Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: drop the ball (used idiomatically: yes)
Different people write songs differently , and that 's my way of writing.’ But your writing does seem to be carrying a torch for the songs of the mid-'70s . ‘ Well , see , in the mid and late ' 70s I think the music industry dropped the ball , and I think that 's why there was rarely a good band in the ' 80s . I 'm speaking only of the United States , here , where there was a huge low in music . It was just a sack of shit .
Idiom: tongue in cheek (used idiomatically: yes)
It was on the tip of her tongue to say she 'd rather have dinner with a snake , but then she stopped . This situation had strong elements of farce , and it suddenly struck her as in danger of getting out of hand . She was mature enough to accept an olive branch , even if it was being handed out tongue in cheek . And then there was this obnoxious man 's involvement with Chester 's to think of … if she allowed her instincts full rein and indulged her true feelings at this stage might n't she be jeopardising Charles 's hopes of help for Chester 's ? With a slight shrug , she turned away to inspect the starry night again .
Idiom: walk of life (used idiomatically: no)
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Idiom: get the picture (used idiomatically: yes)
She paints mainly in acrylics , in a pointillist style with a sponge ; and also produces conté drawings on paper coloured to suit the coat of the horse . She tries to capture a horse 's character , whether it is wild or thoroughbred . ' I like to get pictures as if the horse is about to blink or breathe , the nostrils about to expand or contract , the legs about to break into a trot or canter . ' For those not fortunate enough to own a racehorse , Refna will also paint humble family pets — dogs , cats and recently even a pet ram . Refna 's work is exhibited at the Equus Gallery in Newmarket ( 0638–560445 ) and she can be contacted in Gloucestershire on 0285–659918 .
Idiom: out of sight (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ About par for the course.’ ‘ There 's more,’ Richie said hurriedly , determined to hold his audience . ‘ He dropped right out of sight then . No apparent reason , no warning . It happened almost overnight and for a long time nobody even heard of him.’
Idiom: come full circle (used idiomatically: yes)
It is easier and less contentious to talk about professional development in terms of structures , frameworks , resources and methods , rather than in relation to desirable forms of personal knowledge and understanding . Thus the new interest in professional development … runs the risk of stressing form at the expense of substance . With this the argument comes full circle and we need to ask again : what is more important , the content / outcomes or process of teacher development ? ( The importance of the personal factor will be taken up again in Chapter 11 . ) Professional Development and Institutional Development .
Idiom: on the ground (used idiomatically: no)
WOKING hero Mark Biggins has been dumped on the bread-line by the recession since their epic FA Cup run two years ago , but at Brighton todaySAT , non-League football 's most flamboyant midfielder will be back in the giant-killing business . Extrovert Biggins is one of five survivors from the side that thumped West Brom 4-2 away and then lost 1-0 to Everton in a fourth-round ‘ home ’ tie , switched to Goodison Park to ensure a big pay day . Woking then splashed out £300,000 on ground improvements , but two years on , painter decorator Biggins is really struggling . ‘ When we played Everton I had four people working with me , ’ recalls Biggins , ‘ but now I 'm working on my own for the VAT man . I 've become skint while Woking have gone on in leaps and bounds .
Idiom: body blow (used idiomatically: yes)
He paused for only an instant . ' I ca n't really speak for her , but I would imagine she 's enjoying it . ' His words were like a body - blow . Momentarily , Shiona felt winded . Suddenly she realised just how much she 'd been hoping that Jake and Janice were still not married .
Idiom: have a few (used idiomatically: yes)
After helping dismantle all the rigging , I had a few days ' break before it was back to the airport and back to bonnie ~ Scotland . Fortunately , things were better organised for the return journey : no visa problems , no airport problems , my career direction sorted out and many happy memories of a wonderful year .
Idiom: claim to fame (used idiomatically: yes)
Twiggy . I 've been in Twiggy Porsche . My claim to fame . Been in Twiggy 's Porsche . Have you ?
