calculated risk
- an action that may fail but has a good chance to succeed
The company took a calculated risk when they opened a new store in a very quiet area.





call a meeting
- to request that a meeting be held
The board of directors will call a meeting for next week.


call a meeting to order
- to officially start a meeting
The president called the meeting to order at 70 PM.


call a spade a spade
- to speak bluntly
The supervisor called a spade a spade when he criticized the employee for being lazy.


call for (someone)
- to come and get someone
"Could you please come and call for me before you go to the game."


call for (someone or something)
- to require something, to need the services of someone
Our problems with the toilet call for a good plumber.


call it a day/night
- to quit work and go home
I called it a day and decided to go home early.


call it quits
- to stop, to finish
I called it quits and went home for the day.


call of nature
- the need to go to the toilet
The driver stopped his truck to answer the call of nature.


call off (something)
- to cancel something
The game was called off because of the rain.
call on (someone)
- to visit someone
I plan to call on my brother during my holidays.
call on (someone)
- to ask someone to participate in something or contribute something
The teacher called on me three times to answer questions in the class.


call out to (someone)
- to shout to someone
We called out to our friend at the concert but she did not hear us.


call (someone) in
- to ask someone for help, to call for special advice
We called in a special doctor to look at the patient.


call (someone or something) into question
- to dispute or cast doubt upon someone or something
The lawyer called the man's statement about his neighbor into question.


call (someone) names
- to call a person unpleasant names
The children began to call the new student names.


call (someone) on the carpet
- to call someone before an authority to be scolded or reprimanded
The salesman was called on the carpet by his boss for losing the big sale.


call (someone`s) bluff
- to challenge someone to prove that what they are saying is true
I decided to call the man's bluff and I asked him to show me the evidence.


call (something) in
- to collect something for payment, to withdraw something from circulation
The bank decided to call in the business loan.


call the shots
- to be in charge, to give orders
The vice-president is now calling the shots and is in control of the company.


call up (someone)
- to telephone someone
My friend said that he will call up his parents tomorrow night.
.



calm down
- to relax
The woman finally calmed down after the accident.
cancel (something) out
- to destroy the effect of something
The overeating by the girl cancelled out the benefits of her exercise.
can of worms
- a complicated situation or problem
The lawsuit opened up a can of worms for the company.


can't do anything with (someone or something)
- to be unable to manage or control someone or something
My sister is always complaining that she can't do anything with her daughter.


can`t see the forest for the trees
- to be unable to understand the whole picture of something because you are only looking at small parts of it
He has no understanding of most problems because he can't see the forest for the trees.


can't stand/stomach (someone or something)
- to dislike someone or something very much
My uncle cannot stand his daughter's boyfriend.


card up one`s sleeve
- a plan or argument that is kept back to be used later if needed
I think that our boss has a card up his sleeve and he will be able to help us later.


cards are stacked against (someone)
- luck is against someone
The cards have been stacked against the young boy since he was born.


(in) care of (someone)
- (send something) to one person at the address of another person
I sent the parcel to my sister in care of her friend at the university.
carrot and stick
- a reward or a threat of punishment at the same time
The trade negotiators took a carrot-and-stick approach to the automobile talks.
carried away
- to lose one's control or judgement due to strong feelings
I got carried away and yelled at my friend for losing my textbook.





carry a lot of weight with (someone or something)
- to be very influential with someone or a group of people
The man's education and experience carry a lot of weight in the university.


carry coals to Newcastle
- to bring something of which there is plenty, to duplicate something (Newcastle is a town in England where there is a lot of coal)
Bringing extra food to the farmer`s picnic was like bringing coals to Newcastle.


carry on
- to continue, to keep doing something as before
We were permitted to carry on with the party after we talked to the apartment manager.
carry (something) out
- to put something into action, to accomplish something
The move to the new headquarters was carried out with few problems.
carry over (something)
- to save for another time or location
The store will carry over the sale until next week.
carry the ball
- to be in charge of something
The vice-president was forced to carry the ball while the president was away.
carry the day
- to win or be successful
His fine performance in our company carried the day for us.
carry the torch
- to show loyalty to a cause or a person
The man has been carrying the torch for the candidate for a long time.


carry the weight of the world on one's shoulders
- to appear to be burdened by all the problems of the world
My aunt feels that she is working too hard and that she is carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders.


carry through with (something)
- to put a plan into action
The company carried through with its plan to open a new factory.
.



