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[contention] See: BONE OF CONTENTION.
[contrary] See: ON THE CONTRARY, TO THE CONTRARY.
[control room] <n.> A room containing the panels and switches used to control something (like a TV broadcast). * /While a television program is on the air, engineers are at their places in the control room./
[control tower] <n.> A tower with large windows and a good view of an airport so that the traffic of airplanes can be seen and controlled, usually by radio. * /We could see the lights at the control tower as our plane landed during the night./
[conversation] See: MAKE CONVERSATION.
[conversation piece] <n.> Something that interests people and makes them talk about it; something that looks unusual, comical, or strange. * /Uncle Fred has a glass monkey on top of his piano that he keeps for a conversation piece./
[conviction] See: HAVE THE COURAGE OF ONE'S CONVICTIONS.
[cook] See: SHORT-ORDER COOK, WHAT'S UP or WHAT'S COOKING.
[cook one's goose] <v. phr.>, <slang> To ruin someone hopelessly; destroy one's future expectations or good name. * /The bank treasurer cooked his own goose when he stole the bank's funds./ * /She cooked John's goose by reporting what she knew to the police./ * /The dishonest official knew his goose was cooked when the newspapers printed the story about him./
[cook up] <v.>, <informal> To plan and put together; make up; invent. * /The boys cooked up an excuse to explain their absence from school./
[cool] See: PLOW ONE'S COOL.
[cool as a cucumber] <adj. phr.>, <informal> Very calm and brave; not nervous, worried, or anxious; not excited; composed. * /Bill is a good football quarterback, always cool as a cucumber./
[cool customer] <n.> Someone who is calm and in total control of himself; someone showing little emotion. * /Jim never gets too excited about anything; he is a cool customer./
[cool down] or [cool off] <v.> To lose or cause to lose the heat of any deep feeling (as love, enthusiasm, or anger); make or become calm, cooled or indifferent; lose interest. * /A heated argument can be settled better if both sides cool down first./ * /John was deeply in love with Sally before he left for college, but he cooled off before he got back./ * /Their friendship cooled off when Jack gave up football./ * /The neighbor's complaint about the noise cooled the argument down./
[cool one's heels] <v. phr.>, <slang> To be kept waiting by another's pride or rudeness; be forced to wait by someone in power or authority; wait. * /He cooled his heels for an hour in another room before the great man would see him./ * /I was left to cool my heels outside while the others went into the office./
[coon's age] See: DOG'S AGE.
[coop] See: FLY THE COOP.
[coop up] <v. phr.> To hedge in; confine; enclose in a small place. * /How can poor Jane work in that small office, cooped up all day long?/
[cop a feel] <v. phr.>, <vulgar>, <avoidable> To attempt to arouse sexually by manual contact, usually by surprise. * /John talks big for a 16 year old, but all he's ever done is cop a feel in a dark movie theater./ Compare: FEEL UP. Contrast: COP A PLEA.
[cop a plea] <v. phr.>, <slang>, <colloquial> To plead guilty during a trial in the hope of getting a lighter sentence as a result. * /The murderer of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., copped a plea of guilty, and got away with a life sentence instead of the death penalty./
[cop out] <v. phr.>, <slang>, <informal> To avoid committing oneself in a situation where doing so would result in difficulties. * /Nixon copped out on the American people with Watergate./
[cop-out] <n. phr.>, <slang>, <informal> An irresponsible excuse made to avoid something one has to do, a flimsy pretext. * /Cowe on, Jim, that's a cheap cop-out, and I don't believe a word of it!/
[copy cat] n. Someone who copies another person's work or manner. Usually used by children or when speaking to children. * /He called me a copy cat just because my new shoes look like his./
[corn ball] <n.>, <slang>, <informal> 1. A superficially sentimental movie or musical in which the word "love" is mentioned too often; a theatrical performance that is trivially sentimental. * /That movie last night was a corn hall./ 2. A person who behaves in a superficially sentimental manner or likes performances portraying such behavior. * /Suzie can't stand Joe; she thinks he's a corn ball./
[corn belt] <n.> 1. The Midwest; the agricultural section of the United States where much corn is grown. * /Kansas is one of the slates that lies within the corn belt./
[corner] See: AROUND THE CORNER, CUT CORNERS, FOUR CORNERS, OUT OF THE CORNER OF ONE'S EYE.
[cost a bomb] or [an arm and a leg] <v. phr.> To be extremely expensive. * /My new house has cost us an arm and a leg and we're almost broke./
[cotton] See: ON TOP OF THE WORLD also SITTING ON HIGH COTTON.
