Gooogr/pie_idioms huggingface dataset:
Idiom: clear the decks (used idiomatically: yes)
By Tony Kell STRUGGLING Southampton are set to join the £ 700,000 chase for Manchester United 's out - of - favour winger Danny Wallace . Former Saint Wallace , 28 , is being made available by United as they clear the decks before moving into the transfer market to solve their own goal drought . Under - fire Saints boss Ian Branfoot knows Wallace would be a huge hit with the fans , who idolised him before his £ 1.25 million move north four years ago . He tried to lure Wallace back last year but was frightened off by a £ 1 m price tag .
Idiom: rock bottom (used idiomatically: yes)
Removing Southcom headquarters from Quarry Heights , a hill with a commanding view over Panama City and the canal , will still leave 13,000 American troops in Panama dispersed among nine bases . Under the Panama canal treaties , the United States is to hand over all military facilities to Panama in a gradual ' draw - down ' before the end of 1999 . Debate on Southcom 's future , which has dragged on for years , was put on hold when American relations with General Noriega reached rock - bottom . With him removed , the way has been reopened . Seven new sites in the United States are under consideration ; the likely favourite is the MacDill air force base at Tampa in Florida .
Idiom: streets ahead (used idiomatically: yes)
Total health and social - services head - counts in the city have jumped 14 % and 18 % respectively since April 1989 , against a drop of 11 % in the private - sector workforce . Top officials like Norman Steisel , the deputy mayor in operational charge of the city , are proud of City Hall 's financial management . Its disciplined four - year plans , they say , are streets ahead of the budgeting in most other government bodies . They can also point to real improvements made in the past few years : a rationalisation of economic - development agencies , say , or a tightening up of Medicaid billing procedures . Mr Steisel says annual savings of over $ 100 m have been achieved in recent years .
Idiom: out of the question (used idiomatically: no)
He 's the leader ? ' ' Yep . ' At two in the morning the over - strung youth finally ran out of questions and dozed . Quinn stayed awake , straining to identify the muffled sounds from upstairs . It was almost 4 a.m. when the three loud knocks came at the door .
Idiom: doom and gloom (used idiomatically: yes)
Sales and Marketing Director , Paul Pinsky emphasised the company 's commitment to the clay tiles market : ‘ Bedworth is one of the most advanced and sophisticated clay tile plants in the world . Not only does its technology guarantee absolute consistency of product quality ; it also enables us to ensure ready availability in the face of a continued growth in demand . There 's been a lot of doom and gloom spoken about ‘ the depressed market’ , and certainly the fiscal policy of high interest rates has had the short - term effect that was intended . The long - term shows a continued growth in demand for clay plain tiles , which have doubled their volume in a decade.’ On Humberside , Sandtoft has recently announced that it is to make a machine - pressed plain tile for the first time .
Idiom: have a heart (used idiomatically: no)
Sterland 's long exile began when he injured ankle ligaments in the game at Tottenham on March 7 . He underwent three operations on the long haul back to fitness and has been a helpless onlooker as Leeds floundered in their title defence . The 31-year-old Yorkshireman 's enthusiastic work in the back four , his surging runs on the overlap and his ferocious shooting have all been badly missed in a side that has lost its heart and its way in a disastrous plunge down the table . Sterland 's next step is a full reserve outing against Newcastle next week . Wilkinson will be hoping to count on his old retainer early in the New Year , but Sterland is not counting chickens yet .
Idiom: behind closed doors (used idiomatically: no)
‘ We are playing better and looking forward to Rangers’ visit all the more because of UEFA 's decision to allow our fans to see the match . They are the reason we play so well in our stadium,’ said Broose . Rangers , incidentally , are to issue every supporter travelling to Belgium with the club next week a booklet outlining the need for good behaviour in order to avoid an incident of the type in France which recently cost FC Brugge a UEFA imposed fine of £ 118,000 after they had reversed an earlier decision to have the match with Rangers played behind closed doors . While the Ibrox club can be thankful for the estimated £ 4 m they will receive in total from participation in the European Champions League , Troubled Celtic are thinking of how they can raise the money to buy Pat McGinlay from Hibs .
