CEO
- Chief Executive Officer
eg. My uncle was the CEO of a large computer company.
CIA
- Central Intelligence Agency - US spy and security organization
eg. The CIA was involved in the efforts to free the hostage air force pilot.
COD
- Cash On Delivery - used when a delivery person receives cash when they deliver something
eg. I decided to send away for some video cassettes and the company said that they would send them to me COD.
CPA
- Certified Public Accountant
eg. The woman in our accounting department has been studying for her CPA exams for three months.
Come again.
- please repeat, please say that again
eg. Come again. I didn`t hear you the first time.
C/O
- Care Of - used when you want to send something to someone at the address of another person
eg. I didn't know my friend's address so I sent a letter to him C/O another friend of mine.
calculated risk
- an action that may fail but has a good chance to succeed
eg. They took a calculated risk when they opened the new store but it has been very successful.
call a spade a spade
- speak bluntly
eg. He was calling a spade a spade when he began to criticize his employee for being lazy.
call for someone
- come and get someone
eg. Could you please come and call on me before you go to the game.
call it quits
- stop, finish
eg. He called it quits and went home for the day.
call of nature
- the need to go to the toilet
eg. He is answering the call of nature and can`t talk to you for a few minutes.
call off
- cancel
eg. The game was called off because of the rain.
call on to the carpet
- call someone before an authority to be scolded or reprimanded
eg. He was called on to the carpet by his boss for losing the major sale.
call someone`s bluff
- challenge someone to prove what they say is true
eg. I decided to call his bluff and asked him to show me the evidence.
call the shots
- be in charge, give orders
eg. He is now calling the shots and is in control of the company.
call up
- telephone
eg. He said that he would call up his parents tomorrow night.
calm down
- relax
eg. She finally calmed down after the accident.
cancel out
- destroy the effect of something
eg. The benefits of her exercise were cancelled out by her always overeating.
can`t see the forest for the trees
- unable to judge or understand the whole picture because you are looking at the small parts of it
eg. He has no real understanding of most problems as he always fails to see the forest for the trees.
captain of industry
- a top corporation officer
eg. The president of our company was a captain of industry and after he retired he was appointed to many government boards.
card up one`s sleeve
- a plan or argument kept back to be produced if needed
eg. I think that he has a card up his sleeve and will be able to help us later.
carrot and stick
- the promise of reward and threat of punishment at the same time
eg. The trade negotiators took a carrot and stick approach to the automobile talks.
carry on
- continue, keep doing as before
eg. We were permitted to carry on with the party after we had talked to the landlord.
carry (something) out
- put into action, accomplish
eg. The move to the new headquarters was carried out with a minimum of problems.
carry over
- save for another time
eg. We plan to carry over the summer swimwear until next year.
carry the ball
- take the most important or difficult part in an action or business
eg. The vice-president was forced to carry the ball while the president was away.
carry the day
- win or be successful
eg. His fine performance in our company carried the day for us.
carry the torch
- show loyalty to a cause or a person
eg. He has been carrying the torch for the candidate for a long time.
carry through
- put a plan into action
eg. The company carried through with their plan to layoff 300 workers.
carry over
- save for another time
eg. We were forced to carry over the sale to the Monday after the national holiday.
carry the day
- win completely
eg. The president's new idea carried the day and everyone supported him energetically.
carry through
- put into action
eg. The steel company carried through their plan to restructure all of their operations.
cash cow
- a good source of money
eg. His new business is a great cash cow. I think that he is really making a lot of money.
cash in
- exchange something for money
eg. We decided to cash in the coupons because we needed some money.
cash in on
- see and profit by a chance
eg. The small town cashed in on their success with the winter Olympics.
cash on the barrelhead
- money paid when something is bought
eg. It was a cash deal and we were forced to pay cash on the barrelhead.
cash cow
- a good way to make money
eg. The new business is a great cash cow. We are making a lot of money now.
