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investigation./ Compare: IN PRIVATE.
[close down] or [shut down] {v.} To stop all working, as in a
factory; stop work entirely; also: to stop operations in. * /The
factory closed down for Christmas./ * /The company shut down the
condom plant for Easter./
[closed shop] {n. phr.} 1. A plant or factory that employs only
union workers. * /Our firm has been fighting the closed shop policy
for many years now./ 2. A profession or line of work dominated by
followers of a certain mode of thinking and behaving that does not
tolerate differing views or ideas. * /Certain groups of psychologists,
historians, and linguists often behave with a closed-shop mentality./
Contrast: OPEN SHOP.
[close in] {v.} To come in nearer from all sides. * /We wanted the
boat to reach shore before the fog closed in./ - Often used with "on".
* /The troops were closing in on the enemy.
[close its doors] {v. phr.} 1. To keep someone or something from
entering or joining; become closed. * /The club has closed its doors
to new members./ 2. To fail as a business; go bankrupt. * /The fire
was so damaging that the store had to close its doors./ * /Business
was so poor that we had to close our doors after six months./ Compare:
CLOSE THE DOOR. Contrast: OPEN ITS DOORS.
[close-knit] {adj.} Closely joined together by ties of love,
friendship, or common interest; close. * /The Joneses are a close-knit
family./ * /The three boys are always together. They form a very
close-knit group./
[close one's eyes] or [shut one's eyes] {v. phr.} To refuse to see
or think about. * /The park is beautiful if you shut your eyes to the
litter./ * /The ice was very thin, but the boys shut their eyes to the
danger and went skating./ Compare: OPEN ONE'S EYES.
[dose out] {v.} To sell the whole of; end (a business or a business
operation) by selling all the goods; also, to sell your stock and stop
doing business. * /The store closed out its stock of garden supplies./
* /Mr. Jones closed out his grocery./ * /Mr. Randall was losing money
in his shoe store, so he decided to close out./
[close quarters] {n. phr.} Limited, cramped space. * /With seven
boy scouts in a tent, they were living in very close quarters./
[close ranks] {v. phr.} 1. To come close together in a line
especially for fighting. * /The soldiers closed ranks and kept the
enemy away from the bridge./ 2. To stop quarreling and work together;
unite and fight together. * /The Democrats and Republicans closed
ranks to win the war./ * /The leader asked the people to close ranks
and plan a new school./
[close shave] See: CLOSE CALL.
[closet] See: SKELETON IN THE CLOSET.
[close the books] {v. phr.} To stop taking orders; end a
bookkeeping period. * /The tickets were all sold, so the manager said
to close the books./ * /The department store closes its books on the
25th of each month./
[close the door] or [bar the door] or [shut the door] {v. phr.} To
prevent any more action or talk about a subject. * /The President's
veto closed the door to any new attempt to pass the bill./ * /Joan was
much hurt by what Mary said, and she closed the door on Mary's attempt
to apologize./ * /After John makes up his mind, he closes the door to
any more arguments./ Contrast: OPEN THE DOOR.
[close to home] {adv. phr.} Too near to someone's personal
feelings, wishes, or interests. * /When John made fun of Bob's way of
walking, he struck close to home./ * /When the preacher spoke about
prejudice, some people felt he had come too close to home./
[close-up] {n.} A photograph, motion picture, or video camera shot
taken at very close range. * /Directors of movies frequently show
close-ups of the main characters./
[close up shop] {v. phr.} 1. To shut a store at the end of a day's
business, also, to end a business. * /The grocer closes up shop at 5
o'clock./ * /After 15 years in business at the same spot, the garage
closed up shop./ 2. {informal} To stop some activity; finish what you
are doing. * /After camping out for two weeks, the scouts took down
their tents and closed up shop./ * /The committee finished its
business and closed up shop./ Compare: CALL IT A DAY.
[clothes] See: BEST BIB AND TUCKER or SUNDAY-GO-TO-MEETING CLOTHES.
[clothing] See: WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING.
[cloud] See: EVERY CLOUD HAS A SILVER LINING, IN THE CLOUDS, ON
CLOUD NINE, UNDER A CLOUD.
[clover] See: FOUR-LEAF CLOVER, IN CLOVER or IN THE CLOVER.
[club] See: CHRISTMAS CLUB.
[cluck and grunt] {n.}, {slang}, {avoid it in restaurants} The
familiar restaurant dish of ham and eggs; since ham is made of pork
(and pigs grunt) and eggs come from hens (which cluck.) * /"I am sorry
I can't fix you an elaborate meal, but I can give you a quick cluck
and grunt."/
[clutch] See: RIDE THE BRAKE.
[coal] See: CARRY COALS TO NEWCASTLE, HAUL OVER THE COALS or RAKE
OVER THE COALS, HEAP COALS OF FIRE ON ONE'S HEAD.
[coast is clear] No enemy or danger is in sight; there is no one to
see you. * /When the teacher had disappeared around the corner, John
said, "Come on, the coast is clear."/ * /The men knew when the night
watchman would pass. When he had gone, and the coast was clear, they
robbed the safe./ * /When Father stopped the car at the stop sign,
Mother said, "The coast is clear on this side."/
[coat tail] See: ON ONE'S COAT TAILS.
[cock] See: GO OFF HALF-COCKED also GO OFF AT HALF COCK.
[cock-and-bull story] {n. phr.} An exaggerated or unbelievable
story. * /"Stop feeding me such cock-and-bull stories," the detective
said to the suspect./
[cockeyed] {adj.} Drunk; intoxicated. * /Frank has been drinking
all day and, when we met, he was so cockeyed he forgot his own
address./
[cocksure] {adj.} Overconfident; very sure. * /Paul was cocksure
that it wasn 't going to snow, but it snowed so much that we had to
dig our way out of the house./
[C.O.D.] {n. phr.} Abbreviation of "cash on delivery." * /If you
want to receive a piece of merchandise by mail and pay when you
receive it, you place a C.O.D. order./
[coffee break] {n.} A short recess or time out from work in which
to rest and drink coffee. * /The girls in the office take a coffee
break in the middle of the morning and the afternoon./
[coffee hour] {n.} A time for coffee or other refreshments after a
meeting; a time to meet people and have refreshments. * /After the
business meeting we had a coffee hour./ * /The Joneses had a coffee
hour so their visitor could meet their neighbors./
[coffee table] {n.} A low table used in a living room. * /There
were several magazines on the coffee table./
[coffin nail] {n.}, {slang} A cigarette. * /"I stopped smoking,"
Algernon said. "In fact, I haven't had a coffin nail in well over a
year."/
[cog] See: SLIP A COG or SLIP A GEAR.
[coin money] or [mint money] {v. phr.}, {informal} To make a lot of
money quickly; profit heavily; gain big profit. * /Fred coined money
with many cigarette vending machines and juke boxes./
[cold] See: BLOOD RUNS COLD, BLOW HOT AND COLD, CATCH COLD or TAKE
COLD, IN COLD BLOOD, OUT COLD, OUT IN THE COLD, PASS OUT(2),
STONE-COLD, STOP COLD, THROW COLD WATER ON.
[cold cash] or [hard cash] {n.} Money that is paid at the time of
purchase; real money; silver and bills. * /Mr. Jones bought a new car
and paid cold cash for it./ * * /Some stores sell things only for cold
cash./ Compare: CASH ON THE BARRELHEAD.
[cold comfort] {n.} Something that makes a person in trouble feel
very little better or even worse. * /When Tim lost the race, it was
cold comfort to him to hear that he could try again in two weeks./ *
/Mary spent her vacation sick in bed and Jane's letter about her trip
was cold comfort./
[cold feet] {n. phr.}, {informal} A loss of courage or nerve; a
failure or loss of confidence in yourself. * /Ralph was going to ask
Mary to dance with him but he got cold feet and didn't./
[cold fish] {n.}, {informal} A queer person; a person who is
unfriendly or does not mix with others. * /No one knows the new
doctor, he is a cold fish./ * /Nobody invites Eric to parties because
he is a cold fish./
[cold-shoulder] {v.}, {informal} To act towards a person; with
dislike or scorn; be unfriendly to. * /Fred cold-shouldered his old
friend when they passed on the street./ * /It is impolite and unkind
to cold-shoulder people./ Compare: BRUSH OFF(2), HIGH-HAT, LOOK DOWN
ONE'S NOSE AT.
[cold shoulder] {n.}, {informal} Unfriendly treatment of a person,
a showing of dislike for a person or of looking down on a person. -
Used in the cliches "give the cold shoulder" or "turn a cold shoulder
to" or "get the cold shoulder". * /When Bob asked Mary for a date she
gave him the cold shoulder./ * /The membership committee turned a cold
shoulder to Jim's request to join the club./
[cold snap] {n.} A short time of quick change from warm weather to
cold. * /The cold snap killed everything in the garden./
[cold turkey] {adv.}, {slang}, {informal} 1. Abruptly and without
medical aid to withdraw from the use of an addictive drug or from a
serious drinking problem. * /Joe is a very brave guy; he kicked the
habit cold turkey./ 2. {n.} An instance of withdrawal from drugs,
alcohol, or cigarette smoking. * /Joe did a cold turkey./
[cold war] {n.} A struggle that is carried on by other means and
not by actual fighting; a war without shooting or bombing. * /After
World War II, a cold war began between Russia and the United States./
[collar] See: HOT UNDER THE COLLAR, ROMAN COLLAR, SAILOR COLLAR.
[collective farm] {n.} A large government-run farm made by
combining many small farms. * /The Russian farmers used to live on
collective farms./
[collector's item] {n.} Something rare or valuable enough to
collect or save. * /Jimmy's mother found an old wooden doll in the
attic that turned out to be a collector's item./
[College Boards] {n.} A set of examinations given to test a
student's readiness and ability for college. * /John got a high score
on his College Boards./ * /College Boards test both what a student has
learned and his ability to learn./
[color] See: CHANGE COLOR, GIVE COLOR TO or LEND COLOR TO, HAUL
DOWN ONE'S COLORS, HORSE OF A DIFFERENT COLOR, NAIL ONE'S COLORS TO
THE MAST, OFF-COLOR or OFF-COLORED, SAIL UNDER FALSE COLORS, SEE THE
COLOR OF ONE'S MONEY, SHOW ONE'S COLORS, WITH FLYING COLORS.