a case in point
- an example that proves something or helps to make something clear
What the man said is a case in point about what I have been saying all year.


a case of mistaken identity
- an incorrect identification of someone
It was a case of mistaken identity when the police arrested the wrong person.


cash-and-carry
- a system where you pay cash for some goods and then carry them away
The supermarkets in our city always operate on a cash-and-carry basis.


cash cow
- a good source of money
His new business is a cash cow and he is making much money.
cash in (something)
- to exchange something for money
We decided to cash in the coupons because we needed some money.
cash in on (something)
- to make a lot of money at something
The small city cashed in on their success after the winter Olympics.
cash on the barrelhead
- to pay cash to buy something
It was cash only at the store and we were forced to pay cash on the barrelhead for everything.





cast around/about for (someone or something)
- to look for someone or something
We have been casting around for a new file clerk in our company.


cast aspersions on (someone)
- to make insulting remarks about someone
The woman is always casting aspersions on her colleagues at work.


cast doubts on (someone or something)
- to cause someone or something to be doubted
The first witness at the trial cast doubts on the testimony of the main witness.


cast in the same mold
- to be very similar
The two sisters were cast in the same mold and were almost identical.


cast one's lot in with (someone)
- to join with someone and accept whatever happens
The woman cast her lot in with the company and worked hard to keep the business going.


cast one's vote
- to vote
We arrived early to cast our vote in the election.


cast pearls before swine
- to waste something valuable on someone who does not appreciate it
Giving the woman the gold earrings was like casting pearls before swine.
cast the first stone
- to be the first to blame someone
The man was the one to cast the first stone and now he is fighting with his neighbor.
.



castles in the air
- daydreams
My sister is always building castles in the air and is very unrealistic.
cat burglar
- a burglar who enters a building by climbing a wall etc.
Our stereo was stolen when a cat burglar entered our apartment.
cat gets one`s tongue
- the inability to say something
I think that the cat got our supervisor's tongue. She has not said anything since the meeting started.



catch-22
- a situation which contradicts itself, a paradoxical situation
It was a catch-22 situation and if I went to work there would be problems but if I did not go to work there would also be problems.
catch a cold
- to become sick with a cold
I caught a cold because of the rain and the cold weather.
catch-as-catch-can
- in any way possible
We are in the middle of moving house so our meals are catch-as-catch-can.


catch fire
- to begin to burn
We were very careful that the wooden house would not catch fire.


catch forty winks
- to get some sleep
I was very tired so I stopped my car in order to catch forty winks.


catch on
- to understand something, to learn about something
I was finally able to catch on and understand the math problem.
catch on
- to become popular
Recently ballroom dancing has begun to catch on with many people.
catch one`s breath
- to stop to rest and regain one`s normal breathing
After running from the station it took a moment to catch my breath.
catch (someone`s) eye
- to attract someone`s attention
I tried to catch my friend's eye but she did not notice me.


catch some Z's
- to get some sleep
I needed to catch some Z's after working hard all weekend.


catch sight of (someone or something)
- to see someone or something briefly
The police caught sight of the robber and began to chase him.


catch (someone) in the act of (doing something)
- to catch someone doing something illegal or private
The police caught the politician in the act of taking money from the business owner.


catch (someone) napping
- to find someone asleep, to find someone unprepared for something
The boss caught the employee napping and became very angry.


catch (someone) off balance
- to surprise someone who is not prepared
We were caught off balance when we discovered that our business license was no good.


catch (someone) off guard
- to catch a person at a time of carelessness
I was caught off guard when the teacher asked me about my homework.


catch (someone) red-handed
- to find someone in the middle of doing something wrong
The clerk caught the boy red-handed when he was stealing the candy.
catch up with (someone or something)
- to become even with someone (in a race or in schoolwork etc.)
I think that it is too late to catch up with the rest of the class now.