cash in
- exchange coupons or bonds for their value in money
eg. I cashed in a large number of my savings bonds in order to get some money to buy a house.
cash in on
- make money from an opportunity
eg. The former football player cashed in on his popularity to open a very successful restaurant.
cash in one`s chips
- exchange or sell something to get some money
eg. I decided to cash in my chips to get some money to go back to school.
cash on the barrelhead
- money paid in cash when something is bought
eg. I had to pay cash on the barrelhead for the used car.
cash-and-carry
- selling something for cash only with no delivery
eg. We were able to get a good price on a sofa in a cash-and-carry deal at the furniture store.
cast pearls before swine
- waste something valuable on someone who doesn`t appreciate it
eg. Giving her the gold earrings was casting pearls before swine.
cast the first stone
- be the first to blame someone
eg. He was the one to cast the first stone and now he is having a major fight with his neighbor.
cast pearls before swine
- waste something on someone who won`t be thankful
eg. Giving that jewellery to her will be casting pearls before swine. She will not appreciate it at all.
castles in the air
- daydreams
eg. She is always building castles in the air and is very unrealistic.
cat burglar
- a burglar who enters a building by climbing a wall etc.
eg. We lost our stereo when a cat burglar entered our apartment.
cat gets one`s tongue
- can`t talk
eg. I think that the cat has got her tongue. She hasn`t said anything at all since the meeting started.
cat get one`s tongue
- can`t speak because of shyness
eg. The cat must have got her tongue. She did not saying anything at all.
cat get`s one`s tongue
- one is not willing to talk because of shyness
eg. The cat seemed to have gotten her tongue and she was not able to say anything.
cat nap
- a short sleep taken during the day
eg. I had a cat nap during the afternoon so I would feel refreshed in the evening.
catch-22
- a situation where whatever you do the outcome will be bad, a no-win situation
eg. It was a catch-22 situation where if I went to work there would be problems but if I didn`t go to work there would be more problems.
catch a cold
- become sick with a cold
eg. I caught a cold because of the rain and the cold weather.
catch-as-catch-can
- in any way possible
eg. We are in the middle of moving house so the meals when you visit will be catch-as-catch-can.
catch on
- understand, learn about
eg. It was difficult to catch on at first but finally I was able to understand the math problem.
catch one`s breath
- stop to rest and regain one`s normal breathing
eg. After running from the station it took a moment to catch my breath.
catch one`s eye
- attract one`s attention
eg. I tried to catch her eye but she didn`t notice me.
catch (someone) red-handed
- find someone in the middle of doing something wrong
eg. He caught the boy red-handed when he was stealing the candy.
catch up with (someone or something)
- become even with someone (in a race or in schoolwork etc.)
eg. I think it`s too late to catch up with the rest of the class now.
catch with one`s pants down
- surprise someone in an embarassing situation or a guilty act
eg. He was caught with his pants down when he was asked for the figures but was unable to produce them.
catch (someone) red-handed
- catch someone in the middle of doing something wrong
eg. The woman was caught red-handed at the store trying to steal some cosmetics.
catch one`s eye
- attract one`s attention
eg. I tried to catch my friend`s eye at the movie theater but he didn`t notice me.
catch a cold
- get a cold
eg. I caught a bad cold last week and had to miss three weeks of work.
catch one's death of cold
- become very ill (with a cold, flu etc)
eg. The little boy was told to be careful in the rain or he would catch his death of cold.
caught short
- not having enough of something when you need it (usually money)
eg. I was caught short last week and couldn`t pay the weekly food bill.
cave in
- to weaken and be forced to give up
eg. The company finally caved in to the union`s demand for more money.
chalk up
- record
eg. The stock prices of the company chalked up a big gain last week.
change horses in midstream
- make new plans or choose a new leader in the middle of an important activity
eg. They decided to change horses in midstream and that is probably why they lost the election.
