Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: to the bone (used idiomatically: yes)
As we do so , we shall keep in mind the fact that these very same ingredients , at least in some rudimentary form , must have arisen spontaneously on the early Earth , otherwise cumulative selection , and therefore life , would never have got started in the first place . We are talking here not specifically about DNA , but about the basic ingredients needed for life to arise anywhere in the universe . When the prophet Ezekiel was in the valley of bones he prophesied to the bones and made them join up together . Then he prophesied to them and made flesh and sinews come around them . But still there was no breath in them .
Idiom: off the hook (used idiomatically: yes)
Which brings us to the most important constituent of the whole NME recipe that has seen us , scarred but hopefully unbowed , through 40 years — the readers . I never cease to be amazed , nor draw encouragement , from the floods of letters we receive ( a few of them even complimentary ! ) and the level of response that competitions and requests for info / opinions / lies / rubbish precipitate . It 's obvious that the people who buy and read the paper care as passionately about music ( and much else beyond ) as we do and are unwilling to let us , or anyone else , off the hook lightly . They , you , are our inspiration , the reason we 've come as far and done as well as we have , the energy that drives us forward into the future . And it 's to you , the readers , that we beg one week 's indulgence as we uncurl our lips , pat ourselves on that back and take you , in the next 46 pages , on a runaway rollercoaster ride through the stuff and nonsense , faces and fads , ecstatic highs and miserable lows that have littered 40 years of doing battle with the monster that is popular culture .
Idiom: heads will roll (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I gather Charles made life uncomfortable for everyone after the police had seen him . They 're looking into the matter of keys . I rather think heads will roll . Oh , Heavens , I 'm sorry.’ He stopped in confusion .
Idiom: in the short run (used idiomatically: yes)
This programme is likely to take time to implement . As in post - independence Zimbabwe , enrolments will probably expand very rapidly . If that is the case , in the short run the education system may have difficulty in servicing this new demand . First , there is the problem of how to integrate the fragmented educational administration ; and second , how to put into effect a new curriculum to replace the South African one . Aside from the logistics of creating new books and materials to replace the present South African - produced materials , there will have to be a major push to upgrade and retrain teachers .
Idiom: as luck would have it (used idiomatically: yes)
The ‘ bush’ pilots I knew included ‘ Buck’Buchanan , Harry MacConachie and Neville Hollick - Kenyon , the latter being a debonair Englishman who had previously flown for Imperial Airways on the flying boat service from London to New York . To write a feature story on the Inaugural First Flight it was arranged for me to join the westbound plane at Moose Jaw and telegraph back the story from Calgary . The first flight was scheduled for the last week in January , and as luck would have it there was a wild prairie blizzard blowing across western Canada at just the wrong time . But , as they say in the entertainment field , the show must go on . Despite the weather , the Mayor , Aldermen , and other high officials were on the landing strip to meet ‘ Buck’ Buchanan and his twin engined Fokker as the storm seemed to clear .
Idiom: spring to mind (used idiomatically: yes)
By AUBERON WAUGH JOHN SMITH 's promise of a 59p in the pound tax rate concentrates the mind wonderfully . A thousand reasons why Labour 's economic and social policies are all wrong — wo n't work , must never even be tried — suddenly spring to mind . But I do not think it is this threat alone which explains the sick feeling of dread — rather like the feeling of a man who knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight — which clouds the prospect of a Labour victory . Apart from the influence of many young voters who have no memory of what it was like to live under a Labour government , the biggest thing going for Labour in this election is an Englishman 's sense of fair play .
Idiom: take it or leave it (used idiomatically: yes)
He simply said it . My fee . Take it or leave it . Caspar at once said , ' Certainly . ' And beamed again .
Idiom: play possum (used idiomatically: yes)
She leaned forward and shook Elinor 's shoulders . ‘ Do n't swallow them dratted pills ! Hold 'em under your tongue and play possum . Then spit 'em into a handkerchief and hide it under the pillow.’ The door opened and Adam came in .