.



caught in the middle/cross fire
- to be caught between two opposing people or groups so it is difficult to remain neutral
I was caught in the middle when my friend and his girlfriend had a big fight.


caught short
- to not have enough of something (usually money) when you need it
I was caught short last month and could not pay my credit card bill.


caught unaware
- to be surprised and unprepared for something
Everybody was caught unaware by the sudden change in government policy.


cause a stir
- to cause people to become agitated and alarmed about something
The soccer player caused a stir when he began to criticize the referee.


cause eyebrows to raise
- to shock people
I caused eyebrows to raise when I decided not to accept the award from my company.


cause tongues to wag
- to give people something to gossip about
My sister caused tongues to wag when she came to the party without her husband.


cave in
- to weaken and be forced to give something up
The company caved in to the union`s demand for more money.


chalk (something) up to (something)
- to recognize something as the cause of something else
We were able to chalk our success up to our new boat.


chalk up (something)
- to record something
The stock prices of the company chalked up a big increase last week.


champ at the bit
- to be ready and anxious to do something
Everybody was champing at the bit to start writing the test.


chance (something)
- to risk doing something
We did not want to chance driving during the storm so we stayed home.


chance upon (someone or something)
- to find someone or something by chance
I chanced upon a very interesting book during my research.


change hands
- to be transferred from one person to another
The small business changed hands many times during the last several years.


change horses in midstream
- to make new plans or choose a new leader in the middle of an important activity
The company changed horses in midstream and totally changed their policy.


change of heart
- a change in the way one feels about something
The woman had a change of heart and decided to let her child go to the circus.


change of pace
- the addition of some variety to one's life
We decided to go to the lake for a change of pace and to get away from our busy schedules.


change of scenery
- a move to a different place where things are different
My sister and her husband have decided to move because they want a change of scenery.


change one`s mind
- to change one`s decision
My friend changed his mind and said that he would not go to the movie tonight.


change one`s tune
- to make a change in one`s story/statement/opinion/policy
Our supervisor has changed his tune recently and agrees that we need to do things differently.


change the subject
- to begin talking about something different
I tried to change the subject when my friend began to talk about the money that I owed him.


in charge of something
- to be responsible for an activity or group of people
Our teacher is in charge of selling tickets for the school dance.


cheat on (someone)
- to be unfaithful to someone
The man began cheating on his wife which was the cause of their divorce.


cheek by jowl
- side by side, in close intimacy
The fans entered the stadium cheek by jowl.


(have the) cheek to do something
- rudeness, impudence
The woman had the cheek to tell me that she was sick and could not come to work today.


cheer (someone) on
- to encourage someone who is trying to do something
Everybody came to the stadium to cheer on the home team.


cheer (someone) up
- to make a sad person happy
We took our friend to a nice restaurant to cheer her up.


chew out (someone)
- to scold someone roughly
The teacher chewed out the student for talking in class.


chew the fat
- to chat
The two men were chewing the fat in front of the house.


chicken feed
- a small amount of money
The man sold his car for chicken feed because he needed the money.


chicken out (of something)
- to stop doing something because of fear
I chickened out of jumping into the lake from the high diving board.


(one's) chickens have come home to roost
- one's words or acts come back to cause trouble for a person
Her chickens came home to roost and now she must take responsibility for what she did.


chilled to the bone
- very cold
I was chilled to the bone when I came in out of the rain.


chime in
- to join in a song or conversation
We were having a nice conversation until our friend chimed in and started complaining about everything.
chip in
- to contribute or pay jointly for something
We chipped in and bought our father a birthday present.
chip off the old block
- a person who looks or acts like one of his parents
The boy is a chip off the old block and acts exactly like his father.
chips are down
- the time when one faces the greatest obstacles
When the chips are down the boy goes to his father for advice and encouragement.


chisel (someone) out of (something)
- to cheat someone to get money
My friend tried to chisel his brother out of some money.


choke (someone) up
- to make someone cry or become overemotional and speechless
I became choked up when I heard the story of the boy's illness.


choke (something) off
- to force something to an end/stop
The government was able to choke off the flow of money to the criminal gang.


circle the wagons
- to set up a defense against an enemy
The management team began to circle the wagons as the accounting scandal became worse.


claim a life
- to take the life of someone
The accident on the freeway claimed the life of two people.


clam up
- to stop talking
The girl clammed up when her boyfriend entered the room.


clamp down on (someone or something)
- to become strict with someone or about something
The police plan to clamp down on drivers who drive too fast.


clean bill of health
- the assurance that an animal or person is healthy
The astronaut was given a clean bill of health before he began training.
clean slate
- a record that shows no bad behavior or other problems or past bad acts
The man started off with a clean slate after he lost his previous job.


clean up one's act
- to improve one's performance
The mayor will have to clean up his act if he wants to get elected again.



clear of (something)
- to be not touching something
We checked that the ladder was clear of the electrical wires before we painted the house.