change of heart
- change the way one feels about something
eg. She had a change of heart and decided to let her child go to the circus.
change (one`s) mind
- change one`s decision
eg. He changed his mind and said that he would not go to the movie tonight.
change (one`s) tune
- make a change in one`s story,statement or opinions
eg. He has begun to change his tune recently and is beginning to agree that we need to do things a little differently.
change horses in midstream
- make new plans or choose a new leader in the middle of an important activity
eg. They have decided to change lawyers but I told them that they shouldn`t change horses in midstream.
change of heart
- a change in the way one feels about something
eg. I had a change of heart about not going to Europe for my holiday and finally decided to go.
cheapskate
- a person who will not spend much money, a stingy person
eg. My friend is a cheapskate and won't even go to a movie with me.
cheat on (someone)
- be unfaithful to someone
eg. He recently began cheating on his wife which was the main cause of their divorce.
check-up
- a periodic inspection of a patient by a doctor
eg. I went to have my annual check-up last week.
cheek by jowl
- side by side, in close intimacy
eg. They were walking down the stairs cheek by jowl when the alarm sounded.
chew the fat
- chat
eg. The two men were chewing the fat on the porch of the house.
chew out (someone)
- scold roughly
eg. The teacher chewed out the student for talking in class.
chew the fat
- chat
eg. We stayed up very late last night chewing the fat about our university days.
chicken feed
- a small amount of money
eg. What he sold his car for was chicken feed compared to the amount of money that he has in the bank.
chicken out
- stop doing something because of fear
eg. He chickened out of jumping into the lake from the high diving board.
chickens come home to roost
- words or acts come back to cause trouble for a person
eg. Her chickens have finally come home to roost and she must now take responsibility for what she has done.
chicken feed
- a small sum of money
eg. The money that I lost at the horse races was only chicken feed so I am not worried about it at all.
chicken-livered
- cowardly, easily scared
eg. He called his friend chicken-livered which made him very angry.
chicken out
- stop doing something because of fear
eg. He was going to come with us but he chickened out at the last moment.
chickens come home to roost
- someone`s words or acts come back to cause trouble for them
eg. He was very inconsiderate of other people when he was supervisor. Now his chickens have come home to roost and people are very unkind to him.
chicken feed
- a small amount of money
eg. His son always wants to borrow money and says that it is only chicken feed but little by little it adds up to a lot of money.
chime in
- join in (a song or conversation)
eg. We were having a nice conversation until she chimed in and started complaining about everything.
chip in
- contribute or pay jointly
eg. We all chipped in and bought our father a present.
chip off the old block
- person who looks or acts like one of his parents
eg. His son is a chip off the old block and acts exactly like his father.
chip in
- contribute money or pay jointly
eg. Everyone in our company chipped in some money to buy a wedding present for our boss.
clam up
- stop talking
eg. She clammed up as soon as her boyfriend entered the room.
clean bill of health
- the assurance that an animal or person is healthy
eg. The astronaut was given a clean bill of health before he began training.
clean slate
- having no errors, past acts that are all good
eg. He started off with a clean slate and has never caused any problems for the company.
clean bill of health
- a report or certificate that a person or animal is healthy
eg. The doctor gave me a clean bill of health when I visited him last month.
clean up
- make a lot of money, make a big profit
eg. I cleaned up at the horse races last year and still have some of the money left.
clear the air
- calm down and remove a misunderstanding
eg. We had a big argument so I think it is time to clear the air.
clear the decks
- clear away things and prepare for action
eg. Let`s clear the decks and get everyone out of the house so we can begin work.
clear up
- solve or explain (a problem etc.)
eg. They finally cleared up the problem that I was having with my salary at work.
cliffhanger
- sports event or movie where the outcome is uncertain until the very end
eg. The playoff game was a cliffhanger and one of the most enjoyable games of the year.
climb the wall
- be so bored that you become anxious and frustrated
eg. She began to climb the wall after only a few days at her new job.