Idiom: keep your head (used idiomatically: no)
THE ANGEL GABRIEL ‘ GET DOWN in the barrel , son . Get right in and keep your head down.’ Gabriel had no breath to argue . One of the barrels supporting the trestle stage was pushed only half - way under .
Idiom: come to think of it (used idiomatically: yes)
The girls used to tease me : ' Lynne , your baby 's crying ! ' I 'd belt back to the ward to find a peacefully sleeping child . Come to think of it , I never lost a night 's sleep with either of my kids . They were so easy to raise . God must have sent good kids on the premise that my maternal inadequacies would ensure their return within the fortnight , had he sent anything too difficult .
Idiom: all along (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I know it sounds funny,’ Keith says . ‘ Out of the blue . The way I see it , Mum knew all along she was n't getting any better . I think the doctors were telling her the truth.’ He is talking fast .
Idiom: from scratch (used idiomatically: yes)
A year ago , the Muddles sold Lingfield to its present owners for £ 7 m . Having cleaned up at Lingfield , the Muddles took a circuitous route to Southwell to follow their dream of building a new super track . Their hopes of starting from scratch with a leisure complex incorporating a racecourse at Thurrock in Essex were dashed at a public inquiry two years ago . Then , last year , their planned purchase of Nottingham racecourse fell through . In the end they fell upon Southwell , and the earth has literally moved for them since they purchased it in March .
Idiom: in your face (used idiomatically: yes)
Zen passed one hand across his forehead . There were clearly various possibilities which the Chinese had n't thought of . For example , the mice stop gnawing , scamper down your arm , cock their legs and piss in your face . ‘ Listen , you do n't mean to tell me that everyone around here gets their reports in this form . I simply do n't believe it.’
Idiom: hands down (used idiomatically: yes)
After all , he reflected , I am one of the few people in the world who is n't worth blackmailing . And Bill Holroyd was already showing himself to be pretty gullible , so it 's in character . Mrs Sweet reached her free hand down to his flies . No impotence problem this time . Charles began to consider the irony of life — that with Jacqui , whom he found very attractive , there was nothing .
Idiom: green light (used idiomatically: yes)
A leading City analyst described the move as ' very sensible — just the thing to kill off all the rumours about a convertible issue we were hearing six weeks ago ' . Argyll 's shares held firm on the news , up 1.5p at 364p . Green light for Boots drug in US BOOTS is to launch its heart drug , Manoplax , on the US market — worth £ 500 million a year — next month . It got the go - ahead for the congestive heart - failure treatment by US authorities earlier this year .
Idiom: in the pipeline (used idiomatically: yes)
Vanuatu has recently announced a review of its finance centre laws to make it more competitive . The proposed new legislation will provide a statutory basis for the establishment of international business companies , and will guarantee exemption from taxes and exchange controls for 20 years . Legislation is also in the pipeline to allow companies limited by guarantee , and hybrid companies , to be formed . Captive insurance companies . There are new opportunities to use captives .
Idiom: in the driver's seat (used idiomatically: yes)
Must chuck the dogs in the shed for a bit . Yeah , give them plenty of room . As the frame came down and Bunny , came out and Bunny was sitting in the driver 's seat again ! Pest ! Anyway I 've put it on Access so that that helped !
Idiom: in the club (used idiomatically: yes)
A car emerged from the dark between two tenements and passed by the building , slowed by the still - growing crowd . The driver was Peter Lorre . He had to be mixed up in the Cicero Club . He would be a natural for it . ' Terrific . '
Idiom: save the day (used idiomatically: yes)
JOHN GOSLING 'S MIDLANDS BEAT S.V.R. 's GALA BOMB SCAREA Planning saves the day THE SEVERN Valley Railway Grand Diesel Extravaganza held over a three day period of May 8–10th was disrupted on the Saturday afternoon by a bomb scare . A telephone call reported a device had been placed on one of the SVR train - sets .
