[carry the day]{v. phr.}, {informal} To win completely; to succeed in getting one’s aim accomplished. •/The defense attorney’s summary before the jury helped him carry the day./
[carry the torch] See: CARRY A TORCH.
[carry the weight of the world on one’s shoulders] See: WEIGHT OF THE WORLD ON ONE’S SHOULDERS.
[carry through]{v.} 1a. To put into action. •/Mr. Green was not able to carry through his plans for a hike because he broke his leg./ 1b. To do something you have planned; put a plan into action. •/Jean makes good plans but she cannot carry through with any of them./ Compare: GO THROUGH WITH, CARRY OUT. 2. To keep (someone) from failing or stopping; bring through; help. •/When the tire blew out, the rules Jim had learned in driving class carried him through safely./
[carry weight]{n.} To be influential; have significance and/or clout; impress. •/A letter of recommendation from a full professor carries more weight than a letter from an assistant professor./
[cart before the horse (to put)]{n. phr.}, {informal} Things in wrong order; something backwards or mixed up. — An overused expression. Usually used with "put" but sometimes with "get" or "have". •/When the salesman wanted money for goods he hadn’t delivered, I told him he was putting the cart before the horse./ •/To get married first and then get a job is getting the cart before the horse./
[cart off] or [cart away] {v.}, {informal} To take away, often with force or with rough handling or behavior. •/The police carted the rioters off to jail./ •/When Bobby wouldn’t eat his supper, his mother carted him away to bed./
[carved] or [chiseled] or [inscribed in granite] / [written in stone] {adj. phr.} Holy; unchangeable; noble and of ancient origin. •/You should wear shoes when you come to class, although this is not carved in granite./ •/The Constitution of the United States is so hard to change that one thinks of it as written in stone./
[case] See: BASKET CASE, CIRCUMSTANCES ALTER CASES, COUCH CASE, GET DOWN TO BRASS TACKS also GET DOWN TO CASES, IN ANY CASE, IN CASE or IN THE EVENT, IN CASE OF also IN THE EVENT OF, VANITY CASE.
[case in point]{n. phr.} An example that proves something or helps to make something clearer. •/An American can rise from the humblest beginnings to become President. Abraham Lincoln is a case in point./
[case the joint]{v. phr.}, {slang} 1. To study the layout of a place one wishes to burglarize. •/The hooded criminals carefully cased the joint before robbing the neighborhood bank./ 2. To familiarize oneself with a potential workplace or vacation spot as a matter of preliminary planning. •/"Hello Fred," he said. "Are you working here now?" "No, not yet," Fred answered. "I am merely casing the joint."/
[cash] See: COLD CASH.
[cash-and-carry(1)]{adj.} Selling things for cash money only and letting the customer carry them home, not having the store deliver them; also sold in this way. •/This is a cash-and-carry store only./ •/You can save money at a cash-and-carry sale./
[cash-and-carry(2)]{adv.}. With no credit, no time payments, and no deliveries. •/Some stores sell cash-and-carry only./ •/It is cheaper to buy cash-and-carry./
[cash crop]{n.} A crop grown to be sold. •/Cotton is a cash crop in the South./ •/They raise potatoes to eat, but tobacco is their cash crop./
[cash in]{v.} 1. To exchange (as poker chips or bonds) for the value in money. •/He paid the bill by cashing in some bonds./ •/When the card game ended, the players cashed in their chips and went home./ 2. or [cash in one’s chips] {slang} To die. •/When the outlaw cashed in his chips, he was buried with his boots on./ •/He was shot through the body and knew he was going to cash in./
[cash in on]{v.}, {informal} To see (a chance) and profit by it; take advantage of (an opportunity or happening). •/Mr. Brown cashed in on people’s great interest in camping and sold three hundred tents./
[cash on the barrelhead]{n. phr.}, {informal} Money paid at once; money paid when something is bought. •/Father paid cash on the barrelhead for a new car./ •/Some lawyers want cash on the barrelhead./ Compare: COLD CASH.
[cast] or [shed] or [throw light upon] {v. phr.} To explain; illuminate; clarify. •/The letters that were found suddenly cast a new light on the circumstances of Tom’s disappearance./ •/Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity threw light upon the enigma of our universe./
[cast about] also [cast around] {v.}, {literary} 1. To look everywhere; search. •/The committee was casting about for an experienced teacher to take the retiring principal’s place./ 2. To search your mind; try to remember something; try to think of something. •/The teacher cast about for an easy way to explain the lesson./ •/Jane cast around for a good subject for her report./
[cast down]{adj.} Discouraged; sad; unhappy. — Used less often than the reverse form, "downcast". •/Mary was cast down at the news of her uncle’s death./ •/Charles felt cast down when he lost the race./
[cast in one’s lot with]{formal} See: THROW IN ONE’S LOT WITH.
[castle in the air] See: BUILD CASTLES IN THE AIR.
[castles in Spain] See: CASTLES IN THE AIR.
[cast off]{v.} 1a. or [cast loose] To unfasten; untie; let loose (as a rope holding a boat). •/The captain of the boat cast off the line and we were soon out in open water./ 1b. To untie a rope holding a boat or something suggesting a boat. •/We cast off and set sail at 6 A.M./ 2. To knit the last row of stitches. •/When she had knitted the twentieth row of stitches she cast off./ 3. To say that you do not know (someone) any more; not accept as a relative or friend. •/Mr. Jones cast off his daughter when she married against his wishes./
[cast one’s lot with] See: THROW IN ONE’S LOT WITH.
[cast out]{v.}, {formal} To force (someone) to go out or away; banish; expel. •/After the scandal, he was cast out of the best society./ Compare: CAST OFF(3).
