[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./
[climb] See: SOCIAL CLIMBER.
[climb on the bandwagon] See: ON THE BANDWAGON.
[climb the wall]{v. phr.}, {slang}, {informal} 1. To react to a challenging situation with too great an emotional response, frustration, tension, and anxiety. •/By the time I got the letter that I was hired, I was ready to climb the wall./ 2. To be so disinterested or bored as to be most anxious to get away at any cost. •/If the chairman doesn’t stop talking, I’ll climb the wall./
[clinging vine]{n.} A very dependent woman; a woman who needs much love and encouragement from a man. •/Mary is a clinging vine; she cannot do anything without her husband./
[cling to one’s mother’s apron strings] See: TIED TO ONE’S MOTHER’S APRON STRINGS.
[clip joint]{n.}, {slang} A low-class night club or other business where people are cheated. •/The man got drunk and lost all his money in a clip joint./ •/The angry woman said the store was a clip joint./
[clip one’s wings]{v. phr.} To limit or hold you back, bring you under control; prevent your success. •/When the new president tried to become dictator, the generals soon clipped his wings./ •/Jim was spending too much time on dates when he needed to study so his father stopped his allowance; that clipped his wings./
[cloak-and-dagger]{adj.} Of or about spies and secret agents. •/It was a cloak-and-dagger story about some spies who tried to steal atomic secrets./ •/The book was written by a retired colonel who used to take part in cloak-and-dagger plots./ (From the wearing of cloaks and daggers by people in old adventure stories.) Compare: BLOOD AND THUNDER.
[clock] See: AGAINST TIME or AGAINST THE CLOCK, AROUND THE CLOCK or THE CLOCK AROUND, PUT BACK THE CLOCK or TURN BACK THE CLOCK, GO LIKE CLOCKWORK or GO OFF LIKE CLOCKWORK, TURN THE CLOCK BACK.