[color guard] {n.} A military guard of honor for the flag of a
country; also: a guard of honor to carry and protect a flag or banner
(as of a club). * /There were four Marines in the color guard in the
parade./ * /Bob was picked to be a color guard and to carry the banner
of the drum corps at the football game./
[color scheme] {n.} A plan for colors used together as decoration.
* /The color scheme for the dance was blue and silver./ * /Mary
decided on a pink and white color scheme for her room./
[comb] See: FINE-TOOTH COMB.
[come] See: CHICKENS COME HOME TO ROOST, CROSS A BRIDGE BEFORE ONE
COMES TO IT, EASY COME - EASY GO, FIRST COME - FIRST SERVED, GET
WHAT'S COMING TO ONE, HAVE IT COMING, HOW COME also HOW'S COME, IF
WORST COMES TO WORST, JOHNNY-COME-LATELY, KNOW ENOUGH TO COME IN OUT
OF THE RAIN, KNOW IF ONE IS COMING OR GOING, LOOK AS IF ONE HAS COME
OUT OF A BANDBOX, SHIP COME IN.
[come about] {v.} To take place; happen, occur. * /Sometimes it is
hard to tell how a quarrel comes about./ * /When John woke up he was
in the hospital, but he didn't know how that had come about./
[come a cropper] 1. To fall off your horse. * /John's horse
stumbled, and John came a cropper./ 2. To fail. * /Mr. Brown did not
have enough money to put into his business and it soon came a
cropper./ Compare: RIDING FOR A FALL.
[come across] {v.} 1. or [run across] To find or meet by chance. *
/He came across a dollar bill in the suit he was sending to the
cleaner./ * /The other day I ran across a book that you might like./ *
/I came across George at a party last week; it was the first time I
had seen him in months./ Compare: COME ON(3), RUN INTO(3b). 2. To give
or do what is asked. * /The robber told the woman to come across with
her purse./ * /For hours the police questioned the man suspected of
kidnapping the child, and finally he came across with the story./
[come again] {v.}, {informal} Please repeat; please say that again.
- Usually used as a command. * /"Harry has just come into a fortune,"
my wife said. "Come again? " I asked her, not believing it./ * /"Come
again," said the hard-of-hearing man./
[come alive] or [come to life] {v.} 1. {informal} To become alert
or attentive; wake up and look alive; become active. * /When Mr.
Simmons mentioned money, the boys came alive./ * /Bob pushed the
starter button, and the engine came alive with a roar./ 2. To look
real; take on a bright, natural look. * /Under skillful lighting, the
scene came alive./ * /The President came alive in the picture as the
artist worked./
[come along] {v.} To make progress; improve; succeed. * /He was
coming along well after the operation./ * /Rose is coming right along
on the piano./
[come a long way] {v. phr.} To show much improvement; make great
progress. * /The school has come a long way since its beginnings./ *
/Little Jane has come a long way since she broke her leg./
[come apart at the seams] {v. phr.}, {slang}, {informal} To become
upset to the point where one loses self-control and composure as if
having suffered a sudden nervous breakdown. * /After his divorce Joe
seemed to be coming apart at the seams./
[come around] See: COME ROUND.
[come at] {v.} 1. To approach; come to or against; advance toward.
* /The young boxer came at the champion cautiously./ 2. To understand
(a word or idea) or master (a skill); succeed with. * /The sense of an
unfamiliar word is hard to come at./
[come back] {v.}, {informal} 1. To reply; answer. * /The lawyer
came back sharply in defense of his client./ * /No matter how the
audience heckled him, the comedian always had an answer to come back
with./ 2. To get a former place or position back, reach again a place
which you have lost. * /After a year off to have her baby, the singer
came back to even greater fame./ * /It is hard for a retired prize
fighter to come hack and beat a younger man./
[comeback] {n.}, {v. phr.}, {slang}, {citizen's band radio jargon}
A return call. * /Thanks for your comeback./
[come back to earth] or [come down to earth] {v. phr.} To return to
the real world; stop imagining or dreaming; think and behave as usual.
* /After Jane met the movie star it was hard for her to come back to
earth./ * /Bill was sitting and daydreaming so his mother told him to
come down to earth and to do his homework./ Compare: COME TO ONE'S
SENSES, DOWN-TO-EARTH. Contrast: IN THE CLOUDS.
[come between] {v.} To part; divide; separate. * /John's
mother-in-law came to live in his home, and as time passed she came
between him and his wife./ * /Bill's hot rod came between him and his
studies, and his grades went down./
[come by] {v.} To get; obtain; acquire. * /A good job like that is
hard to come by./ * /Money easily come by is often easily spent./ *
/How did she come by that money?/
[come by honestly] {v. phr.}, {informal} To inherit (a
characteristic) from your parents. * /Joe comes by his hot temper
honestly; his father is the same way./
[come clean] {v. phr.}, {slang} To tell all; tell the whole story;
confess. * /The boy suspected of stealing the watch came clean after
long questioning./
[comedown] {n.} Disappointment; embarrassment; failure. * /It was
quite a comedown for Al when the girl he took for granted refused his
marriage proposal./
[come down] {v.} 1. To reduce itself; amount to no more than. -
Followed by "to". * /The quarrel finally came down to a question of
which boy would do the dishes./ Syn.: BOIL DOWN(3). 2. To be handed
down or passed along, descend from parent to child; pass from older
generation to younger ones. * /Mary's necklace had come down to her
from her grandmother./
[come down hard on] {v.}, {informal} 1. To scold or punish
strongly. * /The principal came down hard on the boys for breaking the
window./ 2. To oppose strongly. * /The minister in his sermon came
down hard on drinking./
[come down in the world] {v. phr.} To lose a place of respect or
honor, become lower (as in rank or fortune). * /The stranger plainly
had come down a long way in the world./ Compare: DOWN ON ONE'S LUCK.
[come down off one's high horse] {v. phr.} To become less arrogant;
to assume a more modest disposition. * /The boastful candidate for
Congress quickly came down off his high horse when he was soundly
beaten by his opponent./
[come down on like a ton of bricks] {v. phr.}, {slang} To direct
one's full anger at somebody. * /When the janitor was late for work,
the manager came down on him like a ton of bricks./
[come down to earth] See: COME BACK TO EARTH.
[come down with] {v.}, {informal} To become sick with; catch. * /We
all came down with the mumps./ * /After being out in the rain, George
came down with a cold./
[come from far and wide] {v. phr.} To originate or hail from many
different places. * /The students at this university come from far and
wide and speak many languages./
[come full circle] {v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To become totally
opposed to one's own earlier conviction on a given subject. * /Today's
conservative businessperson has come full circle from former radical
student days./ 2. To change and develop, only to end up where one
started. * /From modern permissiveness, ideas about child raising have
come full circle to the views of our grandparents./
[come hell or high water] {adv. phr.}, {informal} No matter what
happens; whatever may come. * /Grandfather said he would go to the
fair, come hell or high water./ Compare: COME WHAT MAY, THROUGH THE
MILL.
[come home to roost] See: CHICKENS COME HOME TO ROOST.
[come in] {v.} 1. To finish in a sports contest or other
competition. * /He came in second in the hundred-yard dash./ 2. To
become the fashion; begin to be used. * /Swimming trunks for men came
in after World War I; before that men used full swim suits./
[come in for] {v.} To receive. * /He came in for a small fortune
when his uncle died./ * /His conduct came in for much criticism./
[come in handy] {v. phr.}, {informal} To prove useful. * /Robinson
Crusoe found tools in the ship which came in handy when he built a
house./ * /The French he learned in high school came in handy when he
was in the army in France./
[come into] {v.} To receive, especially after another's death; get
possession of. * /He came into a lot of money when his father died./ *
/He came into possession of the farm after his uncle died./
[come into one's own] {v. phr.} To receive the wealth or respect
that you should have. * /John's grandfather died and left him a
million dollars; when John is 21, he will come into his own./ * /With
the success of the Model T Ford, the automobile industry came into its
own./
[came natural] See: COME EASY.
[come of] {v.} 1. To result from. * /After all the energy we spent
on that advertising campaign, absolutely nothing came of it./ 2. To
become of; happen to. * /"Whatever became of your son, Peter?"/
[come of age] See: OF AGE.
[come off] {v.} 1. To take place; happen. * /The picnic came off at
last, after being twice postponed./ 2. {informal} To do well; succeed.
* /The attempt to bring the quarreling couple together again came off,
to people's astonishment./
[come off it] also [get off it] {v. phr.}, {slang} Stop pretending;
bragging, or kidding; stop being silly. - Used as a command. * /"So I
said to the duchess..." Jimmy began. "Oh, come off it," the other boys
sneered./ * /Fritz said he had a car of his own. "Oh, come off it,"
said John. "You can't even drive."/
[come off] or [through with flying colors] {v. phr.} To succeed;
triumph. * /John came off with flying colors in his final exams at
college./
[come off second best] {v. phr.} To not win first but only second,
third, etc. place. * /Our home team came off second best against the
visitors./ * /Sue complains that she always comes off second best when
she has a disagreement with her husband./
[come on] {v.} 1. To begin; appear. * /Rain came on toward
morning./ * /He felt a cold coming on./ 2. To grow or do well; thrive.
* /The wheat was coming on./ * /His business came on splendidly./ 3.
or [come upon]. To meet accidentally; encounter; find. * /He came on
an old friend that day when he visited his club./ * /He came upon an
interesting idea in reading about the French Revolution./ Syn.: COME
ACROSS, HAPPEN ON. 4. {informal} Let's get started; let's get going;
don't delay; don't wait. - Used as a command. * /"Come on, or we'll he
late," said Joe, but Lou still waited./ 5. {informal} Please do it! -
Used in begging someone to do something. * /Sing us just one song,
Jane, come on!/ * /Come on, Laura, you can tell me. I won't tell
anybody./
[come-on] {n.}, {slang} An attractive offer made to a naive person
under false pretenses in order to gain monetary or other advantage. *
/Joe uses a highly successful come-on when he sells vacant lots on
Grand Bahama Island./
[come one's way] {v. phr.} To be experienced by someone; happen to
you. * /Tom said that if the chance to become a sailor ever came his
way, he would take it./ * /I hope bad luck isn't coming our way./ *
/Luck came Bill's way today and he hit a home run./ Compare: GO ONE'S
WAY, IN ONE'S FAVOR.