clip joint
- a low-class business where people are cheated
eg. They went into a clip joint near the bus station and had to pay a lot of money.
clip someone`s wings
- limit one`s activities or possibilities
eg. They decided to clip his wings and took away his expense account.
clip one`s wings
- limit or hold one back, bring one under control
eg. We had to try and clip his wings as he was becoming too aggressive in dealing with other people.
close call/shave
- an accident almost happens (but doesn`t happen)
eg. I had a close call this morning when the truck almost hit me.
close ranks
- come together for fighting, unite and work together
eg. They decided to close ranks and stop arguing among themselves
close to home
- near to someone`s personal feelings, wishes or interests
eg. What I said about her work habits must have hit close to home as she seemed to become very quiet suddenly.
close out
- sell the whole of something, sell all the goods
eg. They decided to close out the store and sell all of the remaining stock very cheap.
close the books
- stop taking orders, end a bookkeeping period
eg. They usually close the books at the end of February every year.
coast is clear
- no danger is in sight, no one can see you
eg. When the coast was clear we decided to enter the building.
coffee break
- a break from work to rest and drink coffee
eg. We usually take a 15-minute coffee break every morning about 10 o`clock.
cog in the machine
- you are not important but only a small part of a large organization
eg. The employees felt like they were only cogs in a machine so the atmosphere at the company was not very good.
cold spell or cold snap
- a sudden short period of cold weather (usually in winter)
eg. The cold snap lasted for five days.
cold turkey
- stop using drugs (heroin etc.) abruptly and without medical aid
eg. Although she was able to stop using drugs cold turkey she was very sick for awhile.
cold feet
- a loss of courage or nerve
eg. I planned to go to Europe with my cousin but he got cold feet and decided not to go.
cold turkey
- stop taking drugs (heroin etc.) abruptly and without medical aid
eg. The government program helped the drug addicts stop using heroin cold turkey.
cold shoulder
- unfriendly treatment of a person
eg. The office staff gave me the cold shoulder when I did not go to the going away party.
cold call
- call a potential customer from a list of persons one has never seen
eg. When he first started to work at his company he was asked to make cold calls using the telephone book.
cold fish
- person who is unfriendly or doesn`t mix with others
eg. He is a real cold fish and has no friends at his company at all.
cold hard cash
- cash, coins and bills
eg. I paid for the stereo in cold hard cash.
come a cropper
- fail
eg. I think that he has come a cropper in the horse competition and that is why he is sad.
come across
- find something or meet someone by chance
eg. I came across an interesting story in the newspaper the other day.
come alive
- brighten up and become active
eg. She finally came alive and began to enjoy the party.
come along
- make progress, thrive
eg. The work on our new house is coming along very well at the moment.
come a long way
- make great progress
eg. He has come a long way and has learned many things about his new company.
come back
- return to the place you are now
eg. She came back from her holidays last week.
come between
- disrupt the relationship between (two people)
eg. His constant interfering finally came between his brother and his wife.
come by
- get, obtain, acquire
eg. She came by a lot of money recently and is now enjoying her life.
come clean
- tell the truth
eg. The president of the company was forced to come clean and tell what really happened to the business.
come down hard on
- scold or punish severely
eg. The police have been coming down very hard on drunk drivers recently.
come down to earth
- stop imagining or dreaming, think and behave as usual
eg. He has finally come down to earth and is preparing seriously to look for a job.
come down with
- become sick with or catch a cold etc.
eg. Her mother came down with a cold so was unable to attend the dinner.
come from
- be a native of a place
eg. Several of the students in the class come from Mexico.
come full circle
- completely opposite from one`s starting point
eg. They have come full circle since the new president started at the university.
come hell or high water
- no matter what happens
eg. Come hell or high water I plan to go to the concert next week.
come in handy
- prove to be useful
eg. I think that the small hammer will come in handy to fix the desk.
