Letter C

CABBIE

—   cabbie (see CABBY)

CABBY

 *    cabby (ka´bē) (colloq.): taxicab driver  >He works as a cabby at night.

CABOODLE

—   the (whole) kit and caboodle (see KIT)

CADDY

 *    Caddy (ka´dē) (sl.): Cadillac automobile  >He drove up in a brand-new Caddy.

CADILLAC

—   the Cadillac of ... (... ka´dә lak ...) (colloq.): the best ..., the top of the ... line  >This model’s the Cadillac of blenders.

CAGE

—   rattle [s/one’s] cage (see RATTLE)

CAHOOTS

 *    in cahoots (... kә hūts´) (colloq.): conspiring together, in partnership, collaborating (esp. for s/thing questionable)  >They say that labor leader’s in cahoots with the mafia.  >I know the lobbyist and the consultant are in cahoots.

CAIN

—   raise Cain (sl.): cause trouble, create a disturbance, be raucous and rowdy  >Them drunk cowboys are raisin’ Cain over at Millie’s again.

—   raise Cain (with) (sl.): complain strenuously (to), severely reprimand (s/one)  >The foreman raised Cain with Ziggy for drinkin’ on the job.

CAKE

—   icing/frosting on the cake (see ICING)

—   piece of cake (see PIECE)

 *    take the cake (colloq.): be unsurpassable (esp. in a negative quality), be highly unusual  >I’ve seen a lot of pompous people before, but that jerk takes the cake.  >If that dancing elephants act don’t take the cake!

CAKEWALK

—   cakewalk (colloq.): easy thing to do, assured success  >Beating that lousy team will be a cakewalk.

CALL

 *    call [s/one’s] bluff (colloq.): ask [s/one] to prove a claim or carry out a threat (when that claim or threat is considered false)  >He wanted us to believe he was an inspector, but I called his bluff and asked for I.D.  >Go ahead, call Mindy’s bluff—she won’t really quit.

**   call it a day/night (colloq.): stop (an activity) for the day/night  >I’m dead tired—let’s call it a day.

—   call it quits (see QUITS)

—   call of nature (colloq.): need to defecate and/or urinate  >Excuse me. I got to answer the call of nature.

 *    call [s/one] on [s/thing] (colloq.): ask [s/one] to prove (a claim) (when that claim is considered false)  >The old man claimed he could speak German, but I called him on it and he couldn’t even say “Ich spreche Deutsch.”

—   call [s/one] on the carpet (colloq.): bring [s/one] before an authority for a reprimand  >He was called on the carpet for screwing up the deal.

 *    call the shots (colloq.): be in charge, have the authority to make decisions  >Gabe is the manager, but he lets Judy call the shots.

CALL GIRL

 *    call girl (colloq.): prostitute (esp. one contracted by telephone)  >He’s got an expensive call girl he contacts every time he’s in town.

CALLING CARD

—   [one’s] calling card (colloq.): [one’s] particular or typical sign, trace or characteristic by which [one] can be identified  >The pattern on these shoeprints is the killer’s calling card.  >Damn dog left his calling card on my front lawn again.

CAMPER

—   happy/unhappy camper (colloq., freq. hum.): satisfied/dissatisfied participant  >We’re going to have a bunch of unhappy campers if there are any more delays.

CAN

 *    can1 (sl.): buttocks, rump  >The jolt knocked him on his can.

**   can2 (vt) (sl.): fire, dismiss  >He got canned last week, and he’s lookin’ for work.

 *    can3 (vt) (sl.): put a stop to (esp. talking or noise) (used esp. as a command)  >Hey, can the B.S.! We all know better.  >Can it! I’m tryin’ to sleep. 

—   kick the can down the road (see KICK) 

—   no can do (see NO)

 *    the can1 (sl.): toilet, bathroom  >He was sittin’ on the can readin’ a magazine.  >I went to the can to take a leak.

—   the can2 (sl.): jail  >He took a punch at a cop and ended up in the can.

CANCER STICK

—   cancer stick (sl.): cigarette (esp. seen as injurious)  >Ya still smokin’ those damn cancer sticks?

CAN-DO

—   can-do (colloq.): efficient, purposeful, enthusiastic to accomplish things  >What this firm needs is more can-do execs like him.

CANDY ASS

—   candy ass (vulg.): overly timid person, sissy, coward (also voc.)  >That candy ass won’t even try jumpin’ off the high dive.  >Come on, candy ass—what’re ya afraid of?

CANDY-ASS

—   candy-ass(ed) (vulg.): cowardly, overly timid, sissy  >I don’t want no candy-assed college boy goin’ huntin’ with us.

CANNED

 *    canned (colloq.): prerecorded, prepared previously  >I hate the canned laughter on these sitcoms. > The candidate gave a canned answer on the need to balance the budget.

CAN OF WORMS

 *    can of worms (colloq.): problematic matter, troublesome situation  >Don’t open up a can of worms by questioning his qualifications.

CAP

—   cap (vt) (sl.): shoot with a gun, kill with gunfire  >The dude didn’t say nothin’, he just pulled a gun and capped him right there.

CAPER

—   caper (kā´pәr) (colloq.): criminal act  >He got indicted for an insider stock trading caper. 

CAPISCHE

—   capische? (kә pēsh´/kä pēsh´) (sl.): do you understand?, is that clear?  >I don’t want ya talkin’ to my girlfriend again, capische? 

CARB

—   carb (kärb) (colloq.): carburetor  >Sounds like you need to adjust the carb.

CARBOS

—   carbos (kär´bōz) (colloq.): carbohydrates (in food)  >I think she needs more carbos in her diet.

CARBS

—   carbs (kärbz) (colloq.): carbohydrates (in food)  >He eats a lot of carbs the day before a race.

CARCASS

—   [one’s] carcass (sl.): [one’s] body, [one]self (esp. seen as contemptible or troublesome)  >Get your carcass outta bed and get to work!

CARD

—   card1 (colloq.): funny person, odd or eccentric person  >Milton’s a real card. He always has us cracking up.

 *    card2 (vt) (sl.): check the identification of (to ascertain required age)  >I’m over thirty, and I still get carded in bars.

—   ace/card up [one’s] sleeve (see ACE)

CARD-CARRYING

—   card-carrying ... (colloq.): dedicated or absolute ...  >Every card-carrying conservative’s going to love that scheme to get rid of welfare.

CARDS

—   hold all the cards (see HOLD)

 *    in the cards (colloq.): likely to happen (esp. soon)  >Be patient—your promotion’s in the cards.

 *    lay [one’s] cards on the table (colloq.): be open about [one’s] interests, deal straightforwardly, not keep anything secret  >Let’s stop fooling around and lay our cards on the table.

—   play [one’s] cards right (see PLAY)

—   stack the deck/cards (see STACK)

CARE

**   could care less (colloq.): could not be less concerned or interested  >I could care less what that clown thinks.

**   take care of (colloq.): make suffer, take revenge on, murder  >I’ll take care of that idiot.  >They had a hit man take care of the informer.

CARPET

—   call [s/one] on the carpet (see CALL)

CARROT-TOP

—   carrot-top (sl.): red-headed person  >Are these carrot-tops your kids?

CARRY

 *    carry (a lot of) weight (colloq.): be (very) influential, be (very) important  >What she says carries a lot of weight at meetings.  >Let him talk—he doesn’t carry any weight around here.

—   carry a torch for (colloq.): be in love with (s/one who does not love one in return)  >Owen carries a torch for her, but she doesn’t care if he’s dead or alive.

 *    carry off (vt) (colloq.): complete successfully, accomplish without suffering neg. consequences (esp. s/thing tricky or objectionable)  >If they carry off that deal, they’ll make a fortune.  >It’s a neat scheme if you can carry it off.

 *    carry on (vi) (colloq.): act childishly or excitedly, behave objectionably  >What’s that lady carrying on about? What’s her problem?  >I saw them carrying on together in a parked car.

—   carry the ball (colloq.): take on the main responsibility, take charge  >You’re going to have to carry the ball on this one, Betsy, because the rest of us are already busy.

CARRYING

—   carrying (sl.): armed, carrying a gun  >Be careful with that dude—I think he’s carryin’.

CART

—   cart off/away (vt) (colloq.): take (s/one) away roughly or unceremoniously  >The sheriff carted two drunks off to jail to sober up.

CASE

—   case1 (colloq.): funny person, odd or eccentric person  >The lady in the fireman’s hat is a real case.

 *    case2 (vt) (sl.): examine or check out (a place) (esp. in preparation for a robbery)  >They cased the bank on Thursday and hit it on Friday.  >Go case the party and let us know if it’s OK to come in.

**   off [s/one’s] case (sl.): no longer pressuring or criticizing [s/one], no longer bothering [s/one] (cf. “on [s/one’s] CASE”)  >Hey, get off his case and let him do his job, will ya?

**   on [s/one’s] case (sl.): pressuring or criticizing [s/one], bothering [s/one] (cf. “off [s/one’s] CASE”)  >I’m sick and tired of havin’ ya on my case about how I’m raisin’ the kids!

CASH

—   cash in ([one’s] chips) (sl.): die  >When I cash in my chips, I don’t want no fancy funeral.  >He was old and sick. It was time for him to cash in.

 *    cash in on (colloq.): profit from (an opportunity), take advantage of (s/thing) for profit  >You got to act fast to cash in on fads.

CAST-IRON

—   have a cast-iron stomach (colloq.): be able to eat strong or very spicy food, be able to digest almost anything  >Bob smothers everything he eats with jalapeño peppers. He’s got a cast-iron stomach.

CAT

—   cat (sl.): man, fellow (esp. a stylish one)  >Who was that cat playin’ bass guitar last night?

—   let the cat out of the bag (see LET)

—   something/what the cat dragged in (sl.): very messy or disreputable thing or person (in appearance)  >Well, look what the cat dragged in! What the hell happened to you?  >That slob she’s with looks like something the cat dragged in.

—   [for] the cat [to] have [s/one’s] tongue (colloq.): [for s/one to] be speechless, [for s/one to] have difficulty saying (s/thing)  >Seemed like the cat had his tongue when his wife asked him where he’d been all night.  >What’s the matter—the cat got your tongue?

CATCH

**   catch1 (colloq.): drawback, unexpected flaw  >The job pays OK, and it would be a good promotion. The catch is that the hours are lousy.  >That’s too good to be true—what’s the catch?

 *    catch2 (colloq.): desirable mate, good marriage prospect  >Her mother thinks Seymour is quite a catch.

**   catch3 (vt) (colloq.): make contact with, meet  >He wasn’t in the office when I phoned, but I caught him at home.  >I’ll catch you at Lew’s party tomorrow night.

**   catch4 (vt) (colloq.): attend, see (a show, etc.)  >Did you catch that play when it was in town?  >Let’s catch a movie after dinner.

—   catch/get [s/one’s] drift (see DRIFT)

—   catch/get hell (see HELL)

 *    catch it (colloq.): be scolded or punished  >You’re going to catch it when Mom finds out where you’ve been.

**   catch on1 (vi) (colloq.): finally understand  >Christie found the routine hard to follow at first, but she caught on after a couple of days.

**   catch on2 (vi) (colloq.): become popular, turn into a fad  >I doubt that dance will ever really catch on.

—   catch shit (from) (see SHIT)

—   catch some rays (see RAYS)

—   get/catch some Zs (see ZS)

 *    catch [s/one] with [his/her] pants down (colloq.): surprise [s/one] in a compromising or embarrassing act or position, catch [s/one] red-handed  >He was caught with his pants down when his wife saw him coming out of a motel room with another woman.