[come on strong] {v. phr.}, {slang} To overwhelm a weaker person
with excessively strong language, personality, or mannerisms; to
insist extremely strongly and claim something with unusual vigor. *
/Joe came on very strong last night about the War in Indochina; most
of us felt embarrassed./
[come out] {v.} 1. {Of a girl:} To be formally introduced to polite
society at about age eighteen, usually at a party; begin to go to big
parties, * /In society, girls come out when they reach the age of
about eighteen, and usually it is at a big party in their honor; after
that they are looked on as adults./ 2. To be published. * /The book
came out two weeks ago./ 3. To become publicly known. * /The truth
finally came out at his trial./ 4, To end; result; finish. * /How did
the story come out?/ * /The game came out as we had hoped./ * /The
snapshots came out well./ 5. To announce support or opposition;
declare yourself (for or against a person or thing). * /The party
leaders came out for an acceptable candidate./ * /Many Congressmen
came out against the bill./ 6. See: GO OUT FOR.
[coming-out] {adj.} Introducing a girl to polite society. * /Mary's
parents gave her a coming-out party when she was 17./
[come out for] {v. phr.} To support; declare oneself in favor of
another, especially during a political election. * /Candidates for the
presidency of the United States are anxious for the major newspapers
to come out for them./
[come out in the open] {v. phr.} 1. To reveal one's true identity
or intentions. * /Fred finally came out in the open and admitted that
he was gay./ 2. To declare one's position openly. * /The conservative
Democratic candidate came out in the open and declared that he would
join the Republican party./
[come out with] {v. phr.} 1. To make a public announcement of; make
known. * /He came out with a clear declaration of his principles./ 2.
To say. * /He comes out with the funniest remarks you can imagine./
[come over] {v.} To take control of; cause sudden strong feeling
in; happen to. * /A sudden fit of anger came over him./ * /A great
tenderness came over her./ * /What has come over him?/
[come round] or [come around] {v.} 1. To happen or appear again and
again in regular order. * /And so Saturday night came around again./ *
/I will tell him when he comes round again./ 2. {informal} To get back
health or knowledge of things; get well from sickness or a faint./ *
/Someone brought out smelling salts and Mary soon came round./ * /Jim
has come around after having had stomach ulcers./ 3. To change
direction, * /The wind has come round to the south./ 4. {informal} To
change your opinion or purpose to agree with another's. * /Tom came
round when Dick told him the whole story./
[come through] {v.}, {informal} To be equal to a demand; meet
trouble or a sudden need with success; satisfy a need. * /When the
baseball team needed a hit, Willie came through with a double./ *
/John needed money for college and his father came through./
[come to] {v.} (stress on "to") 1. To wake up after losing
consciousness; get the use of your senses back again after fainting or
being knocked out. * /She fainted in the store and found herself in
the first aid room when she came to./ * /The boxer who was knocked out
did not come to for five minutes./ * /The doctor gave her a pill and
after she took it she didn't come to for two days./ Compare: BRING TO.
2. (stress on "come") To get enough familiarity or understanding to;
learn to; grow to. - Used with an infinitive. * /John was selfish at
first, but he came to realize that other people counted, too./ *
/During her years at the school, Mary came to know that road well./ 3.
To result in or change to; reach the point of; arrive at. * /Mr. Smith
lived to see his invention come to success./ * /Grandfather doesn't
like the way young people act today; he says, "I don't know what the
world is coming to."/ 4. To have something to do with; be in the field
of; be about. - Usually used in the phrase "when it comes to". * /Joe
is not good in sports, but when it comes to arithmetic he's the best
in the class./ * /The school has very good teachers, but when it comes
to buildings, the school is poor./
[come to a dead end] {v. phr.} To reach a point from which one
cannot proceed further, either because of a physical obstacle or
because of some forbidding circumstance. * /Our car came to a dead
end; the only way to get out was to drive back in reverse./ * /The
factory expansion project came to a dead end because of a lack of
funds./
[come to blows] {v. phr.} To begin to fight. * /The two quarreling
boys came to blows after school./ * /The two countries came to blows
because one wanted to be independent from the other./
[come to grief] {v. phr.} To have a bad accident or disappointment;
meet trouble or ruin; end badly; wreck; fail. * /Bill came to grief
learning to drive a car./ * /Nick's hopes for a new house came to
grief when the house he was building burned down./ * /The fishing boat
came to grief off Cape Cod./
[come to grips with] {v. phr.} 1. To get hold of (another wrestler)
in close fighting. * /After circling around for a minute, the two
wrestlers came to grips with each other./ 2. To struggle seriously
with (an idea or problem). * /Mr. Blake's leaching helps students come
to grips with the important ideas in the history lesson./ * /Harry
cannot be a leader, because he never quite comes to grips with a
problem./ Compare: COME TO TERMS(2).
[come to hand] {v. phr.} To be received or obtained. * /Father's
letter was mailed from Florida last week and came to hand today./ *
/The new books came to hand today./ * /New information about the boy's
disappearance came to hand yesterday./
[come to heel] See: TO HEEL.
[come to life] See: COME ALIVE.
[come to light] {v. phr.} To be discovered; become known; appear. *
/John's thefts from the bank where he worked came to light when the
bank examiners made an inspection./ * /When the old woman died it came
to light that she was actually rich./ * /New facts about ancient Egypt
have recently come to light./ Compare: BRING TO LIGHT.
[come to mind] {v. phr.} To occur to someone. * /A new idea for the
advertising campaign came to mind as I was reading your book./
[come to nothing] also {formal} [come to naught] {v. phr.} To end
in failure; fail; be in vain. * /The dog's attempts to climb the tree
after the cat came to nothing./
[come to one's senses] {v. phr.} 1. Become conscious again; wake
up. * /The boxer was knocked out and did not come to his senses for
several minutes./ * /The doctors gave Tom an anesthetic before his
operation; then the doctor took out Tom's appendix before he came to
his senses./ Compare: COME TO(1). 2. To think clearly; behave as usual
or as you should; act sensibly. * /A boy threw a snowball at me and
before I could come to my senses he ran away./ * /Don't act so
foolishly. Come to your senses!/ Contrast: OUT OF ONE'S HEAD.
[come to pass] {v. phr.}, {literary} To happen; occur. * /Strange
things come to pass in troubled times./ * /It came to pass that the
jailer visited him by night./ * /His hopes of success did not come to
pass./ Compare: BRING TO PASS, COME ABOUT.
[come to terms] {v. phr.} To reach an agreement. * /Management and
the labor union came to terms about a new arrangement and a strike was
prevented./
[come to the point] or [get to the point] {v. phr.} To talk about
the important thing; reach the important facts of the matter; reach
the central question or fact. * /Henry was giving a lot of history and
explanation, but his father asked him to come to the point./ * /A good
newspaper story must come right to the point and save the details for
later./ Contrast: BEAT ABOUT THE BUSH.
[come to think of it] {v. phr.}, {informal} As I think again;
indeed; really. * /Come to think of it, he has already been given what
he needs./ * /Come to think of it, I should write my daughter today./
[come true] {v.} To really happen; change from a dream or a plan
into a fact. * /It took years of planning and saving, but their
seagoing vacation came true at last./ * /It was a dream come true when
he met the President./ * /His hope of living to 100 did not come
true./
[come up] {v.} 1. To become a subject for discussion or decision to
talk about or decide about. * /"He was a good salesman, and price
never came up until the very last," Mary said./ * /The question of
wage increases came up at the board meeting./ * /Mayor Jones comes up
for reelection this fall./ 2. To be equal; match in value. - Used with
"to". * /The new model car comes up to last year's./ 3. To approach;
come close. * /We saw a big black bear coming up on us from the
woods./ * /Christmas is coming up soon./ * /The team was out
practicing for the big game coming up./ 4. To provide; supply;
furnish. - Used with "with". * /For years Jones kept coming up with
new and good ideas./ * /The teacher asked a difficult question, but
finally Ted came up with a good answer./
[come up in the world] or [rise in the world] {v. phr.} To gain
success, wealth, or importance in life; rise to a position of greater
wealth or importance. * /He had come up in the world since he peddled
his wife's baked goods from a pushcart./ Compare: GET AHEAD. Contrast:
COME DOWN IN THE WORLD.
[come up smelling like a rose] {v. phr.} To escape from a difficult
situation or misdeed unscathed or without punishment. * /A is
predicted that Congressman Brown, in spite of the current
investigation into his financial affairs, will come up smelling like a
rose at the end./
[come up to] {v. phr.} To equal. * /The meals cooked in most
restaurants do not come up to those prepared at home./
[come up with] {v. phr.} 1. To offer. * /We can always depend on
John Smith to come up with a good solution for any problem we might
have./ 2. To produce on demand. * /I won't be able to buy this car,
because I cannot come up with the down payment you require./ 3. To
find. * /How on earth did you come up with such a brilliant idea?/
[come upon] See: COME ON(3).
[come what may] {adv. phr.} Even if troubles come; no matter what
happens; in spite of opposition or mischance. * /Charles has decided
to get a college education, come what may./ * /The editor says we will
publish the school paper this week, come what may./
[comfort] See: COLD COMFORT.
[comfortable as an old shoe] {adj. phr.}, {informal} Pleasant and
relaxed; not stiff, strict or too polite; easy to talk and work with.
* /The stranger was as comfortable as an old shoe, and we soon were
talking like old friends./
[coming and going] or [going and coming] {adv. phr.} 1. Both ways;
in both directions. * /The truck driver stops at the same cafe coming
and going./ * /John was late. He got punished both going and coming;
his teacher punished him and his parents punished him./ 2. Caught or
helpless; in your power; left with no way out of a difficulty. - Used
after "have". * /If Beth stayed in the house, Mother would make her
help with the cleaning; if she went outside, Father would make her
help wash the car - they had her coming and going./ * /Uncle Mike is a
good checker player, and he soon had me beat coming and going./
Compare: BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA.
[coming out] See: COME OUT(1).
[coming out party] {n. phr.} A debutante party in which a young
girl is formally introduced to society. * /Coming out parties used to
be more popular in the early twentieth century than nowadays,
primarily because they cost a lot of money./
[comings and goings] {n. pl.}, {informal} 1. Times of arriving and
going away; movements. * /I can't keep up with the children's comings
and goings./ 2. Activities; doings; business. * /Mary knows all the
comings and goings in the neighborhood./
[command module] {n.}, {Space English} 1. One of the three main
sections of the basic Apollo spacecraft. It weighs six tons and is
cone shaped. It contains crew compartments and from it the astronauts
can operate the lunar module (LM), the docking systems, etc. 2.