clear out (of somewhere)
- to leave, to get out (usually quickly or abruptly)
We cleared out of the building as soon as our class was over.


clear out (something)
- to clean somewhere, to remove something
We cleared out the room before we could start painting.


clear sailing
- to be an easy situation
It was clear sailing when we finished work and began our journey.


clear (someone's) name
- to prove that someone is not guilty of something
The man tried very hard to clear his name regarding his past criminal activity.


clear the air
- to calm down and remove bad feelings
We had a big argument but now it is time to clear the air.
clear the decks
- to clear away things and prepare for action, to get out of the way
"Let`s clear the decks and get everyone out of the house so that we can begin work."


clear the table
- to remove the dishes and eating utensils from a table
After we finished eating we quickly cleared the table.


clear up (something)
- to solve or explain (a problem etc.)
We finally cleared up the problem that we were having with our computers.
.



cliffhanger
- a sports event/movie/election where the outcome is uncertain until the very end
The playoff game was a cliffhanger and the most exciting game of the year.
climb the wall
- to be so bored that you become anxious and frustrated
The woman began to climb the wall after only a few days at her new job.
clip joint
- a low-class business where people are cheated
The men went into a clip joint near the bus station and had to pay a lot of money.
clip (someone`s) wings
- to limit someone`s activities or possibilities
The company decided to clip the manager's wings and took away his expense account.


cloak-and-dagger
- involving secercy and plotting
The agents were involved in cloak-and-dagger diplomacy over the spy scandal.





close at hand
- to be within reach
The day that the new coach would be chosen was now close at hand.


close call/shave
- an accident that almost happens but does not happen
I had a close call this morning when the truck almost hit me.


close in on (someone or something)
- to overwhelm or surround someone or something
The soldiers quickly closed in on the enemy position.


close one's eyes to (something)
- to ignore something
The teacher closed her eyes to the misbehavior of the students.


close ranks
- to come together for fighting, to unite and work together
The political parties closed ranks and stopped arguing among themselves.


close the books (on someone or something)
- to put an end to something (like the books in accounting records)
The owners of the team closed the books on the idea of building a new stadium.


close to home
- to be near to someone`s personal feelings/wishes/interests
My statement about the woman's work habits hit close to home and she became very quiet.


close to (someone)
- to be fond of someone
The boy is very close to his grandfather.


.



cloud up
- to become cloudy
It began to cloud up and soon started raining.


clue (someone) in
- to inform someone about something
We tried to clue the principal in about why the students were absent.


the coast is clear
- no danger is in sight, no one can see you
When the coast is clear we will try to enter the building.


cock-and-bull story
- a story that is not true
The boys gave us a cock-and-bull story about the tire marks in front of our house.


cog in the machine
- a small and unimportant part of a large organization
The employees felt like they were only cogs in the machine so the atmosphere at the company was not very good.


cold comfort
- no comfort at all
The government offered money to the victims of the fire but it was cold comfort to those who had lost their families.


cold fish
- a distant and unfeeling person
The man was a cold fish and cared little about his family.


cold snap/spell
- a sudden short period of cold weather (usually in winter)
The cold snap lasted for five days.


cold turkey
- abruptly and without medical aid (to stop using heroin or other drugs)
The woman stopped using drugs cold turkey and became very sick.





come a cropper
- to fail
The man came a cropper in the chess tournament and that is why he is sad.


come a long way
- to make great progress
The manager has come a long way and has learned many things about his new company.


come about
- to happen
Everybody believes that the plans for the new community center will never come about.


come across (someone or something)
- to find something or meet someone by chance
I came across an interesting story in the newspaper last week.


Come again.
- Please repeat or say that again.
"Come again. I did not hear you the first time."


come alive
- to brighten up and become active
The girl finally came alive and began to enjoy the party.


come along
- to make progress, to thrive
The work on our new house is coming along very well.


come around
- to finally agree to something, to return to consciousness or wake up
My father finally came around and agreed to let me go to Germany to study.


come as no surprise
- to not be surprising
It came as no surprise when the government decided to have an election.


come away empty-handed
- to return without anything
Nobody came away empty-handed at the end of the birthday party.


come back
- to return to the place where you are now
My cousin came back from her holidays last week.


come back (into fashion)
- to become popular again
Recently bell-bottom pants have come back into fashion.


come back to (someone)
- to return to one`s memory
The strange events of last year are slowly coming back to me.