come into
- receive, get possession of
eg. They came into a lot of money which they donated to charity.
come into fashion
- become fashionable
eg. She says that although bell-bottom pants have come into fashion again she will never wear them.
come into one`s own
- become to perform or work well because of good circumstances
eg. He has really come into his own as a basketball player since he changed positions.
come off
- be successful
eg. The party came off without any problems so everyone was very happy.
come on strong
- overwhelm with excessively strong language or personality
eg. He came on too strong during the job interview and was unable to get the job.
come out with
- say, make known
eg. The child has recently come out with many strange and funny expressions.
come to
- begin or learn to do or feel something
eg. At first I disliked her a lot but recently I have come to accept her.
come to blows
- begin to fight
eg. They almost came to blows when they were trying to fix the car.
come to grief
- have a bad accident or disappointment
eg. He has recently come to much grief because of his son`s problems with the police.
come to grips with
- struggle (successfully) with an idea or problem
eg. She has finally been able to come to grips with her husband`s drinking.
come to light
- be discovered, become known
eg. It has recently come to light that the company has lost millions of dollars.
come to nothing
- end in failure
eg. All his efforts to help his sister find a job came to nothing.
come to one`s senses
- begin to think clearly or act sensibly
eg. He finally came to his senses and decided to buy a cheaper car rather than borrow a lot of money for an expensive one.
come to pass
- to happen, occur
eg. It came to pass that the company was never able to recover from their financial problems.
come to terms
- reach an agreement
eg. We came to terms with the bank and were able to buy the house.
come to the point
- be direct
eg. His speech was interesting but he never really came to the point.
come up with
- produce or find a thought, idea or answer
eg. Please try to come up with a name for the new magazine.
come on strong
- overwhelm with excessively strong language or personality
eg. The salesman came on too strong at the meeting and angered the other members of the team.
come into fashion
- become fashionable
eg. Recently in some areas the mini-skirt has come into fashion again.
come down with
- become sick with, catch
eg. My niece came down with a bad cold and was unable to visit me last week.
common touch
- a friendly manner with everyone
eg. He has a nice common touch and everyone likes him a lot.
company man
- a person who always works hard and agrees with his employees
eg. My father was a true company man and was always putting in an extra effort for his company.
company town
- a town dominated by one industry or company
eg. When the coal mine closed down the company town faced severe economic times.
conk out
- fall asleep quickly with great fatigue
eg. As soon as we returned from the hike I conked out in front of the TV.
cook one`s goose
- ruin one`s chances
eg. She really cooked her own goose and has no chance of getting the new job.
cook up
- invent, plan and put something together
eg. I don`t know what kind of plan she is cooking up now but it should be quite interesting.
cook one`s goose
- destroy one`s future chances or reputation
eg. They really cooked their goose when they fought against their employer and lost.
cook the books
- illegally change information in accounting books in a company
eg. The accountant was cooking the books for over a year before he was caught.
cool as a cucumber
- very calm and brave, not worried or anxious
eg. She was as cool as a cucumber when her canoe turned over in the river.
cool one`s heels
- be kept waiting because of another`s rudeness
eg. He was forced to cool his heels for an hour in the waiting room before his boss would talk to him.
cool as a cucumber
- calm, not nervous or anxious
eg. He is always as cool as a cucumber and never worries about anything.
cop a plea
- plead guilty to a crime in order to get a lesser penalty
eg. He was forced to cop a plea when the evidence against him became too strong to dispute.
cop out
- avoid doing something that you were planning to do
eg. He copped out from our plan to go to to the beach for the day.
copycat
- someone who copies another person`s work or their actions
eg. The little boy was accused of being a copycat by the other children.
couch doctor
- a psychoanalyst who puts his patients on a couch
eg. He was sent to see a couch doctor after his continued problems at work.
cough up
- give unwillingly
eg. He finally coughed up enough money to pay for the accident.
count on
- depend on
eg. You can never count on him to do anything right.
