Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: on the back of (used idiomatically: no)
He benefited from his present involvement by time off school , he said ! Some of the locals watching remembered when all the schoolchildren assembled to watch the ceremony ; there were quite a few groups of children there that day , with notebooks , pencils and teachers . The wood for the hedge arrived not on the backs of the hedge - builders but in the boot of their Ford Cortina . The small piece of hedge , woven like a basket with the traditional hazel and willow , is now planted facing the harbour side for the benefit of photographers rather than at right angles to the bank . But the horn was blown and the lady of the manor 's bailiff shouted ‘ out on ye’ three times before they all changed their muddy boots and went home , happy to have maintained tradition for another year .
Idiom: set eyes on (used idiomatically: yes)
The chief agent asked Grunte whether he was prepared to vouch for a Mr David Swan , who claimed to be a member of his local Party . Grunte looked Swan in the eye . ‘ Never set eyes on the bugger,’ he said . ‘ Lock him up.’ He moved on , having scarcely broken pace .
Idiom: born and bred (used idiomatically: yes)
He did even better than that . On both his father 's side and his mother 's side he was the great - grandson of a Christian minister . He was a Cambridge man born and bred . He lived in the town of Cambridge for more years of his life than in any other town , and this though he managed during his life to live in nine different towns and in one village . He was the son of a Cambridge don .
Idiom: think twice (used idiomatically: yes)
Othe possibilities include Brian Robson ( experienced international ) Ray Wilkins ( experienced & I think he 'd be pretty good ) . Overall I 'd go for Hoddle . He 's still young , could go into club management after a spell with England , and I bet he 's probably the * peoples choice * which would make his job easier as the press would think twice before having a go at him . Glynn PS Why are n't Wales a brilliant side ?
Idiom: first up (used idiomatically: no)
M three , M twenty five and then Do n't go any enter London , enter London cos erm Wembley 's er first up fairly on are n't we ? Yeah Yeah , how far 's then ?
Idiom: on the cards (used idiomatically: yes)
She only had four jackpots in her pocket . She said look look . So he said never mind he said you can have it put on your note card . So she went like this pulled our her note card and said I can put it on now she said . She said put it on now .
Idiom: have it both ways (used idiomatically: yes)
Why did you put up with it?’ Jo - Ann said to Emily . ‘ Letting the man have it both ways at once . They always do.’ ‘ Well , it was a poor time , but it improved rapidly.’
Idiom: hold court (used idiomatically: yes)
The faded opulence of its belle époque styling , with gleaming brass , mirrored walls and ceiling murals , suggested that it had seen better times in the long distant days of Renoir and Toulouse - Lautrec . While the pavement tables attracted some passing trade from those who could find no restaurant seats on the Champs - Elysées at suppertime , the inner bar remained a more - or - less private sanctum for Victor 's regulars . It was here the patron , an ex - sergeant of the Légion Étrangère , held court whilst providing both drinks and homespun philosophy in equally generous measures . D'Arcy parked Nadirpur 's BMW outside and left Chantal with her motorcycle to keep watch for any unwelcome followers . He led the Iranian through the elaborately etched glass doors .
Idiom: beyond the pale (used idiomatically: yes)
All the great middle - class moral reforms of the age had been achieved at the expense of pleasure and enjoyment . The English were in danger of becoming a nation dominated by dullness and decorous solemnity . Many senior politicians regarded the purity movement as beyond the pale ; an unwelcome intrusion of issues and personnel which had no rightful place in the discourse of parliamentary politics . A number of the purity leaders , like Coote and Alfred Dyer , came from respectable working - class or petty - bourgeois backgrounds . Their strident moralism jarred with both the measured middle - class radicalism of the repealers and the dominant patrician language of high politics .
