Idiom Definition Index C
Wayne Magnuson: English Idioms

 

Idiom Definition Index C


 
c'est
that's life
cab
flag a cab
hail a cab
cabbage
rabbit food
cables
jump start
kick start
caboodle
lock, stock and barrel
caf__html_eacute__
a doggy bag
cafe
eat out
greasy spoon
cage
on the loose
cain
raise hell [B]
cake
a piece of piss
can't have it both ways
duck soup
easy as pie
easy pickings
goodies
have it both ways
it was a lark
it's a snap
wacky
calculate
figurehead
get a fix on
calf
charley horse
prairie oyster
calgary
Cowtown
call
a wash
account for
any word
be there or be square
call it a day
catch you at a bad time
dingle you
doesn't mince words
even
give me a dingle
give me a ring
going to the mountains
have the final say
in no uncertain terms
mayday (m'aidez)
no word
one false move
phone-in
ring me
ring off the hook
run the show
SOS
straight from the shoulder
take calls
the call of duty
what-cha-ma-call-it
write it off
called
go by the name of
take your turn
calling
hey
calm
butter wouldn't melt in his mouth
cool off
cool under pressure
hang loose
keep an even keel
keep your cool
keep your hair on
keep your shirt on
play it cool
settle down
when the dust settles
without batting an eye
calmly
collect my thoughts
nerves of steel
camera
zoom in
can
a double-edged sword
a heavy hitter
a man's home is his castle
age of majority
an easy mark
at the top of her game
at the top of his voice
beauty is only skin deep
biff/biffy
bite off more than you can chew
bottle man
bow out
can help it
catch as catch can
circular file
clear your head/mind
course you can
crank issue
cry me a river
damned if you do and damned if you don't
dead-eye Dick
die hard
do your utmost
don't sweat it
double take
eagle eyes
eat your fill
faster than a minnow can swim a dipper
file 13
full out
give it all you've got
give it your best shot
got you by the balls [B]
hard skill
have a boo
have to hand it to you
hell's bells
hit me with your best shot
hold me responsible
hold your mouth the right way
if my memory serves me correctly
if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen
if you're not with us you're against us
in plain view
it takes two to tango
it's a go
just like that
like a chicken on a June bug
make do
make the most of it
milk it
mind boggling
mind over matter
miss your chance
Murphy's Law
of course you can
open to criticism
pass up
quicker than you can say Jack Robinson
realize your potential
set out
shape up or ship out
show your stuff
step aside
take this job and shove it [B]
the age of majority
the big picture
the bigger they are the harder they fall
the john
the loo
try your luck
up for grabs
where's the loo
window on the world
word is good
work the room
you bet your boots
you can bet your bottom dollar
you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink
you can run but you can't hide
canada
Canada goose
Canuck
Lotus Land
Sasquatch
The Great White North
The Rock
canadian
Canada goose
Canuck
hoser
Joe Who
Johnny Canuck
loonie
Mounties
rye
snowbirds
The Group of Seven
canary
squealer
cancel
call off
get cold feet
scratch
canceled
laid off
candidate
mudsling
run for office
candy
a sweet tooth
goodies
pin money
sweet tooth
canned
a pat answer
cannot
behind your back
beyond help
beyond repair
can't believe my ears
can't believe my eyes
can't have it both ways
can't help
can't put my finger on it
can't put my hands on it
can't see for looking
can't see the forest for the trees
chickens come home to roost
choke
do-dad
go on
have to
heart is in the right place
I'll be a monkey's uncle
if you can't cut it, you can't stay
it takes two to tango
mind go blank
no can do
no chancy
plate is full
put my foot down
shut-in
stump me
the breaking point
the Peter Principle
there's no two ways about it
what's-his-face
written in blood
you can lead a horse to water but you can't make him drink
you can run but you can't hide
you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear
canuck
Canuck
Johnny Canuck
canyon
Lovers' Leap
capacity
bandwidth
grey matter
car
a humdinger
at the wheel
beater
bomb around
car buff
clunker
cruise
Denver boot
drag race
drive around
drive standard
fender bender
go for a spin
happy motoring
hit the brakes
idiot lights
jump start
kick start