Idiom: steal the show (used idiomatically: yes)
In anticipation of that release , an alpha - level independent software vendor programme will be up and running sometime next year , with technology that 'll allow ISVs to generate ANDF versions of their applications for evaluation . ANDF details , page four . COMDEX ' 92 : WINDOWS NT STEALS THE SHOW by Alison Hawkings The overwhelming presence of Microsoft Corp haunted Comdex last week .
Idiom: open someone's eyes (used idiomatically: yes)
Her lungs were racked with fever and the doctor took one look at her and sent her to the isolation hospital . Very few people ever left the isolation hospital and visitors had to sit behind a glass screen . Away from her mother and father and sister and grandmother was bad enough , but the worst thing for Belle was opening her eyes and seeing only the walls around her . She tried to pray through the fever , feeling her head trapped in a web of red - hot wires , but there was no sign of them . Somewhere between her house and the hospital , her angels had left her .
Idiom: high and dry (used idiomatically: yes)
Additional supplies of water are being actively sought , but the simple truth is that the Basingstoke Canal was never designed for the types and levels of boating some people dream of . Locks have suffered some deterioration , but this seems to have been mainly a result of idealistic notions of when the canal would be fully operational . Some of the locks were ready long before the canal which serves them , and were literally high and dry for a time . Lock timber needs to be wet . On the matter of boat traffic , Mr. Holford seems unaware that the Basingstoke Canal has the dual role of a recreational amenity and a nationally important nature conservation site .
Idiom: on someone's mind (used idiomatically: no)
Ross gave a bark of harsh , mocking laughter . ‘ I can assure you , my dear Laura , that I have neither the inclination nor the energy to lay my hands on your fair body,’ he drawled sardonically . ‘ In fact , making love to you is just about the very last thing on my mind at the moment.’ Her face became hot with embarrassment beneath the cynical gleam in his heavy - lidded eyes . Trying desperately to preserve what shreds of dignity she still possessed , Laura lifted her chin .
Idiom: green light (used idiomatically: yes)
NEWS ‘ Yes’ to the bug - fighting coating A PAINT that fights bugs has been given the green light for use in ‘ sick’ buildings . Approval from America 's Environmental Protection Agency means that Portersept , made by Courtaulds Coatings in Louisville , Kentucky , can be applied for the first time to heating , ventilation and air conditioning ( HVAC ) systems . Other Portersept products have already had big success countering the effects of mould and mildew on walls and ceilings , thanks to a bought - in ingredient called Intersept .
Idiom: dish the dirt (used idiomatically: yes)
But it was clear Johnny was n't going to see the credits roll when he announced : ‘ I wanted to ride the mountain.’ Fifteen minutes and one Harley Davidson later , the funny man was dead funny . His death inspired crook Delroy ( Lennie James ) to dish the dirt on the gangsters : redemption and a tidy ending . No shortages of cliches , but La Plante showed again that cliches can still make good viewing if handled correctly . ARMY OF DARKNESS ( 15 )
Idiom: do the right thing (used idiomatically: yes)
He sounded somewhat to the right of Genghis Khan . I said I did n't think so , as you were rather busy , but I 'd pass the message on . Hope I did the right thing . I said you never knew where you were from one week to the next . He said that would do nicely .
Idiom: pass the time of day (used idiomatically: yes)
Cashed his cheque at the High Street bank . Left the daddy 's list with Mr Moore ( of Moore 's Models ) and then went off for a bit of a stroll around . He passed the time of day with Two Coats the tramp . Waved to some strangers on a coach . Stroked a tom - cat under the chin and watched a steam train go under a bridge .
Idiom: go from strength to strength (used idiomatically: yes)
STODDARD Sport & Hobbies Tops for Teenage Football Team The Elderslie Wallace Boys Club , started by Stoddard 's storeman , Jim Clark and his friend Andy Lee seven years ago , is going from strength to strength . Now there is a committee of five and like Jim , all are volunteers who spend their free time organising football for the local kids . Two teams have now been established , the under 15 's and the under 13 's .
