[close shave] See: CLOSE CALL.
[closet] See: SKELETON IN THE CLOSET.
[close the books] <v. phr.> To stop taking orders; end a bookkeeping period. * /The tickets were all sold, so the manager said to close the books./ * /The department store closes its books on the 25th of each month./
[close the door] or [bar the door] or [shut the door] <v. phr.> To prevent any more action or talk about a subject. * /The President's veto closed the door to any new attempt to pass the bill./ * /Joan was much hurt by what Mary said, and she closed the door on Mary's attempt to apologize./ * /After John makes up his mind, he closes the door to any more arguments./ Contrast: OPEN THE DOOR.
[close to home] <adv. phr.> Too near to someone's personal feelings, wishes, or interests. * /When John made fun of Bob's way of walking, he struck close to home./ * /When the preacher spoke about prejudice, some people felt he had come too close to home./
[close-up] <n.> A photograph, motion picture, or video camera shot taken at very close range. * /Directors of movies frequently show close-ups of the main characters./
[close up shop] <v. phr.> 1. To shut a store at the end of a day's business, also, to end a business. * /The grocer closes up shop at 5 o'clock./ * /After 15 years in business at the same spot, the garage closed up shop./ 2. <informal> To stop some activity; finish what you are doing. * /After camping out for two weeks, the scouts took down their tents and closed up shop./ * /The committee finished its business and closed up shop./ Compare: CALL IT A DAY.
[clothes] See: BEST BIB AND TUCKER or SUNDAY-GO-TO-MEETING CLOTHES.
[clothing] See: WOLF IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING.
[cloud] See: EVERY CLOUD HAS A SILVER LINING, IN THE CLOUDS, ON CLOUD NINE, UNDER A CLOUD.
[clover] See: FOUR-LEAF CLOVER, IN CLOVER or IN THE CLOVER.
[club] See: CHRISTMAS CLUB.
[cluck and grunt] <n.>, <slang>, <avoid it in restaurants> The familiar restaurant dish of ham and eggs; since ham is made of pork (and pigs grunt) and eggs come from hens (which cluck.) * /"I am sorry I can't fix you an elaborate meal, but I can give you a quick cluck and grunt."/
[clutch] See: RIDE THE BRAKE.
[coal] See: CARRY COALS TO NEWCASTLE, HAUL OVER THE COALS or RAKE OVER THE COALS, HEAP COALS OF FIRE ON ONE'S HEAD.
[coast is clear] No enemy or danger is in sight; there is no one to see you. * /When the teacher had disappeared around the corner, John said, "Come on, the coast is clear."/ * /The men knew when the night watchman would pass. When he had gone, and the coast was clear, they robbed the safe./ * /When Father stopped the car at the stop sign, Mother said, "The coast is clear on this side."/
[coat tail] See: ON ONE'S COAT TAILS.
[cock] See: GO OFF HALF-COCKED also GO OFF AT HALF COCK.
[cock-and-bull story] <n. phr.> An exaggerated or unbelievable story. * /"Stop feeding me such cock-and-bull stories," the detective said to the suspect./
[cockeyed] <adj.> Drunk; intoxicated. * /Frank has been drinking all day and, when we met, he was so cockeyed he forgot his own address./
[cocksure] <adj.> Overconfident; very sure. * /Paul was cocksure that it wasn 't going to snow, but it snowed so much that we had to dig our way out of the house./
[C.O.D.] <n. phr.> Abbreviation of "cash on delivery." * /If you want to receive a piece of merchandise by mail and pay when you receive it, you place a C.O.D. order./
[coffee break] <n.> A short recess or time out from work in which to rest and drink coffee. * /The girls in the office take a coffee break in the middle of the morning and the afternoon./
[coffee hour] <n.> A time for coffee or other refreshments after a meeting; a time to meet people and have refreshments. * /After the business meeting we had a coffee hour./ * /The Joneses had a coffee hour so their visitor could meet their neighbors./
[coffee table] <n.> A low table used in a living room. * /There were several magazines on the coffee table./
[coffin nail] <n.>, <slang> A cigarette. * /"I stopped smoking," Algernon said. "In fact, I haven't had a coffin nail in well over a year."/
[cog] See: SLIP A COG or SLIP A GEAR.
[coin money] or [mint money] <v. phr.>, <informal> To make a lot of money quickly; profit heavily; gain big profit. * /Fred coined money with many cigarette vending machines and juke boxes./
[cold] See: BLOOD RUNS COLD, BLOW HOT AND COLD, CATCH COLD or TAKE COLD, IN COLD BLOOD, OUT COLD, OUT IN THE COLD, PASS OUT(2), STONE-COLD, STOP COLD, THROW COLD WATER ON.
