[chain letter] <n.> A letter which each person receiving it is asked to copy and send to several others. * /Most chain letters die out quickly./
[chain-smoke] <v.> To smoke cigarettes or cigars one after another without stopping. * /Mr. Jones is very nervous. He chain-smokes cigars./ [chain smoker] <n.> * /Mr. Jones is a chain smoker./ [chain-smoking] <adj.> or <n.> * /Chain smoking is very dangerous to health./
[chain stores] <n.> A series of stores in different locations, joined together under one ownership and general management. * /The goods in chain stores tend to be more uniform than in independent ones./
[chained to the oars] <adj. phr.> The condition of being forced to do strenuous and unwelcome labor against one's wishes for an extended period of time. * /Teachers in large public schools frequently complain that they feel as if they had been chained to the oars./
[chair] See: MUSICAL CHAIRS.
[chalk] See: WALK THE CHALK.
[chalk up] <v.>, <informal> 1. To write down as part of a score; record. * /The scorekeeper chalked up one more point for the home team./ 2. To make (a score or part of a score); score. * /The team chalked up another victory./ * /Bob chalked up a home run and two base hits in the game./ * /Mary chalked up good grades this term./
[champ at the bit] <v. phr.> To be eager to begin; be tired of being held back; want to start. * /The horses were champing at the bit, anxious to start racing./ * /As punishment John was kept after school for two hours. He was champing at the bit to go out./
[chance] See: BY CHANCE, FAT CHANCE, STAND A CHANCE, TAKE A CHANCE.
[chance it] <v. phr.> To be willing to risk an action whose outcome is uncertain. * /"Should we take the boat out in such stormy weather?" Jim asked. "We can chance it," Tony replied. "We have enough experience."/
[chance on] also [chance upon] <v.> To happen to find or meet; find or meet by accident. * /On our vacation we chanced upon an interesting antique store./ * /Mary dropped her ring in the yard, and Mother chanced on it as she was raking./ Syn.: HAPPEN ON. Compare: RUN INTO.
[change] See: RING THE CHANGES.
[change color] <v. phr.> 1. To become pale. * /The sight was so horrible that Mary changed color from fear./ * /Bill lost so much blood from the cut that he changed color./ 2. To become pink or red in the face; become flushed; blush. * /Mary changed color when the teacher praised her drawing./ * /Tom got angry at the remark and changed color./
[change hands] <v. phr.> To change or transfer ownership. * /Ever since our apartment building changed hands, things are working a lot better./
[change horses in the middle of a stream] or [change horses in midstream] <v. phr.> To make new plans or choose a new leader in the middle of an important activity. * /When a new President is to be elected during a war, the people may decide not to change horses in the middle of a stream./
[change off] <v.>, <informal> To take turns doing something; alternate. * /John and Bill changed off at riding the bicycle./ * /Bob painted one patch of wall and then he changed off with Tom./
[change of heart] <n. phr.> A change in the way one feels or thinks about a given task, idea or problem to be solved. * /Joan had a change of heart and suddenly broke off her engagement to Tim./ * /Fred got admitted to medical school, but he had a change of heart and decided to go into the Foreign Service instead./
[change of life] <n. phr.> The menopause (primarily in women). * /Women usually undergo a change of life in their forties or fifties./
[change of pace] <n. phr.> A quick change in what you are doing. * /John studied for three hours and then read a comic book for a change of pace./ * /The doctor told the man he needed a change of pace./
[change one's mind] <v. phr.> To alter one's opinion or judgment on a given issue. * /I used to hate Chicago, but as the years passed I gradually changed my mind and now I actually love living here./
[change one's tune] <v. phr.>, <informal> To make a change in your story, statement, or claim; change your way of acting. * /The man said he was innocent, but when they found the stolen money in his pocket he changed his tune./ * /Bob was rude to his teacher, but she threatened to tell the principal and he changed his tune./ Syn.: SING A DIFFERENT TUNE.
[change up] See: LET UP(4).
[character] See: IN CHARACTER.
[charge] See: CARRYING CHARGE, CHARGE OFF(2), IN CHARGE, IN CHARGE OF, TAKE CHARGE.
[charge account] <n.> An agreement with a store through which you can buy things and pay for them later. * /Mother bought a new dress on her charge account./ * /Mr. Jones has a charge account at the garage on the corner./
[charge off] <v.> 1. To consider or record as a loss, especially in an account book. * /The store owner charged off all of the last season's stock of suits./ Syn.: WRITE OFF(1). 2. or [charge up] <informal> To accept or remember (something) as a mistake and not worry about it any more. - Often used with "to experience". * /He charged off his mistakes to experience./ Syn.: CHALK UP. Compare: CHARGE TO.
