Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: come clean (used idiomatically: yes)
To a man the England team are backing our campaign to flush out the truth . One top player said : ‘ It 's just great the way the Mirror has stuck at prising out exactly what went on in the umpires’ room when the ball was changed during the lunch interval . ‘ It 's absolute humbug for cricket 's administrators not to come clean and tell the cricketing world everything that took place inside Lord 's famous pavilion that Sunday.’ Lamb himself commented : ‘ I 've had England players on the phone telling me what 's in the Mirror before I 've had time to go out and buy the paper . ‘ Then they are back on again discussing the latest twists in the whole affair.’
Idiom: call the tune (used idiomatically: yes)
To be in paid employment is to be valued . Although the Victorian values embedded in Tennyson 's lines continue to hold sway in many quarters , most people recognize the inequalities and injustices that result from home and work activities being allotted according to gender . Money is power , and for this reason employment continues to call the tune . If the husband has to move to another area to find work , wife and children are likely to follow ( unless the price of property makes the cost of the family living together prohibitive ) . If she also works they must decide whose job has priority .
Idiom: up to scratch (used idiomatically: yes)
It 's not the only place in the world.’ ‘ No — no , it 's not.’ He was speaking slowly and carefully , as if he wondered after all whether her English was up to scratch . ‘ I 'm sure many people live happy and contented lives without ever sighting Piccadilly Circus,’ he went on . ‘ But , on the other hand , probably very few of them decide on a whim to spend their entire capital on a shop in a strange city in a country they know nothing about , without doing the most elementary homework .
Idiom: far and away (used idiomatically: yes)
That may be what the House will accept , but let the House be fully aware of the nature of the decision . Mr. Michael Foot ( Blaenau Gwent ) I am glad to have the chance to follow the right hon . Member for Shropshire , North ( Mr. Biffen ) , whom I certainly regard as far and away the most successful Leader of the House in all my time here . It was following the right hon . Gentleman 's removal from that high post that the Government fell apart . I accept that it has taken a few years for the process to be completed , but everyone who studies the history books will be able to trace the downfall of the Thatcher Government — as some may still call it — to the time when she was foolish enough to remove the right hon . Gentleman from the duties that he was carrying out so successfully .
Idiom: take stock (used idiomatically: yes)
For graduates in the first 10 years after graduation . Few people give themselves the time to think clearly about their own futures . This course will provide an opportunity and structure to help you stand back from your present job , take stock of where you are in your life , and explore future possibilities . Alumni Foundation Kenneth Grayston introduces an opportunity for graduates to get together at the latest in a series of University concerts .
Idiom: fly a kite (used idiomatically: no)
' They have , you might say , short take off and landing , and once it is landed it can be made airborne again by simply taking one step back and tugging . Some of them too have fantastic pulling and lifting power , ' says Andrew . Most kites of the new breed are now flown by adults , though kiddies are still available , and the prices range from about £ 4 for the basic to £ 300 for the super models . They have exotic names too , Delta , Parafoil , Quadrifoil , the biggest being 20 feet by 10 feet by 8 feet tall . Now a major sport in Europe and America , kite - flying has arrived here now and it is hoped to hold a major rally early next year .
Idiom: under the microscope (used idiomatically: yes)
Tissue specimens were then fixed with periodate - lysine-2 % paraformaldehyde for six hours at 4 ° C and washed three times with increasing concentrations of sucrose ( 10 , 15 , and 20 % ) . The fixed specimens were embedded in Tissue Tek OCT compound ( Miles Pharmaceutical , Naperville , IL ) and frozen in ethanol cooled with dry ice . Cryostat sections about 5 µm thick were prepared and stained with methyl green for examination under a light microscope . Deposits of formazan were graded as follows . For epithelial cells , 0 was negative , 1 was weakly positive , 2 was strongly positive , and 3 was very strongly positive .
Idiom: lose face (used idiomatically: no)
' One year ' — Māilo 's eyes lit up at the memory —'I sold so many musk pods at the Indian border that I could hardly walk back , my pockets were so weighted down with silver coins . ' Kalchu searched in the fire for an ember , laid it on top of the chillim and drew in deeply . When he breathed out again his face was lost for a moment in the smoke . He inhaled once more and passed the chillim on . ' Now that it 's illegal , ' he said , coughing , ' it 's worth a thousand times what it used to fetch .
