caboodle
the whole (kit and) caboodle
informal
the whole of something, including
everything that is connected with it •
I
like everything about Christmas - the
presents, the food, the carois - the whole
caboodle.
cack-handed
cack-handed
1
British
&
Australian, informal
lacking
skill with your hands.
Rob made a cack-
handed attempt tofix the door and now it
won't closeat all.• She doesn't strike
me
as
thepractical sort - she's a bit cack-handed.
2 British
&
Australian, informal
lacking
skill in the way that youdeal with people
• What struck me was the cack-handed
way that hedealt with the wholesituation.
cage . /"

57
calm
cake
have
your
cake and eat it (too)
)<
to have or do two good things that it is
usually impossible to have or do at the
same time.
Hewants to have his cake and
eat it. He wants the security of marriage
and the excitement of affairs.• Youcan't
have your cake and eat it. If you want
better local services,you have topay more
tax.
the icing on the cake
British, American &
Australian X
the frosting on the cake
American
something which makes a goodsituation
even better.
I was just content to see my
daughter in such a stable relationship but
a grandchild, that was really the icing on
the cake.
call
call the shotsttune
X

a quality or
achievement that gives someone an
advantage.
Thisperformance acted as the
calling card that landed Taylor her first
majorfilm role.
calm ,
the calm before the storm
X
a peaceful and quiet period before a
period of activity or trouble>
Thefamily
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camp
are arriving this afternoon so I'm just
sitting down with a cup of coffee,enjoying
thecalm beforethe storm.
camp
a camp follower
X
someone who strongly supports a person
or group although they are not a member
of an official organization • The
campaign for realale had gathered quite a
number of campfollowers.
can
be in
the can
if a film is in the can, it has been
completed and is now ready to be shown

58
can-do
can-do
willing to try different ways to solve
problems and confident that you will
succeed
s
(always before noun) Her can-
do attitude is the reason we chose her for
the job.
candy
eye/mind candy
American
X
something that is intended to be pleasant
to look at but has no real meaning. A lot
of these books are little more than eye
candy: cute photos with one-line captions
and that's about all.
cannon
cannon fodder
X
soldiers who are not believed to be
important and who are sent to fight in the
most dangerous places where they are
likely to die • Inexperienced troops were
usedas cannonfodder:
canoe
paddle
your

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carbon
a carbon copy
someone or something that is extremely
similar to someone or something else
• (usually +
of)
He's a carbon copy of his
father.
card
be one cardJseveral cards short of a full
deck humorous
if someone is one card short of a full
deck, they are stupid or crazy • Do you
think your cousin might beone card short
of a
full
deck?
have a card up your sleeve
X
to have an advantage that other people do
not know about. I still had a card up my
sleeve in the form of a letter from his
father.
cardboard
cardboard city
X
an area of a large city where many people
without a home sleep outside
tb

much hope of him getting custody of the
children - asfar as the law goes,she holds
all the cards.
Cards is used in the following phrases
connected with telling or not telling
people your thoughts or plans.
keep/play your cards close to your chest
to not tell anyone what you plan to do •
I
never know what Martin's next move will
be.Heplays his cards closeto his chest.
lay/put your cards on the table
><
to tell someone honestly what you think
or what you plan to do • I'
II
put my cards
on the table: I don't like the way you've
been behaving.• She thought it was time
toput her cards on the table and tell him
that she had no intention of marrying
him.
care
not have a care in the world
to be completely happy and not have any
worries • I was sixteen years old and
didn't have a care in the world.• He was
walking along the street whistling,
looking as
if

colour. Joe's blond and Rosie's a carrot-
top.
cart
put the cart before the horse
X
to do things in the wrong order. Deciding
what to wear before you've even been
invited to the party is rather putting the
cart beforethe horse, isn't it?
carte blanche X
give sb carte blanche
slightly formal
to let someone do whatever they want in
a particular situation
s
(usually + to do
sth) She gave her interior decorator carte
blanche todo up her apartment.
getlhave carte blanche
slightly formal
• He had carte blanche when it came to
choosing which actors he wanted to work
with.
case
a case in point
X
an example which shows that what you
are saying is true or helps to explain why
you are saying it Lack of
communication causes relationships to