lay rubber
lemon
low-ball him
pick you up
puddlejumper
ragtop
rearend
ride the clutch
rustbucket
set of wheels
tailgate
tin Lizzie
tranny
wheels
XL
zoom
carbike
wipe out
card
a hot hand
a major
an ace up your sleeve
close to the vest
cold, hard cash
deal me in
hit me (card games)
plastic
read them and weep
card-carrying
dyed in the wool
care
bite the hand that feeds you
couldn't care less
do you mind
don't give a crap [B]
don't give a damn [B]
fend for yourself
fuss over
give a damn / give a shit / give a fuck [B]
give a hoot
give a shit [B]
just so
keep in good shape
look after
piss on them [B]
play hard to get
reach out
slash and burn
so what
take care of
take pains
take you in
watch out for
watch over
what the hay
who cares
cared
in good hands
under my care
career
all washed up
checkered career
on his last legs
track record
work the room
carefree
devil-may-care
footloose and fancy free
happy as a clam/lark
on a lark
careful
a fine-toothed comb
just so
look out
on your guard
penny wise, pound foolish
play it safe
take care
the third degree
tighten our belts
walk on eggshells
watch out
watch your step
carefully
all ears
all eyes
give me the third degree
hang on every word
keep your eyes peeled
listen up
make sure
mark my words
off the top of my head
on tenterhooks
penny pincher
sharpen up
spell out
stretch the dollar
think through
watch me like a hawk
watch over like a mother hawk
careless
harum-scarum
klutz
penny wise, pound foolish
screw-up
trifle with me
carelessly
slip out
thrash
throw caution to the wind
upon the words offhandedly spoken
caress
pet
caribou
caribouboo
caring
have a soft spot for
carpet
cover up
give me the third degree
pointed questions
royal treatment
take you to task
the third degree
carried
go too far
piggyback
carrots
rabbit food
carry
bring it off
cash and carry
hold me responsible
keep on trucking
pack a rod
pack Uzis
pipes
soldier on
carving
work of art
case
a case of
browbeat
get off my back
got it bad
got it in for
it's a case of
make a big to-do
on my back
pick on
watch me like a hawk
cash
bread
cash and carry
cash in
cash on the barrelhead
cash on the line
cash up/cash out
flat broke
moola
scratch
straight cash
the take
cast
under a spell
casual
dress down
laid back
offhand
casually
upon the words offhandedly spoken
cat
it's the duck's guts
let the cat out of the bag
lose your tongue
scaredy cat
the bee's knees
the room is so small you have to go outside turn around
catch
a bawling out
a glow on
butter fingers
buzzword
catch it
catch your death
dimwit
get a lift
get hell [B]
get it straight
get shit [B]
get your attention
good hands
hire on
in deep trouble
join you
pick up
play catch-up
sack out
take after
take the bus/plane
toast
wait up
catcher
burn it in
category
lump together
catholic
dogan
caucasian
honky
The Great White Hope
caught
ahead of the game
caught in the act
caught red-handed
caught with his pants down
found out
get away with
get burned
get caught
give him enough rope and he'll hang himself
in the throes
smoking gun
cauliflower
cauliflower ear
cause
a downer (sadness)
a pain in the butt
a wash-out
add fuel to the fire
bad news
be my undoing
beyond repair
black eye
blow it
blow sky high
break a spell
break your heart
bring the house down
bring you up short
capture the imagination
catch 22
catch your eye
claim to fame
come back to haunt you
cramp your style
crank issue
cut me to the quick
dampen your spirits
dawn on me
dig your own grave
don't make a mountain out of a molehill
don't make waves
don't rock the boat
draw it to my attention
drive me batty
drive me crazy
drive me to the edge
drive me up the wall
drive you nuts
drive you to distraction
drive you to drink
fine-tune
frame
fuck up [B]
Gang of Four
get a laugh
get in deeper
get me down
get to the bottom of
get to the root of the problem
get you down
get your attention
get your hopes up
get your tits in a wringer
give a black eye
give me a lift
give me the creeps
give you a boost
hair off the dog that bit you
hit my funny bone
hold you up
if you're born to hang, you won't drown
keep you honest
kill me
knock the wind out of his sails
leave well enough alone
lift my spirits
liven up
make a booboo
make it worse
make me do it
make me sick/mad etc.