Idiom: in light of (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ in a doctor 's professional judgement a patient needs NHS care … In the case of a patient such as you describe , this can be done by providing community nursing care to the patient 's own home , by providing in-patient care or by a contractual arrangement with an independent sector home ( ie paid for in full by the health authority ) . The level of service provided overall is a matter for individual health authorities in the light of local circumstances and priorities ’ . The Chief Executive expanded on this : ‘ there is no general duty on a health authority to provide inpatient medical or nursing care to every person who needs it .
Idiom: spot on (used idiomatically: yes)
Earnings per share fell by 99.7 % to 0.3 pence . WINDOWS / NT ANNOUNCEMENT SET FOR MAY 24 Microsoft Corp is now saying that Windows / NT will be announced on May 24 and that the target is to deliver it before the end of the second quarter , although US PC Week does n't expect ships to start until July ; there 's no exact date , says the company , since it will not ship until the product it is spot - on . SATELLITE BROADCAST TO ANNOUNCE MS - DOS 6 Microsoft Corp chairman Bill Gates is to introduce MS - DOS 6 at a US - wide satellite broadcast to personal computer users this evening , but according to Reuter , the company has had record orders for it already : Microsoft plans a $ 7 promotion to entice customers to buy discounted versions of MS - DOS 6 and its other products , and says that orders for it are incredible , already exceeding the record - setting pace of MS - DOS 5 , which was launched in the late spring 1991 .
Idiom: round the clock (used idiomatically: yes)
' That might be a bit too heavy a load for Buzz , ' Adam suggested . ' Remember how she knocked herself out after Elinor had her stroke ? Round - the - clock nursing , such as Elinor is getting here , would mean overseeing four nurses , organizing their schedules , plus providing meals , transport and the rest of it . ' ' We do n't want Buzz ill as well , ' Miranda agreed . ' I 've telephoned Dr Montand at Saracen , ' Adam continued .
Idiom: up in the air (used idiomatically: yes)
It is true that much of the subsequent shape and form that a rose assumes is determined more during the first year or two of pruning than any subsequent factor . Most amateur gardeners are ‘ afraid of the knife’ and do not prune hard enough , leaving too much old wood , with the result that the growth buds that grow on are at the top end of 3 or 4 or more inches ( 8 or 10 or more cm ) of the previous season 's growth . The base wood of the plant therefore grows higher each year and we get the familiar ‘ bush rose’ consisting of 1 ft ( 0.3 m ) , 2 ft ( 0.6 m ) or even more of old , bare and barky wood , with the current year 's bloom - bearing growth starting from way up in the air ! All this is the result of being afraid to prune hard enough early enough . The inevitable result is that a plant young in years becomes old and senile in form and shape .
Idiom: down and out (used idiomatically: yes)
Your inheritance is yours to squander as you will . If you want to ruin yourself , then , as you so rightly say , you 're old enough to know what you 're doing.’ He looked from one to the other , his bleak glance resting briefly on Sarella 's upturned face , and then he said , ‘ I tell you one thing , Peter ; when you 're down and out and she 's left you for richer pickings do n't come running to me for a hand - out , because it wo n't be forthcoming . Is that clear?’ ‘ Completely.’
Idiom: wipe someone's eye (used idiomatically: yes)
It happens , sometimes . We still had plenty of time , or so I … ’ She broke off , wiping her eyes . ‘ That was one reason why I tried to stop us , you know , going all the way,’ she went on . ‘ You thought I was on the pill , of course , that 's why you never used a sheath or anything .