stop
criticizing me)
I rest my case.
something that you say when someone
says or does something that proves the
truth of something you have just said
• 'It's time Nigel left home, or he'll never
learn to be independent.' 'Hedoesn't even
know how to boil an egg.' 'I rest my case.'
make (out) a case for
sth/doingsth
to give good reasons why something
should be done· You've certainly made
out a casefor us buying
a
dishwasher.
cash
cash on the barrelhead
American
money that is paid immediately when
something is bought. She's asking $6000
for the car - cash on the barrelhead.
a cash cow
X
a business or a part of a business that
always makes a lot of profit. The British
newspapers are the group's biggest cash
cow,earning nearly 40%of group profits.
hard cash
British, American

success.
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castles
castles in the air
X
plans or hopes that have very little
chance of happening'
She tells
me
she's
planned out her whole career,but asfar as
I can see it's all just castles in the air.
• Beforeyou start building castles in the
air, just think how much all this
is
likely
tocost.
cat
be like a cat on a hot tin roof
to be nervous and unable to keep still
• What's the matter with her? She's like a
cat on a hot tin roof this morning.
be the cat's whiskers
British &
Australian
tobe better than everyoneelse.
I thought
I was the eat's whiskers in my new dress.
fight like cat and dog
British

getting over the mountain in weather like
this.
let the cat out of the bag
X
to tell people secret information, often
without intending to •
I was trying to
keep the party a secret,.but Jim went and
let the cat out of the bag.
like the cat that got the cream
British &
Australian
like the cat that ate the canary
American
if someonelookslike the cat that got the
cream, they annoy other people by
looking very pleased with themselves
because of something good that they
61
catbird
havedone.
Of courseMark got a glowing
report
so
he was sitting theregrinning like
the cat that got the cream.
look like something the cat
brough~draggedininformal
if someone looks like something the cat
brought in, they are very untidy and

Australian
to do or say something that causes
trouble and makes a lot of people angry
or worried •
Tell them all they've got to
work on Saturday. That should set the cat
among thepigeons.
WhenlWhile the cat's away (the mice
will play).
something that you say which means
when the person in authority is absent,
people will not do what they should do
• Do you think it's wise to leave the
children alone for so long? You know,
while the eat's away...
catbird
be (sitting) in the catbird seat
American,
old-fashioned
to be in a position of power and
importance'
He'll besitting in thecatbird
seat when the bossretires.
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catch
catch
catch 22
a catch 22 situation
a situation where one thing must happen
in order to cause another thing to

square to the opposite, far corner' (often
+
to)
Catty-corner to the theatre, there's a
drugstore.
caught
be caught in the crossfire \/ ...
to be badly affected by a situation where
two people or groups are arguing with
each other • (often + at) Unhappy
children are often caught in the crossfireof
arguing parents.• (often + between) She
became caught in the crossfire between
two bosseswith different ideas about what
herjob involved.
be caught napping
to not be ready to deal with something at
the time when it happens • Arsenal's
defence was caught napping as Andrews
chipped in agoalfrom. the right.
be caught short
1 British
&
Australian, informal to have a
sudden urgent need to go to the toilet
62
• You should go to the toilet before you
leave. Youdon't want to becaught short on
thejourney.
2 American

Edward Prince of Wales and Wallis
Simpson became an international cause
celebrein the 1930s.
caution
throw caution to the wind(s)
to take a risk • You could always throw
caution to the wind and have another
glass of wine.
centre
be/take centre stage
British
be/take center stage
American
to be the most important thing or person
at an event or in a situation, or to be the
thing or person that people notice most
• A new range of electric cars will be
centrestage at next month's exhibition.
certain
sb
of a certain age
humorous
used to avoid saying that a person,
usually a woman, is no longer young but
is not yet old • It's a clothes boutique
which caters
tor
women of a certain age.
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c'est la vie

they are completely different from each
other
> I don't have anything in common
with my brother. We're like chalk and
cheese.
chalkface
at the chalkface
a teacher who is at the chalkface is
teaching students, and is not working in
any other kind of job connected with
education·
The media give a picture of
falling standards in schools, but there is
optimism at the chalkface,
chance
Chance would be a fine thing!
British,
informal
something that you saywhich means that
you would very much like something to
happen but there is no possibility that it
will •
He said I could do it in my spare
time. Spare time? Chance would be a fine
thing!
63
charity
change
a change of heart
if someone has a change of heart, they