come between (two people)
- to disrupt the relationship between (two people)
The mother's constant interfering finally came between the man and his wife.


come by (something)
- to get/obtain/acquire something
My aunt came by a lot of money recently and is now enjoying her life.


come clean
- to tell the truth
The president of the company was forced to come clean and tell what really happened to the business.


a come-down
- a lowering in status/income/influence/energy
Her new job is a come-down from her last one and she is not very happy.


come down hard on (someone)
- to scold or punish someone severely
The police have been coming down hard on drunk drivers recently.


come down in the world
- to lose one's social position
My father came down in the world when he decided to change jobs.


come down to earth
- to stop imagining or dreaming
My friend has finally come down to earth and is seriously looking for a job.


come down to (something)
- to be reduced to something
The man's decision about the job came down to how it would affect his family.


come down with (something)
- to become sick with a cold etc.
My mother came down with a cold so was unable to attend the dinner.
come from (somewhere)
- to be a native of a place
Several of the new students come from Mexico.


come from far and wide
- to come from many different places
The people came from far and wide to hear the new band.


come from nowhere
- to come as a surprise and with no warning
The truck came from nowhere as we were driving along the road.


come full circle
- to be completely opposite from one`s starting point
The university has come full circle with its policy on foreign students.


come hell or high water
- no matter what happens
Come hell or high water I plan to go to the concert next week.


come home to (someone)
- to become apparent to someone
It suddenly came home to the young family that their house had been destroyed in the fire.


come in handy
- to be useful or convenient
I think that the small hammer will come in handy to fix the desk.


come into (some money)
- to get possession of some money, to inherit some money
The man came into a lot of money which he donated to charity.


come into fashion
- to become fashionable
My sister says that although bell-bottom pants have come into fashion again she will never wear them.


come into one`s own
- to begin to perform or work well because of good circumstances
The player has come into his own as a basketball player since he changed positions.


come of age
- to be old enough to vote/marry/sign legal contracts etc.
When the members of our class came of age everyone started to vote.


come off
- to be successful, to happen
The party came off without any problems so everyone was very happy.


come on!
- please, hurry, go faster
"Come on, I only have a few minutes before I must go."
"Come on, stop doing that."


come on strong
- to overwhelm others with a strong personality
The man came on too strong during the job interview and was unable to get the job.


come on the scene
- to appear in a certain area or place
When the new DVD player came on the scene everybody wanted one.


come out ahead
- to improve one's situation
Although our new car was expensive, we came out ahead as it is very cheap to operate.


come out for (someone or something)
- to announce one's support for (someone or something)
The mayor recently came out for legal gambling in the city.


come out in the wash
- to work out all right
Everything came out in the wash as the students worked out their problems.


come out of left field
- to come from an unexpected place
The manager's new idea came out of left field and we have no idea what it means.


come out of nowhere
- to appear suddenly
The eagle came out of nowhere and captured the small mouse.


come out of one's shell
- to become more friendly or sociable
My sister's little boy came out of his shell and began to talk to everybody around him.


come out of the blue
- to appear suddenly (as if from the sky)
My idea for making money suddenly came out of the blue.


come out of the closet
- to reveal one's secret interests, to reveal that one is gay
Nobody was surprised when my cousin came out of the closet.


come out with (something)
- to say something, to make something known
The child has recently come out with many strange and funny expressions.


come over
- to come for a visit
My friend is going to come over for a visit next week.


come over
- to change sides
The politician supports the opposition but we hope that he will soon come over to our side.


come (someone's) way
- to come to someone
A small blue car came my way while I waited on the highway.


come through
- to do what one is expected to do (often under difficult circumstances)
My friend will always come through when we need his help.


come to
- to regain consciousness
The woman came to a few hours after the accident.


come to do/feel (something)
- to begin/learn to do or feel something
At first I disliked the girl but recently I have come to accept her.


come to a bad end
- to have a disaster, to die
The man and his family came to a bad end when they moved to the country.


come to a dead end
- to be unable to go any further
We kept driving on the dirt road until we came to a dead end.


come to a head
- to come to a point where a problem must be solved
The issue came to a head and everyone was forced to talk about the problem.


come to an end
- to stop, to finish
When the story came to an end both of the children had fallen asleep.


come to a pretty pass
- to develop into a bad or difficult situation
Things came to a pretty pass and nobody knew what to do about the problem.