CATCH-22

 *    catch-22 (colloq.): impossible situation or requirement (due to self-contradiction or illogic)  >It’s a catch-22. You can’t get in without a pass, and they only give out the passes inside.

CATCH-UP

*     play catch-up (colloq.): make an effort to reach the level of a competitor that has taken the lead, work to recover a loss  >If they get that new product on the market by next year, we’re going to have to play catch-up.  >The team fell behind ten points and had to play catch-up to finally win.

CATHOUSE

—   cathouse (sl.): house of prostitution, brothel  >Earl got arrested at some cathouse across town.

CATS

—   rain cats and dogs (see RAIN)

CAT’S MEOW

—   the cat’s meow (sl., dtd.): person or thing that is excellent or very special  >Mom thinks Judy’s boyfriend is the cat’s meow.

CAT’S PAJAMAS

—   the cat’s pajamas (sl., dtd.): person or thing that is excellent or very special  >Hot chocolate on a cold night is the cat’s pajamas.

CAUGHT

—   wouldn’t be caught dead (see DEAD)

‘CAUSE

**   ‘cause (kuz) (colloq.): because  >Do it ‘cause I said to!

CAVE

 *    cave (in to) (vi) (colloq.): desist, yield (to), no longer oppose (esp. under pressure)  >Keep the pressure on and he’ll cave.  >Management held out for a long time but finally caved in to the union’s demands.

CAVE MAN

—   cave man (colloq.): brutish or violent man (esp. toward women), male sexist  >I can’t believe that Grace, who calls herself a feminist, is actually falling for that cave man.

C.B.ER

—   C.B.er (colloq.): citizen’s band radio user or enthusiast  >A C.B.er told me about the detour.

C.C.

 *    C.C. [s/one] (on s/thing) (colloq.): send a copy (of s/thing) to [s/one] (esp. an email or memoradum)  >I C.C.’d everyone in the billing department on the email I got from that irate customer.

CEILING

—   hit the ceiling (see HIT)

CELEB

—   celeb (sә leb´) (colloq.): celebrity (person)  >She says a lot of celebs will be at the benefit show.

CERTIFIABLE

—   certifiable (colloq.): insane, undoubtedly crazy  >The guy went berserk for no reason at all—he’s certifiable.

CHAIN

—   pull [s/one’s] chain (see PULL)

—   yank [s/one’s] chain (see YANK)

CHAIR

 *    the chair (sl.): the electric chair, death by electrocution in the electric chair  >The District Attorney’s askin’ that the defendant get the chair in this case.

CHALK

 *    chalk up (vt) (colloq.): earn or score, add on (to one’s record)  >The new prof has really been chalking up the publications.  >George chalked a big sale up yesterday.

CHAMP

**   champ (champ) (colloq.): champion  >He was the heavyweight champ for years.

—   like a champ (colloq.): expertly, excellently  >Donna took some classes and now she cooks like a champ.

CHANCE

—   fat chance (see FAT)

CHANGE

 *    and change (colloq.): plus an unspecified smaller amount of money more  >That job’ll run you two thousand and change.

 *    change [one’s] tune (colloq.): change [one’s] attitude or opinion, modify [one’s] view (esp. from one seen as erroneous)  >When the governor saw how much opposition there was to his plan, he changed his tune real quick.

—   piece/chunk of change (see PIECE)

CHARACTER

**   character1 (colloq.): odd or eccentric person  >Your uncle Ned’s quite a character. Does he always act like that?

 *    character2 (colloq.): person, man (esp. seen as troublesome or contemptible)  >Who’s the character with the big mouth? > What a rough character he is!

CHARGE

 *    get a charge out of (colloq.): be thrilled by, very much enjoy  >I get a charge out of hiking in the mountains. > Everyone got a charge out of her act.

CHARLEY HORSE

 *    charley horse (chär´lē ...) (colloq.): muscle cramp (esp. in the arm or leg)  >Ow! I’ve got a charley horse in my calf from running too much.

CHARM

—   work like a charm (see WORK)

CHARTS

—   off the charts (colloq.): extremely or surprisingly high, excessive  >Demand for this new product is off the charts.  >That jerk’s obnoxious behavior is really off the charts.

 *    the (...) charts (colloq.): the ranking of popularity of (...) songs (esp. by week)  >He’s had a hit on the pop charts just about every week for the last two years.  >Think that song’ll make the charts?

CHASE

 *    chase (vi) (colloq.): rush, go hurriedly (esp. without a clear destination)  >I chased all over town looking for the right part.

—   chase skirts (sl.): be a womanizer (cf. “SKIRT-CHASER”)  >Billings should never marry. He gambles, drinks, and chases skirts.

—   cut to the chase (see CUT)

CHASER

 *    chaser (colloq.): drink taken after a stronger one  >Give me a whiskey with a beer chaser.

CHAT

—    chat up (vt) (colloq.): engage in conversation with (especially in order to flirt with or influence)  >Trevor always chats up the good-looking girls at parties.  >Go chat up the city councilman and explain our proposal.

CHEAP

 *    cheap (colloq.): morally loose (said of a woman)  >He spends his time running around with cheap women.

CHEAPIE

 *    cheapie (chē´pē) (colloq.): inexpensive or inferior item (also adj.)  >Show me the best suit you got—I don’t want any cheapies.  >I bought this cheapie shirt, and it fell apart after one washing.

CHEAPO

—   cheapo (chē´pō) (sl.): cheap, inferior (cf. “EL CHEAPO”)  >Don’t ya know those cheapo pens are gonna leak all over the place?

CHEAP SHOT

 *    cheap shot (colloq.): unfair or mean remark or action (esp. one directed at s/one vulnerable)  >Reminding her of her past in front of her new friends was a cheap shot.

CHEAPSKATE

 *    cheapskate (colloq.): miser, stingy person  >What a cheapskate! He didn’t even offer to pay his part.

CHEAT

**   cheat (on) (colloq.): be sexually unfaithful (to)  >She threw him out when she found out he’d been cheating on her.

CHECK

—   check! (colloq.): all right!  >Check! We’ll start at ten on the dot.

**   check out1 (vt) (colloq.): look over, inspect, evaluate  >I want to check out the new models.  >What a babe! Check her out.

 *    check out2 (vi) (colloq.): prove to be accurate or valid  >If his story checks out, we’ll hire him.

—   check out3 (vi) (sl.): die  >Old Brockton got pneumonia and checked out last month.

—   cut ([s/one]) a check (see CUT)

CHEEK

 *    cheek (sl.): buttock  >The nurse told me to drop my pants, then gave me the shot in my right cheek.

CHEESE

—   cut the cheese (see CUT)

CHEESECAKE

—   cheesecake (sl.): photograph(s) of (a) sexually attractive woman/women (esp. with little clothing and meant to be sensual) (cf. “BEEFCAKE”)  >Timmy buys all the girlie magazines. He really goes for cheesecake.

CHEESY

—   cheesy (sl.): tasteless, low-quality, cheap  >Where does he get those cheesy polyester jackets he wears?

CHEMISTRY

 *    chemistry (colloq.): interpersonal feelings, rapport  >I knew they wouldn’t get along—the chemistry between them was all wrong.  >If the chemistry’s right, you’ll hit it off with him.

CHERRY

—   cherry1 (vulg.): hymen, virginity  >He lost his cherry at fifteen.  >She still has her cherry.

—   cherry2 (sl.): in perfect condition, like new  >The car is cherry—completely restored.

—   pop [s/one’s] cherry (see POP) 

CHERRY-PICK

—   cherry-pick (vt) (colloq.): select subjectively, choose how it benefits (one)  >The candidate cherry-picked the questions he’d answer at the town hall meeting so he could avoid controversial topics. 

CHEST

**   get [s/thing] off [one’s] chest (colloq.): relieve [oneself] of [s/thing worrisome] by talking about it, talk over [s/thing worrisome] (with another)  >If there’s something you want to get off your chest, I’m a good listener.

—   will put hair on [s/one’s] chest (see HAIR)

CHEVY

**   Chevy (she´vē) (colloq.): Chevrolet automobile or truck  >He drives an old Chevy station wagon.

CHEW

 —   bit off more than [one] can chew (see  BITE)

*    chew out (vt) (sl.): reprimand, scold severely  >Let’s do it right ‘cause I don’t want to get chewed out by the boss.

—   chew the fat (colloq.): talk idly, chat, converse  >We spent the afternoon drinking beer and chewing the fat.

—   chew the rag (colloq.): talk idly, chat, converse  >We were chewing the rag, and he told me all about when he was growing up.

CHICK

 *    chick (sl., freq. pej.): young woman (esp. an attractive one)  >Howie thinks every chick in town is hot for him.

 *    [one’s] chick (sl.): [one’s] girlfriend or sweetheart  >What was your chick doin’ with Malcolm at the game last Friday?

CHICKEN

**   chicken (sl.): coward, fearful person (also adj.)  >He won’t fight ‘cause he’s a chicken.  >Their chicken brother didn’t even try to help ‘em.

**   chicken out (vi) (sl.): desist or withdraw due to fear  >Russ was gonna ask her to dance, but he chickened out.

—   play chicken (with) (sl.): run a risk (along with) until one side desists, have a decisive confrontation (with) until one side withdraws  >They were playin’ chicken in their cars to see who would swerve outta the way first.  >I played chicken with him, and he finally backed off.

—   run around like a chicken with its head cut off (see RUN)

CHICKEN FEED

—   chicken feed (sl.): an insignificant amount of money  >Paul’s lookin’ for a better job. They’re payin’ him chicken feed where he’s at now.

CHICKEN-LIVERED

—   chicken-livered (colloq.): cowardly, fearful  >That chicken-livered bastard turned and ran.

CHICKENSHIT

 *    chickenshit1 (vulg.): coward, fearful person (also adj.)  >Why didn’t that chickenshit go inside with us?  >Your chickenshit friend’s afraid to do it.

—   chickenshit2 (vulg.): petty action or attitude, excessive upholding of rules, overemphasis on detail (also adj.)  >Makin’ him redo his whole paper is chickenshit.  >Are they really gonna enforce that chickenshit registration deadline?

CHICK FLICK

—   chick flick (sl.): romantic movie, movie especially appealing to women  >I stayed home while my wife and her sister went to see some chick flick.

CHICKIE

—   chickie (chi´kē) (sl., freq. pej.): young woman (esp. an attractive one)  >He’s over fifty, but he’s always got some chickie on his arm.

CHIEF

—   chief (colloq.): leader, boss (also voc.)  >I don’t know if the chief wants us to start on this yet.  >Anything you say, chief.

CHILL

 *    chill (out)1 (vi) (sl.): calm down, let (one’s) anger or anxiousness subside  >Chill out, man—no need to get all worked up about it!  >You need to chill,man—it’s not worth bein’ so upset about.

 *    chill (out) 2 (vi) (sl.): relax, take it easy  >I wanna go to the beach and chill out for a couple of days.

CHIME

—   chime in (vi) (colloq.): interrupt (a conversation) to participate without invitation  >Her brother-in-law kept chiming in with his dumb opinions.

CHIMNEY

—   smoke like a chimney (see SMOKE)

CHIMP

**   chimp (chimp) (colloq.): chimpanzee  >The chimps we saw at the zoo were funny.

CHIN

—   take it on the chin (colloq.): suffer a great loss or defeat  >Thompson’s firm really took it on the chin when that deal went bad.

CHINK

—   Chink (chēngk) (sl., pej.): Chinese  >The stupid jerk says he thinks the Chinks are to blame.  >He says he doesn’t like Chink food.