count one`s chickens before they`re hatched
- assume that something will be successful before it is certain
eg. Don`t count your chickens before they`re hatched. You`re spending your money and you don`t even have a job yet.
count out
- leave something out of a plan, exclude
eg. Please count me out of your plans to go skiing for the weekend.
count one`s chickens before they`re hatched
- depend or rely on getting something before one has it
eg. Don`t count your chickens before they`re hatched - remember you haven`t passed your exams yet and may not get the job you expect.
cover one`s tracks
- hide or not say where one has been or what one has done
eg. He was trying to cover his tracks but it was easy to see where he had recently been.
cover up
- hide something wrong or bad
eg. They tried to cover up the facts regarding the illegal election campaign funds.
cozy up to (someone)
- try to be friendly to someone
eg. I don`t know what he wants but recently he has been trying to cozy up to me.
crack a joke
- tell a joke
eg. He was a lot of fun at the party because he was always cracking jokes.
crack a smile
- let a smile show on one`s face
eg. He never cracked a smile during the whole meeting.
crack down on
- enforce laws or rules strictly
eg. The school principal decided to crack down on people running in the halls.
crack of dawn
- daybreak, early in the morning
eg. We got up at the crack of dawn to go fishing.
crackpot
- an eccentric person with ideas that don`t make sense to others
eg. He is a total crackpot and you never know what he will do next.
crack the whip
- try to make someone work hard or obey you by threatening them
eg. We had to crack the whip in order to get the job finished by the weekend.
crack up
- burst into laughter
eg. I cracked up when he started talking about the incident with the taxi driver.
cramp one`s style
- limit one`s talk or action
eg. Working in the new section is beginning to cramp my style a little.
crash the gate
- enter without a ticket or without paying or with no invitation
eg. Many people didn`t have a ticket for the concert so they decided to crash the gate.
cream of the crop
- the top choice
eg. When they hire new employees they always look for the cream of the crop.
creep up on
- crawl quietly towards
eg. The thief crept up on the elderly women at the supermarket.
crocodile tears
- a show of sorrow that is not really felt
eg. He said that he was very sorry but his tears were just crocodile tears.
crop up
- appear or happen unexpectedly
eg. I will meet you early next week unless something crops up that keeps me busy.
cross a bridge before one comes to it
- think and worry about future events or problems before they happen
eg. We shouldn`t worry about that problem now. We can cross that bridge when we come to it.
cross one`s heart and hope to die
- promise that what you are saying is true
eg. I promise that I will pay you back the money next week. Cross my heart and hope to die.
cross one`s mind
- think of, occur to someone
eg. It just crossed my mind that I would probably see him in the evening so I didn`t phone him.
cross (something) out
- eliminate by drawing a line through something
eg. Please cross out that amount and put in the correct amount.
cross to bear/carry
- something you must do or continue with even though you are suffering
eg. Looking after my sister`s children every day is my cross to bear.
cross one`s fingers
- cross two fingers of one hand to hope or wish for good luck
eg. I crossed my fingers that I would be able to get the job that I had applied for.
cross one`s mind
- be a sudden or passing thought, come to one's mind
eg. It suddenly crossed my mind that the store would be closed all day on Monday.
cross one`s heart and hope to die
- say that what one has said is surely true (often used by children)
eg. "I promise that I will meet you tomorrow. Cross my heart and hope to die."
cry out for
- need something badly, be lacking
eg. The new room that he built cries out for a new set of furniture.
cry over spilt milk
- cry or complain about something that has already happened
eg. Don`t cry over spilt milk. You can never change the past.
cry uncle
- admit defeat or that one has lost
eg. He finally had to cry uncle when the other wrestler pinned him to the mat.
cry wolf
- warn of danger that is not there
eg. He has been crying wolf for years about various things and now nobody believes him.
cup of tea
- something one enjoys or does well
eg. Going to art galleries is not my cup of tea so I think that I will stay home this evening and not go with you.