[cast pearls before swine] or [cast one’s pearls before swine] {n. phr.}, {literary} To waste good acts or valuable things on someone who won’t understand or be thankful for them, just as pigs won’t appreciate pearls. — Often used in negative sentences. •/I won’t waste good advice on John any more because he never listens to it. I won’t cast pearls before swine./
[cast the first stone]{v. phr.}, {literary} To be the first to blame someone, lead accusers against a wrongdoer. •/Jesus said that a person who was without sin could cast the first stone./ •/Although Ben saw the girl cheating, he did not want to cast the first stone./
[cast up]{v.}, {literary} 1. To turn or direct upward; raise. •/The dying missionary cast up his eyes to heaven and prayed./ 2. {archaic} To do sums; do a problem in addition; add. •/Cast up 15, 43, 27, and 18./ •/When John had all the figures, he cast them up./
[cat] See: COPY CAT, CURIOSITY KILLED THE CAT, FRAIDY-CAT or FRAID-CAT or SCAREDY CAT OY SCARED-CAT, HOLY CATS, LET THE CAT OUT OF THE BAG, LOOK LIKE THE CAT THAT ATE THE CANARY, PLAY CAT AND MOUSE WITH, RAIN CATS AND DOGS.
[catch] See: EARLY BIRD CATCHES THE WORM, FAIR CATCH, SHOESTRING CATCH.
[catch-as-catch-can(1)]{adv. phr.} In a free manner; in any way possible; in the best way you can. •/On moving day everything is packed and we eat meals catch-as-catch-can./
[catch-as-catch-can(2)]{adj. phr.} Using any means or method; unplanned; free. •/Rip van Winkle seems to have led a catch-as-catch-can life./ •/Politics is rather a catch-as-catch-can business./ Compare: HIT-OR-MISS.
[catch at]{v.} 1. To try to catch suddenly; grab for. •/The boy on the merry-go-round caught at the brass ring, but did not get it./ 2. To seize quickly; accept mentally or physically. •/The hungry man caught at the sandwich and began to eat./ •/Joe caught at Bill’s offer to help./
[catch at a straw] See: GRASP AT STRAWS.
[catch cold]{v. phr.} 1. or [take cold] To get a common cold-weather sickness that causes a running nose, sneezing, and sometimes sore throat and fever or other symptoms. •/Don’t get your feet wet or you’ll catch cold./ 2. {informal} To catch unprepared or not ready for a question or unexpected happening. •/I had not studied my lesson carefully, and the teacher’s question caught me cold./ •/The opposing team was big and sure of winning, and they were caught cold by the fast, hard playing of our smaller players./
[catch (someone) dead]{v. phr.}, {informal} To see or hear (someone) in an embarrassing act or place at any time. Used in the negative usually in the passive. •/You won’t catch Bill dead taking his sister to the movies./ •/John wouldn’t be caught dead in the necktie he got for Christmas./
[catch fire]{v. phr.} 1. To begin to burn. •/When he dropped a match in the leaves, they caught fire./ 2. To become excited. •/The audience caught fire at the speaker’s words and began to cheer./ •/His imagination caught fire as he read./
[catch flat-footed] See: FLAT-FOOTED(2).
[catch forty winks] See: FORTY WINKS.
[catch hold of]{v. phr.} To grasp a person or a thing. •/"I’ve been trying to catch hold of you all week," John said, "but you were out of town."/ •/The mountain climber successfully caught hold of his friend’s hand and thereby saved his life./
[catch it] or [get it] {v. phr.}, {informal} To be scolded or punished. — Usually used of children. •/John knew he would catch it when he came home late for supper./ •/Wow, Johnny! When your mother sees those torn pants, you’re going to get it./ Compare: GET WHAT’S COMING TO ONE. Contrast: GIVE IT TO(2).
[catch it in the neck] or [get it in the neck] {v. phr.}, {slang} To be blamed or punished. •/Tom got it in the neck because he forgot to close the windows when it rained./ •/Students get it in the neck when they lose library books./ Compare: CATCH IT, GET WHAT’S COMING TO ONE.
[catch off balance]{v. phr.} To confront someone with physical force or with a statement or question he or she is not prepared to answer or deal with; to exploit the disadvantage of another. •/The smaller wrestler caught his opponent off balance and managed to throw him on the float in spite of his greater weight and strength./ •/Your question has caught me off balance; please give me some time to think about your problem./
[catch off guard]{v. phr.} To challenge or confront a person at a time of lack of preparedness or sufficient care. •/The suspect was caught off guard by the detective and confessed where he had hidden the stolen car./
[catch on]{v.}, {informal} 1. To understand; learn about. — Often used with "to". •/You’ll catch on to the job after you’ve been here awhile./ •/Don’t play any tricks on Joe. When he catches on, he will beat you./ 2. To become popular; be done or used by many people. •/The song caught on and was sung and played everywhere./ 3. To be hired; get a job. •/The ball player caught on with a big league team last year./
[catch one’s breath]{v. phr.} 1. To breathe in suddenly with fear or surprise. •/The beauty of the scene made him catch his breath./ Compare: TAKE ONE’S BREATH AWAY. 2a. To rest and get back your normal breathing, as after running. •/After running to the bus stop, we sat down to catch our breath./ 2b. To relax for a moment after any work. •/After the day’s work we sat down over coffee to catch our breath./
[catch one’s death of] or [take one’s death of] {v. phr.}, {informal} To become very ill with (a cold, pneumonia, flu). •/Johnny fell in the icy water and almost took his death of cold./ Sometimes used in the short form "catch your death." •/"Johnny! Come right in here and put your coat and hat on. You’ll catch your death!"/