{Informal transferred sense.} The cockpit, the chief place where a
person does his most important work. * /My desk is my command module./
[commission] See: IN COMMISSION or INTO COMMISSION, OUT OF
COMMISSION.
[common] See: IN COMMON.
[common as an old shoe] {adj. phr.}, {informal} Not showing off;
not vain; modest; friendly to all. * /Although Mr. Jones ran a large
business, he was common as an old shoe./ * /The most famous people are
sometimes as common as an old shoe./
[common ground] {n.} Shared beliefs, interests, or ways of
understanding; ways in which people are alike. * /Bob and Frank don't
like each other because they have no common ground./ * /The only
common ground between us is that we went to the same school./ Compare:
IN COMMON.
[common touch] {n.} The ability to be a friend of the people;
friendly manner with everyone. * /Voters like a candidate who has the
common touch./
[company] See: KEEP COMPANY, PART COMPANY.
[company man] {n.}, {informal} A worker who always agrees with
management rather than labor. - Usually used to express dislike or
disapproval. * /Joe was a company man and refused to take a part in
the strike./ Compare: YES-MAN.
[compare notes] {v. phr.}, {informal} To exchange thoughts or ideas
about something; discuss together. * /Mother and Mrs. Barker like to
compare notes about cooking./
[compliment] See: RETURN THE COMPLIMENT.
[conclusion] See: JUMP TO A CONCLUSION.
[condition] See: IN SHAPE or IN CONDITION, IN THE PINK or IN THE
PINK OF CONDITION, ON CONDITION THAT, OUT OF SHAPE or OUT OF
CONDITION.
[conference] See: PRESS CONFERENCE.
[congregate housing] {n.}, {informal} A form of housing for elderly
persons in which dining facilities and services are shared in multiple
dwelling units. * /Jerry put Grandma in a place where they have
congregate housing./
[conk out] {v. phr.}, {slang}, {informal} To fall asleep suddenly
with great fatigue or after having drunk too much. * /We conked out
right after the guests had left./
[consent] See: SILENCE GIVES CONSENT.
[consequence] See: IN CONSEQUENCE, IN CONSEQUENCE OF.
[consideration] See: IN CONSIDERATION OF.
[consumer goods] or [consumer items] {n.} Food and manufactured
things that people buy for their own use. * /In time of war, the
supply of consumer goods is greatly reduced./
[content] See: TO ONE'S HEART'S CONTENT.
[contention] See: BONE OF CONTENTION.
[contrary] See: ON THE CONTRARY, TO THE CONTRARY.
[control room] {n.} A room containing the panels and switches used
to control something (like a TV broadcast). * /While a television
program is on the air, engineers are at their places in the control
room./
[control tower] {n.} A tower with large windows and a good view of
an airport so that the traffic of airplanes can be seen and
controlled, usually by radio. * /We could see the lights at the
control tower as our plane landed during the night./
[conversation] See: MAKE CONVERSATION.
[conversation piece] {n.} Something that interests people and makes
them talk about it; something that looks unusual, comical, or strange.
* /Uncle Fred has a glass monkey on top of his piano that he keeps for
a conversation piece./
[conviction] See: HAVE THE COURAGE OF ONE'S CONVICTIONS.
[cook] See: SHORT-ORDER COOK, WHAT'S UP or WHAT'S COOKING.
[cook one's goose] {v. phr.}, {slang} To ruin someone hopelessly;
destroy one's future expectations or good name. * /The bank treasurer
cooked his own goose when he stole the bank's funds./ * /She cooked
John's goose by reporting what she knew to the police./ * /The
dishonest official knew his goose was cooked when the newspapers
printed the story about him./
[cook up] {v.}, {informal} To plan and put together; make up;
invent. * /The boys cooked up an excuse to explain their absence from
school./
[cool] See: PLOW ONE'S COOL.
[cool as a cucumber] {adj. phr.}, {informal} Very calm and brave;
not nervous, worried, or anxious; not excited; composed. * /Bill is a
good football quarterback, always cool as a cucumber./
[cool customer] {n.} Someone who is calm and in total control of
himself; someone showing little emotion. * /Jim never gets too excited
about anything; he is a cool customer./
[cool down] or [cool off] {v.} To lose or cause to lose the heat of
any deep feeling (as love, enthusiasm, or anger); make or become calm,
cooled or indifferent; lose interest. * /A heated argument can be
settled better if both sides cool down first./ * /John was deeply in
love with Sally before he left for college, but he cooled off before
he got back./ * /Their friendship cooled off when Jack gave up
football./ * /The neighbor's complaint about the noise cooled the
argument down./
[cool one's heels] {v. phr.}, {slang} To be kept waiting by
another's pride or rudeness; be forced to wait by someone in power or
authority; wait. * /He cooled his heels for an hour in another room
before the great man would see him./ * /I was left to cool my heels
outside while the others went into the office./
[coon's age] See: DOG'S AGE.
[coop] See: FLY THE COOP.
[coop up] {v. phr.} To hedge in; confine; enclose in a small place.
* /How can poor Jane work in that small office, cooped up all day
long?/
[cop a feel] {v. phr.}, {vulgar}, {avoidable} To attempt to arouse
sexually by manual contact, usually by surprise. * /John talks big for
a 16 year old, but all he's ever done is cop a feel in a dark movie
theater./ Compare: FEEL UP. Contrast: COP A PLEA.
[cop a plea] {v. phr.}, {slang}, {colloquial} To plead guilty
during a trial in the hope of getting a lighter sentence as a result.
* /The murderer of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., copped a plea of
guilty, and got away with a life sentence instead of the death
penalty./
[cop out] {v. phr.}, {slang}, {informal} To avoid committing
oneself in a situation where doing so would result in difficulties. *
/Nixon copped out on the American people with Watergate./
[cop-out] {n. phr.}, {slang}, {informal} An irresponsible excuse
made to avoid something one has to do, a flimsy pretext. * /Cowe on,
Jim, that's a cheap cop-out, and I don't believe a word of it!/
[copy cat] n. Someone who copies another person's work or manner. -
Usually used by children or when speaking to children. * /He called me
a copy cat just because my new shoes look like his./
[corn ball] {n.}, {slang}, {informal} 1. A superficially
sentimental movie or musical in which the word "love" is mentioned too
often; a theatrical performance that is trivially sentimental. * /That
movie last night was a corn hall./ 2. A person who behaves in a
superficially sentimental manner or likes performances portraying such
behavior. * /Suzie can't stand Joe; she thinks he's a corn ball./
[corn belt] {n.} 1. The Midwest; the agricultural section of the
United States where much corn is grown. * /Kansas is one of the slates
that lies within the corn belt./
[corner] See: AROUND THE CORNER, CUT CORNERS, FOUR CORNERS, OUT OF
THE CORNER OF ONE'S EYE.
[cost a bomb] or [an arm and a leg] {v. phr.} To be extremely
expensive. * /My new house has cost us an arm and a leg and we're
almost broke./
[cotton] See: ON TOP OF THE WORLD also SITTING ON HIGH COTTON.
[cotton picking], [cotton-pickin'] {adj.}, {slang}, {colloquial}
Worthless, crude, common, messy. * /Keep your cotton picking hands off
my flowers!/ * /You've got to clean up your room, son, this is a
cotton-pickin' mess!/
[couch case] {n.}, {slang}, {informal} A person judged emotionally
so disturbed that people think he ought to see a psychiatrist (who,
habitually, make their patients lie down on a couch). * /Joe's divorce
messed him up so badly that he became a couch case./
[couch doctor] {n.}, {slang}, {colloquial} A psychoanalyst who puts
his patients on a couch following the practice established by Sigmund
Freud. * /I didn't know your husband was a couch doctor, I thought he
was a gynecologist!/
[couch potato] {n.} A person who is addicted to watching television
all day. * /Poor Ted has become such a couch potato that we can't
persuade him to do anything./
[cough up] {v.}, {slang} 1. To give (money) unwillingly; pay with
an effort. * /Her husband coughed up the money for the party with a
good deal of grumbling./ 2. To tell what was secret; make known. * /He
coughed up the whole story for the police./
[couldn't care less] {v. phr.}, {informal} To be indifferent; not
care at all. * /The students couldn't care less about the band; they
talk all through the concert./ Also heard increasingly as "could care
less" (nonstandard in this form.)
[counsel] See: KEEP ONE'S OWN COUNSEL.
[count] See: STAND UP AND BE COUNTED.
[countdown] {n.}. {Space English}, {informal} 1. A step-by-step
process which leads to the launching of a rocket. * /Countdown starts
at 23:00 hours tomorrow night and continues for 24 hours./ 2. Process
of counting inversely during the acts leading to a launch; liftoff
occurs at zero. 3. The time immediately preceding an important
undertaking, borrowed from Space English. * /We're leaving for Hawaii
tomorrow afternoon; this is countdown time for us./
[counter] See: UNDER THE COUNTER.
[count heads] or [count noses] {v. phr.}, {informal} To count the
number of people in a group. * /On the class picnic, we counted heads
before we left and when we arrived to be sure that no one got lost./ *
/The usher was told to look out into the audience and count noses./
[count off] {v.} 1. To count aloud from one end of a line of men to
the other, each man counting in turn. * /The soldiers counted off from
right to left./ 2. To place into a separate group or groups by
counting. * /The coach counted off three boys to carry in the
equipment./ * /Tom counted off enough newspapers for his route./
[count on] {v.} 1. To depend on; rely on; trust. * /The team was
counting on Joe to win the race./ * /I'll do it; you know you can
count on me./ * /The company was counting on Brown's making the right
decision./ Syn.: BANK ON. 2. See: FIGURE ON(2).