Idiom: as a rule (used idiomatically: yes)
erm that would maintain a regular interest from the schools and also from the children involved . Right your absolutely right about the programme . Yeah and I 'll certainly and I we think are actually in process in looking at that lot as a rule that 's a very valid point . People are getting fidgety people are leaving can I just . Can we just .
Idiom: rank and file (used idiomatically: yes)
A crushing Unionist victory in 1915 , bringing with it disaster for the Labour party and a major setback for the " New Liberalism " might have ended the difficulty , but when the First World War intervened the problem remained . War and Coalition " Lloyd George would secure a greater hold on the rank and file of our party and he would also be so dependent on that party after the election that he would permanently be driven into the same attitude towards our Party which Chamberlain was placed in before , with this difference — that he would be the leader of it . That would , however , Jam inclined to think not be a bad thing for our Party and a good thing for the Nation . I am perfectly certain , indeed I do not think any one can doubt this , that our Party on the old lines will never have any future again in this country . "
Idiom: pull a face (used idiomatically: yes)
She shivered suddenly , and her arm caught the folder of photographs , knocking it on to the floor . The prints spilled on to the carpet and as Sabine bent to retrieve them the young boy 's face seemed to glare directly up at her , challenging and inimical . And she pulled a face back at him . She said aloud , ‘ I do n't know who you are , but I hope you 've mellowed . Or that we never meet .
Idiom: in the running (used idiomatically: yes)
He said his only political base was Indira Gandhi . After successive purges , the party ceased to have any pretension to ideology . Mrs Gandhi 's eldest son Sanjay , later killed in an aeroplane crash in 1980 , helped her in the running — and the destruction — of the party . Crooks signed up to enjoy the benefits of corruption and to lend their power . In his first year as leader , Rajiv Gandhi threatened to throw out the thugs .
Idiom: slap on the wrist (used idiomatically: yes)
Mechanically going through the motions , repeating his words , hardly aware of the small Monday night audience , hardly aware of the new girl hesitantly feeding him Lesley - Jane 's lines , he was in an agony of apprehension throughout the performance . But he had to play his part through to the end . The end of the play , one curtain - call , and then , sod it , he 'd risk another slap on the wrist from the arch Mr. Ward . He rushed offstage and up to Lesley - Jane 's dressing room . He tapped on the door and entered .
Idiom: by the book (used idiomatically: yes)
She had liked my novel , The Last Enchantments ; in some way ( the expression is hackneyed , but I can find none better ) it had touched her where she lived . It is not necessarily the best books that do that , or the most famous . Sometimes you are more touched by a book that seems to belong to you alone rather than to the world . In that spirit , John Davenport , that lazy , combative and yet most perceptive of critics , wrote to me saying that he almost hoped not to have to share his pleasure in this book with too many other people . Years later Elizabeth wrote to me : ' I felt I was participating in it , not just reading it , and what I felt was n't just admiration … .
Idiom: bring up the rear (used idiomatically: yes)
Who Goes First ? Where there is an obvious leader in terms of skill and experience the answer is easy . The leader goes ahead in ascent , routefinding and safeguarding the party , and brings up the rear on steep descents to protect the team from above . On steep ground the rule that ‘ the leader must not fall’ applies . It would be very difficult for other members to hold a leader falling past them without a belay .
Idiom: heart and soul (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Thank you ! Now we 're getting to it ! My bloody heart and soul on the line and to you it 's a ‘ few kisses’— you lousy hypocrite ! I 'm sorry . I failed to realise that you kiss so easily .
Idiom: make tracks (used idiomatically: yes)
Good night , girls . Take care of yourselves.’ ‘ I suppose we 'd better all be making tracks,’ Vi murmured reluctantly . ‘ All got our respirators?’ Lose a respirator and the cost was deductible from pay .
Idiom: in business (used idiomatically: yes)
The courteous method is to present it , Japanese side up , with the printing facing the receiver . One of the peculiarities of these business cards is that there is no single standard set of English translations for the ranks and positions in Japanese companies . As mentioned earlier , Japan is a very hierarchical and status - conscious society , so an understanding of the ranks in business is very important . Table 3 ( Japanese External Trade Organisation , 1976 ) translates some of the more common Japanese business titles . Translations of common Japanese business titles
Idiom: touch wood (used idiomatically: yes)
Oh well . You 've got no worries have you?naughty girl have you ? . Touch wood . Touch wood . No .