CHINTZY

 *    chintzy (chin´sē) (colloq.): cheap, miserly  >What a chintzy screwdriver! The tip bent the first time I used it.  >Her chintzy uncle never offers to buy the drinks.

CHIP

 *    be a chip off the old block (colloq.): be just like (one’s) father or mother, behave or look like one of (one’s) parents (said esp. of a son with respect to his father)  >He’s a chip off the old block—he loves sports as much as his dad.  >Your boy looks just like you. He’s a chip off the old block, all right.

**   chip in (vi, vt) (colloq.): contribute (money or help)  >If each one chips in ten bucks, we can buy him a real neat present.  >Everyone chipped in, and we finished in an hour.

 *    chip on [one’s] shoulder (colloq.): belligerent nature, quickness to anger, disposition for quarreling  >Boy, does he ever have a chip on his shoulder! You say anything to him and he jumps all over you.

CHIPS

—   cash in ([one’s] chips) (see CASH)

—   in the chips (sl.): wealthy, having gotten a great deal of money  >Dwayne’s in the chips now—his uncle died and left him a bundle.

—   when the chips are down (colloq.): in bad times, in a discouraging situation  >You can count on McGregor to come through when the chips are down.

CHISEL

—   chisel [s/one, s/thing] (out of [s/one, s/thing]) (sl.): cheat or swindle [s/one] (out of [s/thing]), get ([s/thing]) from [s/one] through deception  >Bret got chiseled outta twenty bucks by some con man.  >He tried to chisel five dollars outta me.  >Ya got chiseled on that deal.

CHISELER

—   chiseler (sl.): cheater, swindler  >Some chiseler got a hundred bucks outta the old man.

CHITCHAT

—   chitchat1 (chit´chat´) (colloq.): light conversation, idle talk  >I hate all the chitchat you hear at cocktail parties.

—   chitchat2 (vi) (colloq.): engage in light conversation, talk idly  >I ran into Delores at the market, and we chitchatted for a while.

CHOICE WORDS

—   have a few/some choice words for (colloq.): use strong language to scold or criticize  >The candidate had a few choice words for his opponent because of his lousy voting record.

CHOKE

**   choke up (vi, vt) (colloq.): become/make unable to speak due to a strong emotion, become/cause to be overcome with emotion  >She choked up during the eulogy and couldn’t finish.  >That sad movie really choked me up.

 *    choke (up) (vi) (colloq.): become unable to perform well due to nervousness or stress  >He choked up and couldn't make the shot.  >The trainee choked on the approach, and the instructor had to land the plane.

CHOMPING

 *    chomping at the bit (chom´ping ...) (colloq.): showing impatience or eagerness (to begin s/thing)  >Hurry up! The kids are chomping at the bit to get to the beach.

CHOO-CHOO

 *    choo-choo (colloq.): train (used esp. with small children)  >Look at the big choo-choo coming down the tracks, Cindy.

CHOP-CHOP

—   chop-chop (sl.): immediately, in a hurry  >The chief wants that report finished chop-chop.  >Do it now! Chop-chop!

CHOPPER

**   chopper1 (colloq.): helicopter  >They were evacuated by chopper.

 *    chopper2 (sl.): motorcycle (esp. a customized one belonging to a motorcycle gang member)  >He roared down the highway on his chopper.

—   chopper3 (vi, vt) (colloq.): go/take by helicopter  >They choppered out of the area when the storm cleared.  >The medics will have to chopper him to the hospital..

CHOPPERS

—   choppers (sl.): teeth (esp. a set of false ones)  >I’m gonna have to get me some new choppers made ‘cause these just don’t fit right.

CHOPS

—   chops (sl.): skill or credibility gained through experience > He earned his chops as a detective working narcotics undercover.

—   bust [one’s] chops (see BUST)

—   bust [s/one’s] chops (see BUST)

—   lick [one’s] chops (see LICK)

—   the chops (sl.): (one’s) jaw, (one’s) mouth area  >He hit me right in the chops.

CHOP SHOP

—   chop shop (sl.): shop where stolen automobiles are dismantled so that the parts can be sold  >Somebody stole his Mercedes this morning, and it’s probably in a chop shop by now.

CHOW

—   chow (chou) (sl.): food  >How’s the chow in this joint?

 *    chow down (vi) (sl.): eat (esp. heartily)  >The players really chowed down after the game. 

CHRISSAKES

—   for chrissakes (… krī´sāks´) (colloq.): (interj. to express impatience or annoyance)  >Don’t go giving out confidential information, for chrissakes! 

CHRISTMAS TREE

—   lit up like a Christmas tree (see LIT)

CHROME DOME

—   chrome dome (sl., freq. hum.): man with a shiny bald head (also voc.)  >He’s over there talkin’ to that chrome dome. > Hey, chrome dome, why don’t ya buy yourself a rug?

CHUCK

—   chuck (vt) (colloq.): give up, relinquish, throw away  >I’m going to chuck this lousy job.  >If you’re not going to use it, chuck it.

—   chuck up (vi, vt) (sl.): vomit  >She chucked up right on the car seat.  >He ate too much and later chucked it all up. 

CHUCKLEHEAD

—   chucklehead (chu´k ә l hed´) (sl.): stupid or inept person, fool  >Some chucklehead filed all these papers wrong. 

CHUG

 *    chug (chug) (vt) (sl.): drink in large gulps  >He chugged two beers before sayin’ a word.

CHUG-A-LUG

 *    chug-a-lug (chug´ә lug´) (vt) (sl.): drink all at once (without stopping to breathe) (esp. a container of beer)  >I saw him chug-a-lug a sixteen-ounce mug of beer.

CHUMMY

 *    chummy (chu´mē) (colloq.): friendly, intimate (esp. when seen as insincere)  >He’s been real chummy with me lately, which makes me wonder what he wants.

CHUMP

 *    chump (chump) (colloq.): fool, dumb person, dupe (also voc.)  >Don’t be a chump—she’s just using you.  >You lose, chump.

CHUMP CHANGE

—   chump change (chump ...) (sl.): an insignificant or insultingly small amount of money  >Five grand is chump change to a multimillionaire like him.

CHUNK

—   piece/chunk of change (see PIECE)

CHUTE

 *    chute (shūt) (colloq.): parachute  >His main chute didn’t open, but his backup did.

CHUTZPA

—   chutzpa (hŭt´spә) (sl.): brazenness, audacity, gall  >I can’t believe her chutzpa—she confronted the governor in front of everyone.

CHUTZPAH

—   chutzpah (see “CHUTZPA”)

CIG

 *    cig (sig) (sl.): cigarette  >Got an extra cig on ya?

CIGAR

—   (close, but) no cigar (klōs ...) (colloq.): (almost, but) (one’s) effort or guess is not successful  >Nine hundred points? Close, but no cigar—you need a thousand to win.  >No cigar, buddy. Better luck next time.

—   give [s/one] a cigar! (colloq., freq. sarc.): [s/one] is correct! [s/one] guessed right! [s/one] wins!  >Yes, indeed, I did break my arm. Give that man a cigar!

CIGGY

—   ciggy (si´gē) (sl.): cigarette  >Someone left their ciggies and lighter on the backseat.

CINCH

*     cinch1 (sl.): easy thing to accomplish, assured thing  >Replacin’ the fan belt’ll be a cinch.  >That quiz was a cinch.  >It’s a cinch he’ll lose his shirt in that harebrained scheme.

 *    cinch2 (sl.): easy winner, person or thing that is sure to accomplish (s/thing)  >That team’s a cinch for the championship this year.  >You’re a cinch for the promotion.

—   cinch3 (vt) (sl.): ensure achievement of or success with  >She cinched the deal by extendin’ the warranty a year.

CIRCLE

—   circle the wagons (colloq.): unite in preparation for attack or a threat  >The pharmaceutical companies circled the wagons when congress proposed new regulations.

CIRCLES

 *    ... circles around [s/one] (colloq.): easily outdo [s/one] in ...ing (used with actions of movement)  >Bet on Billings—he can run circles around the others.  >He thought he was a good swimmer, but I swam circles around him.

CIRCULAR FILE

 *    circular file (sl., hum.): wastebasket  >I put most of my mail right into the circular file.

CIRCULATION

 *    in/out of circulation (colloq.): currently active/inactive (esp. socially)  >Pierson’s out of circulation for a while with a broken hip.  >She’s back in circulation since she broke up with Vic.

CIRCUS

 *    circus (colloq.): disorderly or noisy place or event  >It was a circus at the department store during the sale.

CITY

—   ... city (sl.): a place or thing of great ..., an experience involving much ...  >His messy apartment is filth city.  >It was tension city. They almost came to blows.

CITY HALL

 *    city hall (colloq.): bureaucracy, rules and regulations (esp. on the city level)  >We’ll have to fight city hall, but something’s got to be done about it.

CITY SLICKER

 *    city slicker (colloq.): shrewd or stylish city resident (as seen by rural or small-town people)  >We don’t like city slickers coming into our town and looking down their noses at us.  >The city slickers are buying up all the good farmland.

CIV

 *    civ (siv) (colloq.): civilization (esp. as a course of study)  >I got to take Western Civ next semester.

CIVIES

—   civies (see “CIVVIES”)

CIVVIES

—   civvies (si´vēz) (colloq.): civilian clothes  >The sergeant usually wore his civvies into town.

CLAM

—   clam (sl.): dollar  >That’ll cost ya twenty clams.

 *    clam up (vi) (sl.): refuse to talk, refrain from giving information  >Everyone clammed up when the cops got there.

CLAMBAKE

—   clambake (sl.): party, celebration, social gathering  >Freddy’s plannin’ some big clambake at his place for all his old college buddies.

CLAMP

**   clamp down (on) (colloq.): become stricter (with), impose greater discipline (on)  >The police are clamping down on drunk drivers.  >The kids are getting too rowdy—we’d better clamp down.

CLAP

—   the clap (sl., freq. vulg.): gonorrhea  >He got the clap from some girl he spent the night with.

CLASS

 *    class (colloq.): elegance, dignity, integrity, status (also adj.)  >Let’s rent a limousine and arrive with class. > Her answer to the irate customer was a class way to handle the situation.

CLASS ACT

 *    class act1 (sl.): high-quality performance, praiseworthy or dignified action  >That singer puts on a class act.  >Your helpin’ out that old man was a class act.

 *    class act2 (sl.): person of great quality, person of great integrity or style  >That lady is sharp and charming—a real class act.

CLASSY

**   classy (kla´sē) (colloq.): elegant, dignified, high-quality  >We’re  going to celebrate by going to a real classy restaurant.

CLEAN

 *    clean1 (sl.): free from drug addiction  >Why were ya tryin’ to buy heroin, Harry? You’ve been clean for three months.

 *    clean2 (sl.): not possessing illegal items  >We searched him and found no weapons or drugs. He’s clean.

 *    clean3 (sl.): innocent (of a crime), with no criminal record  >The guy’s clean on this robbery. He was outta town.  >How can Penfield be a suspect? He’s completely clean.

—   clean4 (colloq.): completely  >We’re clean out of that size, ma’am.  >I cut my finger clean to the bone.

 *    (as) clean as a whistle (colloq.): very clean  >They worked all day, but the house’s clean as a whistle now.

—   clean [s/one’s] clock (sl.): beat [s/one] up, defeat [s/one] decisively  >If ya keep mouthin’ off, Buster, I’m gonna clean your clock!

 *    clean out (vt) (sl.): take all or almost all of (s/one’s) money or possessions  >The casino cleaned out every last one of us.  >Burglars hit their house Saturday night and cleaned ‘em out.