curiosity killed the cat
- being too nosy and interested in other peoples business may lead a person into trouble
eg. Don`t keep asking so many questions. Remember curiosity killed the cat.
curl one`s hair
- shock, frighten, horrify
eg. The movie is very realistic and many of the scenes will curl your hair.
curry favor
- flatter someone to get his help or friendship
eg. He has been working hard to curry favor with the other members of the committee.
cut across
- cross or go through something instead of going around
eg. We decided to cut across the field because we were in a hurry to get to school.
cut and dried
- completely decided, prearranged
eg. The decision was cut and dried and nobody asked for our opinion.
cut back
- use fewer or use less
eg. We were forced to cut back on the number of people who were invited to the party.
cut both ways
- serve both sides of an argument
eg. What he said cuts both ways and we should carefully think about it.
cut back
- use fewer or use less
eg. The company has been cutting back on entertainment expenses for over a year now.
cut both/two ways
- be capable of having two opposite effects
eg. My decision to complain to our boss could cut two ways and cause him to be pleased as well as angry at me.
cut corners
- economize
eg. We will have to cut corners in order to save some money for our holiday.
cut down on
- use less of something
eg. Recently he has cut down on his drinking in order to start his new health program.
cut down to size
- prove that someone is not as good as he thinks
eg. I was able to cut him down to size when I criticized what he said at the meeting.
cut off one`s nose to spite one`s face
- make things worse for oneself because one is angry at someone else
eg. He is cutting off his nose to spite his face. Taking revenge on his neighbor will only cause more problems for himself.
cut out
- eliminate
eg. She decided to cut out chocolate in order to lose weight.
cut one`s throat
- spoil one's chances, ruin a person
eg. He is cutting his own throat if he doesn't make an effort to find a new job quickly.
cut off
- interrupt or stop
eg. The speech of the president was cut off when the electricity went off in the building.
cut one's losses
- do something to stop losing money or something
eg. We should sell the old machinery as soon as possible and try and cut our losses.
cut off one`s nose to spite one`s face
- make things worse for oneself because one is angry - usually at someone else
eg. When he decided not to go to the party he was cutting off his nose to spite his face. He was the one who lost out on a good opportunity to meet many new people.
cut the mustard
- reach the required standard
eg. He doesn`t cut the mustard and will never be able to work here.
cut (someone) off
- stop someone from saying something, disconnect someone on the phone
eg. I tried to tell him about the accident but he cut me off before I had a chance.
cut-rate
- sell for a price lower than usual
eg. We went to a cut-rate furniture store to buy some new furniture for our apartment.
(a) case in point
- an example that proves something or helps to make something clear
eg. What he just said was a case in point about what I have been saying all year.
(a) come-down
- a lowering in status, income, influence or energy
eg. Her new job was a real come-down from her last one so she was not very happy.
(bring) coals to Newcastle
- bring something of which there is plenty
eg. Bringing extra food to the farmer`s picnic was like bringing coals to Newcastle.
(get) carried away
- lose control or judgement due to strong feelings
eg. I got a carrried away and began to yell at her for losing my textbook.
(have the) cheek to do something
- rudeness, impudence
eg. She had the cheek to tell me that she was sick and couldn`t come to work today.
(in) care of someone
- send something to one person at the address of another person
eg. I sent the parcel to her in care of her friend at the university.
(in) charge of something
- be responsible for an activity or group of people
eg. He is in charge of selling tickets for the school dance.
(not one`s) cup of tea
- something one enjoys, special interest
eg. It`s not really my cup of tea so I think I will stay home and not go to the art gallery.
(the) creeps
- a strong feeling of fear or disgust
eg. I get the creeps every time that I see a dead animal.
(when the) chips are down
- the time when one faces the greatest obstacles
eg. When the chips were down he went to his father for advice and received his encouragement.
Last Update: 2005/12/18