lennox is cashing in principles
Idiom: on the game (used idiomatically: yes)
Given a battering 14 - 6 by the Oxford City Stars . The home side sliced through the ice to score two goals in the first 4 minutes . From there on , they never let slip their icy grip on the game . Speedway fans meet at the Oxford Stadium tonight , to set up a Cheetahs lifeline . Perhaps they 're concerned about becoming an endangered species .
Idiom: hold court (used idiomatically: yes)
It 's love - all when Elton sees stars STEWART DICKSON POP king Elton John holds court with tennis legend Billie - Jean King , actress Elizabeth Taylor and her husband Larry Fortensky . They teamed up for an after - show celebration after Elton and rock star Eric Clapton thrilled fans at a huge outdoor concert in New York . Elton , 45 , had special words of thanks for Liz and Larry .
Idiom: have a heart (used idiomatically: no)
Myocardial infarction may lead to increased secretion of counter-regulatory hormones , catecholamines and cortisol which antagonise the actions of insulin and cause a deterioration in the metabolic environment . Elevation of blood glucose , ketone bodies and free fatty acids in particular may be deleterious to the injured area of myocardium and predispose to arrhythmias ( Oliver et al , 1968 ) , impaired contractility or larger infarcts ( Kjekshus and Mjøs , 1972 ; Liedtke et al , 1978 ; Vik-Mo & Mjøs , 1981 ) compared to non-diabetics , predisposing to cardiogenic shock or left ventricular failure . Diabetic patients may have a damaged myocardium due to extensive atheroma and/or small-vessel cardiomyopathy before infarction ( Hamby et al , 1974 ; Regan et al , 1977 ; Factor et al , 1980 ) , which would make them more likely to develop cardiogenic shock or heart failure . A study to determine if excellent metabolic control reduced the mortality from myocardial infarction in patients with diabetes was disappointingly negative ( Gwilt et al , 1984 ) , but a similar study on a smaller number of patients in Scotland showed considerable benefit ( Clark et al , 1985 ) indicating the need for further investigation . Pre-existing disease of the coronary macro-circulation and perhaps microcirculation may be the most important factors affecting mortality from acute myocardial infarction in diabetic patients .
Idiom: spot on (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Yes , but — well , with one of your two anchors out of commission you 'd start drifting , would n't you?’ ‘ We would n't drift . A diving ship normally carries four splayed anchors to moor it precisely over any given spot on the ocean floor . We just tie up to the Kilcharran , that 's all.’ ‘ I 'm not doing too well , am I ?
Idiom: pull a face (used idiomatically: yes)
I think the affair will call for my new yellow satin.’ ‘ You will outshine everyone , ma'am,’ Ruth said . Mrs Carson pulled a face . ‘ That 's enough , Ruth . Now please go and see to Anna .