Idiom: fly the flag (used idiomatically: no)
The awards are for Export , Technological and Environmental Achievement — a new category introduced this year — with ICL Plc one of the three elite ‘ doubly honoured’ applicants . A total of 118 British firms were granted awards for export achievement this year ; 25 were rewarded for technological achievement ; 12 won awards for Environmental correctness . Winners are entitled to display the appropriate Queen 's Award logo on their stationery , other printed materials — and to fly the flag outside their premises . TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENTS BY ICL , INSIGNIA , BRITISH TELECOM NOTICED Among the technological award winners was ICL 's Corporate Systems Division , West Gorton Manchester , commended for the Series 39 SX mainframe , which packs four times as much power into the same space as the Series 39 machines .
Idiom: smell a rat (used idiomatically: yes)
Those canny Scots at the Glasgow Herald rejected Dr No 's craven appeals . ‘ I 'm afraid we do n't take adverts for foreign work,’ explained a telesales executive . Ms London immediately smelled a rat . Similarly , the Birmingham Post spurned the Scaramanga shilling . Poor old Professor Dent had to be part of a company , or else it was no - go .
Idiom: turn the corner (used idiomatically: yes)
Under John Irvine 's leadership the 100 who came have grown to over 300 in three years . Denominational drawbacks [ mainly for Anglicans ] The Church of England is behind the Baptist Union in halting its decline : the Baptists turned the corner between 1980 and 1985 , and thereafter saw a slight growth in membership . Figures released for 1990 show , for the first time since the second world war , a very slight increase in Church of England membership , as well as an increase in those accepted for ordination . Time will tell whether this check in the decline will change into significant growth .
Idiom: carry a torch for (used idiomatically: yes)
It was a move that was to blow up horribly in her face . Charles was outraged by the intimate Squidgy tapes of Gilbey cooing ' I love you ' into a portable telephone . But all the time he himself was carrying his own torch for a lost love . Back in 1972 , he and Camilla Shand found first real love . But Charles dithered and went off to sea .
Idiom: behind bars (used idiomatically: yes)
So were the robbers — they expected to find £ 2 million . But the law was hard on their heels . Within two weeks gang leader Michael McAvoy and Brian Robinson were behind bars after a suspect cracked . Other convictions followed . Now the story of Britain 's biggest - ever robbery — and the massive money laundering operation that went on for months afterwards — will be told tomorrow night in ITV 's £ 2 million drama Fool 's Gold ( 9.05pm ) .
Idiom: lend a hand (used idiomatically: yes)
Wakening the occupants , he told them to get dressed , wrap up warmly in a blanket . By way of explanation , the bemused kids were told this was a police operation , and they were to gather in the corridor and wait quietly for further instructions . A few of the more level headed ones , obviously relieved at the prospect of imminent rescue from the evil sect which had ensnared them , even joined in and lent a hand . These self - appointed assistants sped swiftly up and down the corridor , wakening their companions and spreading the good news . Only one factor marred the success of the mission so far .
Idiom: have a few (used idiomatically: no)
People ca n't ca n't be responsible . They 're just shagging without condoms . And if she 's had a few your a stupid fucker for even being Yes . up there in the first place without anything .
Idiom: out and about (used idiomatically: yes)
I 'm glad you 're going So it 's ju out and about more Yes . erm because next time we 're going to Harlston , are n't we ?
Idiom: full marks (used idiomatically: yes)
The bastard had n't left her an ounce of pride . It should have been him nursing a headache , not her . It did n't take the Brain of Britain to deduce that he had known , somehow , that she had drugged his coffee , and full marks to his rapier mind — he had turned the tables , or rather the mugs , very neatly . She walked into the kitchen feeling like committing murder , Roman Wyatt 's murder . He had n't quite stripped her , but the lacy bra and briefs he had left her with could have proved no barrier to his imagination .
Idiom: pull a face (used idiomatically: no)
What do you think of that ? ' Jeanne remained silent , and looked fixedly at the floor . The SS woman pulled her face upwards by squeezing her chin , and growled in her ear , ' With a whip . That 's how we tickle them . How would you like that ? '
Idiom: in the dock (used idiomatically: no)
Here was a young man who could undeniably hold his own at a pavement meeting as well as in the more impressive surroundings of an election hustings . However deplorable the level of his abuse , he became master of the insult that stuck to its target and was remembered . True , he had not yet stood in the dock at assizes and petty sessions charged with physical assault , riotous assembly , and offences against the Public Order Act . But that time would come . At eighteen his apprenticeship in rhetorical violence and grievous bodily harm had only just begun .