[cotton picking], [cotton-pickin'] <adj.>, <slang>, <colloquial> Worthless, crude, common, messy. * /Keep your cotton picking hands off my flowers!/ * /You've got to clean up your room, son, this is a cotton-pickin' mess!/
[couch case] <n.>, <slang>, <informal> A person judged emotionally so disturbed that people think he ought to see a psychiatrist (who, habitually, make their patients lie down on a couch). * /Joe's divorce messed him up so badly that he became a couch case./
[couch doctor] <n.>, <slang>, <colloquial> A psychoanalyst who puts his patients on a couch following the practice established by Sigmund Freud. * /I didn't know your husband was a couch doctor, I thought he was a gynecologist!/
[couch potato] <n.> A person who is addicted to watching television all day. * /Poor Ted has become such a couch potato that we can't persuade him to do anything./
[cough up] <v.>, <slang> 1. To give (money) unwillingly; pay with an effort. * /Her husband coughed up the money for the party with a good deal of grumbling./ 2. To tell what was secret; make known. * /He coughed up the whole story for the police./
[couldn't care less] <v. phr.>, <informal> To be indifferent; not care at all. * /The students couldn't care less about the band; they talk all through the concert./ Also heard increasingly as "could care less" (nonstandard in this form.)
[counsel] See: KEEP ONE'S OWN COUNSEL.
[count] See: STAND UP AND BE COUNTED.
[countdown] <n.>. <Space English>, <informal> 1. A step-by-step process which leads to the launching of a rocket. * /Countdown starts at 23:00 hours tomorrow night and continues for 24 hours./ 2. Process of counting inversely during the acts leading to a launch; liftoff occurs at zero. 3. The time immediately preceding an important undertaking, borrowed from Space English. * /We're leaving for Hawaii tomorrow afternoon; this is countdown time for us./
[counter] See: UNDER THE COUNTER.
[count heads] or [count noses] <v. phr.>, <informal> To count the number of people in a group. * /On the class picnic, we counted heads before we left and when we arrived to be sure that no one got lost./ * /The usher was told to look out into the audience and count noses./
[count off] <v.> 1. To count aloud from one end of a line of men to the other, each man counting in turn. * /The soldiers counted off from right to left./ 2. To place into a separate group or groups by counting. * /The coach counted off three boys to carry in the equipment./ * /Tom counted off enough newspapers for his route./
[count on] <v.> 1. To depend on; rely on; trust. * /The team was counting on Joe to win the race./ * /I'll do it; you know you can count on me./ * /The company was counting on Brown's making the right decision./ Syn.: BANK ON. 2. See: FIGURE ON(2).
[count one's chickens before they're hatched] <v. phr.>, <informal> To depend on getting a profit or gain before you have it; make plans that suppose something will happen; be too sure that something will happen. Usually used in negative sentences. * /When Jim said that he would be made captain of the team, John told him not to count his chickens before they were hatched./ * /Maybe some of your customers won't pay, and then where will you be? Don't count your chickens before they're hatched./
[count out] <v.> 1. To leave (someone) out of a plan; not expect (someone) to share in an activity; exclude. * /"Will this party cost anything? If it does, count me out, because I'm broke."/ * /When the coach was planning who would play in the big game he counted Paul out, because Paul had a hurt leg./ 2. To count out loud to ten to show that (a boxer who has been knocked down in a fight) is beaten or knocked out if he does not get up before ten is counted. * /The champion was counted. out in the third round./ 3a. To add up; count again to be sure of the amount. * /Mary counted out the number of pennies she had./ 3b. To count out loud, (especially the beats in a measure of music). * /The music teacher counted out the beats "one-two-three-four," so the class would sing in time./
[count to ten] <v. phr.>, <informal> To count from one to ten so you will have time to calm down or get control of yourself; put off action when angry or excited so as not to do anything wrong. * /Father always told us to count to ten before doing anything when we got angry./ Compare: KEEP ONE'S HEAD. Contrast: BLOW A FUSE, FLY OFF THE HANDLE.
[county mounty] <n.>, <slang>, <citizen's hand radio jargon> Sheriff's deputy. * /The county mounties are parked under the bridge./
[courage] See: HAVE THE COURAGE OF ONE'S CONVICTIONS, SCREW UP ONE'S COURAGE.
[course] See: IN DUE COURSE, MATTER OF COURSE, OF COURSE, PAR FOR THE COURSE.
[court] See: DAY IN COURT, FRONT COURT, HOLD COURT, KANGAROO COURT.
[cousin] See: FIRST COUSIN, SECOND COUSIN.
[cover] See: FROM COVER TO COVER at FROM --- TO(3), UNDER COVER.