Idiom: mind over matter (used idiomatically: yes)
If the treatment is successful , imbalances between the different arms of the autonomic nervous system — the sympathetic and the parasympathetic — should be corrected . This helps to tone down the bodily reactions to mental stress , and can therefore moderate a symptom such as diarrhoea , even though the primary cause of that diarrhoea is a reaction to food . Mind over matter Thanks to the action of the autonomic nervous system , any disorder of the digestive system can be exacerbated by the emotions — IBS is not unique in this respect . The bronchi and the blood vessels are also controlled by the autonomic system , so they too can be affected , aggravating conditions such as asthma and migraine ( due to expansion and contraction of blood vessels in the brain ) .
Idiom: in living memory (used idiomatically: yes)
It ended , significantly , with a discussion of the merits of legalisation . Neither Mr Brown nor Ms Reno , and certainly not their boss Mr Clinton , has so far supported legalisation . But they have done what no American administration has dared do in living memory — set the scene for a proper debate . Ban the tests ? It is still too soon to ask the nuclear powers that question
Idiom: have a heart (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ I left secret lover dying’.’ He scanned the column . ‘ The poor middle - aged guy had a heart attack during a bonk with his teenage neighbour while his wife was out shopping . The girl ran off and left him . He died , and now she feels guilty.’
Idiom: all along (used idiomatically: yes)
For ten years Law had been at the heart of the party 's reactions to political events , largely because his own views mirrored those of his followers almost exactly . The extreme diehards had written off Law as the dupe of Lloyd George because he did not come out fighting against coalition policies , hence the witticism that the coalition was an alliance between a flock of sheep led by a , crook and a flock of crooks led by a sheep . But to the bulk of the party , Law s presence in government was a guarantee of the party 's independence ; with Law in charge the party would extract from coalition whatever there was to be gained , but at no risk , and when stripped of all complications this was more or less what Bonar Law intended all along . He was therefore as vital a figure as Salisbury , and in something of the same way : Salisbury was the link between the anti - coalition forces outside the government , and Law was the link between anti - coalitionists outside and critical Unionists within . Successive crises were dealt with by Law without resolving the fundamental disequilibrium of the situation , for the conflict between coalition and party was as real in Law 's own mind as in the minds of a host of Unionists who continued to give general support to the government .
Idiom: have a ball (used idiomatically: yes)
In five minutes he showed his menace with a sharp turn which left Mike Galloway standing . Duncan Shearer just failed to get on the end of the youngster 's cross . Celtic did have the ball in the net in ten minutes , but Frank McAvennie was clearly offside when he pounced to beat Theo Smelders from eight yards . Moments later the visitors suffered a setback when Lee Richardson limped off — and it was then that Paatelainen made his important entrance to the fray . In 14 minutes Alex McLeish rose above the Parkhead defence to head Robert Connor 's cross inches over the bar .
Idiom: up to the hilt (used idiomatically: yes)
In addition , the charge may be so all - embracing that it confers on the chargee as a matter of fact the exclusive right to supply the debtor company with credit . A charge will obviously deter a second financier from providing the company with funds where its charge would rank after a charge that the company has already created over its assets . Also , unsecured creditors will often be deterred from seeking a winding - up since such creditors would readily appreciate the futility of such action where the company 's assets were charged up to the hilt . The floating charge The general nature of a floating charge has already been explained ; it is an equitable charge on some or all of the company 's present and future property which leaves the company free to deal with the property subject to the charge in the ordinary course of business .
Idiom: burn the midnight oil (used idiomatically: yes)
ALLIANCE SEMICONDUCTOR BUYS SBUS CHIP SET MAKER NIMBUS TECHNOLOGY San Jose , California - based Alliance Semiconductor Corp has bought the Sparc Mbus and Sbus chip set designer Nimbus Technology Inc on undisclosed terms : the Santa Clara , California start - up created a stir last year with its chip set designed for use with the superscalar Sparcs from Texas Instruments Inc and Cypress Semiconductor Corp — Nimbus received $ 1.5 m funding from the Cypress subsidiary Ross Technology Inc. MICROSOFT STAFFERS BURNING MIDNIGHT OIL TO GET NT INTO SHAPE Microsoft Corp is expected to by - pass the formality of a press conference for the announcement of Windows NT in two weeks . Bill Gates will supposedly do the honours himself in his Windows World keynote address .