&
Australian
to make something more interesting by
changing it in some way •
Bored with
your old look? Ring the changes with our
new-look hairstyles and make-up!
chapter
be a chapter of accidents
British &
Australian,formal
to be a series of unpleasant events.
The
whole trip was a chapter of accidents.
give/quote
(sb)
chapter and verse
to give exact information about
something, especially something in a
book •
The strength of the book is that
when it makes accusations it gives chapter
and verse, often backed up by
photographic evidence .• I can't quote you
chapter and verse, but I'm pretty sure it's a
ttnetromMacbetti'.
charity
Charity begins at home.
something that you saywhich means you
should try to help your family and

didn't have long to talk to him so I cut to
the chase and asked whether he was still
married.
chasing
be chasing
your
tail
to be very busy doing a lot of things, but
achieving very little •
I've been chasing
my tail all morning trying to fix a day
when everyone can attend.
chattering
the chattering classesBritish, humorous
educated people who like to discuss and
give their opinions about political and
social matters •
Football has recently
become a trendy topic among the
chattering classes.
cheap
cheap and cheerful British, informal
costing little money but attractive,
pleasant, or enjoyable'
They specialize in
cheap and cheerful package holidays to
Spain and Portugal.
64
cheap and nasty British
&

check
holdlkeep
sth/sb
in check
to keep something or someone under
control, usually to stop them becoming
too large or too powerful •
The natural
order of things is that thepredators of an
animal keep thepopulation in check.• The
central banks' action seemed at the time to
beholding the dollar in check.
checks
checks and balances
X
rules intended to prevent one person or
group from having too much power
within an organization •
A system of
checks and balances exists to ensure that
our government is truly democratic.
cheddar
HardITough cheddar! British &
Australian, informal
Stiff cheddar! Australian, informal
something that you say to or about
someone to whom something bad has
happened in order to showthat you have
no sympathy for them •
It's about time

cheese.
cheese-paring
cheese-paring British
actions that show you are not willing to
spend or give money. I'm fed up with all
this cheese-paring. You've got to spend
money
if
you want to make money.
chef d'oeuvre
a chef d'oeuvreformal
an artist's or writer's best piece of work
• The Decameron is widely regarded as
Boccaccio'schef d 'oeuvre.
cherry-pick
cherry-pick sb/sth
to choose only the best people or things in
a way that is not fair • (usually in
continuous tenses) Isn't there a danger
that the state schools might start cherry-
picking the pupils with the best exam
results?
cherry-picking • I suspect there's some
cherry-picking going on, with lawyers
only taking on the sort of cases that
they're likely to win.
6S
chickens
chest
get it off your chest X

American
if you do something like a headless
chicken, you do it very quickly and
without thinking carefully about what
you are doing • (usually in continuous
tenses) I've got so much work to do - I've
been running around like a headless
chicken all week.• He was racing around
like a chicken with its head cut off trying
todo the work of twopeople.
chicken-hearted
chicken-hearted American '7<...
not brave • These chicken-hearted bosses
always seem togive in at theftrst sign of a
strike.
chickens
chickens come home to roost
if you say that chickens are coming home
to roost, you mean that bad or silly things
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chief
done in the past are beginning to cause
problems' There was too much greed in
thepast, and now the chickens are coming
home to roost with crime and corruption
soaring.
come home to roost· The city's budget
problems are coming home to roost and
everybody ispaying with higher taxes.
Don't count your chickens (before

to be very happy and excited about the
things around you, and often to react to
them in a way which is silly and not
controlled » Give him a room full of old
books and he's like a child in a sweetshop.
be with child old-fashioned
to be pregnant • Emily was unable to
make thejourney, being heavy with child.
children
Children should be seen and not heard.
something that you say which means that
.children should be quiet. I can't stand all
66
that shouting. Children should be seen
and not heard, in my opinion.
chill
chill sbto the bone/marrow
to make someone feel very frightened
• The sound of scraping at the window
chilled me tothe bone.
chilled
be chilled to the bone/marrow
to be very cold' After an hour standing at
the bus stop I was chilled to the bone.
chills
send chills down/up sb's spine
to make someone feel very frightened
• Just thinking about walking back
through the dark streets sent chills down
her spine.

