AMERICAN IDIOMS (C)
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Idioms starting with C
Here is our list of popular "C" idioms that are used in American English:
Call (n.): 1) Prediction:
Example: "That was a good call on the weather. It rained just like you said that It would.". 2) Decision:
Example: "Where do you want to eat. Person 2: It's your call."
(To) call it a day:
To end work and go home.
Example: "Let's call it a day. It's getting late."
Call the shots: To make decisions, to be in charge.
Example: "I call the shots around here!"
(To) carry a tune:
To be able to sing on key (accurately).
Example: "She has an awful voice! She can't carry a tune."
Cash (n.): Money.
Example: "You got any cash on you?"
(To) cash in on something:
To profit from something.
Example: "The actor wanted to cash in on his popularity by opening a restaurant."
(A) catch:
When talking about wives, husbands, girlfriends, etc., people sometimes say "He's quite a catch" or "She's quite a catch", which means that the person in question is (or would be) a great partner (usually because of his/her personality, money, or looks).
(To) catch someone's eye:
To get someone's attention through eye contact.
Catch some rays (v.): To sunbathe; To go suntanning.
Check out (v.): 1) To see (
"Let's check out that new movie!") 2) To take a look at (
"Check out this cool website!", "Check out that girl!")
Cheesy (adj.): Cheap, tacky.
Examples: "A cheesy pick-up line", "A cheesy song".
Chick (n.): Young woman, girl, etc. (This term is considered derogatory (offensive) by some, so if you're not sure, don't use it.)
Chill out (v.): To relax.
Example: "Chill out! Why are you getting so worked up over this?"
Class-act (n.): A distinctive person; someone with a lot of class.
(A) clean bill of health:
A report from the doctor that one's health is good; good results from a doctor's medical examination.
Example: "I went in for my yearly physical and got a clean bill of health from Dr. Jones."
(To) clear the table:
To remove all dishes, cutlery, etc. from a table after a meal.
Example: "You clear the table and I'll do the dishes."
(A) close call:
Most often used in the past tense, this can be said of something that almost caused a very dangerous or bad situation.
Example: "That was a close call! The train almost hit the motorbike."
Coast-to-coast (adj/adv):
From the Atlantic to the Pacific coast in the United States.
Example: "Our car made the coast-to-coast trip in 70 hours".
(To) come away empty handed:
To return without anything. To expect to receive something but to end up receiving nothing.
Example: "The union workers came away empty handed from the negotiations."
(To) come to an end:
To finish; to stop.
Example: "When the road came to an end, we turned left."
(To) come out of the closet:
To reveal that one is gay.
Example: "The Republican senator shocked his constituents last June by coming out of the closet."
Come to think of it:
I just remembered.
Example: "Hey, come to think of it, I do have a sleeping bag you can borrow."
(To) come up short:
To not quite achieve one's goal.
Example: "The students tried to raise $1,000 for the school play, but they came up short."
Come what may
Whatever happens. No matter what happens.
Cool (adj.): nice, great, impressive.
Example: "a cool dress", "a cool guy", "a cool bar."
Cool down (v.) : Relax, calm down after an argument, etc.
Example: "Give him a couple of days to cool down before you call him."
Cop (n.): Police officer.
Example: "My brother is a cop."
Copycat (noun or adjective)
Used to refer to someone who imitates/mimics another person, usually used with a negative connotation.
Couch potato : Someone who spends most of his/her time sitting on the couch, watching TV.
(To) cover a lot of ground:
To go through a lot of information.
Example: "We've covered a lot of ground in my English class in the past two months."
(To) cover for someone:
To make excuses for someone or to conceal someone's errors.
Example: "He asked me to cover to him while he ran out to talk to his girlfriend."
(At the) crack of dawn:
Right at dawn (when the sun comes up).
Example: "Whe hit the road at the crack of dawn."
Crack open (v.): In this phrase, the "crack" is only used to emphasize the process of opening.
Example: "Crack open a bottle of champagne! It's time to celebrate!" (Open a bottle of champagne! It's time to celebrate!)
Crank up (v.): To crank something up means to increase it's volume (significantly)
Example: "Crank it up, man! I love that song!"
(To) crash:
To sleep. To go to bed.
Example: "Do you think I can crash here tonight?"
(To) cramp someone's style:
To limit someone in some way. To limit someone from expressing themselves fully.
Example: "Get lost. You're cramping my style!"
Creep (n.): An unpleasantly weird/strange person.
Example: "I don't like Tom. He's a bit of a creep."
Creepy (adj.): Unpleasantly weird; something that makes you feel uneasy.
Example: "That's a creepy song."
Cringe (adj.): Embarrassing. A short form of "cringe-worthy".
Example: "My mom's speech was cringe."
Crummy (adj.): Bad. *somewhat outdated*
(To) cry one's eyes out:
To cry hard.
Example: "When her grandfather died, she cried her eyes out for three days straight."
Cushy (adj.): Comfortably easy.
Example: "A cushy job."
(To) cut class:
To not go to class. To skip going to class.
Example: "Jacob was a very bad student. He was always cutting class to go smoke with his buddies."
Cut (a deal) (v.): To negotiate a deal; To compromise; to make a deal.
Example: "Let's cut a deal. I'll let you use the car if you help around the house."
(A) cut above (something):
Superior/ better (than something).
Example: "The commercial claimed that this car company was a cut above the rest."
(To not) cut it: To not be enough; to be insufficient.
Example: "In this case, saying 'sorry' just doesn't cut it." (Saying 'sorry' is not enough.)
(To) cut loose:
To act without restraint, without holding back.
Example: "I just want to cut loose this weekend."