[cold cash] or [hard cash] <n.> Money that is paid at the time of purchase; real money; silver and bills. * /Mr. Jones bought a new car and paid cold cash for it./ * * /Some stores sell things only for cold cash./ Compare: CASH ON THE BARRELHEAD.
[cold comfort] <n.> Something that makes a person in trouble feel very little better or even worse. * /When Tim lost the race, it was cold comfort to him to hear that he could try again in two weeks./ * /Mary spent her vacation sick in bed and Jane's letter about her trip was cold comfort./
[cold feet] <n. phr.>, <informal> A loss of courage or nerve; a failure or loss of confidence in yourself. * /Ralph was going to ask Mary to dance with him but he got cold feet and didn't./
[cold fish] <n.>, <informal> A queer person; a person who is unfriendly or does not mix with others. * /No one knows the new doctor, he is a cold fish./ * /Nobody invites Eric to parties because he is a cold fish./
[cold-shoulder] <v.>, <informal> To act towards a person; with dislike or scorn; be unfriendly to. * /Fred cold-shouldered his old friend when they passed on the street./ * /It is impolite and unkind to cold-shoulder people./ Compare: BRUSH OFF(2), HIGH-HAT, LOOK DOWN ONE'S NOSE AT.
[cold shoulder] <n.>, <informal> Unfriendly treatment of a person, a showing of dislike for a person or of looking down on a person. Used in the cliches "give the cold shoulder" or "turn a cold shoulder to" or "get the cold shoulder". * /When Bob asked Mary for a date she gave him the cold shoulder./ * /The membership committee turned a cold shoulder to Jim's request to join the club./
[cold snap] <n.> A short time of quick change from warm weather to cold. * /The cold snap killed everything in the garden./
[cold turkey] <adv.>, <slang>, <informal> 1. Abruptly and without medical aid to withdraw from the use of an addictive drug or from a serious drinking problem. * /Joe is a very brave guy; he kicked the habit cold turkey./ 2. <n.> An instance of withdrawal from drugs, alcohol, or cigarette smoking. * /Joe did a cold turkey./
[cold war] <n.> A struggle that is carried on by other means and not by actual fighting; a war without shooting or bombing. * /After World War II, a cold war began between Russia and the United States./
[collar] See: HOT UNDER THE COLLAR, ROMAN COLLAR, SAILOR COLLAR.
[collective farm] <n.> A large government-run farm made by combining many small farms. * /The Russian farmers used to live on collective farms./
[collector's item] <n.> Something rare or valuable enough to collect or save. * /Jimmy's mother found an old wooden doll in the attic that turned out to be a collector's item./
[College Boards] <n.> A set of examinations given to test a student's readiness and ability for college. * /John got a high score on his College Boards./ * /College Boards test both what a student has learned and his ability to learn./
[color] See: CHANGE COLOR, GIVE COLOR TO or LEND COLOR TO, HAUL DOWN ONE'S COLORS, HORSE OF A DIFFERENT COLOR, NAIL ONE'S COLORS TO THE MAST, OFF-COLOR or OFF-COLORED, SAIL UNDER FALSE COLORS, SEE THE COLOR OF ONE'S MONEY, SHOW ONE'S COLORS, WITH FLYING COLORS.
[color guard] <n.> A military guard of honor for the flag of a country; also: a guard of honor to carry and protect a flag or banner (as of a club). * /There were four Marines in the color guard in the parade./ * /Bob was picked to be a color guard and to carry the banner of the drum corps at the football game./
[color scheme] <n.> A plan for colors used together as decoration. * /The color scheme for the dance was blue and silver./ * /Mary decided on a pink and white color scheme for her room./
[comb] See: FINE-TOOTH COMB.
[come] See: CHICKENS COME HOME TO ROOST, CROSS A BRIDGE BEFORE ONE COMES TO IT, EASY COME - EASY GO, FIRST COME - FIRST SERVED, GET WHAT'S COMING TO ONE, HAVE IT COMING, HOW COME also HOW'S COME, IF WORST COMES TO WORST, JOHNNY-COME-LATELY, KNOW ENOUGH TO COME IN OUT OF THE RAIN, KNOW IF ONE IS COMING OR GOING, LOOK AS IF ONE HAS COME OUT OF A BANDBOX, SHIP COME IN.
[come about] <v.> To take place; happen, occur. * /Sometimes it is hard to tell how a quarrel comes about./ * /When John woke up he was in the hospital, but he didn't know how that had come about./
[come a cropper] 1. To fall off your horse. * /John's horse stumbled, and John came a cropper./ 2. To fail. * /Mr. Brown did not have enough money to put into his business and it soon came a cropper./ Compare: RIDING FOR A FALL.