come to a standstill
- to stop
The circus came to a standstill when the elephant escaped from his cage.


come to blows
- to begin to fight
The two men came to blows when they were trying to fix the car.


come to grief
- to have a bad accident or disappointment
The man has recently come to much grief because of his son`s problems with the police.


come to grips with (something)
- to struggle (successfully) with an idea or problem
The woman has finally come to grips with her husband`s gambling.


come to life
- to become alive or lively
The party came to life when the host and hostess entered the room.


come to light
- to be discovered, to become known
It has come to light that the company recently lost millions of dollars.


come to mind
- to enter into one's consciousness
Nothing came to mind when I tried to remember the names of the actors.


come to nothing/naught
- to end in failure
All of my efforts to help my sister find a job came to nothing.


come to one`s senses
- to begin to think clearly or act sensibly
He came to his senses and decided to buy a cheap car rather than an expensive one.


come to pass
- to happen, to occur
I do not know what will come to pass but for now the company has many financial problems.


come to terms with (someone or something)
- to reach an agreement with someone, to accept something
We finally came to terms with the bank and were able to buy the house.


come to the fore
- to come into an important place or position, to come to the front
Several members of the class came to the fore and decided to take important positions in the club.


come to the point
- to be direct
His speech was interesting but he never really came to the point.


come true
- to actually happen
The young girl is working hard to make her dreams come true.


come unglued
- to lose emotional control
The woman came unglued when she learned that she had lost her job.


come up
- to happen unexpectedly
I know that I will not be able to go to the party if something comes up.


come up in the world
- to improve one's status or situation in life
I knew that I had come up in the world when I was invited to dinner with the president of our company.


come up smelling like roses
- to look good after a difficult or bad time
Everybody in the company looked bad except for my friend who came up smelling like roses.
come up with (something)
- to produce or find a thought/idea/answer
I tried to come up with a name for the new magazine.


come what may
- no matter what might happen
Come what may I was determined to go to Spain for my holidays.


come with the territory
- to be expected under the circumstances (like something that comes with a sales territory)
The fact that the man has no free time comes with the territory with his work as a news reporter.


.



commit (something) to memory
- to memorize something
I worked hard to commit the names to memory.


common touch
- a friendly manner with everyone
He has a common touch and everyone likes him a lot.


con (someone) out of (something)
- to trick someone out of money or something valuable
The man on the street corner tried to con the woman out of some money.


confide in (someone)
- to tell secrets or personal matters to someone
I usually confide in my friend when I have a problem.


conk out
- to fall asleep quickly with great fatigue
As soon as we returned from the hike I conked out in front of the TV.


conspicuous by one's absence
- to have one's absence noticed
The teacher was conspicuous by her absence and everyone asked where she was.


contradiction in terms
- a statement that seems to have a contradiction
It was a contradiction in terms for the woman to pretend that she had no money while living in a mansion.


contrary to (something)
- in spite of something
Contrary to what everybody thought, my friend had already quit his job.


control the purse strings
- to be in charge of the money
My mother always used to control the purse strings in our family.


cook one`s goose
- to ruin one`s chances
The girl cooked her goose and has no chance of getting the new job.


cook (something) up
- to invent something, to plan or plot something
I do not know what kind of plan she is cooking up but it should be quite interesting.


cook the books
- to cheat in bookkeeping
The accountant was fired when someone discovered that he was cooking the books.


cool as a cucumber
- to be very calm and brave, to be not worried or anxious
The woman was as cool as a cucumber when her canoe turned over in the river.


cool off/down
- to let one's anger die away
When the basketball players began to cool down they were allowed to play again.


cool one`s heels
- to be kept waiting
The man was forced to cool his heels in the waiting room before his boss would talk to him.
cop a plea
- to plead guilty to a crime in order to get a lesser penalty
The man was forced to cop a plea when the evidence against him became too strong to dispute.
cop out
- to avoid doing something that you were planning to do
My friend copped out from our plan to go to to the beach for the day.
a copycat
- someone who copies another person`s work or actions
The little boy was accused of being a copycat by the other children.


cost a pretty penny
- to cost a lot of money
I believe that my aunt's new coat cost a pretty penny.


cost an arm and a leg
- to cost too much
The new motorcycle cost my brother an arm and a leg.


cough up
- to give something unwillingly
The man finally coughed up enough money to pay for the bicycle.


could do with (someone or something)
- to want or need someone or something
I could do with a new computer now that mine is getting old.