make trouble
make your hair stand on end
make your mouth water
money is the root of all evil
money talks
Mother Nature
move you to tears
necessity is the mother of invention
play a part
play havoc with
play on my heart strings
pluck at the heart strings
pull it off
put an end to
put the heat on
put you at ease
put you in a bad mood
put you off your game
put your foot in it
put your foot in your mouth
rabble-rouser
raise a stink
raise Cain
reach me
ring a bell
rock
rub salt in the wound
send him flying
set you up
set your mind at ease
shake him
shit disturber [B]
show you up
slip up
soften up
soften your stance
spell disaster
steal your heart
step on his dick
step on your dick
stop you in your tracks
strike me
stroke your ego
sweep you off your feet
take effect
tearjerker
the balance of power
the life of the party
the root of the problem
the way to a man's heart is through his stomach
throw a game
throw cold water on
throw you
tip the scales at
too many cooks spoil the broth
touch you
turn you on
turn your stomach
upset the apple cart
whet your appetite
win the hearts
you have to be good to be lucky
caused
at fault
dirty thirties
it phased me out
tell him a thing or two
what came over me
causing
a suicide pass (hockey)
chain reaction
killing me
up to no good
caution
a wake-up call
tempt fate
cautious
on your guard
throw caution to the wind
cautiously
on tenterhooks
celebrate
do the town
kick up your heels
shoot up
celebrating
high five
celebration
go hog wild
cell
bandwidth
in the hole
cellar
shuck on down to the fraidy hole
cement
butter fingers
cent
chime in
from hand to mouth
say my piece
six bits
two bits
center
ante up
cherrypicker (hockey)
smack dab in the middle
the eye of the storm
centered
a little off
century
the turn of the century
cereal
grain belt
ceremony
blood is thicker than water
pay my respects
certain
a foregone conclusion
a shoo-in
a sure bet
as sure as shit
dead certain
dyed in the wool
lead pipe cinch
make sure
no doubt
no question
positive
rest assured
see to it/see to that
sure as hell
sure as shit
without question
certainly
for sure
you bet your boots
cetera
and stuff
chain
line of authority
smoke like a furnace
chair
be my guest
belly up to the bar
have a chair
have a seat
move over
musical chairs
play musical chairs
rolling in the aisles
shuffle the chairs on the deck
take a load off your feet
take the stand
take your seat
chairman
boarding (hockey)
chalk
a feather in your cap
challenge
back down
call his bluff
mess with
mix it up
push the envelope
shooting fish in a barrel
stand up to
take on
take risks
try me
challenged
hard pressed
put to the test
chamber
in the pipe five by five
chance
a daredevil
a fighting chance
a ghost of a chance
a golden opportunity
a head start
a level playing field
a long shot
a pig in a poke
a slim chance
a snowball's chance in hell
a window of opportunity
against all odds
big break
bump into
by guess or by gosh
do or die
fat chance
first crack at
first dibs
game over
give me a break
go out on a limb
goose is cooked
have a shot at
haven't got a hope
haven't got a hope in hell
he who hesitates is lost
know where we stand
last call
last resort
let this chance go by
lose out
no chancy
no dice
no news is good news
not by a long shot
not likely
out on a limb
out to get you
photo op
pin your hopes on
play fair
play it safe
play with fire
run into
shoot yourself in the foot
tempt fate
the fickle finger of fate
the luck of the draw
try your luck
your turn
change
a breath of fresh air
back out
bend the rules
cast a spell
change hands
change horses in mid stream
change of heart
change your mind
change your tune
die hard
don't rock the boat
flatliner
flip-flop
Generation X
get a life
go straight
hard line
make a difference
makes no difference
mark a watershed
out of our hands
play havoc with
play musical chairs
put a different slant on it
rock
set in her ways
shuffle the chairs on the deck
sick to death
soften your stance
stick to your guns
take effect
take risks
the fickle finger of fate
the point of no return
the tide turned
think better of it
tip the scales
touch up
turn into
turn on you
twist your words
what came over me
wing it
you can't teach an old dog new tricks
changed
business as usual
sacred cow
written in blood
changeup
fastball
changing
in a rut
character
capture the imagination
weak-kneed
charge
beat the rap
drop charges
in control
in the driver's seat
press charges
put it on the bill
run a tab
run up
take the bull by the horns
charged
busted
off the hook
charity
raise money
charley
pull a muscle
charm
a lady-killer
cast a spell
chart
family tree
chase
a wild goose chase
all around Robin Hood's barn
round up
run out of town
take after
chased
the bum's rush
chasing
on his tail
chat
shoot the breeze
chatter
yada
cheap
a dime a dozen
cheap like borsch
chintzy
dirt cheap
tight/tight fisted
cheaper
happy hour
cheat
bilk
double-cross
rotter
screw
shaft
sucker you
cheated
been had
fucked by the fickle finger of fate [B]
laugh it off
ripped off
sucked in
taken
cheating
hanky-panky
take you for all you've got
check
cold, hard cash
eyeball this
get a load of that
get off my case
get the lay of the land
give up the blueline (hockey)
keep track
look over
make sure
peep this
pogey
price out
read them and weep
run down
run the gamut
size up
spotcheck
take your pulse
test the water
checker
clotheslined (hockey)
checking
boarding (hockey)
checkup
a clean bill of health
cheek
lip
cheeky
lippy
sassy
shirty
cheer
come alive
come on
here's to
pull for
root for
skoal
cheering
bring the house down
it's all over but the shouting
cheerio
cheery-bye
cheesecake
tits and ass (T & A) [B]
chest
sound off
chew
Fletcherize your food
shoot the breeze
chick
broad
gash
lovelies
some chick
what a dish
chicken
a paltry sum
cackleberries
faint of heart
fraidy cat
lily-livered
peanuts
the pope's nose
wimp
wuss
yellow
you reap whatsoever you sow
chief
big cheese
the big cheese
too many cooks spoil the broth
child
a babe in arms
a budding genius
a handful
fraidy cat
half-pint
knee high to a grasshopper
sleepy head
snotty-nosed kid
Sophie's choice
spoiled brat
twerp
childhood
grow up
children
hand down
one for the money, two for the show...