Idiom: in the running (used idiomatically: no)
1990 OVERVIEW It was expected that a UN - supervised referendum to resolve the conflict over the region [ for details and background see pp . 37628 - 29]would be held in early 1991 . However , Brahim Ghali , a member of the Polisario Executive Committee , had stated in an interview given to the Madrid newspaper El País of Oct. 22 , 1990 , that if the Moroccan government decided not to agree to the holding of the referendum , or tried to interfere in the running of it , then the armed struggle would be renewed on all fronts . Ghali described the unilateral Polisario ceasefire in January 1990 ( a cessation of hostilities being achieved by April ) as a gesture of good faith in the UN peace plan . The Moroccan Interior and Information Minister Driss Basri was reported on Jan. 12 , 1991 , as saying that the Western Sahara question would be settled definitively with the organizing of a referendum which would confirm conclusively the Moroccan character of the recovered Saharan provinces .
Idiom: sleep like a log (used idiomatically: yes)
Light beer and vodka were followed by a simple but nourishing meal of stewed meat and boiled potatoes , preceded by borscht . We finished with an ice - cream sweet and mugs of hot tea from the samovar on the table . Everyone retired early that night and I , for one , slept like a log . Next day ‘ Deemy’ took me to meet the Commandant . He was a tall , heavy - built almost surly type who spoke no English ; all I could do was listen patiently , smile , and offer a small but polite salute on departure .
Idiom: the rest is history (used idiomatically: yes)
The Normans were later to add their own castle , Pevensey Castle , inside the Roman walls . From here William marched his men to the spot , a few miles north of Hastings , where the Norman and Saxon armies met in bloody battle on October 14th , 1066 . King Harold was slain — some say by an arrow piercing his eye — and the rest , of course , is history . To thank God for his victory over the English , William founded an Abbey — Battle Abbey — with its altar erected on the very spot where Harold fell . Today the Abbey 's massive gatehouse overlooks the ancient battlefield and , on the opposite side , the lovely little market town called Battle , which grew up around the Abbey walls .
Idiom: in the club (used idiomatically: no)
He looked puzzled . ‘ Oh , for heaven 's sake . The girl was in the club , knocked up , a bun in the oven —‘ow 's yer father?’ George stiffened into the Compleat Civil Servant . ‘ If you intend me to infer that she was pregnant , then for the life of me I can see no reason why you do n't actually say so .
Idiom: face to face (used idiomatically: yes)
But she had no concert , and no engagement socially , since she knew hardly anyone in London , the small hotel in Earls Court was not productive of amusing company , and the television was surrounded by a handful of determined fans watching a very boring boxing match . Charlotte returned almost gladly to the recollection of her morning interview , and in retrospect it seemed to her far more strange and mysterious than while it was happening . She had never been brought face to face with her great - uncle , and never devoted any conscious thought to him . He became real and close only now that he had vanished . Such a curious thing for an established and respected elderly gentleman to do , now that she came to consider it seriously .
Idiom: take a bath (used idiomatically: yes)
Beth told Chris that if he did n't take a bath , she would n't go on a date with him .
Idiom: in the final analysis (used idiomatically: yes)
Yet all babies would die if left alone , and the act of standing by and doing nothing is tantamount to injurious action . The difference is one of semantics ; the outcome the same . In the final analysis , it is the public who must decide . In the aftermath of the Arthur trial , Dr Michael Thomas of the BMA said : ' We must say to the public , ' you can not leave us without moral guidance on this .
Idiom: buy time (used idiomatically: yes)
They can have no foothold in precise writing , such as the text of a report . However , such phrases do have their uses in speech . They are much used , for example , to buy time to think . The human brain works at the speed of a computer or faster , but some milliseconds are needed for thought . In answer to a difficult question before the television cameras you might say " Well , really it seems to me , at this moment in time , that in connection with … "
Idiom: no time like the present (used idiomatically: yes)
Yes.’ ‘ When?’ ‘ There 's no time like the present . My secretary is absent . Why not take her place?’
Idiom: do the right thing (used idiomatically: no)
Sticking to the letter of the law v. sticking to its spirit . Means and ends . Doing the right thing for the wrong reason v. doing the wrong thing for the right reason . How great ideas like the Church got bogged down in bureaucracy . How Christianity starts off as the religion of peace but ends up violent like other religions .
Idiom: under the sun (used idiomatically: yes)
There 's not much else you can do , like , if a law 's not being broken you ca n't do anything . PC . 2 . Some people think that the police can do everything under the sun like , but of course you ca n't . Half the time you 're just a ear to listen to them . It takes a certain type of man to do a neighbourhood beat .