Idiom: as luck would have it (used idiomatically: yes)
Do n't invite smelly boys from climbing clubs . They just turn up with family - sized tins of baked beans , some Ambrosia creamed rice and a sweet German wine box . As luck would have it , my best friend is the most wonderful cook in the world , and her contributions to any cottage holiday more than compensate for those who come with a tin of sardines in tomato sauce and a Pot Noodle . As others produce a packet of Hob Nobs from a plastic carrier bag , she is revealing a foil - covered dish containing lobster marinated in apricot juice that took two days to prepare . Such a performance ensures she need never do the dishes .
Idiom: come of age (used idiomatically: no)
Three Ulster views of RAF 's finest hour THE recent late splash of summer must have brought back memories of September 1940 , and the Battle of Britain , for many people in this province . That was when Britain 's junior service , The Royal Airforce , which had just come of age — it was formed in 1918 — had what was arguably its finest hour . In this 75th anniversary year of the RAF , Max Arthur 's history of the force from 1918 , ‘ There Shall Be Wings’(Hodder and Stoughton , £ 18.99 ) , is a fitting tribute to the men and women of the service . Arthur is not the author ; he is the editor , leaving the narrative to the men and women involved in the incidents , such as Squadron Leader Chris Tingay , who was awarded the AFC for his daring Hercules flight into Sarajevo .
Idiom: steal someone's thunder (used idiomatically: yes)
I wonder if Mr Saunders has a view . Les Saunders , D O E. I 'm afraid you 've stolen all my thunder , erm you 've said everything that I wanted to say . Erm We both read P P Gs .
Idiom: first off (used idiomatically: yes)
Right , thanks for that , we 'll , we 'll come back to that . What does the likelihood be ? Perhaps first off , I could give you all , er , you 've all filled in one of these evaluation sheets before on a course have n't you ? Yes Right , so if I can give each of you one of these because that 's what I want to use these
Idiom: drop the ball (used idiomatically: no)
Einstein posed a searching question for such systems which we put in modern dress : can an astronaut inside the capsule determine his state of motion without looking out of the capsule ? When the astronaut is in a uniform gravitational field he is incapable of determining his motion by any mechanical means . If , for instance , he drops a ball it accelerates at the same rate as the capsule and will remain at rest relative to the capsule , whatever their shared acceleration . However , if the capsule is in a region where the gravitational field is not uniform he can detect his motion . To give a concrete example , consider the capsule to be falling radially toward the Earth .
Idiom: have been around (used idiomatically: no)
The 250 , at $ 17,000 comes with 32Mb RAM , 535Mb drive and 20″ colour screen . Both have on - board fax / modem interfaces . Axil 's existing compatibles are the $ 13,000 HWS - S210 which has been around for some time , the $ 17,000 HWS - S310 model 3.0 and the $ 23,500 HWS - S310 model 4.1 which are due next quarter . ASK AT LAST HAS UNIX MANMAN / X Mountain View , California - based Ask Computer Systems Inc has come out with Manman / X , a Unix version of its manufacturing business management system that operates in multiple hardware environments .
Idiom: pull the plug (used idiomatically: yes)
Now if the water 's fai water level is fairly low , there 'll just be a little trickle coming out here . Mm . If there 's a lot of water in the dam , right up there , just pull the plug out here it 's going to really shoot out . Yeah . Be a lot of pressure there because there 's a lot of height
Idiom: in the final analysis (used idiomatically: yes)
It is a great gift . Few people have it , but as there are comparatively few copywriter positions in London , you ca n't just waltz in and expect to make a mark . In the final analysis , the nicest thing about writing for advertising is that you are judged by what you can do . Art direction Once the basic idea for the advertisement has been agreed , it falls to the art director , in consultation with the writer , to bring it to life visually in commercials , advertisements , and printed material such as brochures and leaflets , and point of sale — material , which are show cards and other items for display actually in the stores .