 *    clean up (vi) (colloq.): make a great deal of money (esp. in a short period of time)  >We’re going to clean up when this gets on the market.

**   clean up [one’s] act (colloq.): start behaving better, start following the rules, reform [oneself]  >If you don’t clean up your act, you’re off the team.

 *    come clean (sl.): confess, admit the truth  >Come clean, Perry, and it’ll go easier for ya in court.

—   keep [one’s] nose clean (see NOSE)

CLEANERS

 *    take [s/one] to the cleaners1 (sl.): take all or almost all of [s/one’s] money or possessions  >She took him to the cleaners in the divorce settlement.

—   take [s/one] to the cleaners2 (sl.): defeat [s/one] decisively  >In last night’s game the Pistons took ‘em to the cleaners, 119 to 83.

CLEAR

 *    clear (colloq.): completely  >Go clear to the end of the block, and then turn right.

 *    (as) clear as a bell (colloq.): very clear  >The sky’s as clear as a bell tonight.  >His explanation was clear as a bell.

—   (as) clear as mud (sl., hum., sarc.): not at all clear, quite confusing  >He thought he explained it all right, but what he said was as clear as mud.

 *    clear out (of) (colloq.): leave, get out (of) (esp. hurriedly)  >They decided to clear out before the cops got there.  >Those deadbeats cleared out of the apartment before the manager could get the rent they owed.

—   loud and clear (see LOUD)

CLICK

—  click1 (colloq.): kilometer  >The convoy traveled over two hundred clicks the first day.

*    click2 (vi) (sl.): work together well, relate well, be compatible  >We clicked when we first met, and we’ve been good friends ever since.

*    click3 (vi) (sl.): finally be perceived, become understood or clear  >I knew I’d seen him somewhere before, and then it clicked—he’s Betsy’s ex-husband.

—  click4 (vi) (sl.): succeed, gain popularity, be a hit  >If this movie clicks, it’ll start a trend.

CLIFF-HANGER

 *    cliff-hanger (colloq.): story with moments of great suspense, contest or situation with an uncertain outcome  >That spy movie was a real cliff-hanger.  >The game was a cliff-hanger—the Lakers won with a basket in the last two seconds.

CLIMB

**   climb the walls (sl.): be very tense or anxious, be desperately bored  >She’s climbin’ the walls after bein’ with that two-year-old all day.  >Let’s go to town and do somethin’. I’m climbin’ the walls here.

CLINCHER

 *    clincher (klin´chәr) (colloq.): conclusive remark, decisive fact, deciding factor  >Then she found out he was married. But the clincher was that he had two wives!  >I was just about decided on the pickup. The clincher was the $500 rebate they offered me.

CLINGING VINE

—   clinging vine (colloq.): overly emotionally dependent person  >I want a girl with a mind of her own, not some clinging vine.

CLINK

—   the clink (sl.): jail  >They threw him in the clink until he sobered up.

CLIP

 *    clip1 (colloq.): fast pace  >I was moving at a pretty good clip when I hit the pothole.

—   clip2 (colloq.): sharp and quick blow  >Clint took a clip on the ear but didn’t go down.

—   clip3 (vt) (colloq.): hit sharply and quickly  >The stick clipped him on the chin.

—   clip4 (vt) (sl.): cheat, swindle, overcharge  >I think they clipped us for about ten bucks in that bar. 

—   clip5 (vt) (sl.): kill, murder  >He ratted on the mob, so they clipped him. 

—   clip along (vi) (colloq.): move fast, speed  >We were clipping along about eighty when the cop stopped us.

CLIP JOINT

—   clip joint (sl.): establishment that cheats or overcharges customers  >Don’t go into that clip joint unless ya got money to waste.

CLIT

—   clit (klit) (vulg.): clitoris  >The movie showed her clit.

CLOBBER

 *    clobber1 (klo´bәr) (vt) (sl.): strike heavily, beat severely  >He clobbered the guy with a wrench.

 *    clobber2 (vt) (sl.): defeat decisively  >The Tigers clobbered ‘em last night.

CLOCK

—   clock (vt) (sl.): hit hard, strike  >He kept mouthin’ off to me, so I clocked him.  >She clocked him with her coffee mug when he tried to grab her.

—   clean [s/one’s] clock (see CLEAN)

CLOD

 *    clod (colloq.): stupid or contemptibly insensitive person  >That clod couldn’t begin to understand how she feels.

CLOSE

—   (close, but) no cigar (see CIGAR)

**   close call (klōs ...) (colloq.): narrow escape, near miss  >That was a close call. A foot further and that car would have smashed into us.

 *    close down (klōz ...) (vt) (colloq.): stay at (an establishment) until it closes for the night  >We closed down the joint and got home at dawn.

 *    close shave (klōs ...) (colloq.): narrow escape, near miss  >I hear you had a close shave with someone who was trying to rob you.

CLOSET

**   come out of the closet (colloq.): reveal a secret identity (esp. as a homosexual)  >When he came out of the closet, a lot of people were surprised to find out he was gay.

CLOTHESHORSE

 *    clotheshorse (colloq.): person concerned with dressing fashionably  >Gunther’s quite a clotheshorse—he spends half his time in men’s stores.

CLOUD NINE

 *    on cloud nine (colloq.): elated, very happy  >Jerry’s been on cloud nine ever since he got the good news.

CLOUT

**   clout (klout) (colloq.): influence, political power  >We need someone with clout in the capital to help us with this.

CLOWN

 *    clown (sl.): obnoxious or contemptible man, foolish person  >Who’s the clown flirtin’ with Jessica?  >Don’t count on those clowns gettin’ it right.

CLUB

—   join the club! (see JOIN)

—   welcome to the club! (see WELCOME)

CLUELESS

—   clueless (sl.): ignorant, unaware, stupid  >The poor guy’s clueless as to why people avoid him.

CLUNKER

 *    clunker1 (klung´kәr) (colloq.): dilapidated vehicle  >I’m surprised he can still get around in that clunker.

—   clunker2 (colloq.): ineffectual thing, failure  >His second movie was a clunker.

CLUNKY

—   clunky (klung´kē) (colloq.): awkward, big and heavy  >Are you really going to dance in those clunky boots?

CLUSTERFUCK

—   clusterfuck (klus´tәr fuk´) (vulg.): totally mishandled situation, situation where nothing goes as planned (esp. due to multiple errors or great incompetence)  >Everything went wrong at the rally—it was a complete clusterfuck!

CLUTCH

—   in the clutch (colloq.): in a critical moment or tense situation  >We need someone who can stay calm in the clutch.

—   pop the clutch (see POP)

C-NOTE

—   C-note (sl.): one-hundred-dollar bill  >They gave him a C-note for his info.

COALS

—   rake [s/one] over the coals (see RAKE)

COAST

 *    the Coast (colloq.): the Pacific Coast (of the U.S.)  >She’s from Texas but has lived on the Coast for seven years.

COCK

 *    cock1 (vulg.): penis  >He felt his cock gettin’ hard.

—   cock2 (vulg.): sexual intercourse (with a man) (freq. used with some or any)  >He said she was always ready for some cock.

COCKAMAMIE

—   cockamamie (kok´ә mā´mē) (sl.): nonsensical, ridiculous, absurd  >The guy gave me some cockamamie story about why he had to wear his shirt inside out.

COCKEYED

 *    cockeyed (ko´kīd) (colloq.): absurd, foolish  >The hitchhiker had some cockeyed idea of going to New Jersey to prospect for gold.

COCKSUCKER

—   cocksucker1 (vulg.): contemptible or malicious person  >I don’t like that cocksucker at all.

—   cocksucker2 (vulg.): person who performs fellatio  >He was known in prison as a cocksucker.

—   cocksucker3 (vulg.): person or thing (esp. seen as troublesome)  >I was able to fit every part back in except this little cocksucker. >There’s some cocksucker on the phone who says he’s got to talk to ya.

COCKSUCKING

—   cocksucking (adj.) (vulg.): (intens. to express anger, aggression, or contempt)  >Keep your cocksuckin’ hands off my car!

COCKTEASER

 *    cockteaser (vulg.): woman who flirts with or arouses a man but who will not have sexual intercourse with him  >That cockteaser’s givin’ ya the come-on, but don’t expect to get her into bed.

CODGER

—   old codger (... kod´jәr) (colloq., freq. pej.): old man (esp. seen as troublesome or contemptible)  >What’s that old codger up to now?

COED

—   coed1 (kō´ed) (colloq.): woman college student  >Do many of the coeds here belong to sororities?

**   coed2 (colloq.): coeducational, involving both male and female students  >They’ve just finished a new coed dorm.

COIN

—   coin (sl.): money  >It’d take a lot of coin to buy a setup like that.

COKE

**   coke1 (kōk) (colloq.): Coca-Cola, soft drink  >Want a beer or a coke or something?

**   coke2 (sl.): cocaine  >He spent everything he had on his coke habit.

COKEHEAD

—   cokehead (kōk´hed) (sl.): habitual cocaine user, cocaine addict  >He can’t keep a job ‘cause he’s a friggin’ cokehead.

COLD

*     cold (colloq.): without advanced preparation  >I went into the test cold.  >He got there late and had to play cold.

—   go cold (sl.): become ineffective (esp. in a competition)  >They really scored in the first half but went cold in the second.

 *    have [s/thing] down cold (colloq.): have learned or mastered [s/thing] thoroughly  >I studied the equations all night, and I have them down cold.

—   hot and cold (see HOT)

—   know [s/thing] cold (colloq.): know [s/thing] thoroughly, have [s/thing] mastered  >Stravinsky knows the federal regulations cold.

 *    (out) cold (colloq.): unconscious  >The blow knocked him cold.  >He was out cold for eight hours after drinking half a bottle of scotch.

COLDER

—   colder than a witch’s tit (... tit) (sl., freq. vulg.): extremely cold (weather)  >Turn on the heater. It’s colder than a witch’s tit this morning.

COLD FEET

 *    cold feet (colloq.): loss of courage, attack of uncertainty, fear  >She got cold feet and called off the wedding.

COLD FISH

—   cold fish (colloq.): person who lacks warmth, overly reserved or unfeeling person  >What a cold fish! Doesn’t he ever show any emotion?

COLD ONE

—   a cold one (sl.): a cold beer  >Boy, is it hot! How does a cold one sound to ya?

COLD SHOULDER

 *    the cold shoulder (colloq.): a show of disregard, a snub  >What did he do to Bernice? She’s been giving him the cold shoulder.

COLD TURKEY

 *    cold turkey (colloq.): complete and abrupt withdrawal (from an addictive substance) (also adv.)  >Going through cold turkey is hell for heroin addicts.  >I quit smoking cold turkey.

COLLAR

—   collar1 (sl.): arrest, person arrested  >The detective made the collar usin’ information from an informant.  >He put the collar in the backseat of the squad car.

—   collar2 (vt) (sl.): arrest  >The cops collared him when he ran from the store.

—   hot under the collar (see HOT)

COLLEGE TRY

—   the old college try (colloq.): a sincere effort (esp. when success is doubtful, esp. for a group objective)  >It’ll be tough to get it all done today, but we’ll give it the old college try.

COMBO

**   combo1 (colloq.): (kom´bō) combination  >I’ll have the steak and lobster combo.

 *    combo2 (colloq.): small musical group (esp. for jazz or dance music)  >The combo played mostly slow pieces at the reception.

COME

 *    come1 (vulg.): semen  >He got come on the sheets.

 *    come2 (vi) (vulg.): have an orgasm  >She came before he did.

 *    come3 (vi) (vulg.): ejaculate semen  >He came on the sheets.