if someone or something which seems to
be strong has a chink in their armour,
they have a small fault which may cause
them problems • She's a brilliant
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businesswoman, but her lack of political
awareness may be the chink in her
armour.
chinless
a chinless wonder British
&
Australian,
humorous
an English man from a high social class,
who thinks he is intelligent and
important, but who other people think is
weak and stupid •
He's just another
chinless wonder doing a job that his
Daddy gotfor him.
chip
a chip off the old block
if someone is a chip off the old block,
they are very similar in character to one
of their parents or to another older
member of their family. (not used with
the) Look at her bossing everyone around
<she's a real chip off the old block!
have a chip on
your

parts of a business), because
you need some money
Ib
Chips are the
round pieces of plastic that are used in
some games played for money. •
I think
it's time to cash in our chips. It's the only
way wecanpay the bill.
have had
your
chips
1
British, informal
if you have had your
chips, something bad is going to happen
to you, usually a punishment for
67
chop
something bad you have done·
When the
police knocked on his door early in the
morning, he knew he'd had his chips.
2
British, informal
to miss an opportunity
to achieve something you want
>
John's
had his chips. I gave him the chance of a

through a series of chocolate box villages
on our way down toBrighton.
choice
be spoilt for choice mainly British
be spoiled for choice mainly American
to have so many good possible choices
that it is difficult to make a decision
• With 51flavours of ice-creamto choose
from you arespoiledfor choice.
chop
chop and change British
&
Australian
to keep changing what you do or what
you plan to do, often in a way that is
confusing and annoying for other people
• After six months of chopping and
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chord
changing, we've decided to go back to our
old system.
Chop chop! British
&
Australian, informal
something that you say in order to tell
someone to hurry • Come on, chop chop,
up to bed!
get the chop
be given the chop
1 British, informal if a person gets the

with)
Her ideas on
social reform will strike a chord with poor
people everywhere.
chosen
the chosen few
a small group of people who are treated
differently or better than other people,
often when they do not deserve it
• There's a special entrance with revolving
doors
for
thechosenfeui in the company.
chump
be off your chump British, old-fashioned
to be crazy > Don't listen to him. He's off
his chump.
68
circle
square the circle
to find a good solution to a problem when
that seems impossible, especially
because the people involved have very
different needs or opinions about it •
Few
poor countries can afford to look after
their works of art properly, but neglect is
unwise if you want to attract tourists.
Thailand is attempting to square the
circle.

formal
if you tell someone to keep a civil tongue
in their head, you are telling them to be
polite, especially after they have said
something rude. (often an order) Try to
keep a civil tongue inyour head. Wewant
him on our side.
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claim
sb's claim to fame
a reason for a person or place to be well
known or famous • The town's main
claim to fame is that the President was
born here.• (humorous) His only claim to
fame is that henearly met Princess Diana.
stake alyour claim
to make it clear that you want something,
and that you think you deserve to get it
• (often + to) Descendants of the original
settlers are going to court to stake their
claim to the land. • In order to stake a
claimfor worldprominence in astronomy,
the university is building a huge new
optical telescope.
clam
shut up like a clam
X
to suddenly stop talking and to refuse to
say any more
lib

out, it is in a very bad condition because
it is old or has been used a lot » He still
drives a clapped-outMini which he bought
when he was at college.
69
clean
c1appers
like the c1appersBritish, informal
very quickly. He works like the clappers-
he'll have it finished in no time! • They
ran like the clappers when the policeman
came round the corner.
clarion
a
clarion call literary
a strong and clear request for people to do
something. (often
+
for) The charity
commission's clarion call for more
donations has produced an immediate
response.• (often
+
to) Her unification
speech was seen as a clarion call to party
members.
claws
get your claws into sb informal
to find a way of inlluencing or
controlling someone • If the loan