Idiom: have it easy (used idiomatically: yes)
Would you prefer to have been born a man ? No . Even though women have children , I still think we have it easier . What has been your best holiday ? The one I had in Bali last year with Craig .
Idiom: out of line (used idiomatically: no)
The decoration of the jar is lifted directly from Chinese porcelains of the fourteenth century which were highly prized in the Middle East at the time . Iznik pottery of the sixteenth century was again in great demand . Two prices were far out of line with Sotheby 's predictions . A dish , circa 1560 , centred on a turquoise ground panel containing two lions , a deer , a hare and a bird , soared to £ 82,500 ( estimate £ 5,000-£8,000 ) , selling to a private Swiss collector . A single rectangular tile , circa 1575 , decorated with a pattern of interlocking arabesques secured £ 28,600 ( estimate £ 6,000-£9,000 ) .
Idiom: on the level (used idiomatically: yes)
Defence - related Employment Mr. Home Robertson To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on the level of defence - related employment in Scotland . The Parliamentary Under - Secretary of State for Scotland ( Mr. Allan Stewart ) Direct employment in Scotland associated with Ministry of Defence expenditure on equipment stood at around 14,000 in 1989 - 90 .
Idiom: rule of thumb (used idiomatically: yes)
Buildings behave in much the same way . A typical building of 10 storeys will sway back and forth in a period of 1 second , giving it a natural frequency of 1 cycle per second or 1 hertz . As a rule of thumb , every storey makes a difference of one - tenth of a second to a building 's period . So a 20-storey building has a period of about 2 seconds , a natural frequency of 0.5 hertz ; a five - storey building has a period of half a second , a natural frequency of 2 hertz . Buildings above 20 storeys fare relatively well in earthquakes .
Idiom: pull the plug (used idiomatically: yes)
It would have been easier to delete the file form the outside , but that would have mindwiped Daine , Tunney and herself . So she had to do it the slow way . She had also considered that Vaclav Trefusis would eventually get tired enough to stretch his authority and pull the plug anyway , listing his Dreamers as acceptable losses . To put that off , she needed to make headway that would be noticed in the real world . Chinatown went , and the waterfront .
Idiom: under fire (used idiomatically: yes)
Iran , having captured the tract of marshland under which this major accumulation lay , was reported by its oil minister , Muhammad Gharazi , as contemplating bringing it into production . However , contemplation appears to be as far as the idea ever got . Iraqi oil - processing plant also came under fire from Iran . The Basrah refinery was put out of action , although that at Daurah near Baghdad seems to have escaped damage . The production centre at Kirkuk was attacked early on and thereafter ringed with air defences including — according to one foreign visitor from a company providing contract services to INOC — barrage balloons .
Idiom: turn a blind eye (used idiomatically: yes)
He got into the most terrible row with one of the other fellows during the election for master a couple of years ago . He and this other chap , a rather nice English fellow called Theo Sykes , each had their own candidate for the job when the previous master , Lorimer , retired . They both did a lot of lobbying , which you 're not supposed to do , but the college turns a blind eye to it . There are ways and means , you see — discreet supper parties and so on . And Sykes 's man won , Morris , that is .
Idiom: come to terms with (used idiomatically: yes)
It is important to note here than even if a parent is gripped by those negative fantasies that the textbooks claim to be real and universal , she is also immediately capable of embracing a critique of the values she is confronted with . Perhaps we are now in a position to give , from a parental perspective , an alternative interpretation of what exactly it means to ' come to terms with ' a child 's disability . For the clinical and educational professions ( and the lay notions which derive their values from them ) , their very practice makes it clear what fact it is that you ' come to terms ' with : you have not given birth to a member of the human species as we define it , and to which we allocate certain rights and social roles , but to an object of pathology — a ' monster ' , to use a technical term employed in medical anatomy . For the parent , the same phrase means the inverse : I have not given birth to the monster which my upbringing and socialisation led me to believe I 'd had , but to a normal member of the human species as I now define it . This widening definition of what it is to be human , couched in sociologically aware terms , runs throughout the responses , and is further expressed in attitudes to amniocentesis and abortion in subsequent pregnancies .