Idiom: go down a storm (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Dos cervezas , tortilla , pornografie .’ He gets the biggest round of applause . Despite subtitles which obviously struggle to get the profane poetry of Tarantino 's script , the film goes down a storm with the festival audience , though the torture does send some people scurrying for the door , among them one Wes Craven , director of the first Elm Street movie and much else . Afterwards in the bar , Bender takes great delight in ribbing him over it . ‘ We 're going to put it on the poster , Wes .
Idiom: drop a hint (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Paradoxically.’ ‘ You do jog things along a bit behind the scenes , though , darling,’ says Caroline . ‘ You do drop a hint here and there.’ ‘ That 's the most one can do , really,’ says Freddie . ‘ Get hold of some ordinary chap and drop a few hints in his ear.’
Idiom: in the club (used idiomatically: no)
Lewin , Lippitt and White ( 1939 ) Although Elton Mayo is considered to be the pioneer of the human relations movement , Lewin was another important theorist who did much research on group dynamics and leadership styles . With his colleagues Lippitt and White he reported the results of well - known experiments which were carried out in boys ' clubs established for the purposes of their studies . Club leaders were trained to act as autocratic , democratic or laissez - faire leaders , and the purpose of the experiments was to learn how the children reacted to different styles of leadership . The leaders were moved from one club to another every six weeks and by means of rotation each club ( consisting of 10- year old boys ) experienced three different styles of leadership , under three different leaders .
Idiom: left and right (used idiomatically: yes)
Even if a non - verbal visual form of representation is not in the form of an implicit picture or image — and there must be non - verbal representations of a non - visual kind , for how else could we recognise the sound of a car door or the smell of supper?— there is a wealth of experimental evidence ( Bower , 1970 ; Nelson and Brooks , 1973 ) to support the notion of two separate coding systems , verbal and non - verbal . ( It is perhaps as well to make clear that these systems are not necessarily amenable to introspection . ) Both clinical Jones - Gotman and Milner , 1978 ; Whitehouse , 1981 ) and experimental evidence link the verbal and non - verbal codes to left and right hemispheres respectively . Cohen ( 1972 ) presented the Posner task to the left or right visual field and found a RVF superiority for NI matches and a LVF superiority for PI matches , as did Geffen , Bradshaw and Nettleton ( 1972 ) . These results are important in showing that even with verbal stimuli a tachistoscopic LVF advantage may be obtained when the task can be performed non - verbally .
Idiom: go downhill (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ You develop eyes in the back of your head.’ The 55-year - old actor shot to fame with Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid in 1969 . Since then , he says , the film industry has gone downhill . ‘ It 's tied to a fast - food , sound bite , give - it - to - me - now mentality,’ he told Esquire magazine . ‘ Very little is asked of audiences.’
Idiom: marching orders (used idiomatically: no)
10:11–36 The journey begins About three weeks after the census they strike camp and leave Mt Sinai . ( See on chapter 2 for the marching order . ) Moses ' brother - in - law goes with them as guide . The direction and company of the Lord is a very real thing ( 33–36 ) .
Idiom: play ball (used idiomatically: yes)
Rayners Lane continued to press forward and looked the most likely to score as their skipper , Tommy Verney shot wide from fifteen yards after fifty two minutes . But at last Milton began to press forward and Neil Allen went close in it as Ian Beechey played a goal a ball through from deep . And then that substitution in the seventieth minute , Robby Munn played the ball through to Nigel Mott , he chipped the ball across the face of the goal and there was Brian Marlan to head home from close range . Now it is only his second touch of the ball , two minutes later it could have been two nil ; as Ian Beechey found Nigel Mott in space , he rounded the Rayner 's keeper , but Hanger Hines cleared it off the line . With ten minutes to go , Paul Whittington did well to tip the ball over the Milton bar on two occasions as Lane pressed for the equaliser .