puppy love
ride herd
chill
cool off
don't have a cow
play it cool
simmer down
chime
two cents' worth
chimo
cheers
chin
chew the fat/ chew the rag
shoot the shit [B]
tonsil hockey
yak
china
not for all the tea in China
trash the place
chip
boys will be boys
cash in
like father, like son
spoil for a fight
the apple doesn't fall far from the tree
chock
chockablock
plump full
chockablock
chock full
choice
a sure bet
a tough call
between a rock and a hard place
between the devil and the deep blue sea
cup of tea
get her way
how do you like them apples
kick myself
run the gamut
the life of Riley
up to you
willy-nilly
choke
buck fever
choose
betwixt and between
can't have it both ways
change your mind
choose up sides
go wrong
heads or tails
it's up to you
make up your mind
set your price
set your sights
single out
sit the fence
suit yourself
take your pick
choosing
Sophie's choice
chore
joe-job
chosen
off topic
the luck of the draw
christmas
Christmas graduate
chromedome
silkhead
chuck
smithwright it
chuckle
have a laugh
chunks
blow chunks
church
below the poverty line
darken a church door
dogan
in the poorhouse
ciao
cheers
chimo
toodles/toodle-oo
cigarette
another nail in your coffin
chain smoker
got a light
have a drag
light up
reefer
smoke like a furnace
circle
biter (curling)
don't know whether you're coming or going
frazzled
circulation
lay low
circumstances
sitting pretty
cities
milk run
citizen
Canuck
Gang of Four
go straight
city
branch office
life in the fast lane
out on the town
pass through
rat race
settle down
The Big Apple
claim
got no business
pad an expense account
clap
give them a hand
clark
Joe Who
class
class act
cut rate
hand out
his nibs
new kid on the block
putting on the ritz
show up
top drawer
top notch
upper crust
classes
play hooky
skip classes
classic
an old warhorse
classy
dapper Dan
putting on the ritz
clause
grandfather
clean
all spruced up
as clean as a whistle
clean cut
mop up
own up
preppy
shipshape
spiffy
squeaky clean
tiddly
wash it off
wash out
watch your step
winning streak
cleanup
a lick and a promise
clear
a dead giveaway
as plain as the nose on your face
butter wouldn't melt in his mouth
come out in the wash
crystal clear
drain the swamp
drive it home
hit me
it strikes me
it's as plain as the nose on your face
nail down
peaches-and-cream
plain as the nose on your face
the handwriting is on the wall
clearly
as plain as day
clear as a bell
clear your head/mind
collect my thoughts
cut
dead wrong
fall between two stools
get your head together
in no uncertain terms
keep your head
lose it
lose your head
make myself clear
neither fish nor fowl
on the same wavelength
open to question
out loud
plain as day
presence of mind
take leave of your senses
think straight
clergyman
a man of the cloth
clever
fancy footwork
clich__html_eacute__
song and dance
cliff
Lovers' Leap
cliff-hanger
a barnburner
a whale of a game
climax
come to a head
clink
pokey
clique
the in-crowd
clock
'round the clock
around the clock
on the clock
close
a cliff-hanger
a close call
a close shave
a dead ringer
a fine line
belly up to the bar
bosom buddy
can't see the forest for the trees
double whammy
fast friends
hot on your heels
in the ball park
keep your distance
nail it down
nip and tuck
on the brink
on the verge
out of range
out of the ball park
point-blank range
sign off
tailgate
the inside track
tight race
under my nose
way out (away out)
within earshot
worlds apart
wrap it up
zip
closely
on his tail
closer
back off
crawl on my hands and knees over broken glass just to see her photo
zoom in
closest
next of kin
closet
a duke's mixture
Fibber McGee's closet
closing
under the wire
wrap-up
closure
shut-down
clothes
all spruced up
bundle up
clean up
cut a fine figure
dress clothes
dress down
dress up
dressed fit to kill
get-up
glad rags
hand me down
naked as a jay bird
preppy
put on the dog
rags
stark naked
strip
Sunday best
threads
clothing
drag queen
get-up
grunge (fashion)
off with
potato sack
cloud
come down to earth
out of touch
riding high
the sky isn't blue
clown
such a card
clue
have an inkling
haven't the foggiest
clumsy
all thumbs
klutz
clunker
beater
clutch
ride the clutch
co-op
rubberneck
co-operate
come around
get along
give no quarter
go along with
pull together
co-operative
soften up
coast
Lotus Land
Th