[count one's chickens before they're hatched] {v. phr.}, {informal}
To depend on getting a profit or gain before you have it; make plans
that suppose something will happen; be too sure that something will
happen. Usually used in negative sentences. * /When Jim said that he
would be made captain of the team, John told him not to count his
chickens before they were hatched./ * /Maybe some of your customers
won't pay, and then where will you be? Don't count your chickens
before they're hatched./
[count out] {v.} 1. To leave (someone) out of a plan; not expect
(someone) to share in an activity; exclude. * /"Will this party cost
anything? If it does, count me out, because I'm broke."/ * /When the
[close down] or [shut down] {v.} To stop all working, as in a
factory; stop work entirely; also: to stop operations in. * /The
factory closed down for Christmas./ * /The company shut down the
condom plant for Easter./
[closed shop] {n. phr.} 1. A plant or factory that employs only
union workers. * /Our firm has been fighting the closed shop policy
for many years now./ 2. A profession or line of work dominated by
followers of a certain mode of thinking and behaving that does not
tolerate differing views or ideas. * /Certain groups of psychologists,
historians, and linguists often behave with a closed-shop mentality./
Contrast: OPEN SHOP.
[close in] {v.} To come in nearer from all sides. * /We wanted the
boat to reach shore before the fog closed in./ - Often used with "on".
* /The troops were closing in on the enemy.
[close its doors] {v. phr.} 1. To keep someone or something from
entering or joining; become closed. * /The club has closed its doors
to new members./ 2. To fail as a business; go bankrupt. * /The fire
was so damaging that the store had to close its doors./ * /Business
was so poor that we had to close our doors after six months./ Compare:
CLOSE THE DOOR. Contrast: OPEN ITS DOORS.
[close-knit] {adj.} Closely joined together by ties of love,
friendship, or common interest; close. * /The Joneses are a close-knit
family./ * /The three boys are always together. They form a very
close-knit group./
[close one's eyes] or [shut one's eyes] {v. phr.} To refuse to see
or think about. * /The park is beautiful if you shut your eyes to the
litter./ * /The ice was very thin, but the boys shut their eyes to the
danger and went skating./ Compare: OPEN ONE'S EYES.
[dose out] {v.} To sell the whole of; end (a business or a business
operation) by selling all the goods; also, to sell your stock and stop
doing business. * /The store closed out its stock of garden supplies./
* /Mr. Jones closed out his grocery./ * /Mr. Randall was losing money
in his shoe store, so he decided to close out./
[close quarters] {n. phr.} Limited, cramped space. * /With seven
boy scouts in a tent, they were living in very close quarters./
[close ranks] {v. phr.} 1. To come close together in a line
especially for fighting. * /The soldiers closed ranks and kept the
enemy away from the bridge./ 2. To stop quarreling and work together;
unite and fight together. * /The Democrats and Republicans closed
ranks to win the war./ * /The leader asked the people to close ranks
and plan a new school./
[close shave] See: CLOSE CALL.
[closet] See: SKELETON IN THE CLOSET.
[close the books] {v. phr.} To stop taking orders; end a
bookkeeping period. * /The tickets were all sold, so the manager said
to close the books./ * /The department store closes its books on the
25th of each month./
[close the door] or [bar the door] or [shut the door] {v. phr.} To
prevent any more action or talk about a subject. * /The President's
veto closed the door to any new attempt to pass the bill./ * /Joan was
much hurt by what Mary said, and she closed the door on Mary's attempt
to apologize./ * /After John makes up his mind, he closes the door to
any more arguments./ Contrast: OPEN THE DOOR.
[close to home] {adv. phr.} Too near to someone's personal
feelings, wishes, or interests. * /When John made fun of Bob's way of
walking, he struck close to home./ * /When the preacher spoke about
prejudice, some people felt he had come too close to home./
[close-up] {n.} A photograph, motion picture, or video camera shot
taken at very close range. * /Directors of movies frequently show
close-ups of the main characters./
[close up shop] {v. phr.} 1. To shut a store at the end of a day's
business, also, to end a business. * /The grocer closes up shop at 5
o'clock./ * /After 15 years in business at the same spot, the garage
closed up shop./ 2. {informal} To stop some activity; finish what you
are doing. * /After camping out for two weeks, the scouts took down
their tents and closed up shop./ * /The committee finished its
business and closed up shop./ Compare: CALL IT A DAY.
[clothes] See: BEST BIB AND TUCKER or SUNDAY-GO-TO-MEETING CLOTHES.
[clothing] See: WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING.
[cloud] See: EVERY CLOUD HAS A SILVER LINING, IN THE CLOUDS, ON
CLOUD NINE, UNDER A CLOUD.
[clover] See: FOUR-LEAF CLOVER, IN CLOVER or IN THE CLOVER.
[club] See: CHRISTMAS CLUB.
[cluck and grunt] {n.}, {slang}, {avoid it in restaurants} The
familiar restaurant dish of ham and eggs; since ham is made of pork
(and pigs grunt) and eggs come from hens (which cluck.) * /"I am sorry
I can't fix you an elaborate meal, but I can give you a quick cluck
and grunt."/
[clutch] See: RIDE THE BRAKE.
[coal] See: CARRY COALS TO NEWCASTLE, HAUL OVER THE COALS or RAKE
OVER THE COALS, HEAP COALS OF FIRE ON ONE'S HEAD.
[coast is clear] No enemy or danger is in sight; there is no one to
see you. * /When the teacher had disappeared around the corner, John
said, "Come on, the coast is clear."/ * /The men knew when the night
watchman would pass. When he had gone, and the coast was clear, they
robbed the safe./ * /When Father stopped the car at the stop sign,
Mother said, "The coast is clear on this side."/
[coat tail] See: ON ONE'S COAT TAILS.
[cock] See: GO OFF HALF-COCKED also GO OFF AT HALF COCK.
[cock-and-bull story] {n. phr.} An exaggerated or unbelievable
story. * /"Stop feeding me such cock-and-bull stories," the detective
said to the suspect./
[cockeyed] {adj.} Drunk; intoxicated. * /Frank has been drinking
all day and, when we met, he was so cockeyed he forgot his own
address./
[cocksure] {adj.} Overconfident; very sure. * /Paul was cocksure
that it wasn 't going to snow, but it snowed so much that we had to
dig our way out of the house./
[C.O.D.] {n. phr.} Abbreviation of "cash on delivery." * /If you
want to receive a piece of merchandise by mail and pay when you
receive it, you place a C.O.D. order./
[coffee break] {n.} A short recess or time out from work in which
to rest and drink coffee. * /The girls in the office take a coffee
break in the middle of the morning and the afternoon./
[coffee hour] {n.} A time for coffee or other refreshments after a
meeting; a time to meet people and have refreshments. * /After the
business meeting we had a coffee hour./ * /The Joneses had a coffee
hour so their visitor could meet their neighbors./
[coffee table] {n.} A low table used in a living room. * /There
were several magazines on the coffee table./
[coffin nail] {n.}, {slang} A cigarette. * /"I stopped smoking,"
Algernon said. "In fact, I haven't had a coffin nail in well over a
year."/
[cog] See: SLIP A COG or SLIP A GEAR.
[coin money] or [mint money] {v. phr.}, {informal} To make a lot of
money quickly; profit heavily; gain big profit. * /Fred coined money
with many cigarette vending machines and juke boxes./
[cold] See: BLOOD RUNS COLD, BLOW HOT AND COLD, CATCH COLD or TAKE
COLD, IN COLD BLOOD, OUT COLD, OUT IN THE COLD, PASS OUT(2),
STONE-COLD, STOP COLD, THROW COLD WATER ON.
[cold cash] or [hard cash] {n.} Money that is paid at the time of
purchase; real money; silver and bills. * /Mr. Jones bought a new car
and paid cold cash for it./ * * /Some stores sell things only for cold
cash./ Compare: CASH ON THE BARRELHEAD.
[cold comfort] {n.} Something that makes a person in trouble feel
very little better or even worse. * /When Tim lost the race, it was
cold comfort to him to hear that he could try again in two weeks./ *
/Mary spent her vacation sick in bed and Jane's letter about her trip
was cold comfort./
[cold feet] {n. phr.}, {informal} A loss of courage or nerve; a
failure or loss of confidence in yourself. * /Ralph was going to ask
Mary to dance with him but he got cold feet and didn't./
[cold fish] {n.}, {informal} A queer person; a person who is
unfriendly or does not mix with others. * /No one knows the new
doctor, he is a cold fish./ * /Nobody invites Eric to parties because
he is a cold fish./
[cold-shoulder] {v.}, {informal} To act towards a person; with
dislike or scorn; be unfriendly to. * /Fred cold-shouldered his old
friend when they passed on the street./ * /It is impolite and unkind
to cold-shoulder people./ Compare: BRUSH OFF(2), HIGH-HAT, LOOK DOWN
ONE'S NOSE AT.
[cold shoulder] {n.}, {informal} Unfriendly treatment of a person,
a showing of dislike for a person or of looking down on a person. -
Used in the cliches "give the cold shoulder" or "turn a cold shoulder
to" or "get the cold shoulder". * /When Bob asked Mary for a date she
gave him the cold shoulder./ * /The membership committee turned a cold
shoulder to Jim's request to join the club./
[cold snap] {n.} A short time of quick change from warm weather to
cold. * /The cold snap killed everything in the garden./
[cold turkey] {adv.}, {slang}, {informal} 1. Abruptly and without
medical aid to withdraw from the use of an addictive drug or from a
serious drinking problem. * /Joe is a very brave guy; he kicked the
habit cold turkey./ 2. {n.} An instance of withdrawal from drugs,
alcohol, or cigarette smoking. * /Joe did a cold turkey./
[cold war] {n.} A struggle that is carried on by other means and
not by actual fighting; a war without shooting or bombing. * /After
World War II, a cold war began between Russia and the United States./
[collar] See: HOT UNDER THE COLLAR, ROMAN COLLAR, SAILOR COLLAR.
[collective farm] {n.} A large government-run farm made by
combining many small farms. * /The Russian farmers used to live on
collective farms./
[collector's item] {n.} Something rare or valuable enough to
collect or save. * /Jimmy's mother found an old wooden doll in the
attic that turned out to be a collector's item./
[College Boards] {n.} A set of examinations given to test a
student's readiness and ability for college. * /John got a high score
on his College Boards./ * /College Boards test both what a student has
learned and his ability to learn./
[color] See: CHANGE COLOR, GIVE COLOR TO or LEND COLOR TO, HAUL
DOWN ONE'S COLORS, HORSE OF A DIFFERENT COLOR, NAIL ONE'S COLORS TO
THE MAST, OFF-COLOR or OFF-COLORED, SAIL UNDER FALSE COLORS, SEE THE
COLOR OF ONE'S MONEY, SHOW ONE'S COLORS, WITH FLYING COLORS.