+
with)
Sometimes we need to make a clean
break with thepast .• (often
+
from) The
Japanese areplanning a clean breakfrom
the old television technologies.
a
clean sheet
1 mainly British if you are given a clean
sheet, you can start something again, and
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cleaner
all the problems caused by you or other
people in the past will be forgotten •
I
want us toforget all the arguing of the
past, and start the New Yearwith
a
clean
sheet.
2
British
if a football team or a goalkeeper
(=
the player who stands in the goal) has a
clean sheet, they do not allow the other
team to score any goals •
United kept

a
clean
sweep in yesterday's competitions.
•Analysts arepredicting
a
clean sweepfor
the ruling party in the forthcoming
elections.
be as clean as a whistle
if someone is as clean as a whistle, they
are not involved in anything illegal.
He
hasn't got a criminal record- he's clean as
a
whistle.
be as clean as a whistle
be as clean as
Cl
new pin
to be very clean'
The
cafe's
as
clean
as a
whistle, and thefood's excellent.
comeclean
X
to tell the truth, often about something
bad that you have been trying to keep a

1
informal
to get a lot of money from
someone, usually by cheating them'
He
got into
a
game of poker with two
professional gamblers and, of course,they
took him to thecleaner's.
2
informal
to defeat someone by a very
large amount -
They don't like playing us
because we took them to the cleaner's last
year and theyear before.
cleanliness
Cleanliness is next to Godliness. old-
fashioned
something that you say which means that
except for worshipping God, the most
important thing in life is to be clean
• Could you try to wash behind your ears
occasionally? Cleanliness ts next to
Godliness,you know.
clear
be as clear as crystal
to be very easy to see or understand'
ll.re

clear-cut
X
clear-cut
er
clear and certain, so that there is no
doubt about something.
She has clear-cut
evidence that the company cheated her.
• The link between alcohol and crime is
clear-cut.
clear-eyed
clear-eyed mainly American
a clear-eyedunderstanding of a situation
is correct. (always before noun)
John's
clear-eyed assessment of the company's
problems saved itfrom bankruptcy.
cleft
in a cleft stick British
&
Australian, old-
fashioned
if someone is in a cleftstick, they have a
problem which is very difficult to solve
• I'm in a real cleftstick becauseI can't sell
my house.• Because of new employment
laws, these companies are caught in a
cleft stick.
clever
a clever clogs British

(=
man
71
clock
who fights as a sport) is a person who
uses skill as well as strength to win
fights.•
Obviously he would have to box
clever in the witness stand to avoid
implicating himself.
climbing
be climbing the walls informal )\
to be extremely nervous, worried, bored,
or annoyed •
I was practically climbing
the walls at her stupidity.
cloak-and-dagger
cloak-and-dagger
cloak-and-dagger behaviour is when
people behave in a very secret way,often
when it is not really necessary
Ib
A
cloak is a type of long, loose coat and a
dagger is a small sharp knife used as a
weapon.In 17thcentury Spanish theatre,
cloak-and-dagger was worn by a
dishonest character in the play.• (always
before noun)
Is all this cloak-and-dagger

time instead of racing against other
people •
In time trials, cyclists race
against the clock.
run out the clock American
&
Australian
kill the clock American
to keep the ball away from the team
competing against you at the end of a
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clockwork
game so that they cannot score any
points •
The Pistons thought they were
running out the clock but lost the ball and
the game in the last nine seconds.
watch the clock /
to keep looking to see what the time is
because you are eager to stop what you
are doing.
I can tell if ajilm isn't holding
my attention because I
find
myself
watching the clock and changing position
a lot.
clock-watching· A lot of clock-watching
goes on during the general lectures,
especially in the second hour.