count noses
- to count people
After the teacher finished counting noses everyone got on the bus.


count on (someone or something)
- to depend on someone or something
You can count on our boss to do everything right.
count one`s chickens before they`re hatched
- to assume that something will be successful before it is certain
"Don`t count your chickens before they`re hatched. You are spending your money and you do not have a job yet."


count (someone) in
- to include someone in something
I know that my friends will count me in if they go to the zoo.


count (someone) out
- to exclude someone from something
"Please count me out of your plans to go skiing for the weekend."


a course of action
- the procedures that will be followed to do something
We decided on our course of action before we told our boss about our decision.


cover a lot of ground
- to deal with much information or facts, to travel a great distance
We covered a lot of ground in our history class at school.


cover for (someone)
- to make excuses for someone, to cover someone's errors
I covered for my friend when the boss saw that she was away from her desk.


cover for (someone)
- to do someone else's work
We always cover for each other when someone at work is sick.


cover one`s tracks
- to hide where one has been, to hide what one has done
The man was trying to cover his tracks but it was easy to see where he had been.
cover up (something)
- to hide something wrong or bad
They tried to cover up the facts regarding the illegal election campaign funds.
cozy up to (someone)
- to try to be extra friendly to someone
I do not know what my neighbor wants but recently he has been trying to cozy up to me.


crack a book
- to open a book to study
I did not crack a book until the last week of classes.


crack a joke
- to tell a joke
The man was a lot of fun at the party because he was always cracking jokes.
crack a smile
- to let a smile show on one`s face
Our boss never cracked a smile during the meeting.
crack down on (someone or something)
- to enforce laws or rules strictly
The school principal decided to crack down on people running in the halls.
crack of dawn
- daybreak, early in the morning
We got up at the crack of dawn to go fishing.


crack the whip
- to try to make someone work hard or obey you by threatening them
We had to crack the whip in order to get the job finished before the weekend.


crack up
- to burst into laughter
I cracked up when the man started talking about the incident with the taxi driver.


crackpot
- an eccentric person with ideas that do not make sense to others
The man is a crackpot and you never know what he will do next.


cramp one`s style
- to limit one`s talk or action
Working in the new department is beginning to cramp my style.


crank (something) out
- to produce or make something
I was able to crank out two very good papers before the end of the year.


crash and burn
- to fail spectacularly
We did not want to crash and burn so we were very careful about how we proceeded with the project.


crash the gate
- to enter someplace without a ticket or without paying
Many people did not have a ticket for the concert so they decided to crash the gate.


crazy about (someone or something)
- to like someone or something very much
My sister is absolutely crazy about rap music.


cream of the crop
- the best
When our company hires new employees we always look for the cream of the crop.


create a stink
- to make a big issue out of something
The woman decided to create a stink when she found the bad product at the supermarket.


create an uproar
- to cause a sensation
The referees created an uproar when they asked the star player to leave the game.


creature comforts
- things that make people comfortable
We had no creature comforts during our trip to South America.


a credit to (someone or something)
- to be invaluable or beneficial to someone or something
The doctor was a credit to the hospital where he had trained.


the creeps
- a strong feeling of fear or disgust
I get the creeps every time that I see a spider or snake.


creep up on (someone or something)
- to crawl quietly toward someone or something
The thief crept up on the elderly woman in the supermarket.


crocodile tears
- a show of sorrow that is not real
The man said that he was very sorry but his tears were only crocodile tears.


crop up
- to appear or happen unexpectedly
I will meet him early next week unless something crops up that keeps me busy.


cross a bridge before one comes to it
- to think and worry about future events or problems before they happen
We should not worry about that problem now. We can cross that bridge when we come to it.


cross one`s heart and hope to die
- to promise that what you are saying is true
"I promise that I will pay back the money next week. Cross my heart and hope to die."


cross one`s mind
- to think of something, to occur to someone
It crossed my mind that I would see him in the evening so I did not need to phone him.


cross out (something)
- to eliminate something by drawing a line through it
I crossed out my name from the list of volunteers.


cross swords with (someone)
- to have an argument with someone
I do not want to cross swords with the head teacher again.


cross the Rubicon
- to do something where you cannot go back (Julius Ceasar crossed the Rubicon and made a fight with the Roman Senate inevitable)
The man crossed the Rubicon when he began on a course that he could never turn back from.