[color guard] {n.} A military guard of honor for the flag of a
country; also: a guard of honor to carry and protect a flag or banner
(as of a club). * /There were four Marines in the color guard in the
parade./ * /Bob was picked to be a color guard and to carry the banner
of the drum corps at the football game./
[color scheme] {n.} A plan for colors used together as decoration.
* /The color scheme for the dance was blue and silver./ * /Mary
decided on a pink and white color scheme for her room./
[comb] See: FINE-TOOTH COMB.
[come] See: CHICKENS COME HOME TO ROOST, CROSS A BRIDGE BEFORE ONE
COMES TO IT, EASY COME - EASY GO, FIRST COME - FIRST SERVED, GET
WHAT'S COMING TO ONE, HAVE IT COMING, HOW COME also HOW'S COME, IF
WORST COMES TO WORST, JOHNNY-COME-LATELY, KNOW ENOUGH TO COME IN OUT
OF THE RAIN, KNOW IF ONE IS COMING OR GOING, LOOK AS IF ONE HAS COME
OUT OF A BANDBOX, SHIP COME IN.
[come about] {v.} To take place; happen, occur. * /Sometimes it is
hard to tell how a quarrel comes about./ * /When John woke up he was
in the hospital, but he didn't know how that had come about./
[come a cropper] 1. To fall off your horse. * /John's horse
stumbled, and John came a cropper./ 2. To fail. * /Mr. Brown did not
have enough money to put into his business and it soon came a
cropper./ Compare: RIDING FOR A FALL.
[come across] {v.} 1. or [run across] To find or meet by chance. *
/He came across a dollar bill in the suit he was sending to the
cleaner./ * /The other day I ran across a book that you might like./ *
/I came across George at a party last week; it was the first time I
had seen him in months./ Compare: COME ON(3), RUN INTO(3b). 2. To give
or do what is asked. * /The robber told the woman to come across with
her purse./ * /For hours the police questioned the man suspected of
kidnapping the child, and finally he came across with the story./
[come again] {v.}, {informal} Please repeat; please say that again.
- Usually used as a command. * /"Harry has just come into a fortune,"
my wife said. "Come again? " I asked her, not believing it./ * /"Come
again," said the hard-of-hearing man./
[come alive] or [come to life] {v.} 1. {informal} To become alert
or attentive; wake up and look alive; become active. * /When Mr.
Simmons mentioned money, the boys came alive./ * /Bob pushed the
starter button, and the engine came alive with a roar./ 2. To look
real; take on a bright, natural look. * /Under skillful lighting, the
scene came alive./ * /The President came alive in the picture as the
artist worked./
[come along] {v.} To make progress; improve; succeed. * /He was
coming along well after the operation./ * /Rose is coming right along
on the piano./
[come a long way] {v. phr.} To show much improvement; make great
progress. * /The school has come a long way since its beginnings./ *
/Little Jane has come a long way since she broke her leg./
[come apart at the seams] {v. phr.}, {slang}, {informal} To become
upset to the point where one loses self-control and composure as if
having suffered a sudden nervous breakdown. * /After his divorce Joe
seemed to be coming apart at the seams./
[come around] See: COME ROUND.
[come at] {v.} 1. To approach; come to or against; advance toward.
* /The young boxer came at the champion cautiously./ 2. To understand
(a word or idea) or master (a skill); succeed with. * /The sense of an
unfamiliar word is hard to come at./
[come back] {v.}, {informal} 1. To reply; answer. * /The lawyer
came back sharply in defense of his client./ * /No matter how the
audience heckled him, the comedian always had an answer to come back
with./ 2. To get a former place or position back, reach again a place
which you have lost. * /After a year off to have her baby, the singer
came back to even greater fame./ * /It is hard for a retired prize
fighter to come hack and beat a younger man./
[comeback] {n.}, {v. phr.}, {slang}, {citizen's band radio jargon}
A return call. * /Thanks for your comeback./
[come back to earth] or [come down to earth] {v. phr.} To return to
the real world; stop imagining or dreaming; think and behave as usual.
* /After Jane met the movie star it was hard for her to come back to
earth./ * /Bill was sitting and daydreaming so his mother told him to
come down to earth and to do his homework./ Compare: COME TO ONE'S
SENSES, DOWN-TO-EARTH. Contrast: IN THE CLOUDS.
[come between] {v.} To part; divide; separate. * /John's
mother-in-law came to live in his home, and as time passed she came
between him and his wife./ * /Bill's hot rod came between him and his
studies, and his grades went down./
[come by] {v.} To get; obtain; acquire. * /A good job like that is
hard to come by./ * /Money easily come by is often easily spent./ *
/How did she come by that money?/
[come by honestly] {v. phr.}, {informal} To inherit (a
characteristic) from your parents. * /Joe comes by his hot temper
honestly; his father is the same way./
[come clean] {v. phr.}, {slang} To tell all; tell the whole story;
confess. * /The boy suspected of stealing the watch came clean after
long questioning./
[comedown] {n.} Disappointment; embarrassment; failure. * /It was
quite a comedown for Al when the girl he took for granted refused his
marriage proposal./
[come down] {v.} 1. To reduce itself; amount to no more than. -
Followed by "to". * /The quarrel finally came down to a question of
which boy would do the dishes./ Syn.: BOIL DOWN(3). 2. To be handed
down or passed along, descend from parent to child; pass from older
generation to younger ones. * /Mary's necklace had come down to her
from her grandmother./
[come down hard on] {v.}, {informal} 1. To scold or punish
strongly. * /The principal came down hard on the boys for breaking the
window./ 2. To oppose strongly. * /The minister in his sermon came
down hard on drinking./
[come down in the world] {v. phr.} To lose a place of respect or
honor, become lower (as in rank or fortune). * /The stranger plainly
had come down a long way in the world./ Compare: DOWN ON ONE'S LUCK.
[come down off one's high horse] {v. phr.} To become less arrogant;
to assume a more modest disposition. * /The boastful candidate for
Congress quickly came down off his high horse when he was soundly
beaten by his opponent./
[come down on like a ton of bricks] {v. phr.}, {slang} To direct
one's full anger at somebody. * /When the janitor was late for work,
the manager came down on him like a ton of bricks./
[come down to earth] See: COME BACK TO EARTH.
[come down with] {v.}, {informal} To become sick with; catch. * /We
all came down with the mumps./ * /After being out in the rain, George
came down with a cold./
[come from far and wide] {v. phr.} To originate or hail from many
different places. * /The students at this university come from far and
wide and speak many languages./
[come full circle] {v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To become totally
opposed to one's own earlier conviction on a given subject. * /Today's
conservative businessperson has come full circle from former radical
student days./ 2. To change and develop, only to end up where one
started. * /From modern permissiveness, ideas about child raising have
come full circle to the views of our grandparents./
[come hell or high water] {adv. phr.}, {informal} No matter what
happens; whatever may come. * /Grandfather said he would go to the
fair, come hell or high water./ Compare: COME WHAT MAY, THROUGH THE
MILL.
[come home to roost] See: CHICKENS COME HOME TO ROOST.
[come in] {v.} 1. To finish in a sports contest or other
competition. * /He came in second in the hundred-yard dash./ 2. To
become the fashion; begin to be used. * /Swimming trunks for men came
in after World War I; before that men used full swim suits./
[come in for] {v.} To receive. * /He came in for a small fortune
when his uncle died./ * /His conduct came in for much criticism./
[come in handy] {v. phr.}, {informal} To prove useful. * /Robinson
Crusoe found tools in the ship which came in handy when he built a
house./ * /The French he learned in high school came in handy when he
was in the army in France./
[come into] {v.} To receive, especially after another's death; get
possession of. * /He came into a lot of money when his father died./ *
/He came into possession of the farm after his uncle died./
[come into one's own] {v. phr.} To receive the wealth or respect
that you should have. * /John's grandfather died and left him a
million dollars; when John is 21, he will come into his own./ * /With
the success of the Model T Ford, the automobile industry came into its
own./
[came natural] See: COME EASY.
[come of] {v.} 1. To result from. * /After all the energy we spent
on that advertising campaign, absolutely nothing came of it./ 2. To
become of; happen to. * /"Whatever became of your son, Peter?"/
[come of age] See: OF AGE.
[come off] {v.} 1. To take place; happen. * /The picnic came off at
last, after being twice postponed./ 2. {informal} To do well; succeed.
* /The attempt to bring the quarreling couple together again came off,
to people's astonishment./
[come off it] also [get off it] {v. phr.}, {slang} Stop pretending;
bragging, or kidding; stop being silly. - Used as a command. * /"So I
said to the duchess..." Jimmy began. "Oh, come off it," the other boys
sneered./ * /Fritz said he had a car of his own. "Oh, come off it,"
said John. "You can't even drive."/
[come off] or [through with flying colors] {v. phr.} To succeed;
triumph. * /John came off with flying colors in his final exams at
college./
[come off second best] {v. phr.} To not win first but only second,
third, etc. place. * /Our home team came off second best against the
visitors./ * /Sue complains that she always comes off second best when
she has a disagreement with her husband./
[come on] {v.} 1. To begin; appear. * /Rain came on toward
morning./ * /He felt a cold coming on./ 2. To grow or do well; thrive.
* /The wheat was coming on./ * /His business came on splendidly./ 3.
or [come upon]. To meet accidentally; encounter; find. * /He came on
an old friend that day when he visited his club./ * /He came upon an
interesting idea in reading about the French Revolution./ Syn.: COME
ACROSS, HAPPEN ON. 4. {informal} Let's get started; let's get going;
don't delay; don't wait. - Used as a command. * /"Come on, or we'll he
late," said Joe, but Lou still waited./ 5. {informal} Please do it! -
Used in begging someone to do something. * /Sing us just one song,
Jane, come on!/ * /Come on, Laura, you can tell me. I won't tell
anybody./
[come-on] {n.}, {slang} An attractive offer made to a naive person
under false pretenses in order to gain monetary or other advantage. *
/Joe uses a highly successful come-on when he sells vacant lots on
Grand Bahama Island./
[come one's way] {v. phr.} To be experienced by someone; happen to
you. * /Tom said that if the chance to become a sailor ever came his
way, he would take it./ * /I hope bad luck isn't coming our way./ *
/Luck came Bill's way today and he hit a home run./ Compare: GO ONE'S
WAY, IN ONE'S FAVOR.