[cover a lot of ground] <v. phr.> To process a great deal of information and various facts. * /Professor Brown's thorough lecture on asteroids covered a lot of ground today./
[covered-dish supper] or [potluck supper] A meal to which each guest brings a share of the food. * /Dolly made a chicken casserole for the covered-dish supper./
[cover girl] <n.> A pretty girl or woman whose picture is put on the cover of a magazine. * /Ann is not a cover girl, but she is pretty enough to be./
[cover ground] or [cover the ground] <v. phr.> 1. To go a distance; travel. * /Mr. Rogers likes to travel in planes, because they cover ground so quickly./ 2. <informal> To move over an area at a speed that is pleasing; move quickly over a lot of ground. * /The new infielder really covers the ground at second base./ * /Herby's new car really covers ground!/ 3. To give or receive the important facts and details about a subject. * /If you're thinking about a trip to Europe, the airline has a booklet that covers the ground pretty well./ * /The class spent two days studying the Revolutionary War, because they couldn't cover that much ground in one day./
[cover one's tracks] or [cover up one's tracks] <v. phr.> 1. To hide and not leave anything, especially foot marks, to show where you have been, so that no one can follow you. * /The deer covered his tracks by running in a stream./ 2. <informal> To hide or not say where you have been or what you have done; not tell why you do something or what you plan to do. * /The boys covered their tracks when they went swimming by saying that they were going for a walk./ Compare: COVER UP(1).
[cover the waterfront] <v. phr.> To talk or write all about something; talk about something all possible ways. * /The principal pretty well covered the waterfront on student behavior./
[cover up] <v.>, <informal> 1. To hide something wrong or bad from attention. * /The spy covered up his picture-taking by pretending to be just a tourist./ * /A crooked banker tried to cover up his stealing some of the bank's money by starting a fire to destroy the records./ Compare: COVER ONE'S TRACKS(2). 2. In boxing: To guard your head and body with your gloves, arms, and shoulders. * /Jimmy's father told him to cover up and protect his chin when he boxed./ 3. To protect someone else from blame or punishment; protect someone with a lie or alibi. Often used with "for". * /The teacher wanted to know who broke the window and told the boys not to try to cover up for anyone./ * /The burglar's friend covered up for him by saying that he was at his home when the robbery occurred./
[cover-up] <n.>, <slang> A plan or excuse to escape blame or punishment; lie, alibi. * /When the men robbed the bank, their cover-up was to dress like policemen./ * /Joe's cover-up to his mother after he had been fighting was that he fell down./
[cow] See: HOLY CATS or HOLY COW, SACRED COW.
[cowboy] <n.>, <slang>, <informal> A person who drives his car carelessly and at too great a speed in order to show off his courage. * /Joe's going to be arrested some day - he is a cowboy on the highway./
[cow college] <n.>, <slang> 1. An agricultural college; a school where farming is studied. * /A new, bigger kind of apple is being grown at the cow college./ 2. A new or rural college not thought to be as good as older or city colleges. * /John wanted to go to a big college in New York City, not to a cow college./
[cows tail] <n.>, <dialect> A person who is behind others. * /John was the cow's tail at the exam./ * /Fred was always the old cow's tail for football practice./
[cozy up] <v.>, <slang> To try to be close or friendly; try to be liked. - Usually used with "to". * /John is cozying up to Henry so he can join the club./
[crack] See: HARD NUT TO CRACK or TOUGH NUT TO CRACK.
[crack a book] <v. phr.>, <slang> To open a book in order to study. - Usually used with a negative. * /John did not crack a book until the night before the exam./ * /Many students think they can pass without cracking a book./
[crack a bottle] <v. phr.> To open a new bottle of alcoholic beverage. * /On birthdays it is customary to crack a bottle and offer one's best wishes./
[crack a joke] <v. phr.>, <informal> To make a joke; tell a joke. * /The men sat around the stove, smoking and cracking jokes./
[crack a smile] <v. phr.>, <informal> To let a smile show on one's face; permit a smile to appear. * /Bob told the whole silly story without even cracking a smile./ * /Scrooge was a gloomy man, who never cracked a smile./ * /When we gave the shy little boy an ice cream cone, he finally cracked a smile./
[crack down] <v. phr.>, <informal> To enforce laws or rules strictly; require full obedience to a rule. * /After a speeding driver hit a child, the police cracked down./ - Often used with "on". * /Police suddenly cracked down on the selling of liquors to minors./ * /The coach cracked down on the players when he found they had not been obeying the training rules./
[crack of dawn] <n. phr.> The time in the morning when the sun's rays first appear. * /The rooster crows at the crack of dawn and wakes up everybody on the farm./
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