cross to bear/carry
- something that you must do or continue with even though you are suffering
Looking after my sister`s children is my cross to bear.


crux of the matter
- the central issue of a matter
The crux of the matter is that we no longer have enough money to go on a holiday.


cry bloody murder
- to scream like something very serious has happened
The woman cried bloody murder when the young man tried to steal her purse.


cry out for (someone or something)
- to need someone or something badly, to lack something
The new room that we built cries out for new furniture.
The baby cried out for her mother.


cry over spilt milk
- to cry or complain about something that has already happened
"Don`t cry over spilt milk. You can never change the past."


cry uncle
- to admit defeat or that you have lost
He finally had to cry uncle when the other wrestler pinned him to the mat.


cry wolf
- to warn of danger that is not there
The man has been crying wolf for many years and now nobody believes him.


crying need for (someone or something)
- a desperate need for someone or something
There is a crying need for nurses in the local hospital.


a crying shame
- a very unfortunate situation
It was a crying shame that the class trip to Spain was cancelled.


cue (someone) in
- to tell someone what is going on
I did not know what to do until somebody cued me in on what was happening.


(not one`s) cup of tea
- (not) something that one enjoys
It is not my cup of tea so I think that I will stay home and not go to the art gallery.


curiosity killed the cat
- being nosy and interested in the business of other people may cause someone trouble
"Don`t keep asking so many questions. Remember curiosity killed the cat."


curl up and die
- to retreat and die
I wanted to curl up and die when I saw my old boyfriend at the party.


curry favor with (someone)
- to flatter someone to get his or her help or friendship
Our boss has been working hard to curry favor with the other members of the committee.





cut a fine figure
- to look good
I plan to cut a fine figure when I go to the job interview next week.


cut a wide swath
- to attract a lot of attention
The man cuts a wide swath when he enters a room.


a cut above (someone or something)
- a little better than someone or something
The new principal is a cut above the previous one.


cut across
- to cross or go through something instead of going around it
We decided to cut across the field because we were in a hurry to get to school.


cut and run
- to leave as quickly as possible
We cut and run as soon as we had finished delivering the goods.


cut and dried
- to be previously decided, to be prearranged
The decision was cut and dried and nobody asked for our opinion.


cut back on (something)
- to use fewer or use less of something
We were forced to cut back on the number of people who were invited to the party.


cut both ways
- to serve both sides of an argument
What the man said cuts both ways and we should carefully think about it.


cut class
- to not go to class
I cut class last week and went to a movie.


cut corners
- to economize
We will have to cut corners in order to save money for our holiday.


cut down on something
- to use less of something
Recently the man has cut down on his smoking in order to become more healthy.


cut from the same cloth
- to share a lot of similarities
The two cousins were cut from the same cloth and were similar in every way.


cut no ice with (someone)
- to have no influence on someone
The excuses of the girl cut no ice with her teacher or the principal.


cut off one`s nose to spite one`s face
- to make things worse for oneself because one is angry at someone else
The man is cutting off his nose to spite his face. Taking revenge on his neighbor will only cause him more problems.


cut one's eyeteeth on (something)
- to have done something since one was very young
The man cut his eyeteeth on fixing bicycles and he is now an expert.


cut one's losses
- to reduce one's losses
We decided to cut our losses and sell our business before it lost too much money.


cut out for (something)
- to have a talent for something, to be suited for something
I do not think that I am cut out for all of the travelling that is required for this job.


cut out (something)
- to eliminate something
My cousin decided to cut out chocolate in order to lose weight.


cut out the deadwood
- to remove unproductive people from a job
The company began to cut out the deadwood and fired many people.


cut (someone) a check
- to write a check to someone
We cut the man a check for the work that he had done.


cut (someone) down to size
- to prove that someone is not as good as he or she thinks
I cut my colleague down to size when I criticized what he had said at the meeting.


cut (someone) in
- to give someone a share of something
I cut my friend in on the profits from selling the computers.


cut (someone) off
- to stop someone from saying something, to disconnect someone on the phone
I tried to tell my father about the accident but he cut me off before I had a chance.


cut (someone) to the quick
- to hurt someone's feelings very badly
The woman cut her friend to the quick when she criticized her new clothes.


cut the mustard
- to reach the required standard for something
The man does not cut the mustard and he will never be able to work here.


cut to the chase
- to get to the important matter of something
The lawyer cut to the chase and was able to get all of the information quickly.

__________________
"A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done."