Idiom: face to face (used idiomatically: yes)
The world has changed greatly since 1967 and it is not easy merely to return to United Nations resolution 242 . The peace conference in Madrid seems to me to subsume all past resolutions . When we reach the face - to - face negotiations , the parties themselves will be able to confront their ideological and territorial difficulties and seek to reach some kind of compromise . Since 1967 , we have seen the rise of the concept of Judea and Samaria within the Israeli people . Personally , I do not support that concept , but the fact is that it has given rise to a large number of settlements on the west bank and even in the Gaza strip .
Idiom: at the crossroads (used idiomatically: yes)
The danger , as Andrei Gavrilov hints at elsewhere in this issue , is that the large emigration of musicians to the West that has taken place since restrictions were relaxed may mean that Russian musical life will lose those very qualities that not only made it technically of such high standing but that also gave it its unique flavour . The sound emerging from the St Petersburg Philharmonic is now far removed from that of Mravinsky 's Leningrad Philharmonic . For musicians , the lure of the West must be strong , and for reasons as understandable as basic working conditions and standard of living , but as a result we stand at a crossroads : how can we possibly avoid the continuing standardization of orchestral , instrumental and vocal production , and continue to have the opportunity of hearing music played in a style and tradition for which it was probably originally conceived . That is not to say that we should only have our Mussorgsky performed by Russian ensembles , but we should at least have the chance to judge for ourselves . BRITISH FARE
Idiom: up in the air (used idiomatically: yes)
One thing was for certain . Tibbles had got hardly any time left at all . She was bum up in the air , small head to one side ‘ gnawing her way through Donald 's portion and then on to the rest of the poisoned carcass of the chicken , which Henry added to her plate . If she was well enough to formulate a view on the question -and at the present rate of progress it looked as if she might be — Elinor would take a dim view of the poisoning of Tibbles . Cats did not rate quite as high on her scale of things worth fighting for as , say , dolphins , but their stock certainly stood higher than that of the middle - aged , white , heterosexual male .
Idiom: bear fruit (used idiomatically: yes)
It gets obsessive , and throughout the summer , evening and weekend jaunts were re - routed via any stretch of water in the vicinity . Fortunately Cardiff is within driving distance of various different habitats , ranging from the unpolluted mountain streams of the Brecon Beacons to the industrially polluted , but slowly recovering , River Taff . Most sites bore fruit , even the latter where the black mud and mats of green algae teemed with worms , leeches and wandering snails ! 2/With miscellaneous facts on over 140 species whizzing round my head , I decided a system was needed . An index with cards for species brought order to impending chaos .
Idiom: in the long term (used idiomatically: yes)
The Kuwait disaster raises the question of how to deal with serious environmental damage during wartime when hostilities hinder or prevent any attempt to tackle environmental disasters . The creation of a Green Cross / Crescent organization , analogous to the Red Cross / Crescent ( or even the United Nations ‘ blue helmets’ ) , may offer a solution to this problem . Such a politically neutral environmental agency might be able to convince both sides in a military conflict that some remedial action is needed urgently , especially if it can be shown that both factions will suffer adverse environmental effects in the short term and/or in the long term . Pollution Control in the United States of America 8.1 The Early Years : Pollution as a Local Nuisance
Idiom: eyeball to eyeball (used idiomatically: yes)
He walked back towards his desk and , dutifully , I followed him . All that scuffling had been to move an armchair round to the front of the desk . There was to be no eyeball - to - eyeball confrontation this time . Without waiting for him to invite me to do so , I sat down . The chair was comfortable but low and I found myself in the disconcerting position of having to look up at him while we spoke .
Idiom: have a bash (used idiomatically: yes)
At one and six a week . And the , the price was thirty nine pounds and as far as I know at the time the , the pianos went down that terrace I do n't think anybody could play it properly . They 'd , they 'd all have a little bash , one or two fingers you know , I did even on , on , on one particular one . Er but nobody could really play the piano yet they all bought them . And eventually there was quite a few went back before they were paid for .