 *    come across (vi) (sl.): fulfill a promise, do what is expected (esp. payment of money)  >Lennie came across with fifty bucks when I needed it.

 *    come across (as) (colloq.): give the impression (of being), seem, be seen (as)  >Your boyfriend comes across as a real nice guy.

—   come again? (colloq.): what? please repeat what you said!  >Come again? I didn’t hear you.

—   come apart at the seams (see APART)

—   come clean (see CLEAN)

—   come down (vi) (sl.): lose the effects of a drug, lose a feeling of exhilaration  >He’s gonna feel real bad when he comes down from that high.  >Let her enjoy her victory—when she comes down, we’ll talk business.

 *    come down (hard) on (colloq.): reprimand or criticize (severely), punish (severely)  >The coach came down hard on Jones when he messed up the play.  >The cops have really been coming down on addicts lately.

—   come down the pike (colloq.): appear, come forth, come into being  >Ned gets caught up in every fad to come down the pike.

—   come hell or high water (colloq.): whatever may happen, no matter what  >I’m determined to succeed, come hell or high water.

**   come in handy (colloq.): prove to be useful or beneficial  >That overtime pay will sure come in handy this month.

—   come off1 (vi) (colloq.): occur, take place, be realized  >If this deal comes off, we’ll make a fortune.  >The play came off without a hitch.

—   come off2 (vi) (colloq.): result, turn out, be viewed (in conclusion)  >How did your party come off?  >He tried to keep his cool, but he came off like an ass.

 *    come off it! (colloq.): stop insisting on or trying to promote (s/thing ridiculous or untrue)!  >Come off it! We all know that’s a lie.  >She ain’t going to fall for a clown like you, so just come off it!

 *    come on (vi) (colloq.): present (oneself) (in a certain way), make a (certain) impression  >The speaker came on as a regular kind of guy.  >He came on real sweet and soon had them agreeing with everything he said.

**   come on!1 (colloq.): hurry up!  >Come on! We don’t have all day.

**   come on!2 (colloq.): please! don’t resist!  >Come on! Let me have a taste.

 *    come on!3 (colloq.): stop that! (esp. objectionable behavior)  >Come on! We can’t have you two fighting.

 *    come on strong (colloq.): present (oneself) in a very assertive or showy way, behave overly aggressively  >Use a little finesse, because if you come on too strong you’ll scare her off.

 *    come on to (sl.): flirt with, make sexual advances toward  >She can’t stand it when guys in bars come on to her.

—   come out of the closet (see CLOSET)

 *    come/crawl out of the woodwork (colloq.): appear quickly and unexpectedly (said esp. of a large number of persons seen as troublesome or contemptible)  >When they announced she’d won the lottery, con men, people with investment schemes, and long-lost friends came out of the woodwork.

—   come out on top (see TOP)

**   come over (vi) (colloq.): pay (s/one) an informal visit  >Mildred came over yesterday, and we had a nice chat.

 *    come through (vi) (colloq.): fulfill expectations, perform well  >Don’t forget you promised to help. You’ll come through, won’t you?  >Kraft came through at the meeting, and we made the sale.

—   come to Jesus moment (see “COME-TO-JESUS moment”)

—   come unglued (see UNGLUED)

—   come up roses (colloq.): turn out well, have a successful result  >We were worried about that deal, but everything’s coming up roses.

**   come up with (colloq.): supply, produce, elaborate (esp. a solution or proposal)  >We got to come up with a way to deal with this.

—   come/go with the territory (see TERRITORY)

—   where [s/one] comes in (see WHERE)

COMEDOWN

—   comedown (colloq.): disappointment, humiliation  >Losing out to the younger man was a real comedown for him.

COME-ON

**   come-on (sl.): enticement, lure, inducement  >That special is just a come-on—everything else is overpriced.  >Did ya see her smile at me? What a come-on!

—   give [s/one] the come-on (sl.): flirt with [s/one], convey a romantic or sexual invitation to [s/one]  >Peggy’s been givin’ ya the come-on. Why don’t ya ask her for a date?

COMER

—   comer (ku´mәr) (colloq.): person with promise, person progressing toward success  >Wilson’s got what it takes—he’s a comer in this organization.

COME-TO-JESUS  

—   come-to-Jesus moment (sl.): moment which requires (one) to deal with a critical situation or make an urgent decision  >It was a come-to-Jesus moment for the addict facing rehab.

COMEUPPANCE

—   comeuppance (kum´up´әns) (colloq.): deserved punishment, just desserts  >Moe finally got his comeuppance for acting like a jerk.

COMFY

 *    comfy (kum´fē) (colloq.): comfortable  >You comfy in your nice, warm bed?

COMING

—   coming apart at the seams (see APART)

 *    get what’s coming to [one] (colloq.): receive the punishment that [one] deserves  >If I get my hands on her she’ll get what’s coming to her.

—   have another thing/think coming (see ANOTHER)

 *    (have) ... coming out (of) [one’s] ass (vulg.): (have) an abundance of ..., (have) ... in large supply  >Whatcha mean they can’t afford it? They got money comin’ out their ass.  >He’s had new offers comin’ outta his ass since he quit his job.

 *    (have) ... coming out (of) [one’s] ears (colloq.): (have) an abundance of ..., (have) ... in large supply  >We need extra help—we have customers coming out of our ears.

**   have it coming (colloq.): deserve (a punishment)  >He got beat up bad, but he had it coming.

—   where [s/one] is coming from (see WHERE)

COMMIE

 *    commie (ko´mē) (colloq., pej.): communist  >The commies were behind it.  >He used to think everything was a commie plot.

COMP

—   comp1 (komp) (colloq.): comprehensive exam  >She’s passed all her comps but one.

—   comp2 (vt) (sl.): provide (s/thing) complementary to, give free of charge  >The Vegas casinos usually comp the big-time gamblers their hotel rooms.  >Will ya comp me dinner since I’m such a good customer?

COMPANY

—   the Company (colloq.): the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency  >He got tired of the espionage game and quit the Company.

COMPUTER

—   (computer) hacker (see HACKER)

CON

 *    con1 (kon) (sl.): convict, ex-convict  >The guy’s a con. Are ya gonna trust him?

 *    con2 (sl.): swindle, confidence game, theft through deception  >He lost a lot of money in the con.

**   con3 (vt) (sl.): swindle, trick, deceive (using persuasion)  >Before I knew it, the guy had conned me outta ten bucks.  >Don’t get conned into helpin’ clean up.

CON ARTIST

—   con artist (kon ...) (sl.): confidence man, swindler, trickster  >Don’t let that con artist sweet-talk ya into anything.

CONDITION

**   condition (colloq.): chronic malady, disease, or impairment  >I can’t because of my heart condition.  >She has this condition and can’t eat fatty foods.

CONDO

**   condo (kon´dō) (colloq.): condominium (residence)  >They just sold their house and bought a new condo.

CONFAB

—   confab (kon´fab) (colloq.): confabulation, discussion, conversation  >The club had a confab to plan its next event.

CON GAME

 *    con game (kon ...) (sl.): confidence game, swindle  >I can’t believe he fell for that old con game.

CONGRATS

 *    congrats! (kәn grats´) (colloq.): congratulations!  >Congrats on your win!  >I hear you got the scholarship. Congrats!

CON JOB

 *    con job (kon ...) (sl.): confidence game, trick, deception (using persuasion)  >That con job landed him in jail.  >They did a real con job on him to get him to take responsibility for the whole mess.

CONK

—   conk1 (kongk/kôngk) (sl.): hit, blow (esp. to the head)  >The conk on his head left a big bump.

—   conk2 (vt) (sl.): hit (esp. on the head)  >She conked him good with a broom handle.

—   conk out1 (vi) (sl.): fall asleep, lose consciousness  >Gretchen was so tired she conked out durin’ the movie.

—   conk out2 (vi) (sl.): fail, come to a stop (esp. an engine)  >My car conked out halfway up the hill.

CON MAN

 *    con man (kon ...) (sl.): confidence man, swindler, trickster  >The judge gave the con man a ten-year sentence.

CONNECT

 *    connect1 (vi) (colloq.): discover compatibility, relate well  >When they met, they connected, and they got married two weeks later.  >Don’t make them work together—they just don’t connect.

—   connect2 (vi) (colloq.): hit (s/thing) squarely  >Fritz connected with a right jab and the dude went right down.

—   connect (all) the dots (colloq.): finally understand a puzzling or complicated situation (by figuring our how its different elements are related)  >It took six detectives over four months to connect all the dots so they could finally make an arrest in that case.

CONNECTED

—   connected (colloq.): having influential friends or associates  >He never has any problems getting permits because he’s connected downtown.

CONNECTION

 *    connection (sl.): drug dealer or provider (for s/one)  >His connection deals dope in the projects.

CONNIPTION FIT

—   conniption fit (kә nip´shәn ...) (colloq.): fit of anger, tantrum  >The boss is going to have a conniption fit when she finds out we lost the account.

CONTRACT

 *    put a contract out on (sl.): give an order to kill, hire a killer to murder  >The mafia put a contract out on him ‘cause he informed on ‘em.

CONTRAPTION

 *    contraption (kәn trap´shәn) (colloq.): machine, device (seen unenthusiastically)  >You expect me to sit on that contraption?

COOK

 *    cook (vi) (sl.): perform enthusiastically and well, work energetically, be full of activity  >That saxophone player is really cookin’!  >This nightclub really cooks on Saturdays.

—   cook [s/one’s] goose (see GOOSE)

—   cook the books (sl.): manipulate financial records (for illegal purposes)  >He’s been cookin’ the books for years, but the auditors have never caught it.

 *    cook up (vt) (colloq.): plan, contrive, invent (esp. s/thing questionable)  >Joey and his brother are cooking up a scheme to cheat tourists.  >Who cooked up that lame excuse?

COOKIE

 *    ... cookie (sl.): ... person (seen as having some impressive quality)  >Ya won’t beat him easily—he’s a tough cookie.  >It’s gonna take a real smart cookie to figure this one out.

—   that’s the way the cookie crumbles (colloq., freq. sarc.): that’s how things happen, that’s fate  >Too bad she dumped you for me, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles.

COOKIES

—   toss [one’s] cookies (see TOSS)

COOKING

 *    cooking (sl.): happening, going on  >What’s cookin’, buddy?  >There’s a hot party cookin’ tonight at Chris’s.

—   cooking with gas (sl.): working effectively, performing well  >Ya get the right tools, and you’ll be cookin’ with gas.

COOKY

—   ... cooky (see COOKIE)

COOL

**   cool1 (sl.): fine, terrific, excellent  >That’s a real cool truck he drives. > Cool! We’re goin’ camping this week-end.

**   cool2 (sl.): socially valued, behaviorally desirable, stylish, sophisticated  >Those punks think it’s cool to smoke.  >It’s not cool to ask for free drinks, man.

**   cool3 (vt) (sl.): curtail, halt, restrict (an undesirable activity)  >Hey, will ya cool the talkin’? We can’t hear the movie.  >I’d cool the name-callin’ if I was you. The dude’s got a short fuse.

—   a cool ... (colloq.): a full ... or at least ... (a sum of money), ... (a sum of money) without exaggeration  >He lost a cool two grand at the races.  >They’ll get a cool twenty million for the hotel.

—   (as) cool as a cucumber (colloq.): completely maintaining (one’s) composure, in complete control of (one’s) emotions  >Wes stayed cool as a cucumber during the robbery.

—   be cool (with) (sl.): find (s/thing) acceptable, not be opposed (to)  >Are you cool with my brother comin’ along, or do you want him to stay?  >If she wants to be in charge, I’m cool.