Idiom: under fire (used idiomatically: yes)
Government defeats attack on HLCA cuts plan THE Government early yesterday defeated an Opposition attack on its plans to cut compensation payments to hill farmers , with a majority of 38 in the Commons . After a stormy debate in which the proposals came under fire from both sides of the House , MPs voted by 283 to 245 against a Labour call for the Hill Livestock ( Compensatory Allowances)(Amendment ) Regulations to be annulled . Responding to MPs ' complaints , the agriculture minister of state , David Curry , denied the move would leave the farmers worse off . Although the HLCA was being cut , he insisted increases in other grants meant farmers would be better off than they had thought .
Idiom: go to town (used idiomatically: yes)
Right ? You come in when Alice has finished the first bit and then you come . Yankie Doodle went to town riding on a pony . Stuck a feather in his hat and called it Macaroni . Yankie Doodle went to town riding on a pony .
Idiom: lay eyes on (used idiomatically: yes)
As Agnese laughed delightedly , Ronni 's eyes drifted to Guido . But she was n't really thinking about what he was saying . What she was thinking was that , unlike her memory block with Arnie , she could n't imagine ever forgetting the first time she 'd laid eyes on Guido . That moment when she had seen him standing on the jetty , a tall dark figure against the bright sun , would remain locked in her memory foever . That thought brought a sob of pain and pleasure to her heart .
Idiom: stay the course (used idiomatically: yes)
Yes , the US economy has been on a weak recovery trajectory over the past three years . But at ~ least it ’s a recovery , claim many – and therefore a source of ongoing resilience in an otherwise struggling developed world . Unlike the Great Recession of 2008 - 2009 , today there is widespread hope that America has the capacity to stay the course and provide a backstop for the rest of the world in the midst of the euro crisis . Think again . Since the first quarter of 2009 , when the US economy was bottoming out after its worst postwar recession , exports have accounted for fully 41 % of the subsequent rebound .
Idiom: first off (used idiomatically: no)
‘ How serious does the position have to get before action is taken ? The Chancellor must act in the March Budget,’ said Roger Simpson , director of the Brewers ' Society . What was happening was not a temporary phenomenon , with increasing evidence of low - cost drinks being hawked around and reports of the first off - licence closure attributed to duty - free imports . ‘ It is wishful thinking to see this as unlikely to persist . All the indications are that it will increase,’ he said .
Idiom: in the club (used idiomatically: yes)
They let them stood out there in all that rain did n't they ? Yeah . I mean in most clubs I mean they come in , they have a game of cards They let you in but the bar 's not open . do n't they , get their tables and that ?
Idiom: behind the scenes (used idiomatically: yes)
He 's just finished a TV pilot for the American channel CBS , entitled Beauty . ' One of the hottest directors currently in Los Angeles is 28-year - old Radha Bharadwaj , a Punjabi woman whose debut project , Closet Land , a political thriller , has been backed by film giant Oliver Stone . Other behind - the - scenes personalities include tennis player Vijay Amritraj and his brother , Ashok . Vijay , who has appeared in movies such as Octopussy and Star Trek IV , owns the largest Asian cable channel in America and has just bought Universal Studios ' music arm . He is hoping to rope in Madonna to record her next album there .
Idiom: by heart (used idiomatically: yes)
Because I heard it so often , I can now recite the poem by ~ heart .
Idiom: in the driving seat (used idiomatically: yes)
So before you exercise your free will without thought , weigh up and be aware of the consequences of using your free will . Ask yourself the question , ‘ Is it my desire , my greed , my wish to be in control that drives me in this matter , or do I feel the lightness of purpose that is a mark of the guidance from within?’ If it is your passion that is in the driving seat , ask yourself whether you care what effect the actions of your free will will have upon others or upon yourself . Are you prepared to carry the pain and suffering that you may cause by exercising your will , if it is a selfish act ? Even in your decisions , you find you are often in turmoil and do not know where to turn .
Idiom: lend a hand (used idiomatically: yes)
As she could n't yet swim properly the current might be strong enough to carry her away . Then she thought of Miss Clinton , and of her daddy and his white face as he ran to the car to chase Miss Clinton — and of poor Aunt Nellie and her scared eyes when she realised what she 'd done . ' I must Lend a Hand , ' thought Jenny . ' A Brownie would ! ' Slowly , with her fists clenched tightly and her lips pursed , she put one foot and then the other out on to the first stepping - stone .