Idiom: pissed off (used idiomatically: yes)
Samantha 's disgusting anyway . Never said we had to call her Samantha . No I know but everyone would think she was called Samantha and she 'd be pissed off for the rest of her life . Well Vicky at college on our course she 's not Victoria she 's Vicky . She was christened Vicky .
Idiom: on the fly (used idiomatically: yes)
… AS USL AND SCO COSI UP Meanwhile , news on the fly has Unix System Labs and Santa Cruz Operation Inc — plus at least one other ISV — preparing to lend their support to a common operating system interface effort , COSI . Apparently the two suppliers are now agreed ( or have at last been convinced by third parties ) that a unified user environment for their respective Unix implementations , combining shared APIs and front - end elements — from desktop objects down to high - level system administration functions — makes sense . COSI is thought to be part of a much broader technology effort now coming together that will likely involve IBM too in some way , though no - one we spoke to was prepared to elaborate further for fear of upsetting delicate negotiations .
Idiom: on the wagon (used idiomatically: yes)
And you you did discuss libraries . In that did n't you ? Very briefly they did in the end cos everybody else m jumped on the band wagon . Yeah . So you should n't feel alone in that .
Idiom: in the can (used idiomatically: yes)
Joining their horny hands over the rough table at which they sat , they wished each ~ other Merry Christmas in their can of grog ; and one of them : the elder , too , with his face all damaged and scarred with hard weather , as the figure - head of an old ship might be : struck up a sturdy song that was like a Gale in itself .
Idiom: on the face of it (used idiomatically: yes)
With John Major in Downing Street for at least five years , and probably longer , it is likely that the IRA will try to put the psychological thumbscrews on him too . One hopes that the Prime Minister 's political allies , particularly the lower profile ones who do not warrant police protection , are regularly checking the undersides of their cars . On the face of it , Major is less likely than Thatcher to be goaded into over - reaction . Policy will continue as before . On the one hand , terrorist suspects who are caught , rather than shot dead , will continue to be treated within the framework of the ' rule of law ' .
Idiom: take heart (used idiomatically: yes)
Hardbacks : Some sell well Data Discman : Aimed at the business community and not just for technophiles Lovers of novels in everyday ink and print can take heart from the fact that electronic book publishing lends itself best to reference material Direct Line Insurance WHAT MAKES THAT LITTLE RED TELEPHONE RING ?
Idiom: hands down (used idiomatically: yes)
Now all you have to do is think of number five for me , cos you just say the number . And what 's July in French ? All right now before we do any more dates put your hands down and we 'll have a few more birthday dates in a bit . But I need to practice with you counting up to thirty one . Why do I need to practice that with you counting numbers up to thirty one ?
Idiom: put paid to (used idiomatically: yes)
Die Entführung anticipates the three great opere buffe ( Figaro , Don Giovanni and Così fan tutte ) in its organic construction , while the ‘ Turkish’ episodes such as the closing Janissary chorus ( given Oriental colouring by the use of exotic instruments such as piccolo , triangle , cymbals and bass drum ) , were ‘ all that was needed’ , according to Mozart , to please the Viennese . After Die Entführung , the Singspiel was never to be the same again . In 1787 Goethe ( then artistic director of the Weimar theatre , and author of a few similar plays ) remarked ruefully that Die Entführung had put paid to all his efforts to keep the Singspiel simple and modest . OPPOSITE The interior of St Stephen 's Cathedral , Vienna ; painting by David Roberts . A few days after the première , Constanze 's mother decided that matters had gone on long enough between Mozart and Constanze , who had abandoned the fraught atmosphere of home to take temporary refuge with Mozart 's friend and patroness , the Baroness von Waldstädten .