 *    blow/lose [one’s] cool (sl.): lose [one’s] composure, lose control of [one’s] emotions, get angry  >I hope I don’t blow my cool in the interview.  >He lost his cool at the meeting and started yellin’ at everybody.

—   cool [one’s] heels (colloq.): be kept waiting  >I cooled my heels in the mayor’s office for over an hour before she’d see me.

**   cool it (sl.): calm down, stop (one’s undesirable behavior)  >Cool it! Yellin’ won’t help.  >I told Danny to cool it when he started tellin’ a dirty joke.

 *    cool it with (sl.): stop doing or saying  >I told him to cool it with the animal imitations.  >Cool it with your dumb remarks about my sister!

 *    cool off (vi) (colloq.): calm down, let (one’s) anger subside  >You’d better cool off before you go accusing anyone.

—   cool out (vi) (sl.): calm down, let (one’s) anger or anxiousness subside  >I told him to cool out before he talked to the judge.

**   keep [one’s] cool (sl.): keep [one’s] composure, remain calm  >If we all keep our cool, we’ll work this out without a major hassle.

—   play it cool (see PLAY)

COOLER

—   the cooler (sl.): jail  >A couple of days in the cooler will straighten him up.

COON

—   coon (kūn) (sl., pej.): black person  >Did ya hear that jerk call that black guy a coon?

COON’S

—   a coon’s age (... kūnz ...) (sl.): a long time (esp. that s/thing has not recurred)  >How is old Jake? I ain’t seen him in a coon’s age.

COOP

—   fly the coop (see FLY)

COOT

—   old coot (... kūt) (colloq., freq. pej.): old man (esp. seen as troublesome or contemptible)  >What’s that old coot griping about now?

COOTIE

—   cootie (kū´tē) (colloq.): louse, germ (used esp. by children)  >He touched my sandwich and got his cooties all over it.

COP

**   cop1 (kop) (colloq.): police officer  >Some cop stopped him for speeding.  >Thief! Call the cops!

—   cop2 (vt) (sl.): steal  >The shoplifter copped a couple of shirts from the department store.

—   cop a feel (sl., freq. vulg.): feel or fondle (s/one) sexually (esp. furtively)  >He tried to cop a feel, but she slapped him.

 *    cop a plea (sl.): plead guilty to a lesser charge to avoid being prosecuted on a more serious charge  >He was charged with first-degree murder, but he copped a plea for voluntary manslaughter.

**   cop out (vi) (sl.): back out (of a commitment), avoid (one’s) responsibility, renege  >I’m countin’ on ya, so don’t cop out on me.  >He got cold feet and copped out.

—   cop some rays (see RAYS)

—   cop some Zs (see ZS) 

—   cop to (sl.): admit guilt for, confess to  >When the detective was questioning him he copped to a couple of burglaries. 

COP-OUT

**   cop-out (kop´out´) (sl.): evasion of responsibility, reneging  >Sayin’ you’re too busy to help is a cop-out.

COPPER

—   copper (sl., freq. pej.): police officer (also voc.)  >He says he hates the copper that arrested him.  >Ya won’t take me alive, copper!

COPTER

 *    copter1 (kop´tәr) (colloq.): helicopter  >We took a copter ride over the site.

—   copter2 (vi, vt) (colloq.): travel/take by helicopter  >They coptered from the airport to their headquarters.  >They coptered him to the hospital.

COPYCAT

 *    copycat (colloq.): imitator, person who copies another  >Why does that copycat have to do everything the same way as me?

CORK

—   pop/blow [one’s] cork (sl.): become furious, lose [one’s] temper  >Richards popped his cork when they accused him of stealin’.

—   put a cork in it (sl.): stop talking, shut up  >I wish that loudmouth would just put a cork in it.

CORKER

—   corker (kôr´kәr) (colloq.): astounding or remarkable person or thing  >Now I’ve heard everything—that was sure a corker of a story.  >Her old man’s a corker. You should just hear him tell jokes.

CORN

—   corn (colloq.): s/thing trite or overly sentimental, s/thing tastelessly unsophisticated  >Don’t see that sappy movie. It’s nothing but corn.

CORNBALL

—   cornball (colloq.): trite or overly sentimental person, tastelessly unsophisticated person (also adj.)  >What a cornball! He made her a heart-shaped cake with their initials on it.  >Her and her cornball ideas about love conquering all!

CORNERS

—   cut corners (see CUT)

CORNHOLE

—   cornhole (vt) (vulg.): have anal intercourse with (as penetrator)  >They say he got cornholed in prison.

CORNY

 *    corny (colloq.): trite or overly sentimental, tastelessly unsophisticated  >Those small-town parades are so corny.

CORRAL

—   corral (vt) (colloq.): gather, capture, obtain  >Where did you corral these helpers?

CORRECTAMUNDO

—   correctamundo! (ko rek´ tә mūn´ dō) (sl.): correct!, you’re absolutely right!  >Correctamundo! The candidate did indeed drop out when the scandal hit.

COTTON

—   cotton to (colloq.): become fond of, approve of, agree with (freq. used in the neg.)  >I don’t cotton to having folks borrow my things without asking.

COTTONPICKING

—   cottonpicking (sl.): contemptible, cursed, annoying  >Keep your cottonpickin’ feet off the couch!

COUCH POTATO

**   couch potato1 (sl.): person who spends an excessive amount of time watching television (esp. while on a couch)  >Dave’s becomin’ a real couch potato. He watches TV at least eight hours a day.

—   couch potato2 (vi) (sl.): spend an excessive amount of time watching television (esp. while on a couch)  >I don’t feel like goin’ out. Let’s just couch potato this weekend.

COUGH

 *    cough up (vi, vt) (sl.): give or contribute reluctantly or with sacrifice (esp. money)  >I had to cough up fifty bucks to get my car back.  >Come on! You can cough up like everyone else for Ruby’s present.

COULD

—   could care less (see CARE)

—   could eat a horse (see EAT)

—   could give a shit (see SHIT)

COUNT

—   count noses (colloq.): count the number of people present  >Let’s count noses to be sure no one’s missing.

COUNTRY MILE

—   a country mile (colloq.): a long distance  >He can throw a football a country mile.

COURSE

—   be par for the course (see PAR)

COURT

—   [for] the ball [to be] in [s/one’s] court (see BALL)

COVER

 *    blow [s/one’s, one’s] cover (colloq.): accidentally allow [s/one’s, one’s] true identity to be discovered, ruin [s/one’s, one’s] assumed identity  >Pretend you don’t know me, or you’ll blow my cover.  >The detective blew his cover when he let his gun be spotted.

**   cover [one’s] ass (vulg.): take steps to avoid suffering blame or harm  >You’d better cover your ass by writin’ a memo tellin’ just what happened.

**   cover for (colloq.): substitute for (s/one) during (his/her) absence, take care of (s/one’s) responsibilities while (he/she) is away  >Can you cover for me this afternoon? I got to take my car to get fixed.

COW

—   cow (sl., pej.): large and slovenly woman  >Why doesn’t that cow take better care of herself?

 *    have a cow (sl.): become furious, lose emotional control  >The boss had a cow when he saw how they’d screwed everything up.

COWBOY

—   cowboy (sl.): reckless person, dangerous show-off, person who confronts dangerous situations without due caution (esp. a driver) (also adj.)  >That damn cowboy’s gonna cause a bad wreck. > We can’t have anyone with a cowboy mentality in charge of these weapons.

COW PIE

—   cow pie (colloq.): piece of cow dung  >Don’t step in that cow pie!

COYOTE

—   coyote (sl.): smuggler of undocumented immigrants across the border from Mexico to the U.S.  >The coyotes charge at least a thousand bucks a head to bring ‘em across the river.

COZY

—   cozy up (to)1 (colloq.): become friendly (toward) (esp. to gain favor)  >I don’t like the way Redfield’s been cozying up to the new supervisor.

—   cozy up (to)2 (colloq.): move nearer to (s/thing, s/one) for comfort or affection  >Come and cozy up to the stove.  >My girl and me like to cozy up on cold nights.

CRAB

—   crab1 (colloq.): crab louse  >She got crabs from some guy she slept with.

—   crab2 (colloq.): bad-tempered or grouchy person  >I’m sick and tired of trying to please that crab.

—   crab3 (vi) (colloq.): complain, find fault  >That grouchy old lady’s always crabbing about something that doesn’t suit her.

CRABBY

 *    crabby (krab´ē) (colloq.): bad-tempered, grouchy, complaining  >A bunch of crabby old men are driving the social director crazy.

CRACK

**   crack1 (sl.): rock cocaine  >Smokin’ crack’ll kill ya.

 *    crack2 (colloq.): sarcastic or humorous comment, snide remark  >What did you mean by that crack?

 *    crack3 (colloq.): chance, opportunity to try, attempt  >I get first crack at the new video game.  >Do you want a crack at the job?

—   crack4 (vulg.): vagina  >He peeked up her dress tryin’ to get a look at her crack.

 *    crack5 (vt) (colloq.): tell (jokes)  >The guy’s a real card—he kept cracking jokes all night.

 *    crack6 (vi) (colloq.): lose mental or emotional control (esp. due to stress or pressure), break down  >If he doesn’t take a vacation soon, he’s going to crack.  >Pressure her a little and she’ll crack.

 *    [neg.] crack a book (colloq.): [neg.] study at all  >He passed the test without even cracking a book.

 *    crack a smile (colloq.): let (even a small) smile show, start to smile  >He thought he was being funny, but she didn’t even crack a smile.

**   crack up1 (vi, vt) (colloq.): laugh/make laugh hard  >Joanna cracked up when she heard the story.  >That comedian cracks me up.

 *    crack up2 (vi) (colloq.): go crazy, have a mental breakdown  >He used to be an air traffic controller, but he cracked up under the pressure.

—   crack up3 (vi, vt) (colloq.): crash, wreck (a vehicle)  >They cracked up on the freeway.  >Barlow cracked up his plane when he tried to land in a wheat field.

—   hard/tough nut to crack (see NUT)

 *    take/have a crack at (colloq.): make an attempt at, give (s/thing) a try  >Here, you take a crack at setting the timer, because I can’t.  >Lew had a crack at the job, but they decided to bring in a guy with more experience.

CRACKED

 *    cracked (colloq.): mentally unbalanced, very eccentric  >If you ask me, the guy is really cracked. He’s just too weird.

 *    cracked up to be (colloq.): with the reputation of being (freq. used after a neg.)  >The film wasn’t as good as it was cracked up to be.  >Mason’s cracked up to be quite a lawyer.

CRACKER

—   cracker (sl., pej.): poor white person from the U.S. South, white person (used esp. among blacks)  >The brothers don’t want no crackers tellin’ ‘em what to do.

CRACKERJACK

—   crackerjack (sl.): skilled or talented person (in some activity), expert (also adj.)  >Watch him make this jump shot—he’s a crackerjack at ‘em.  >We need a crackerjack analyst for this project.

CRACKING

 *    get cracking (colloq.): begin moving quickly, begin working hard  >Come on, guys! Let’s get cracking on this so we can finish by noon.

CRACKPOT

 *    crackpot (colloq.): fanatical or very eccentric person, mentally unbalanced person (also adj.)  >He interviewed some crackpot who thinks the world is cube-shaped.  >Get out of here with your crackpot ideas!

CRACKS

—   fall/slip through/between the cracks (see FALL)

CRACKUP

 *    crackup1 (colloq.): extremely funny person or thing  >The comic is a real crackup.  >His fly-in-the-soup act is a crackup.