Idiom: put someone on a pedestal (used idiomatically: yes)
force behind a really Top Man ( and once you 've got him , here 's how to please — via his stomach and macaroni surprise ) oh , he 'll put you on a pedestal , he 'll treat you like a queen if you just put your trust in Pristine Clean — remember in Office Practise
Idiom: keep your powder dry (used idiomatically: yes)
I am a cynic by nature . I always look in both directions when I have to cross a one - way street . As Cromwell aptly said : ‘ Put your trust in God , if you so wish — but keep your powder dry.’ Talking of Cromwell — he was nobody 's fool . Though he ultimately lost his head under the executioner 's axe , whilst that head was on his shoulders he did use it well .
Idiom: play it safe (used idiomatically: yes)
One may be amused — though not very — that after living in Italy for forty - five years Max still could not speak Italian , but such insularity is not to be imitated . ‘ Good sense about trivialities’ , he once wrote , ‘ is better than nonsense about things that matter.’ True enough , but how easily this can lead to the conclusion that anyone who attempts to deal with things that matter must be a bore , that rather than run the risk of talking nonsense one should play it safe and stick to charming trifles … . This , remember , is W. H. Auden , whom for many years some people in England have regarded as himself too anxious not to bore , too anxious always to amuse . If this suggests that there are other sorts of English people than the sort Auden has in his sights , on the other hand it lends point and force to his censure of Beerbohm , and of what Beerbohm stands for in English life .
Idiom: in the club (used idiomatically: yes)
Salvation and possible collapse stand either side of the result at Filbert Street this afternoon . Only a win will guarantee Second Division football at St James 's Park next season and relegation would wreck the £ 13 m rescue package chairman Sir John Hall has formulated to clear debts of £ 6 m and build for the future . It is , without doubt , the most vital match in the club 's 100-year history and quite possibly their last under Kevin Keegan 's management , whatever his side 's fate . Keegan , who guided United to the First Division in the twilight of his playing career , has put the terms he 'd want for a three - year contract to Sir John and his fellow directors . They would be unable to meet them with Third Division gates , and possibly not even with the added revenue Second Division status would guarantee .
Idiom: rule of thumb (used idiomatically: yes)
However , there was little doubt that it would happen , and that this revolution will change the world . Most consternation was reserved for the prospect that the Japanese will probably get there first . Making computers ‘ think’(not necessarily as humans do , but in a logical , inferential way so that they can do more than arithmetic ) is a ‘ grand vision’ for Edward Feigenbaum , one of the Prometheuses of AI , Feigenbaum is a computer scientist and senior investigator for computer heuristics ( common rules of thumb for thinking ) at Stanford University in California . He predicts that computers of the future will process knowledge , not numbers , using symbolic inferences , as in the familiar syllogism : all birds can fly ; budgie is a bird ; then budgie can fly . A small step has been made in that direction .
Idiom: out of thin air (used idiomatically: yes)
In which case er given a little bit more time to fill the thing in , Yeah . erm there i it 's not just a matter of plucking a figure out of thin air , but you can see the justification for the full fee - bid , and you can er crosscheck the accuracy of the fee - bid as well . Yes .. Good .
Idiom: over the hill (used idiomatically: yes)
If there were space travellers on this planet , and it seemed that there were , their forward flight through the wastes took on a more logical purpose than the pursuance of a prophecy from a discod sleeve . Rodo might even be right . There could be a city over the hills ! Although only twenty eight tanks — just over half the original number — remained , the amassed Chelonian assault force made a terrifying spectacle . The sweeping of the disintegrator ports , the rumbling of the traction units as they powered up , the distant crackle of internal radio communication : all conspired to create the impression of one vast , murderous , destructive creature .