Idiom: on someone's mind (used idiomatically: no)
The infinitive after make in the passive Where verbs of perception and know , as we saw above , evoke a characteristic expressive effect in this context , it is more difficult to see any nuance characterizing make here , other than perhaps a suggestion of result . Thus in ( 191 ) , to feel evokes a new state of awareness which has arisen as a result of the combined effect on the reader 's mind of novels and tales previously selected for this purpose . Something similar might be said of the following:(192 ) Thus by reducing the temperature of matter in the gaseous state it can be made to pass through all three physical states . ( Isaacs 1963 : 46 ; in van Ek 1966:121 )
Idiom: at the end of the day (used idiomatically: no)
Brenig is the finest trout fishery in Wales stocked annually with over 21,000 trout and boasting a fleet of 42 quality boats . For the family there is a free exhibition of all aspects of the reservoir and its wildlife , whilst youngsters can face the challenge of the adventure playground . Souvenirs of your visit can be bought from the shop and at the end of the day everyone can relax in the cafe , over tea and Welsh scones , to plan their next visit to Llyn Brenig . Fishing Trips Boat trips for parties and individuals .
Idiom: out of sight (used idiomatically: no)
In housing , as the authors say ‘ The white authorities are torn between two discriminatory policies . One of these is the segregation of the black immigrant population in the least desirable housing , and here they are positively helped to find homes . The other is to disperse them so that their unwanted presence may be put more or less out of sight’(p . 280 ) . Education provides a final measure of inequality . The inequality built into the education system simply reinforces the position of black children .
Idiom: on the back of (used idiomatically: no)
On the other hand , two large specimens of Pinus halepensis , the Aleppo pine , had escaped because , he imagined , they had been transplanted the previous year making no shoots that summer , thus faring better than other plants with tender new growth . A Magnolia grandiflora , ‘ one of the most beautiful of evergreen trees yet known’ , produced flowers for several years at Goodwood , but again the severe winter of 1740 destroyed it . However , the collection of this variety must have been considerable : Collinson noted on the back of a print of the Magnolia grandiflora flower in his copy of Catesby 's Natural History of Carolina , that there were twenty - nine of these trees at Goodwood in 1759 , two of them twenty feet high . There is a copy of Miller 's Gardeners Dictionary ( third edition , 1737 ) in the private library at Goodwood today , in two folio volumes . Just as great family bibles were used to record births and other family events , so the Dukes used the Dictionary to preserve for posterity dates of important plantings at Goodwood .
Idiom: in the club (used idiomatically: yes)
Can see them all driving off now Mick . They 've had a practice match this morning , and every striker in the club is going to do some finishing this afternoon . Every striker we 've got in the club is going and doing some finishing now ; you can hear them going . Oh well Mickey , not a very happy man . No he is n't Jane , but you ca n't really blame him , I 've gone on record , er it 's a case of repeating yourself , it 's not his fault ; the players when they 're out there on the pitch , they ca n't do it .
Idiom: state of the art (used idiomatically: yes)
Mathematics is studied throughout the first two years . Other major subjects studied in the early years include Design of Structures , Engineering Materials , Soil Mechanics and Foundations , Geology , Fluid Mechanics , Computing , Surveying , Environmental Impact Assessment and System Analysis , Resource Economics and Civil and Environmental Management . Students undertake laboratory and design office work , use state - of - the - art mainframe and microcomputers and attend a surveying field course . Final - year students undertake design projects using CAD , prepare a research thesis in a topic of their choice , and are given a choice of specialisations including Geotechnics , Structures , Hydraulics , Environmental Engineering , Transportation , Fire Safety Engineering , Pollution Control , Fire Hazards to the Environment and Energy Resources . Opportunities exist for students in their first year to gain sponsorship for the remaining three years from major civil engineering companies .
Idiom: pecking order (used idiomatically: yes)
Manchester City have been tracking the 30-year - old since the summer , but Everton could provide the perfect escape route . Hodge , who joined Leeds from Nottingham Forest in a £ 900,000 deal , has had a frustrating time this season . He has started just two matches so far , having been pushed down the pecking order by the arrival of £ 2 million David Rocastle from Arsenal . Kendall can not rely on the likes of Barry Horne , who has not scored since the first day of the season , and youngster Billy Kenny to ease the burden on his goal - shy strikers . Blow