[come on strong] {v. phr.}, {slang} To overwhelm a weaker person
with excessively strong language, personality, or mannerisms; to
insist extremely strongly and claim something with unusual vigor. *
/Joe came on very strong last night about the War in Indochina; most
of us felt embarrassed./
[come out] {v.} 1. {Of a girl:} To be formally introduced to polite
society at about age eighteen, usually at a party; begin to go to big
parties, * /In society, girls come out when they reach the age of
about eighteen, and usually it is at a big party in their honor; after
that they are looked on as adults./ 2. To be published. * /The book
came out two weeks ago./ 3. To become publicly known. * /The truth
finally came out at his trial./ 4, To end; result; finish. * /How did
the story come out?/ * /The game came out as we had hoped./ * /The
snapshots came out well./ 5. To announce support or opposition;
declare yourself (for or against a person or thing). * /The party
leaders came out for an acceptable candidate./ * /Many Congressmen
came out against the bill./ 6. See: GO OUT FOR.
[coming-out] {adj.} Introducing a girl to polite society. * /Mary's
parents gave her a coming-out party when she was 17./
[come out for] {v. phr.} To support; declare oneself in favor of
another, especially during a political election. * /Candidates for the
presidency of the United States are anxious for the major newspapers
to come out for them./
[come out in the open] {v. phr.} 1. To reveal one's true identity
or intentions. * /Fred finally came out in the open and admitted that
he was gay./ 2. To declare one's position openly. * /The conservative
Democratic candidate came out in the open and declared that he would
join the Republican party./
[come out with] {v. phr.} 1. To make a public announcement of; make
known. * /He came out with a clear declaration of his principles./ 2.
To say. * /He comes out with the funniest remarks you can imagine./
[come over] {v.} To take control of; cause sudden strong feeling
in; happen to. * /A sudden fit of anger came over him./ * /A great
tenderness came over her./ * /What has come over him?/
[come round] or [come around] {v.} 1. To happen or appear again and
again in regular order. * /And so Saturday night came around again./ *
/I will tell him when he comes round again./ 2. {informal} To get back
health or knowledge of things; get well from sickness or a faint./ *
/Someone brought out smelling salts and Mary soon came round./ * /Jim
has come around after having had stomach ulcers./ 3. To change
direction, * /The wind has come round to the south./ 4. {informal} To
change your opinion or purpose to agree with another's. * /Tom came
round when Dick told him the whole story./
[come through] {v.}, {informal} To be equal to a demand; meet
trouble or a sudden need with success; satisfy a need. * /When the
baseball team needed a hit, Willie came through with a double./ *
/John needed money for college and his father came through./
[come to] {v.} (stress on "to") 1. To wake up after losing
consciousness; get the use of your senses back again after fainting or
being knocked out. * /She fainted in the store and found herself in
the first aid room when she came to./ * /The boxer who was knocked out
did not come to for five minutes./ * /The doctor gave her a pill and
after she took it she didn't come to for two days./ Compare: BRING TO.
2. (stress on "come") To get enough familiarity or understanding to;
learn to; grow to. - Used with an infinitive. * /John was selfish at
first, but he came to realize that other people counted, too./ *
/During her years at the school, Mary came to know that road well./ 3.
To result in or change to; reach the point of; arrive at. * /Mr. Smith
lived to see his invention come to success./ * /Grandfather doesn't
like the way young people act today; he says, "I don't know what the
world is coming to."/ 4. To have something to do with; be in the field
of; be about. - Usually used in the phrase "when it comes to". * /Joe
is not good in sports, but when it comes to arithmetic he's the best
in the class./ * /The school has very good teachers, but when it comes
to buildings, the school is poor./
[come to a dead end] {v. phr.} To reach a point from which one
cannot proceed further, either because of a physical obstacle or
because of some forbidding circumstance. * /Our car came to a dead
end; the only way to get out was to drive back in reverse./ * /The
factory expansion project came to a dead end because of a lack of
funds./
[come to blows] {v. phr.} To begin to fight. * /The two quarreling
boys came to blows after school./ * /The two countries came to blows
because one wanted to be independent from the other./
[come to grief] {v. phr.} To have a bad accident or disappointment;
meet trouble or ruin; end badly; wreck; fail. * /Bill came to grief
learning to drive a car./ * /Nick's hopes for a new house came to
grief when the house he was building burned down./ * /The fishing boat
came to grief off Cape Cod./
[come to grips with] {v. phr.} 1. To get hold of (another wrestler)
in close fighting. * /After circling around for a minute, the two
wrestlers came to grips with each other./ 2. To struggle seriously
with (an idea or problem). * /Mr. Blake's leaching helps students come
to grips with the important ideas in the history lesson./ * /Harry
cannot be a leader, because he never quite comes to grips with a
problem./ Compare: COME TO TERMS(2).
[come to hand] {v. phr.} To be received or obtained. * /Father's
letter was mailed from Florida last week and came to hand today./ *
/The new books came to hand today./ * /New information about the boy's
disappearance came to hand yesterday./
[come to heel] See: TO HEEL.
[come to life] See: COME ALIVE.
[come to light] {v. phr.} To be discovered; become known; appear. *
/John's thefts from the bank where he worked came to light when the
bank examiners made an inspection./ * /When the old woman died it came
to light that she was actually rich./ * /New facts about ancient Egypt
have recently come to light./ Compare: BRING TO LIGHT.
[come to mind] {v. phr.} To occur to someone. * /A new idea for the
advertising campaign came to mind as I was reading your book./
[come to nothing] also {formal} [come to naught] {v. phr.} To end
in failure; fail; be in vain. * /The dog's attempts to climb the tree
after the cat came to nothing./
[come to one's senses] {v. phr.} 1. Become conscious again; wake
up. * /The boxer was knocked out and did not come to his senses for
several minutes./ * /The doctors gave Tom an anesthetic before his
operation; then the doctor took out Tom's appendix before he came to
his senses./ Compare: COME TO(1). 2. To think clearly; behave as usual
or as you should; act sensibly. * /A boy threw a snowball at me and
before I could come to my senses he ran away./ * /Don't act so
foolishly. Come to your senses!/ Contrast: OUT OF ONE'S HEAD.
[come to pass] {v. phr.}, {literary} To happen; occur. * /Strange
things come to pass in troubled times./ * /It came to pass that the
jailer visited him by night./ * /His hopes of success did not come to
pass./ Compare: BRING TO PASS, COME ABOUT.
[come to terms] {v. phr.} To reach an agreement. * /Management and
the labor union came to terms about a new arrangement and a strike was
prevented./
[come to the point] or [get to the point] {v. phr.} To talk about
the important thing; reach the important facts of the matter; reach
the central question or fact. * /Henry was giving a lot of history and
explanation, but his father asked him to come to the point./ * /A good
newspaper story must come right to the point and save the details for
later./ Contrast: BEAT ABOUT THE BUSH.
[come to think of it] {v. phr.}, {informal} As I think again;
indeed; really. * /Come to think of it, he has already been given what
he needs./ * /Come to think of it, I should write my daughter today./
[come true] {v.} To really happen; change from a dream or a plan
into a fact. * /It took years of planning and saving, but their
seagoing vacation came true at last./ * /It was a dream come true when
he met the President./ * /His hope of living to 100 did not come
true./
[come up] {v.} 1. To become a subject for discussion or decision to
talk about or decide about. * /"He was a good salesman, and price
never came up until the very last," Mary said./ * /The question of
wage increases came up at the board meeting./ * /Mayor Jones comes up
for reelection this fall./ 2. To be equal; match in value. - Used with
"to". * /The new model car comes up to last year's./ 3. To approach;
come close. * /We saw a big black bear coming up on us from the
woods./ * /Christmas is coming up soon./ * /The team was out
practicing for the big game coming up./ 4. To provide; supply;
furnish. - Used with "with". * /For years Jones kept coming up with
new and good ideas./ * /The teacher asked a difficult question, but
finally Ted came up with a good answer./
[come up in the world] or [rise in the world] {v. phr.} To gain
success, wealth, or importance in life; rise to a position of greater
wealth or importance. * /He had come up in the world since he peddled
his wife's baked goods from a pushcart./ Compare: GET AHEAD. Contrast:
COME DOWN IN THE WORLD.
[come up smelling like a rose] {v. phr.} To escape from a difficult
situation or misdeed unscathed or without punishment. * /A is
predicted that Congressman Brown, in spite of the current
investigation into his financial affairs, will come up smelling like a
rose at the end./
[come up to] {v. phr.} To equal. * /The meals cooked in most
restaurants do not come up to those prepared at home./
[come up with] {v. phr.} 1. To offer. * /We can always depend on
John Smith to come up with a good solution for any problem we might
have./ 2. To produce on demand. * /I won't be able to buy this car,
because I cannot come up with the down payment you require./ 3. To
find. * /How on earth did you come up with such a brilliant idea?/
[come upon] See: COME ON(3).
[come what may] {adv. phr.} Even if troubles come; no matter what
happens; in spite of opposition or mischance. * /Charles has decided
to get a college education, come what may./ * /The editor says we will
publish the school paper this week, come what may./
[comfort] See: COLD COMFORT.
[comfortable as an old shoe] {adj. phr.}, {informal} Pleasant and
relaxed; not stiff, strict or too polite; easy to talk and work with.
* /The stranger was as comfortable as an old shoe, and we soon were
talking like old friends./
[coming and going] or [going and coming] {adv. phr.} 1. Both ways;
in both directions. * /The truck driver stops at the same cafe coming
and going./ * /John was late. He got punished both going and coming;
his teacher punished him and his parents punished him./ 2. Caught or
helpless; in your power; left with no way out of a difficulty. - Used
after "have". * /If Beth stayed in the house, Mother would make her
help with the cleaning; if she went outside, Father would make her
help wash the car - they had her coming and going./ * /Uncle Mike is a
good checker player, and he soon had me beat coming and going./
Compare: BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA.
[coming out] See: COME OUT(1).
[coming out party] {n. phr.} A debutante party in which a young
girl is formally introduced to society. * /Coming out parties used to
be more popular in the early twentieth century than nowadays,
primarily because they cost a lot of money./
[comings and goings] {n. pl.}, {informal} 1. Times of arriving and
going away; movements. * /I can't keep up with the children's comings
and goings./ 2. Activities; doings; business. * /Mary knows all the
comings and goings in the neighborhood./
[command module] {n.}, {Space English} 1. One of the three main
sections of the basic Apollo spacecraft. It weighs six tons and is
cone shaped. It contains crew compartments and from it the astronauts
can operate the lunar module (LM), the docking systems, etc. 2.