Idiom: follow suit (used idiomatically: yes)
At the center of the first narrative , preferred by financial - sector executives , is the view that all necessary reforms have already been adopted ( or soon will be ) . Banks have less debt relative to their equity levels than they had in 2007 . New rules limiting the scope of bank activities are in place in the United ~ States , and soon will become law in the United ~ Kingdom – and continental Europe could follow suit . Proponents of this view also claim that the megabanks are managing risk better than they did before the global financial crisis erupted in 2008 . In the second narrative , the world ’s largest banks remain too big to manage and have strong incentives to engage in precisely the kind of excessive risk - taking that can bring down economies .
Idiom: take someone for a ride (used idiomatically: yes)
But with the housekeeper 's help — you remember Maria , the housekeeper?— I pieced together the facts that he 'd met you , and within a week proposed and been accepted . ‘ He was convinced you 'd only gone home to England to break the news to your family , then you were coming back to marry him . At least he was spared the knowledge that he 'd given the doge 's ring to a heartless little bitch who 'd just taken him for a ride.’ Luce shook her head helplessly , terrified by the venom in his voice . ‘ Or perhaps you ‘ changed your mind’ , as you did over Paul and the others … ’
Idiom: on paper (used idiomatically: yes)
Another used Federconsorzi to defraud a state scheme that paid farmers to destroy their surplus output . Farmers took several payments for each load of produce and inflated their yield reports . ( One orange - growing region in Sicily was so productive , on paper , that California sent agronomists to discover how . ) About ten years ago the agriculture ministry , which runs the agency , made a half - hearted attempt to staunch its losses . It hired a competent manager from the private sector , Silvio Pelizzoni , but gave him little power .
Idiom: state of the art (used idiomatically: yes)
CHARLES HENNESSY Know your place Since I was pipped at the post for the Periodical Publishers ' Association Columnist of the Year award by Maureen Lipman , star of stage and commercial , I thought I 'd better look up her column in She magazine to see how I might bring my stuff up to state - of - the - art standard . Lipman 's column in the May issue was fetchingly entitled : ‘ I found myself weeping over an economy - sized box of tampons’ . Well , true , I 've never had a grabber like that ( maybe the fault lies with the subs ) .
Idiom: for the time being (used idiomatically: yes)
[ 4.1]The Landlord may at any time before the Certificate Date require the form of the Lease and the rights and obligations of the parties under it to be varied in such manner as the Landlord shall [ reasonably]require to take account of any modifications made in accordance with clause 2.4 after the date of this agreement There is limited scope in this clause for substantial amendment to the form of the lease and as very few amendments are foreseeable , a tenant may be justified in deleting this provision , although clause 4.2 contains safeguards which make the clause tolerable if the landlord insists on its retention . Any clause containing the right for the landlord to vary the lease more substantially should be resisted strongly and the footnote to this clause contains the suggestion that in such circumstances the tenant should insist on a provision that no variation be made which would , eg reduce the area of the premises or affect their use or increase the tenant 's liability under the lease . [ 4.2 If by the Certificate Date the parties have been unable to agree whether any requirement of the Landlord made pursuant to clause 4.1 is reasonable the matter or matters in dispute shall be referred to a counsel to be agreed upon between the parties or failing agreement within [ 5]working days after the Certificate Date to one of the conveyancing counsel for the time being of the Chancery Division of the High Court of Justice [ " Counsel " ] to be nominated on the application of either party by the President for the time being of the Law Society ( or his duly appointed deputy or any other person authorised by him to make appointments on his behalf ) and Counsel shall : 4.2.1 act as an expert and not as an arbitrator 4.2.2 invite the parties to subject to him within such time limits as he may direct such written representations concerning the matter or matters in dispute as they may respectively wish
Idiom: lead someone up the garden path (used idiomatically: no)
Now 70 and barely able to look after himself he was easy prey for the two con men who called at his home . They came in daylight and began a conversation with Mr Aust on his doorstep . Then one of them led him up the garden path to a shed . He ca n't recall the man 's story but clearly it was a pretext for his accomplice to search the house . Male speaker