Idiom: anything goes (used idiomatically: yes)
Or a rehabilitation centre . Yeah . But it has n't got anything going for it , basically , whatsoever Mm . it 's got three TVs though which are really rubbish and one small bar called The Bin , Village Inn it 's called , and it is absolutely tiny , and really crap .
Idiom: on board (used idiomatically: yes)
It loses impact It loses impact does n't it because a the power of the voice is hit against there , b it 's very rude to talk while I 've got me back to you as well so people yes lose interest . So while you 're writing on the board have one of those pauses . Now again it 's oh there 's silence in the room but while you 're writing what what are the audience doing if you 're not speaking ? Watching
Idiom: break someone's heart (used idiomatically: yes)
He got out of the car , waiting for her to join him . Fran walked with him to the door , wishing that she had never agreed to this in the first place . She wanted to turn tail and run and keep on running away from him , away from what she might discover , away from what could only break her heart , yet she knew that was impossible . Their two lives were already linked , one interwoven with the other . How could she change what seemed to be written in the stars ?
Idiom: in the works (used idiomatically: no)
Also located in the northern works is a facility for producing vinyl acetate monomer , with an annual capacity of 75,000 metric ~ tons .
Idiom: break even (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ It 's obviously their job to keep tabs on the financial situation and my job to provide enetertaining football on the pitch and win promotion . ‘ I like to think I 've achieved the former , but I ca n't get promotion in five months.’ Shilton has spent nearly £ 1 million on new players since arriving in March and the club need gates of 10,000 to break even . So far the average is only 6,500 . Given Argyle 's appalling away form , an upset is possible .
Idiom: out to lunch (used idiomatically: no)
She 's er Nan , cartoons she 's out to lunch . just come on ! Yeah okay .
Idiom: hedge your bets (used idiomatically: yes)
Pic : Gordon Wigens . Choose the right Koi and it could be an investment for life — choose the wrong one and you could be a very short — or a very long time regretting your mistake . ANDREW ARROWSMITH has the information to help you hedge your bets . Whether you are starting a pond from scratch , or looking for fish to supplement existing stock , buying Koi is one of the most challenging and exciting moments of the hobby . A good choice could give you years of pleasure : the oldest authenticated Koi was a Higoi owned by Dr Komei Koshihara which , at the time of its death in 1968 , weighed 16½ lb and had clocked up 217 years .
Idiom: hands down (used idiomatically: no)
The yawning gap in that knowledge should now be filled by the publicity given to this case during the public hearings and , we trust , by the publication of our report,(London Borough of Brent , 1985 , p.83)(My emphasis . ) Similarly the role of research needs to be rethought . Up until now researchers have taken on the guise of distant experts who hand down their findings , leaving practitioners with the task of making sense of and using them . I will argue that a major readjustment needs to be made whereby the researcher takes on a more participative role working with and alongside practitioners and clients . I will argue that the best way of seeing research is as an aid to increasing enlightenment and not as providing the answers .
Idiom: know the ropes (used idiomatically: yes)
How , I wondered , was I going to find someone to judge the merit of this work objectively ? Jean - Claude said no one would or could , that he was outside the influential music world : he had not attended the Conservatoire , he was a peasant without contacts . Successful composers ‘ knew the ropes’ . He did not . ‘ And , anyhow , it 's all in the hands of the Jews!’ he told me .
Idiom: have a heart (used idiomatically: no)
CLASSIC QUOTES I DID N'T know whether I was coming or going . — Peter Sellers , telling reporters of a heart attack he had while making love to Britt Ekland . Wet and wonderful LAP UP LUXURY IN THE LAKE DISTRICT
Idiom: child's play (used idiomatically: yes)
Nobody in the Olympic 400 metres hurdles final could hold a candle to Gunnell 's superb technique , which put her head and shoulders ahead of the field . It all stems from when Sally was a high hurdler . Switching to the smaller barriers in 1987 has proved child 's play for the sweetheart from Chigwell ever since . After a false start by world champion Tatyana Ledovskaya , Gunnell was into her Rolls - Royce stride instantly , coasting through the first 200 metres with principal rival Sandra Farmer - Patrick firmly in her sights in the next lane . And from the crown of the final bend it was murder in the Montjuic stadium as Gunnell first eased alongside the American , then left her for dead down the home straight .