{Informal transferred sense.} The cockpit, the chief place where a
person does his most important work. * /My desk is my command module./
[commission] See: IN COMMISSION or INTO COMMISSION, OUT OF
COMMISSION.
[common] See: IN COMMON.
[common as an old shoe] {adj. phr.}, {informal} Not showing off;
not vain; modest; friendly to all. * /Although Mr. Jones ran a large
business, he was common as an old shoe./ * /The most famous people are
sometimes as common as an old shoe./
[common ground] {n.} Shared beliefs, interests, or ways of
understanding; ways in which people are alike. * /Bob and Frank don't
like each other because they have no common ground./ * /The only
common ground between us is that we went to the same school./ Compare:
IN COMMON.
[common touch] {n.} The ability to be a friend of the people;
friendly manner with everyone. * /Voters like a candidate who has the
common touch./
[company] See: KEEP COMPANY, PART COMPANY.
[company man] {n.}, {informal} A worker who always agrees with
management rather than labor. - Usually used to express dislike or
disapproval. * /Joe was a company man and refused to take a part in
the strike./ Compare: YES-MAN.
[compare notes] {v. phr.}, {informal} To exchange thoughts or ideas
about something; discuss together. * /Mother and Mrs. Barker like to
compare notes about cooking./
[compliment] See: RETURN THE COMPLIMENT.
[conclusion] See: JUMP TO A CONCLUSION.
[condition] See: IN SHAPE or IN CONDITION, IN THE PINK or IN THE
PINK OF CONDITION, ON CONDITION THAT, OUT OF SHAPE or OUT OF
CONDITION.
[conference] See: PRESS CONFERENCE.
[congregate housing] {n.}, {informal} A form of housing for elderly
persons in which dining facilities and services are shared in multiple
dwelling units. * /Jerry put Grandma in a place where they have
congregate housing./
[conk out] {v. phr.}, {slang}, {informal} To fall asleep suddenly
with great fatigue or after having drunk too much. * /We conked out
right after the guests had left./
[consent] See: SILENCE GIVES CONSENT.
[consequence] See: IN CONSEQUENCE, IN CONSEQUENCE OF.
[consideration] See: IN CONSIDERATION OF.
[consumer goods] or [consumer items] {n.} Food and manufactured
things that people buy for their own use. * /In time of war, the
supply of consumer goods is greatly reduced./
[content] See: TO ONE'S HEART'S CONTENT.
[contention] See: BONE OF CONTENTION.
[contrary] See: ON THE CONTRARY, TO THE CONTRARY.
[control room] {n.} A room containing the panels and switches used
to control something (like a TV broadcast). * /While a television
program is on the air, engineers are at their places in the control
room./
[control tower] {n.} A tower with large windows and a good view of
an airport so that the traffic of airplanes can be seen and
controlled, usually by radio. * /We could see the lights at the
control tower as our plane landed during the night./
[conversation] See: MAKE CONVERSATION.
[conversation piece] {n.} Something that interests people and makes
them talk about it; something that looks unusual, comical, or strange.
* /Uncle Fred has a glass monkey on top of his piano that he keeps for
a conversation piece./
[conviction] See: HAVE THE COURAGE OF ONE'S CONVICTIONS.
[cook] See: SHORT-ORDER COOK, WHAT'S UP or WHAT'S COOKING.
[cook one's goose] {v. phr.}, {slang} To ruin someone hopelessly;
destroy one's future expectations or good name. * /The bank treasurer
cooked his own goose when he stole the bank's funds./ * /She cooked
John's goose by reporting what she knew to the police./ * /The
dishonest official knew his goose was cooked when the newspapers
printed the story about him./
[cook up] {v.}, {informal} To plan and put together; make up;
invent. * /The boys cooked up an excuse to explain their absence from
school./
[cool] See: PLOW ONE'S COOL.
[cool as a cucumber] {adj. phr.}, {informal} Very calm and brave;
not nervous, worried, or anxious; not excited; composed. * /Bill is a
good football quarterback, always cool as a cucumber./
[cool customer] {n.} Someone who is calm and in total control of
himself; someone showing little emotion. * /Jim never gets too excited
about anything; he is a cool customer./
[cool down] or [cool off] {v.} To lose or cause to lose the heat of
any deep feeling (as love, enthusiasm, or anger); make or become calm,
cooled or indifferent; lose interest. * /A heated argument can be
settled better if both sides cool down first./ * /John was deeply in
love with Sally before he left for college, but he cooled off before
he got back./ * /Their friendship cooled off when Jack gave up
football./ * /The neighbor's complaint about the noise cooled the
argument down./
[cool one's heels] {v. phr.}, {slang} To be kept waiting by
another's pride or rudeness; be forced to wait by someone in power or
authority; wait. * /He cooled his heels for an hour in another room
before the great man would see him./ * /I was left to cool my heels
outside while the others went into the office./
[coon's age] See: DOG'S AGE.
[coop] See: FLY THE COOP.
[coop up] {v. phr.} To hedge in; confine; enclose in a small place.
* /How can poor Jane work in that small office, cooped up all day
long?/
[cop a feel] {v. phr.}, {vulgar}, {avoidable} To attempt to arouse
sexually by manual contact, usually by surprise. * /John talks big for
a 16 year old, but all he's ever done is cop a feel in a dark movie
theater./ Compare: FEEL UP. Contrast: COP A PLEA.
[cop a plea] {v. phr.}, {slang}, {colloquial} To plead guilty
during a trial in the hope of getting a lighter sentence as a result.
* /The murderer of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., copped a plea of
guilty, and got away with a life sentence instead of the death
penalty./
[cop out] {v. phr.}, {slang}, {informal} To avoid committing
oneself in a situation where doing so would result in difficulties. *
/Nixon copped out on the American people with Watergate./
[cop-out] {n. phr.}, {slang}, {informal} An irresponsible excuse
made to avoid something one has to do, a flimsy pretext. * /Cowe on,
Jim, that's a cheap cop-out, and I don't believe a word of it!/
[copy cat] n. Someone who copies another person's work or manner. -
Usually used by children or when speaking to children. * /He called me
a copy cat just because my new shoes look like his./
[corn ball] {n.}, {slang}, {informal} 1. A superficially
sentimental movie or musical in which the word "love" is mentioned too
often; a theatrical performance that is trivially sentimental. * /That
movie last night was a corn hall./ 2. A person who behaves in a
superficially sentimental manner or likes performances portraying such
behavior. * /Suzie can't stand Joe; she thinks he's a corn ball./
[corn belt] {n.} 1. The Midwest; the agricultural section of the
United States where much corn is grown. * /Kansas is one of the slates
that lies within the corn belt./
[corner] See: AROUND THE CORNER, CUT CORNERS, FOUR CORNERS, OUT OF
THE CORNER OF ONE'S EYE.
[cost a bomb] or [an arm and a leg] {v. phr.} To be extremely
expensive. * /My new house has cost us an arm and a leg and we're
almost broke./
[cotton] See: ON TOP OF THE WORLD also SITTING ON HIGH COTTON.
[cotton picking], [cotton-pickin'] {adj.}, {slang}, {colloquial}
Worthless, crude, common, messy. * /Keep your cotton picking hands off
my flowers!/ * /You've got to clean up your room, son, this is a
cotton-pickin' mess!/
[couch case] {n.}, {slang}, {informal} A person judged emotionally
so disturbed that people think he ought to see a psychiatrist (who,
habitually, make their patients lie down on a couch). * /Joe's divorce
messed him up so badly that he became a couch case./
[couch doctor] {n.}, {slang}, {colloquial} A psychoanalyst who puts
his patients on a couch following the practice established by Sigmund
Freud. * /I didn't know your husband was a couch doctor, I thought he
was a gynecologist!/
[couch potato] {n.} A person who is addicted to watching television
all day. * /Poor Ted has become such a couch potato that we can't
persuade him to do anything./
[cough up] {v.}, {slang} 1. To give (money) unwillingly; pay with
an effort. * /Her husband coughed up the money for the party with a
good deal of grumbling./ 2. To tell what was secret; make known. * /He
coughed up the whole story for the police./
[couldn't care less] {v. phr.}, {informal} To be indifferent; not
care at all. * /The students couldn't care less about the band; they
talk all through the concert./ Also heard increasingly as "could care
less" (nonstandard in this form.)
[counsel] See: KEEP ONE'S OWN COUNSEL.
[count] See: STAND UP AND BE COUNTED.
[countdown] {n.}. {Space English}, {informal} 1. A step-by-step
process which leads to the launching of a rocket. * /Countdown starts
at 23:00 hours tomorrow night and continues for 24 hours./ 2. Process
of counting inversely during the acts leading to a launch; liftoff
occurs at zero. 3. The time immediately preceding an important
undertaking, borrowed from Space English. * /We're leaving for Hawaii
tomorrow afternoon; this is countdown time for us./
[counter] See: UNDER THE COUNTER.
[count heads] or [count noses] {v. phr.}, {informal} To count the
number of people in a group. * /On the class picnic, we counted heads
before we left and when we arrived to be sure that no one got lost./ *
/The usher was told to look out into the audience and count noses./
[count off] {v.} 1. To count aloud from one end of a line of men to
the other, each man counting in turn. * /The soldiers counted off from
right to left./ 2. To place into a separate group or groups by
counting. * /The coach counted off three boys to carry in the
equipment./ * /Tom counted off enough newspapers for his route./
[count on] {v.} 1. To depend on; rely on; trust. * /The team was
counting on Joe to win the race./ * /I'll do it; you know you can
count on me./ * /The company was counting on Brown's making the right
decision./ Syn.: BANK ON. 2. See: FIGURE ON(2).
[count one's chickens before they're hatched] {v. phr.}, {informal}
To depend on getting a profit or gain before you have it; make plans
that suppose something will happen; be too sure that something will
happen. Usually used in negative sentences. * /When Jim said that he
would be made captain of the team, John told him not to count his
chickens before they were hatched./ * /Maybe some of your customers
won't pay, and then where will you be? Don't count your chickens
before they're hatched./
[count out] {v.} 1. To leave (someone) out of a plan; not expect
(someone) to share in an activity; exclude. * /"Will this party cost
anything? If it does, count me out, because I'm broke."/ * /When the