1 a situation where something very
unpleasant or dangerous nearly
happened.
We managed to get out of the
car before it caught
fire,
but we had a very
close call .• The business survived, but it
was a close call.
2 if a competition or an election is goingto
be a closecall, more than one person has
a good chance of winning.
It's going to
be a close call. The vote could go either
way.
72
be too close to call
if a competition or
an election is too close to call, it is
impossible to guess who will win •
The
election result is still too close to call.
a close shave
a situation where something unpleasant
or dangerous nearly happened •
I had a
close shave when a tree fell just where I
had been standing.
be close to home
if a subject is closeto home, it affectsyou

but we'll be sailing a bit close to the wind.
closed
be a closed book
to be something that you know or
understand nothing about • (usually
+
to)
I'm afraid physics will always be a
closed book to me.
behind closed doors
if something is donebehind closeddoors,
it is done in private.
The United Nations
Security Council met behind closed doors
in New York.
x..
closed-door
a closed-door event is one
that is secret and not open to the public
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• (always before noun) At a special closed-
door session of the UN, the ambassador
confirmed the withdrawal of his country's
troops.
closet
come out of the closet
X
1 to talk in public about something which
you kept secret in the past because you
were embarrassed about it • It's time

your
cloth according to
your
means
to only buy what you have enough money
to pay for' Of course we'd love a huge
expensive house, but you have to cut your
coat according toyour cloth.
take the
cloth
formal
to become a priest • He took the cloth in
1945.
cloud
be on cloud nine
informal
to be very happy. For a few davs after I
heard I'd got thejob, I was on cloud nine.
Cloud is used in the following phrases
connected with a problem or an
unpleasant situation.
a cloud hangs over
sb/sth
if a cloud hangs over someone or
something, people believe something bad
about them and do not trust them or like
them completely because of it • There's
73
club
still a cloud hanging over the school's

to believe that things you want will
happen, when really they are impossible
• Anyone who thinks this project will be
finished within six weeks is living in
cloud-cuckooland.
clover
be in clover
X(.
to be in a very pleasant situation,
especially because you have a lot of
money' With the incomefrom thefamily
estate,she's in clover
club
be in the club
British, old-fashioned
to be pregnant. Is Tina in the club? She's
looking quite largearound the tummy.
Join the club!
British, American &
Australian
Welcome to the club!
American &
Australian
something that you say to someone who
has just told you about an experience or
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clue
problem that they have had in order to
show that you have had the same
experience or problem too. 'I can't stop

c-note
and
handed it over.
coach
drive a coach and horses through
sth
British
if someone drives a coach and horses
through a rule, an opinion, a plan, or a
tradition, they destroy it by doing
something against it which it is too weak
to prevent • His company drove a coach
and horses through employment
legislation. • She produced statistics
which drove a coach and horses through
the chairman's argument.
coalface
at the coalface
British
&
Australian
someone who is at the coalface is doing
the work involved in a job, not talking
74
about it, planning it, or controlling it
• You sit in your office looking at
consultantsreports, but it's the men and
women at the coalface who really
understand the business.
coals

coast.
coast-to-coast •
It was the first fully
paved coast-to-coastUS highway, between
New Yorkand San Francisco.
the coast is clear
X
if the coast is clear, you can do something
or go somewhere because there is no one
near who might see or hear you. Youcan
come out now, the coast is clear.• I waited
outside the house until the coast was clear,
then softly tapped on the window.
coat-tails
on
sb's
coat-tails
if you achieve something on someone's
coat-tails, you only achieve it because of
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their help or influence •
She'd risen to
fame on the coat-tails of her half-sister.
cobwebs
blow away the cobwebs
British &
Australian
X
to do something which makes you feel
less tired or bored, especially to spend

old-
fashioned
if something you see or hear warms the
cockles of your heart, it makes you feel
happy because it shows that people can
be good and kind
»
It's an old-fashioned
romance that will warm the cockles of
your heart.
coffee
a coffee table book
a large, expensive book with a lot of
pictures, that is often kept on a table for
people to look at •
A glossy coffee table
bookof his art work will bepublished next
year.
Wake up and smell the coffee!
X
something that you say in order to tell
someone that they should try to
understand the true facts of a situation
or that they should givemore attention to
what is happening around them •
It's
time you woke up and smelled the coffee,
75
cold
Don. We're just not getting enough