—   crackup2 (colloq.): mental or nervous breakdown  >Janie’s crackup was right after her divorce.

—   crackup3 (colloq.): crash, wreck (of a vehicle)  >There was a big crackup on the highway that jammed up traffic for hours.

CRACKY

—   by cracky!1 (... krak´ē) (colloq., dtd.): (interj. to express determination or resolve)  >I’ll find out who did it, by cracky!

—   by cracky!2 (colloq., dtd.): (interj. to express surprise, wonder, or admiration)  >By cracky, it looks like it’s finally going to rain!

CRADLE

—   rob the cradle (see ROB)

CRAM

**   cram (vi) (colloq.): study hard at the last moment (for an examination)  >I haven’t been studying much, so I’m going to have to cram for my tests.

CRAMP

 *    cramp [s/one’s] style (colloq.): interfere with [s/one’s] usual skilled performance, hamper [s/one]  >Don’t look over my shoulder, man! You’re cramping my style.

CRANK

—   crank1 (colloq.): bad-tempered or grouchy person  >That crank can’t get along with anyone.

—   crank2 (colloq.): fanatical or overly zealous person, rancorous zealot (also adj.)  >All the cranks showed up when the issue was discussed by the city council.  >The talk show gets a lot of crank calls.

 *    crank out (vt) (colloq.): produce in large quantities or with ease  >He cranks out four or five speeches a week for the party bosses.

 *    crank up (vt) (colloq.): start up, put into operation  >Go crank up the generator, will you?

CRANKY

**   cranky (krang´kē) (colloq.): bad-tempered, grouchy  >She’s always cranky before her first cup of coffee in the morning.

CRAP

**   crap1 (krap) (vulg.): excrement, dung  >He stepped in some dog crap.

**   crap2 (sl., freq. vulg.): lie, false or exaggerated story, nonsense (also interj.)  >That talk about him knowin’ the mayor is a bunch of crap.  >I don’t wanna hear none of his political crap.  >Him, a movie star?! Crap!

**   crap3 (sl., freq. vulg.): bad treatment, unjust dealings  >I wouldn’t take that crap from anyone.

**   crap4 (sl., freq. vulg.): junk, litter, worthless things  >We need to clean up all the crap in the yard.

 *    crap5 (sl., freq. vulg.): annoying or tedious work or demands  >I got a bunch of crap to take care of before I leave work today.

—   crap6 (sl., freq. vulg.): (one’s) belongings, things in general (that belong to s/one)  >Let’s help her load her crap in the car.

 *    crap7 (vi) (vulg.): defecate  >Some bird crapped on my car.

—   crap! (sl., freq. vulg.): (interj. to express anger, surprise, or irritation)  >Ya forgot to lock the door? Crap!

—   crap around (vi) (sl., freq. vulg.): pass time idly, work halfheartedly or unproductively  >We’re losin’ money because too many of our employees are crappin’ around.

 *    crap out (vi) (sl.): give up, back out, withdraw (esp. due to fear or lost enthusiasm)  >Don’t crap out on me now—an hour more and we’ll have the job done.  >We were all havin’ a good time, but Ernie crapped out after two beers and went home.

—   full of crap (see FULL)

 *    give a crap (sl., freq. vulg.): be concerned, care, take interest (freq. used in the neg.)  >He’s gettin’ lousy grades ‘cause he doesn’t give a crap about school.

 *    like crap (sl., freq. vulg.): bad, awful (also adv.)  >Your car looks like crap. Why don’t ya wash it? > Can ya type this for me? I type like crap.

—   piece of crap (see PIECE)

 *    take a crap (vulg.): defecate  >Some dog took a crap on the sidewalk.

—   ... the crap out of [s/one, s/thing] (sl., freq. vulg.): ... [s/one, s/thing] to the utmost degree, ... [s/one, s/thing] extraordinarily (esp. in a neg. way)  >His racin’ motorcycles worries the crap outta his wife.

CRAPOLA

—   crapola (kra pō´lә) (sl., freq. vulg.): lie, false or exaggerated story, nonsense  >Who’s gonna fall for that crapola?

CRAPPER

—   crapper (krap´әr) (vulg.): toilet, bathroom  >He’s in the crapper, but he’ll be out in a minute.

CRAPPY

 *    crappy1 (krap´ē) (sl., freq. vulg.): offensive, contemptible  >What a crappy attitude some of those kids have!

 *    crappy2 (sl., freq. vulg.): inferior, worthless  >These crappy scissors don’t work at all.

CRASH

 *    crash1 (vt) (colloq.): enter (a social event) without permission or invitation (cf. “GATE-CRASHER”)  >Some of your brother’s jerky friends crashed our party.

 *    crash2 (vi) (sl.): spend the night, sleep (s/where) (esp. on an impromptu, non-payment basis)  >Can we crash at your place tonight?

 *    crash3 (vi) (sl.): fall asleep  >He drove all night, got home, and crashed.

—   crash4 (vi) (sl.): lose the effects of a drug, lose a feeling of exhilaration  >This guy’s really feeling high, but when he crashes he’s gonna be in bad shape.

—   crash5 (vi) (sl.): (for a computer or software program to) fail  >Crap! My program just crashed, and I didn’t save my data!

 *    crash6 (colloq.): intensive (endeavor) (esp. when under a time constraint)  >They’re going to need a crash course in Spanish before they move to Guatemala.  >I’m going on a crash diet to lose ten pounds before my birthday.

—   crash the gate (colloq.): enter (a social event) without permission or invitation  >Some rowdy guys tried to crash the gate last night at the dance, but we threw them out.

CRASH PAD

—   crash pad (sl.): temporary and free lodging  >His apartment’s the crash pad for all the musicians that come through town.

CRATE

—   crate (colloq.): dilapidated or rickety old vehicle  >When are you going to trade in this old crate on a new car?  > Is this crate safe to fly?

CRAWL

—   come/crawl out of the woodwork (see COME)

CRAWLING

 *    crawling with (colloq.): having a large number of (living things)  >The awards banquet was crawling with reporters.  >Call the exterminator—the kitchen’s crawling with ants! 

CRAZIER

—   crazier than a hoot owl (colloq.): very crazy  >That bozo’s crazier than a hoot owl if he thinks anyone’s going to take him seriously. 

CRAZY

 *    crazy1 (sl.): weird person, oddball, extreme nonconformist  >A bunch of crazies that eat only brown rice rent that house.  >Watch out for the crazies if ya go out at night.

**   crazy2 (colloq.): impractical, not sensible  >That’s a crazy idea—it’s too complicated.

**   crazy3 (colloq.): unusual, strange  >Have you seen the crazy books he’s been reading?

 *    crazy4 (colloq.): wildly enthusiastic, very fond, enamored  >He’s crazy about Brenda.  >I’m just crazy about skiing.

—   crazy5 (sl.): wonderful, terrific  >That was a crazy ride, man—let’s do it again.

 *    ...-crazy (colloq.): wildly enthusiastic or very fond of ...  >Their fifteen-year-old is boy-crazy.  >Al’s been car-crazy since he was sixteen.

 *    like crazy (sl.): wholeheartedly, to the utmost degree  >Everyone was workin’ like crazy to finish on time. > There were people like crazy out shoppin’ today.

CRAZY BONE

—   crazy bone (colloq.): olecranon, ulnar nerve in elbow (which gives a sharp, tingling pain when hit)  >Ow! I hit my crazy bone on the corner of the table!

CRAZY HOUSE

—   crazy house (sl.): insane asylum, mental institution  >The judge ruled he was insane, and he ended up in the state crazy house.

CREAM

—   cream1 (vt) (sl.): defeat decisively  >We creamed them, seventeen to three!

—   cream2 (vt) (sl.): strike heavily, beat severely  >If he calls me that again, I’ll cream him.

—   cream3 (vi) (vulg.): ejaculate (semen)  >He said he creamed in his pants.

—   (about) cream [one’s] jeans (vulg.): be overcome with delight, be enraptured  >She about creamed her jeans when she saw the movie star.

CREAM PUFF

—   cream puff (colloq.): weak and timid person, sissy  >The other team’s a bunch of cream puffs—we’ll massacre them!

CREATE

 *    create a monster (colloq.): give impetus to s/one who becomes excessively involved in s/thing, give a start to s/one who becomes a fanatic  >You created a monster when you took Billy to that first hockey game. That’s all he thinks and talks about now.

CREEK

—   up shit creek (see SHIT)

 *    up the creek (without a paddle) (... krēk ...) (sl.): in (serious) trouble, in a (bad) predicament  >We’ll be up the creek if they don’t OK the loan.

CREEP

**   creep (colloq.): very weird or repugnant person  >I don’t want that creep coming around here any more.

—   creep out (vt) (sl.): make nervous or fearful, cause to be horrified or disgusted  >That zombie movie really creeped me out.

CREEPS

 *    the creeps (colloq.): goose bumps or sensation on the skin caused by fear or revulsion, feeling of horror or disgust  >This old house gives me the creeps.  >I got the creeps when I saw all those maggots.

CREEPY

 *    creepy (krē´pē) (colloq.): repugnant, uncomfortably weird, scary  >Keep your creepy hands off me! > Let’s get out of this creepy place.

CREW

—   [one’s] crew (sl.): [one’s] group of friends or usual companions  >Billy and his crew hang out by the basketball courts.

CRIB

—   crib1 (colloq.): list of answers used to cheat on a test  >The teacher caught them using a crib during the test.

—   crib2 (sl.): residence, home  >He’s plannin’ to buy her a few drinks, then take her back to his crib.

CRIMINY

—   criminy! (krī´mә nē) (colloq.): (interj. to express anger, surprise, or irritation)  >Criminy! Can’t you fix it before Friday?

CRIP

—   crip (krip) (sl., pej.): crippled person (also voc.)  >Hey, the crip’s crutches are over here.  >Outta my way, crip!

CRIPES

—   cripes! (krīps) (colloq.): (interj. to express anger, surprise, or irritation)  >Cripes! I almost hit that pedestrian.

CROAK

 *    croak1 (vi) (sl.): die  >The old man caught pneumonia and croaked.

—   croak2 (vt) (sl.): murder, kill  >They said they’d croak him if he went to the cops.

CROC

—   croc (krok) (colloq.): crocodile  >We saw a Nile croc at the zoo.

CROCK

 *    crock (sl.): lie, false or exaggerated story, nonsense  >What he told ya was a crock—I know better.  >You don’t believe that crock, do ya?

 *    crock of shit (... shit) (vulg.): lie, false or exaggerated story, nonsense  >Ya wouldn’t have believed the crock of shit he tried to give us!

CROCKED

—   crocked (krokt) (sl.): drunk  >They picked up a bottle of vodka and got crocked.

CROOK

**   crook (colloq.): thief, swindler, criminal, dishonest person  >They should put that crook in prison and throw away the key.

CROOKED

**   crooked (colloq.): dishonest, fraudulent, criminal  >I bet there were some kickbacks or other crooked dealings involved.

CROSS

 *    cross (vt) (sl.): betray or cheat (an associate)  >If Davy crosses me, he’s had it. 

—   cross [one’s] Ts and dot [one’s] Is (… tēz … īz) (colloq.): (for one to) be precise, (for one to) have every detail correct  >Make sure to cross you Ts and dot your Is when you prepare that presentation, because the committee’s going to examine it carefully. 

—   (I) cross my heart (and hope to die)! (colloq.): I swear that it is true!  >I did too pay him back, cross my heart!