Idiom: hold someone's hand (used idiomatically: yes)
‘ Sometimes I wonder if that 's really worth achieving.’ ‘ Of course it is.’ He pushed the candle stuck in a straw - covered bottle to one side and held her hands tighter , smiling at her . The long lines on either side of his face — starving dimples , she used to call them — deepened . ‘ Darling Alex , you 're a career woman , after all .
Idiom: keep a straight face (used idiomatically: yes)
No , he replied , and before he knew it his hosts , oblivious of his religious upbringing , had offered this sacrament to him . Too polite to refuse their generosity , he went through the ceremony . The po - faced and the pious may not find that funny , but to hear him tell it and keep a straight face is a considerable feat . Wits among the clergy are much in demand , not only on Thought for the Day . Wedding receptions and Burns Suppers would not be the same without them .
Idiom: go straight (used idiomatically: yes)
First thing the next morning , 24 August , Joyce took his passport and the accompanying form to the National Bank in Belgravia , where the manager endorsed it . Once again , Joyce had declared himself to be a British citizen by birth . He went straight to the Passport Office and applied for another one - year renewal . While this was being granted , parliament was recalled in order to pass the Emergency Powers Act . Joyce had no illusions about his fate in England once war began .
Idiom: in full swing (used idiomatically: yes)
Instead , we waste no time in nonchalantly kicking aside the obligatory minor celebs who form queues daily in the hope we might let them press their lips against our sinfully expensive shoe leather , and march forcefully into the Ed 's inner sanctum . There , we demand he unlock his secret safe stuffed with laundered readies and produce sky 's - your - limit expenses so that we can fly First Class to foreign lands and unearth bigger , better , albeit often unprintable , goss no other column will have access to . It certainly worked this week ( hic , belch ) when we popped over to France , the land of garlic , CHARLES AZNAVOUR and rakishly tilted berets , and discovered a Heavenly Records party in full swing . Anyone who 's anyone was there , and most even played a set or two for the frothing crowd at a Paris party that rivalled those thrown by our old mate the Emperor Caligula for debauchery , excess and copious amounts of projectile - vomited , half - digested food and winestuffs . Present and acting remarkably badly were funsters HAPPY MONDAYS , FLOWERED UP , MANIC STREET PREACHERS , EAST VILLAGE , ST ETIENNE , ANDY WEATHERALL and NED 'S ATOMIC DUSTBIN .
Idiom: fit the bill (used idiomatically: yes)
Police at Limavady 66797 would like to hear from anyone who may have any information about the incidents or the identity of the man . They are particularly anxious to hear from a man they think may have witnessed one attack . Field fits bill GEORGE Duffield has been partnering winners for more than 25 years . The Yorkshire - born jockey broke his duck at Yarmouth in 1967 and has never once doubted his ability to compete with the best .
Idiom: sour grapes (used idiomatically: yes)
Chen ’s personal wealth grew conspicuously shortly after he assumed office , but no one could produce hard evidence of his corruption back then . His political supporters initially brushed aside the mushrooming rumors of his self - enrichment as opposition KMT propaganda . But , one by one , most of the DPP ’s founding fathers all left the party , accusing Chen of corruption and autocratic behavior even within his own party – which Chen dismissed as sour grapes from people who wanted their share of the political spoils . In fact , Chen was always more concerned with consolidating his own power than with defending Taiwan . His most controversial political moves were aimed at his domestic opponents , not the Chinese government on the mainland .
Idiom: keep a low profile (used idiomatically: yes)
The alleged theft is reportedly related to Axil 's hiring a Sun engineer who is named in the suit . Sun said it was bringing action over the alleged theft to keep the playing field level , claiming Axil 's illegal headstart decreased potential investment in the Sparc architecture . Sun is believed to be keeping a low profile on the suit lest it catch flak for restricting the clone trade . APPLE CHOOSES INSIGNIA FOR DOS ON POWERPC / MACs UK firm Insignia Solutions Inc , High Wycombe , Buckinghamshire , is poised to become a key player in the evolving new power structure .