turkey.
cold-turkey· (alwaysbefore noun)
Cold-
turkey treatment of addicts will always
produce withdrawal symptoms.
a cold fish
a person who doesnot seem very friendly
and does not show their emotions •
He
isn't very demonstrative, but his mother
was a cold
fisn
so
heprobably gets itfrom
her.
a cold
snap
a sudden and short period of cold
weather.
The recent cold snap has led to
higherfood prices.
be as cold as ice
to be very cold.
Come in and get warm,
your hands areas coldas ice.
be cold comfort
if something someone tells you to make
you feel better about a bad situation is
cold comfort, it does not make you feel
better • (usually

understand.
What have I done to him?He
gave me the cold shoulder the whole
evening at theparty.
cold-shoulder
sb • After their argument,
Peter cold-shouldered Jonathan for the
rest of the week.
in the cold light of day
if you think about something in the cold
light of day;you think about it clearly
and calmly;without the emotions youhad
at the time it happened, and youoftenfeel
sorry or ashamed about it •
The next
morning, in the cold light of day, Sarah
realized what a complete idiot she had
been.
leave sb cold
X
if something leaves you cold, it does not
cause you tofeelany emotion.
Mary said
the book had her in tears, but it left me
cold.
76
pourlthrow cold water on
sth
informal
if you pour cold water on opinions or

problem, this problem has a much worse
effecton another person or organization
• When New York sneezes, I'm afraid
London catchesa cold- that isjust the way
the stock markets operate now. • If the
country's economy catches a cold, local
businessesgetpneumonia.
Cold is used in the following phrases
connected with not being part of a
group or activity.
come in from the cold
if someone comes in from the cold, they
become part of a group or an activity
which they were not allowed to join
before •
Turkey is now keen to come in
from the cold and join the European
community.• After four years away from
thefashion scene,Jasper has come in trom
the cold with his new
1997
designer
collection.
bring sb in from the cold •
(usually
passive)
South African cricket hasfinally
been brought in from the cold after years
of exclusionjrom the international cricket
scene.

Her statements to the
press have put her on a collision course
with theparty leadership.
colonel
a Colonel Blimp
British, old-fashioned
an old man who has old-fashionedideas
and believeshe is very irnportant
»
He's
very much a Colonel Blimp with his
comments about foreign influences
dividing our society.
colour
Color is the American spelling of
colour. Australians use both
spellings.
see the colour of
sb's
money
to make sure that someone can pay for
something beforeyou let them have it •
I
want toseethecolour of his money beforeI
say the car's his.
colours
Colors is the American spelling of
colours. Australians use both
spellings.
nail

cheat.
see
sb's
true colours.
It wasn't until we
started to live together that I saw her true
colours.
come
Come again?
informal
X
something that you say when you want
someone to repeat what they have just
said because you did not hear or
understand it •
'What's amazing is that
Pauline's half sister's son is thefather of
her cousin's child. ' 'Comeagain?'
come out fighting
British, American &
Australtan
come out swinging
mainly American
if someone comes out fighting, they
defend themselves or something they
believe in, in a very determined way
• They were criticized from all sides but
they came out fighting. • The candidates
came out swinging in thefirstfeui minutes
of the debate.

He'll get his comeuppance,
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coming
you'll see.Youcan't treatpeople the way he
doesand not go unpunished in this world.
coming
had it coming
informal
if someonehad it coming,something bad
happened to them which they deserved
• (often
+
to)
I wasn't at all surprised to
hear he'd been fired. With all that
unexplained time off he had it coming to
him.
have
sth
coming out of
your
ears
informal
to havemore of something than youwant
or need'
He'sgoing tohave money coming
out of his ears
if
this deal comesoJ]
comings

understand ordinary people •
It was
always said of the princess that she had
the common touch and that's why she
was so loved by the people. • He was a
dedicated and brilliant leader but he
lacked the common touch.
as common as muck
British
&
Australian,
informal
an impolite way of describing someone
who is from a low social class •
You can
78
tell from the way she talks she's as
comman as muck.
make common cause with
sbformal
if one group of people makes common
cause with another group, they work
together in order to achieve something
that both groups want •
Environment
protesters have made common cause with
local people to stop the motorway from
being built.
common-or-garden
common-or-garden

