Adam Makkai - Словарь американских идиом: 8000 единиц

[chips]See: WHEN THE CHIPS ARE DOWN.

[chisel]or [muscle in on] {v. phr.} To illegitimately and forcefully intrude into someone’s traditional sales or professional arena of operation. •/ Tim has a good sales territory, but he is always afraid that someone might chisel in on it. / •/ Las Vegas casino owners are concerned that the Mafia might muscle in on their territory. /

[choice]See: BY CHOICE, FIELDER’S CHOICE.

[choke off] {v.} To put a sudden end to; stop abruptly or forcefully. •/ It was almost time for the meeting to end, and the presiding officer had to move to choke off debate. / •/ The war choked off diamond shipments from overseas. /

[choke up] {v.} 1a. To come near losing calmness or self-control from strong feeling; be upset by your feelings. •/ When one speaker after another praised John, he choked up and couldn’t thank them. / •/ When Father tried to tell me how glad he was to see me safe after the accident, he choked up and was unable to speak. / 1b. {informal} To be unable to do well because of excitement or nervousness. •/ Bill was a good batter, but in the championship game he choked up and did poorly. / 2. To fill up; become clogged or blocked; become hard to pass through. •/ The channel had choked up with sand so that boats couldn’t use it. /

[choose]See: PICK AND CHOOSE.

[chooser]See: BEGGARS CAN’T BE CHOOSERS.

[choose up sides] {v. phr.} To form two teams with two captains taking turns choosing players. •/ The boys chose up sides for a game of softball. / •/ Tom and Joe were the captains. They chose up sides. /

[chop]See: LICK ONE’S CHOPS.

[chow line] {n.} , {slang} A line of people waiting for food. •/ The chow line was already long when John got to the dining hall. / •/ The soldiers picked up trays and got into the chow line. /

[Christmas]See: FATHER CHRISTMAS.

[Christmas card] {n.} , {slang} , {citizen’s band radio jargon} A speeding ticket. •/ Smokey just gave a Christmas card to the eighteen wheeler we passed. /

[Christmas club] {n.} A plan for putting money in the bank to be saved for Christmas shopping. •/ John deposits $10 each week in the Christmas club. / •/ The woman will get her Christmas club money on December 10. /

[chum around with] {v. phr.} 1. To be close friends with someone. •/ They have been chumming around with one another for quite some time. / 2. To travel around with someone. •/ Jack is planning to chum around with Tim in Europe this summer. /

[cigar-store Indian] {n. phr.} A wooden statue of an Indian which in the past was placed in front of a cigar store. •/ A cigar store Indian used to mean a cigar store in the same way a barber pole still means a barber shop. /

[circle]See: COME FULL CIRCLE, IN A CIRCLE or IN CIRCLES, RUN CIRCLES AROUND also RUN RINGS AROUND.

[circulation]See: IN CIRCULATION, OUT OF CIRCULATION.

[circumstance]See: UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES also IN THE CIRCUMSTANCES.

[circumstances alter cases] {formal} The way things are, or happen, may change the way you are expected to act. •/ John’s father told him never to touch his gun, but one day when Father was away, John used it to shoot a poisonous snake that came into the yard. Circumstances alter cases. /

[circus]See: THREE-RING CIRCUS.

[citizen]See: SENIOR CITIZEN.

[civil]See: KEEP A CIVIL TONGUE IN ONE’S HEAD.

[claim]See: STAKE A CLAIM.

[claim check] {n.} A ticket needed to get back something. •/ The man at the parking lot gave Mrs. Collins a claim check. / •/ The boy put the dry cleaning claim check in his billfold. / •/ The man told Mary the pictures would be ready Friday and gave her a claim check. /

[clamp down] {v.} , {informal} To put on strict controls; enforce rules or laws. •/ After the explosion, police clamped down and let no more visitors inside the monument. / •/ The school clamped down on smoking. / •/ When the crowds became bigger and wilder, the police clamped down on them and made everyone go home. /

[clam up] {v.} , {slang} To refuse to say anything more; stop talking. •/ The suspect clammed up, and the police could get no more information out of him. /

[class]See: HIGH-CLASS, SECOND CLASS.

[clay]See: FEET OF CLAY.

[clay pigeon] {n.} , {slang} , {informal} 1. A popular target at practice shooting made of clay and roughly resembling a pigeon; an easy target that doesn’t move. •/ All he can shoot is a clay pigeon. / 2. A person who, like a clay pigeon in target practice, is immobilized or is in a sensitive position and is therefore easily criticized or otherwise victimized. •/ Poor Joe is a clay pigeon. / 3. A task easily accomplished like shooting an immobile clay pigeon. •/ The math exam was a clay pigeon. /

[clean]See: COME CLEAN, KEEP ONE’S NOSE CLEAN, MAKE A CLEAN BREAST OF, NEW BROOM SWEEPS CLEAN, TAKE TO ONE’S HEELS, also SHOW A CLEAN PAIR OF HEELS.