Idiom: on the button (used idiomatically: yes)
Me , I 'm meant to be a Catholic . I meant about the booking of the room , though . ' She brought a window down by pressing on a button . Wind whipped through her hair . ' I sometimes think I might convert , you know , ' she said .
Idiom: against the grain (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Wirily built with large feet in huge old leather boots?’ ‘ Sounds a bit formal’ ‘ It 's not — it 's against the grain . One of the questions I ask is : ‘ If you had to go back to Winthrop Young 's time , what is the single item of equipment you 'd want to keep?’ And as for food , I take steak and new potatoes and whisky .
Idiom: to the tune of (used idiomatically: yes)
The difference between the sums of money in the different bands that people will have to pay is relatively small . It is probably not worth appealing about a difference of approximately £ 40 . It is also conceivable that if one strays across a band because a property has been improved to the tune of approximately £ 10,000 , one will not have to pay much extra . Mrs. Fyfe The hon . Gentleman believes that because there will be broad bands whole streets will be assessed in one go , not individually .
Idiom: come of age (used idiomatically: yes)
No longer does the diesel driver need to feel disadvantaged . Second to the sporting GT model , the diesel , in either of its two trim levels , is the most desirable of the AX range . For that to be true , the diesel must have come of age . Motoring : The soaring triumph of the exotic Stag : Blow all your savings on a rare classic convertible which has just started to show a major rise in value , says Roger Bell By ROGER BELL
Idiom: anyone's guess (used idiomatically: yes)
Individual firms have taken on more security staff , but as yet there is little co - operation among companies on improving security outside their buildings , which is where bombs are most likely to be . Some talk of controlling which vehicles can enter the City at particular times , and even of identity cards for people working there . This may help people feel safer , but whether it will stop the bombers is anyone 's guess . No sex please , we 're pensioners EVER since May 17th 1990 , when the European Court of Justice handed down its famous ‘ Barber judgment’ , providers of Europe 's pensions in the public and private sectors have been seriously worried .
Idiom: go from strength to strength (used idiomatically: yes)
Another plea may not go amiss . This series suffered a painful start with some dreadful acting . But now they have gone , the story line has gone from strength to strength . With woeful stories in Coronation Street and Brookside , I would choose Eldorado and its half - hour in Sunny Spain every time . We support the campaign to keep Eldorado on the TV .
Idiom: bear in mind (used idiomatically: yes)
For this amount , go for a good quality bed of cheaper construction ( such as open springs ) rather than a bottom - of - the - range pocket - sprung model . For real comfort , however , you 'll pay at least £ 800 . If that sounds a lot , bear in mind that over 10 years you 're only paying 22p per night . When you consider that we spend a third of our lives in bed , that hardly seems an extravagance . If you do n't want to spend as much as £ 400 , remember that cheaper beds do n't last as long as more upmarket models .
Idiom: on the game (used idiomatically: yes)
Watched by England manager Geoff Cooke and coach Dick Best , Andrew remains England 's stand - off , with Barnes still the eternal No 2 . ' I was not at my best . Rob played very well , but nobody is going to make a decision on one game . England are in a position where they have a couple of good players at No 10 , ' Barnes said . The South West had 10 players from champions Bath and Barnes added : ' When we were 14 points adrift I regarded that as an Alpine peak to climb — not a Himalayan .
Idiom: have a ball (used idiomatically: no)
David Tossell : Wimbledon 5 , Oldham 2 THE Premier League may have been billed as a whole new ball game , but for the smaller clubs the survival struggle is the same as ever . Wimbledon manager Joe Kinnear knows his club must keep producing youngsters like two-goal Neill Ardley to enable him to sell big name men and compensate for the low income produced by attendances like the pathetic 3,386 for this game . Kinnear , who has had enquiries for midfielders Warren Barton and Robbie Earle , said : ‘ I want to hang on to my players as long as possible — my job 's hard enough as it is .