CROSSED

—   get [one’s] wires crossed (see WIRES)

—   have/keep [one’s] fingers crossed (see FINGERS)

CROSS-EYED

—   look at [s/one] cross-eyed (see LOOK)

CROW

—   eat crow (see EAT)

CROWD

—   crowd (vt) (colloq.): pressure unfairly, threaten, encroach upon  >That new guy at work better stop crowding me, or I’m going to have to talk to the supervisor.

CROWN

—   crown (vt) (colloq.): hit (s/one) on the head  >The cop crowned him with her baton.

CRUD

 *    crud1 (krud) (sl.): filth, layer of dirt or grime  >I gotta wash this crud off my hands before I eat.

—   crud2 (sl.): offensive or filthy person, contemptible person  >There are a couple of real cruds in my class, but I stay away from ‘em.

—   crud3 (sl.): (one’s) belongings, things in general (that belong to s/one)  >I don’t want ya leavin’ your crud in my room.

—   crud! (sl.): (interj. to express anger, surprise, or irritation)  >Crud! My pencil just broke.

—   piece of crud (see PIECE)

CRUDDY

 *    cruddy1 (krud´ē) (sl.): filthy, dirty  >Why don’t ya wash these cruddy windows?

 *    cruddy2 (sl.): inferior, worthless  >I don’t wanna see that cruddy movie.

—   cruddy3 (sl.): offensive, contemptible  >Some cruddy guy tried to sell us some pornography.

CRUISE

 *    cruise1 (vi, vt) (colloq.): travel (along/throughout) for fun (esp. in an automobile, esp. to make contact with possible sex partners)  >Let’s cruise Central Avenue and see if we can pick up some chicks.  >Meg and me went cruising last Saturday.

 *    cruise2 (vi) (sl.): go (s/where) (esp. without hurry or strong purpose)  >Let’s cruise by Eddie’s and see what he’s doin’. > I think I’ll cruise over to the mall and check it out.

CRUISING

—   cruising for a bruising (sl., freq. hum.): looking for trouble, risking being beaten up  >You’re cruisin’ for a bruisin’ if ya mess with that rough character.

CRUMB

—   crumb (sl.): contemptible or worthless person  >I hate how that crumb treats her.

CRUMBLES

—   that’s the way the cookie crumbles (see COOKIE)

CRUMBY

—   crumby (see “CRUMMY”)

CRUMMY

**   crummy (krum´ē) (sl.): inferior, worthless, contemptible  >I don’t watch that crummy show.  >You expect me to do the job for a crummy fifty bucks?

CRUNCH

 *    crunch (colloq.): crisis situation (esp. due to a shortage)  >A crunch is going to come because a lot of teachers are retiring while enrollments are going up.  >Business is worried about the credit crunch.

—   crunch numbers (colloq.): do numerical calculations, process numerical data (esp. in large quantities) (cf. “NUMBER CRUNCHER”)  >He crunches numbers for some accounting firm.  >We need more powerful software to crunch all these numbers.

—   crunch time (sl.): critical period (for the success or failure of an endeavor)  >It’s crunch time, team—two minutes to play and we’re behind by six points.

CRUSH

—   crush it (sl.) give an outstanding or perfect performance, be very successful  >I’m sure she’ll get the part, because she crushed it at the audition.

**   crush (on) (colloq.): romantic infatuation (for) (esp. a short one, esp. of an adolescent)  >Dolly had a crush on her math teacher.

CRY

 *    cry [one’s] eyes out (colloq.): cry continually or inconsolably  >He cried his eyes out but finally got over her.

—   cry [one’s] heart out (colloq.): cry continually or inconsolably  >She’s been crying her heart out over that bum that left her.

—   say/cry uncle (see UNCLE)

CRYING

 *    for crying out loud! (colloq.): (interj. to express anger, surprise, or irritation)  >Why didn’t you tell me she’d called, for crying out loud?!

CUCKOO

—   cuckoo (sl.): crazy, foolish  >The guy’s cuckoo if he thinks I’m gonna agree to that harebrained scheme.

CUCUMBER

—   (as) cool as a cucumber (see COOL)

CUE

—   cue in (vt) (colloq.): give pertinent information to, bring (s/one) up-to- date  >I’ll cue you in later on the plans for next month.

CUFF

 *    cuff (vt) (colloq.): handcuff  >Be sure to cuff him before you put him in the patrol car.

—   off the cuff (colloq.): extemporaneously, without preparation, unofficially (regarding things said)  >Morgan spoke off the cuff about what he thought might happen.

CUFFS

 *    cuffs (colloq.): handcuffs  >The cuffs were cutting into his wrists.

CUM

—   cum (see “COME”)

CUNT

 *    cunt1 (kunt) (vulg., pej.): woman  >He called her a cunt just ‘cause she wouldn’t sleep with him.

—   cunt2 (vulg.): vagina  >The dancer had a G-string covering her cunt.

—   cunt3 (vulg., pej.): woman or women (seen as sex object[s])  >He said he saw a lot of nice cunt wearin’ bikinis at the beach.

—   cunt4 (vulg.): sexual intercourse (with a woman) (freq. used with some or any)  >He asked me if I got any cunt when I took her home.

CURL

—   curl [s/one’s] hair (colloq.): shock or frighten [s/one], horrify [s/one]  >Some of Gunther’s war stories would curl your hair.

CURTAINS

—   curtains (sl.): end, death, ruin (esp. by violent means)  >It’s curtains for ‘em if they don’t come out and give up.

CURVE

—   throw [s/one] a curve (see THROW)

CUSHY

 *    cushy (kŭsh´ē) (sl.): easy, soft, undemanding (esp. a job)  >Grant got hisself a real cushy job in his uncle’s furniture store.

CUSS

—   cuss1 (kus) (colloq.): man, person (seen as troublesome or contemptible), rascal  >Now where did that cuss take off to with my tools?

 *    cuss2 (vi) (colloq.): curse, swear  >I don’t want to hear anyone cussing around here.

 *    cuss out (vt) (colloq.): swear at, reprimand by using vulgarity  >The boss cussed him out for not putting the tools back.

CUSSWORD

 *    cussword (kus´wûrd´) (colloq.): curse word, obscene or vulgar term  >His mom got mad because she heard him use a cussword.

CUSTOMER

 *    ... customer (colloq.): ... person (seen as having some impressive quality)  >A shrewd customer like Barnes will never fall for that.  >Good luck—she’s a tough customer.

CUT

**   cut1 (colloq.): share of earnings or profit  >Your cut is ten percent if you make the sale.

**   cut2 (vt) (colloq.): intentionally not attend (a class)  >Jason’s been cutting math a lot, and he’s probably going to flunk.

—   cut ([s/one]) a check (sl.): write out a check (to [s/one])  >I’ll cut him a check for fifty bucks just to get rid of him.  >If ya ain’t got the cash, just cut a check.

—   cut a deal (colloq.): make a deal, reach an agreement  >I don’t want them cutting a deal unless we’re in on it.

—   let/blow/cut a fart (see FART) 

—   cut a rug (sl., dtd.): dance (esp. well or impressively)  >They can really cut a rug to those big band songs. 

 *    cut corners (colloq.): reduce costs, not take due care (in doing s/thing)  >It’s not worth it to cut corners on the wiring.

—   knock/cut [s/one] down to size (see KNOCK)

—   cut in (vi) (colloq.): interrupt a dancing couple to dance with one of them  >I didn’t like Boris cutting in on me when I was dancing with Peggy.

 *    cut it (colloq.): meet a standard of performance, demonstrate at least a minimum required ability (freq. used in the neg.)  >Old Bernie just can’t cut it anymore in this job.  >This sloppy work just doesn’t cut it in our firm.

—   cut [s/one] loose (sl.): release [s/one] from custody or a relationship, sever ties with [s/one]  >The cops didn’t have any evidence on him, so they cut him loose.  >He was playin’ lousy, so the team cut him loose.

—   cut loose (with)1 (sl.): send forth aggressively, hurl, shoot, unleash  >She cut loose a punch that doubled him over.  >They all cut loose with rocks at the same time.

—   cut loose (with)2 (sl.): blurt out, yell, say aggressively  >He cut loose a string of cusswords that would embarrass a sailor.  >If you cut loose with another belch like that, I’m leavin’.

—   cut no ice (with) (colloq.): fail to impress (s/one), not be important (to)  >Your fame as a football star cuts no ice with anyone in this company.  >That award cuts no ice here.

—   cut [s/one] off at the knees (colloq.): severely incapacitate [s/one] (from accomplishing s/thing) (esp. by undermining or humiliating him/her)  >Spread that rumor around enough, and we’ll cut him off at the knees.

—   cut one (sl, freq. vulg.): break wind, expel intestinal gas  >Phew! Who cut one?

**   cut (out) (vt) (colloq.): stop (doing s/thing) (esp. s/thing bothersome)  >Hey, cut the clowning around, will you? > I asked him to cut out the loud talking in the library.  >Cut it out, dang it!

—   cut out (vi) (sl.): depart, leave quickly  >They were here for a few minutes; then they cut out.

 *    cut out for (colloq.): capable of, having the aptitude or talent for (freq. used in the neg.)  >I just wasn’t cut out for police work, so I quit the force.

 *    cut [one’s] own throat (colloq.): bring harm to [oneself], cause [one’s] own ruin or defeat (esp. when trying to bring harm or defeat to another)  >He’s cutting his own throat by bringing up the morality business, because he’s no saint himself.

—   cut [s/one] some slack (sl.): be flexible or lenient with [s/one], reduce the pressure on [s/one]  >Hey, cut me some slack, man. I can’t pay it all back right now.

—   cut the cheese (sl., freq. vulg.): break wind, expel intestinal gas  >I don’t want no one cuttin’ the cheese in the tent tonight.

 *    cut the mustard (sl.): meet a standard of performance, demonstrate at least a minimum required ability  >We’ll try ya for a week, and if ya can cut the mustard, you’re hired.

—   cut to the chase (sl.): come to the point, stop talking about irrelevant or unimportant things (used esp. as a command)  >Stop stallin’ and cut to the chase.

 *    cut up (vi) (colloq.): clown around, play pranks, be mischievous  >Tommy, if you keep cutting up in class, I’m going to have to call your parents.

—   have [one’s] work/job cut out for [one] (see WORK)

 *    (how) you cut/slice it (colloq.): (how) (a situation) is viewed or analyzed  >No matter how you cut it, someone’s going to get hurt.  >No one can blame me, any way you slice it.

CUTE

 *    cute (colloq., sarc.): clever, witty (esp. when seen as obnoxious or insolent), impudent  >That jerk thinks he’s real cute, doesn’t he?  >Don’t try and be cute with them, or they’ll slap you around.

—   (as) cute as a button (colloq.): very cute  >Her baby’s as cute as a button.

CUTEY

—   cutey (see “CUTIE”)

CUTESY

—   cutesy (kyūt´sē) (colloq., freq. sarc.): forcedly cute, presumptuously clever  >Cut it out, will you? We’re tired of your cutesy remarks.

CUTIE

 *    cutie (kyūt´ē) (colloq.): cute or attractive person, endearing person (also voc.)  >Sandra thinks Will is a real cutie.  >Come and sit by me, cutie!

CUTIE-PIE

—   cutie-pie (kyūt´ē pī´) (colloq.): cute or attractive person, endearing person (also voc.)  >Who’s the cutie-pie that all the boys have been eyeing?  >How you doing, cutie-pie?

CUTOFFS

 *    cutoffs (kut´ofs´) (colloq.): shorts made from pants (esp. jeans) cut above the knees  >She hung around the house all summer in T-shirts and cutoffs.

CUTUP

 *    cutup (colloq.): prankster, mischievous person, clown  >I remember him. He was a cutup in class and was always getting into trouble.