[clean bill of health] {n. phr.} 1. A certificate that a person or animal has no infectious disease. •/ The government doctor gave Jones a clean bill of health when he entered the country. / 2. {informal} A report that a person is free of guilt or fault. •/ The stranger was suspected in the bank robbery, but the police gave him a clean bill of health. /

[clean break] {n. phr.} A complete separation. •/ Tom made a clean break with his former girlfriends before marrying Pamela. /

[cleaners]See: TO TAKE TO THE CLEANERS.

[clean hands] {n. phr.} , {slang} Freedom from guilt or dishonesty; innocence. •/ John grew up in a bad neighborhood, but he grew up with clean hands. / •/ There was much proof against Bill, but he swore he had clean hands. /

[clean out] {v.} 1. {slang} To take everything from; empty; strip. •/ George’s friends cleaned him out when they were playing cards last night. / •/ The sudden demand for paper plates soon cleaned out the stores. / 2. {informal} To get rid of; remove; dismiss. •/ The new mayor promised to clean the crooks out of the city government. /

[clean slate] {n. phr.} A record of nothing but good conduct, without any errors or bad deeds; past acts that are all good without any bad ones. •/ Johnny was sent to the principal for whispering. He had a clean slate so the principal did not punish him. / •/ Mary stayed after school for a week, and after that the teacher let her off with a clean slate. / Compare: TURN OVER A NEW LEAF.

[clean sweep] {n. phr.} A complete victory. •/ Our candidate for the United States Senate made a clean sweep over his opponent. /

[clean up] {v. phr.} 1. To wash and make oneself presentable. •/ After quitting for the day in the garage, Tim decided to clean up and put on a clean shirt. / 2. To finish; terminate. •/ The secretary promised her boss to clean up all the unfinished work before leaving on her Florida vacation. / 3. {informal} To make a large profit. •/ The clever investors cleaned up on the stock market last week. /

[clean-up] {n.} 1. An act of removing all the dirt from a given set of objects. •/ What this filthy room needs is an honest clean-up. / 2. The elimination of pockets of resistance during warfare or a police raid. •/ The FBI conducted a clean-up against the drug pushers in our district. /

[clear]See: COAST IS CLEAR, IN THE CLEAR, OUT OF THE BLUE or OUT OF A CLEAR SKY or OUT OF A CLEAR BLUE SKY, SEE ONE’S WAY CLEAR, STEER CLEAR OF.

[clear-cut] {adj.} Definite; well defined. •/ The president’s new policy of aggressive action is a clear-cut departure from his old methods of unilateral appeasement. /

[clear-eyed] {adj.} Understanding problems or events clearly; being able to tell very well the results of a way of acting. •/ Tom is very clear-eyed. He knows he doesn’t have much chance of winning the race, but he will try his best. / •/ He is a clear-eyed and independent commentator on the news. /

[clear one’s name] {v. phr.} To prove someone is innocent of a crime or misdeed of which he has been accused. •/ The falsely accused rapist has been trying in vain to clear his name. /

[clear out] {v.} 1. To take everything out of; empty. •/ When Bill was moved to another class he cleared out his desk. / 2. {informal} To leave suddenly; go away; depart. •/ The cop told the boys to clear out. / •/ Bob cleared out without paying his room rent. / •/ Clear out of here! You’re bothering me. / Compare: BEAT IT.

[clear the air] {v. phr.} To remove angry feelings, misunderstanding, or confusion. •/ The President’s statement that he would run for office again cleared the air of rumors and guessing. / •/ When Bill was angry at Bob, Bob made a joke, and it cleared the air between them. /

[clear the decks] {v. phr.} To put everything in readiness for a major activity; to eliminate unessentials. •/ The governor urged the State Assembly to clear the decks of all but the most pressing issues to vote on. /

[clear up] {v.} 1. To make plain or clear; explain; solve. •/ The teacher cleared up the harder parts of the story. / •/ Maybe we can clear up your problem. / 2. To become clear. •/ The weather cleared up after the storm. / 3. To cure. •/ The pills cleared up his stomach trouble. / 4. To put back into a normal, proper, or healthy state. •/ The doctor can give you something to clear up your skin. / •/ Susan cleared up the room. / 5. To become cured. •/ This skin trouble will clear up in a day or two. /

[clerk]See: ROOM CLERK or DESK CLERK.

[cliffdweller] {n.} , {slang} , {informal} A city person who lives on a very high floor in an apartment building. •/ Joe and Nancy have become cliffdwellers — they moved up to the 30th floor. /

[clifihanger] {n.} , {informal} A sports event or a movie in which the outcome is uncertain to the very end keeping the spectators in great suspense and excitement. •/ Did you see "The Fugitive"? It’s a regular cliffhanger. /