Idiom: on paper (used idiomatically: yes)
Paper is patient . It can be a long time from the planning stage till the execution of a project . Not everything agreed on paper will be respected and accomplished . There is much written down that is wrong .
Idiom: come to mind (used idiomatically: yes)
and er er er er the situation is that you can , in , in some of these nursing schools where they have taught you and it is their letterhead that 's on your pass - out , they still are n't in a position to say oh well there 's a job of course because you do n't need to have passed out top , you know , to be guaranteed a job , there ai n't no jobs guaranteed for no one . And er I just do n't know what to do . California and Saudi Arabia are two of the , you know , destinations that come to mind but erm I do n't know about that either , you know , if she does n't What month does she take the exam ? Oh I er er I think it 's erm July or er June , July or August , it 's , it 's , it 's it 's
Idiom: on and off (used idiomatically: yes)
As a result , genes G 1 , G 2 , and G 3 are switched on , and enzymes are produced . If galactosides disappear from the medium , the repressor molecules again stop the synthesis of enzymes . The two reactions of the repressor protein , with the operator region of the chromosome and with the inducing galactoside molecules , are non - covalent , and therefore readily reversible , so that synthesis can be switched on and off repeatedly . Rapid reversibility is what is needed in a control system which must respond to environmental changes which may be transient , such as the presence or absence of galactosides . As I shall discuss in Chapter 9 , more long - lasting changes in gene activation are involved in the differentiation of cells in higher organisms , for example the differences between cells in the kidney , liver , intestine and so on .
Idiom: off the cuff (used idiomatically: yes)
His only respite was in travel . Curiously , for a man who wrote so much about spaceships , he detested flying , and went everywhere on cruise liners , usually paying his way by giving popular science lectures to the passengers . A master of spontaneous oratory , Asimov could hold forth on almost any subject with brilliant lucidity — as in his much - cited off - the - cuff description of how human life depends on the Sun : ' All of us are living in the light and warmth of a huge hydrogen bomb , 860,000 miles across and 93 million miles away , which is in a state of continuous explosion . ' His most celebrated science fiction work was The Foundation Trilogy , published in instalments in the early 1950s . It sold millions of copies and in 1966 won a special Hugo Award as the best science - fiction series ever .
Idiom: there's the rub (used idiomatically: yes)
JUST how big are the savings a diesel car driver can expect over petrol motoring ? Hitherto the elements in the equation were clear : cheaper fuel , much greater mpg , and no dispute about diesels holding their value better — as a rough guide , a second - hand diesel will retain 10 per cent more of its new value than a petrol version . But there 's the rub . Traditionally there is a new - price premium on diesels which offsets cheaper running costs . The break - even point where diesel starts to pay off varies considerably depending on the size of the premium and the extent of annual mileage ( the higher the mileage , the faster you reach break - even ) .
Idiom: couch potato (used idiomatically: yes)
The equivalent force on your body of a 30 mph car crash . Every time your foot hits the floor . And no matter how fit you are , you 're just as susceptible to the same long - term damage as the average couch potato . Remedy ? Sorbothane shock - absorbing insoles , which soak up 94.7 % of impact shock .
Idiom: every last (used idiomatically: no)
The bundle of organs is returned to the rock . They have been waiting for these choice morsels — dessert . They voraciously consume every last bit . Finally the feast is over . The vultures take to the sky bearing the deceased with them , upwards to the heavens .
Idiom: hope against hope (used idiomatically: yes)
He had tremendous charm and needed it to get away with this . Then one night he went missing . The two girls were both on night duty and they waited in vain all night , hoping against hope that Steve and his crew had perhaps been forced down somewhere , but by the time dawn came up and there was still no news , they realised he was just another casualty . They passed each other in the corridor soon afterwards , and each could see that the other had been crying . I would like to record that they tried to cheer each other up in their double misery , but I 'm afraid the truth is that as far as I know they never spoke to each other again .
Idiom: long time no see (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Will you tell me what happened?’ he asked . ‘ Cabochon , do my eyes deceive me ? Well , well , well , this is long time no see , soul!’ ‘ Alix . Hi .