[charge something to something] <v.> 1. To place the blame on; make responsible for. * /John failed to win a prize, but he charged it to his lack of experience./ * /The coach charged the loss of the game to the team's disobeying his orders./ 2. To buy something on the credit of. * /Mrs. Smith bought a new pocketbook and charged it to her husband./ * /Mr. White ordered a box of cigars and had it charged to his account./
[charge up] <v. phr.> 1. To submit to a flow of electricity in order to make functional. * /I mustn't forget to charge up my razor before we go on our trip./ 2. To use up all the available credit one has on one's credit card(s). * /"Let's charge dinner on the Master Card," Jane said. "Unfortunately I can't," Jim replied. "All of my credit cards are completely charged up."/
[charge with] <v. phr.> To accuse someone in a court of law. * /The criminal was charged with aggravated kidnapping across a state line./
[charmed life] <n.> A life often saved from danger; a life full of lucky escapes. * /He was in two airplane accidents, but he had a charmed life./ * /During the war a bullet knocked the gun out of his hand, but he had a charmed life./
[chase] See: GIVE CHASE, GO CHASE ONESELF, LEAD A MERRY CHASE.
[chase after] See: RUN AFTER.
[chase around] See: RUN AROUND.
[cheapskate] <n.>, <informal> A selfish or stingy person; a person who will not spend much. - An insulting term. * /None of the girls like to go out on a date with him because he is a cheapskate./
[cheat on someone] <v. phr.>, <informal> To be unfaithful (to one's wife or husband, or to one's sweetheart or fiancee). * /It is rumored that Joe cheats on his wife./
[check] See: BLANK CHECK, CLAIM CHECK, DOUBLE CHECK, IN CHECK, RAIN CHECK, RUBBER CHECK, SALES CHECK.
[check in] <v.> 1a. To sign your name (as at a hotel or convention). * /The last guests to reach the hotel checked in at 12 o'clock./ Contrast: CHECK OUT. 1b. <informal> To arrive. * /The friends we had invited did not check in until Saturday./ 2. To receive (something) back and make a record of it. * /The coach checked in the football uniforms at the end of the school year./ * /The students put their books on the library desk, and the librarian checked them in./
[check off] <v.> To put a mark beside (the name of a person or thing on a list) to show that it has been counted. * /The teacher checked off each pupil as he got on the bus./ * /Bill wrote down the names of all the states he could remember, and then he checked them off against the list in his book./ Compare: TICK OFF.
[check on someone/thing] or [check up on someone/thing] <v>. To try to find out the truth or rightness of; make sure of; examine; inspect; investigate. * /We checked on Dan's age by getting his birth record./ * /Mrs. Brown said she heard someone downstairs and Mr. Brown went down to check up on it./ * /You can check on your answers at the back of the book./ * /The police are checking up on the man to see if he has a police record./ * /Grandfather went to have the doctor check on his health./ Compare: LOOK INTO, LOOK OVER.
[check out] <v.> 1a. To pay your hotel bill and leave. * /The last guests checked out of their rooms in the morning./ Contrast: CHECK IN. 1b. <informal> To go away; leave. * /I hoped our guest would stay but he had to check out before Monday./ Compare: CHECK IN. 2a. To make a list or record of. * /They checked out all the goods in the store./ 2b. To give or lend (something) and make a record of it. * /The boss checked out the tools to the workmen as they came to work./ 2c. To get (something) after a record has been made of it. * /I checked out a book from the library./ 3. <informal> To test (something, like a part of a motor). * /The mechanic checked out the car battery./ * /"He checked out from the motel at nine," said the detective, "then he checked out the air in the car tires and his list of local clients."/ 4. <slang> To die. * /He seemed too young to check out./
[check up] <v.> To find out or try to find out the truth or correctness of something; make sure of something; investigate. * /Mrs. Brown thought she had heard a burglar in the house, so Mr. Brown checked up, but found nobody./ * /Bill thought he had a date with Janie, but phoned her to check up./
[check-up] <n.> A periodic examination by a physician or of some equipment by a mechanic. * /I am overdue for my annual physical check-up./ * /I need to take my car in for a check-up./
[check with] <v. phr.> 1. To consult. * /I want to check with my lawyer before I sign the papers./ 2. To agree with. * /Does my reconciliation of our account check with the bank statement?/
[cheek] See: TURN THE OTHER CHEEK.
[cheer] See: BRONX CHEER.
[cheer on] <v. phr.> To vociferously encourage a person or a team during a sports event. * /The spectators at the stadium cheered on their home team./
[cheer up] <v.> 1. To feel happy; stop being sad or discouraged; become hopeful, joyous, or glad. * /Jones was sad at losing the business, but he cheered up at the sight of his daughter./ * /Cheer up! The worst is over./ 2. To make cheerful or happy. * /The support of the students cheered up the losing team and they played harder and won./ * /We went to the hospital to cheer up a sick friend./ * /Flowers cheer up a room./
[cheese] See: BIG CHEESE, WHOLE CHEESE.
[cheesebox] <n.>, <slang> A small, suburban house built by a land developer available at low cost and resembling the other houses around it. * /They moved to a suburb, but their house is just a cheesebox./