return the compliment
to do something for someone because
they have done something for you
• Thanks for looking after the house white
we were away. I hope I'll be able to return
the compliment some time.
compliments
fish for compliments
X
to try to make someone praise you, often
by criticizing yourself to them' (usually
in continuous tenses)
Emma, you know
you don't look fat in that dress. Are you
fishing for compliments?
compos
be compos mentis
humorous
if someone is compos mentis, they are
able to think clearly and are responsible
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for their actions •
My mother was quite
old at the time but she was perfectly
compos mentis.
conclusions
)(
jump to conclusions -,
to guess the facts about a situation
without having enough information •

contradiction
a contradiction in terms
a phrase that is confusing because it
contains words that seem to have
oppositemeanings
s
A British summer is
a bit of a contradiction in terms.• Euro
Disney always seems to me a contradiction
in terms because Disney is
so
typically
American.
contrary
contrary to popular belief/opinion
x
something that you say beforeyou make
a statement that is the opposite of what
mostpeoplebelieve.
Contrary topopular
belief, bottled water is not always better
than tap water.
79
cool
conversation
a conversation piece
a strange or interesting object that
people talk about.
Charlotte's collection
of Victorian cards were a good

Hey, you
guys, what's cooking?Are wegoing outfor
a drink or not?
cooks
Too many cooks (spoil the broth).
somethingthat yousay whichmeans that
if too many people try to work on the
same piece of work, they will spoil it
• There were
so
many people working on
the same project, no one knew what
anyone else was doing. I think it was a
caseof toomany cooks.
cool
Cool
it!
informal
something that you say in order to tell
someone to stop arguing or fighting
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coop
• Hey, cool it, you guys, fighting's not
going to solveanything.
a cool customer informal
someone who stays calm and does not
show their emotions, even in a difficult
situation
s
I can imagine Pete being good

if
you
play it cool with a guy he gets more
inierested.• (often an order) Play it cool.
Don't let them know how much you need
the money.
coop
fly the coop mainly American
to leave somewhere, especially to leave
your home for the first time in order to
live away from the family
Ib
A coop is a
place where chickens are kept. • The last
of our kids has finally flown the coop
so
wehave the whole house to ourselves.
cop
not
be much cop British, informal
to not be very good> These scissorsaren't
much cop- doyou have any sharper ones?
80
copper-bottomed
copper-bottomed
a copper-bottomed plan, agreement, or
financial arrangement is completely safe
• (always before noun) She has a copper-
bottomed contract with a very successful
company.

restaurant.
core
to the core
X
in every part
Ib
The core is the central
part of something, for example an apple
or the earth .• He's convinced that the
army is rotten to the core.• I'd never
heard anything like it.I was shocked tothe
core.
(=
extremely shocked)
corner
around the corner
going to happen very soon. With the end
of the century just around the corner,
major celebrations are beingplanned.
be backed into a corner
to be forced into a difficult situation
which you have little control over. Ifeel
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I've been backed into a corner and I have
no choicebut tosign the contract.
fight
your
corner
British
to defend something that you believe in

corners
cut corners
X
to do something in the easiest, quickest,
or cheapest way, often harming the
quality of your work. We've had to cut
corners to make a film on such a small
budget. • Companies are having to cut
corners in order to remain competitive in
the market.
corridors
the corridors of power
X
the highest level of government where
the most important decisions are made
• His laziness became a legend in the
corridors of power.
cost
X
count the cost
to start to understand how badly
something has affected you. I didn't read
the contractfully beforeI signed it but I'm
counting the costnow.
81
count
costs
atallcosts
X
if something must be done or avoided at

something that you say before a noun to
express anger • Get your cotton-picking
feet off my chair!
couch
a couch potato
informal X
a person who does not like physical
activity and prefers to sit down, usually
to watch television
Ib
A couch is a piece
of furniture that people sit on. • The
remote control television was invented for
couchpotatoes.
counsel
keep
your
own counsel
slightly formal
to not tell other people about your
opinions or plans • He was a quiet man
who kept his own counsel.
count
be out for the count
to be sleeping deeply
Ib
When boxers
(=
men who fight as a sport) are still not
conscious after ten seconds have been