Idioms Translator

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Base language: EN

Letter: c

Total idioms: 9858 - currently selected: 646 (50 per page)

Common or garden variety

Details:
common or garden variety (plural common or garden varieties)
1. (idiomatic) An ordinary, standard kind.


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Common touch

Details:
common touch (usually uncountable, plural common touches)
1. (idiomatic, usually of a celebrity or leader) The personal quality of showing understanding of and sympathy for the concerns of ordinary people; rapport with and acceptance by ordinary people.


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Common-and-garden

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common-or-garden
1. (idiomatic, UK) ordinary, standard.
? This fridge is common-and-garden but it works fine.


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Company man

Details:
company man (plural company men)
1. (idiomatic) A male employee who has a great—and often, in the view of others, an excessive—commitment to serving the interests of the organization which employs him.
2. (idiomatic) A spy or other operative of an intelligence service, especially the U. S. Central Intelligence Agency.
3. (idiomatic) A male homosexual.


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Company town

Details:
company town (plural company towns)
1. (idiomatic) A town, city, or other municipality in which a single large business has a controlling influence over the economy and, sometimes, over the societal structure and local government.


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Concrete jungle

Details:
concrete jungle (plural concrete jungles)
1. (idiomatic) An urban or other populated area containing a high density of buildings constructed of concrete or similar materials, especially one which lacks greenery and which seems unattractive, harsh, or unsafe.


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Conjure up

Details:
conjure up
1. (idiomatic)   To create or produce something, seemingly magically.
2. (idiomatic)   To generate (an image or an idea) in one's mind.


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Consume mass quantities

Details:
consume mass quantities
1. (chiefly US, idiomatic, often jocular) To eat or drink abundant amounts of food or beverage.
2. (chiefly US, idiomatic, by extension) To use large amounts of any resource.


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Controlled substance

Details:
controlled substance (plural controlled substances)
1. (idiomatic) A drug deemed to be illegal by a government except for very limited professional testing purposes.


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Exemple:

Cook someone's goose

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To cook somebody's goose means to spoil that person's chances of success.


Examples:
When the burglar saw the police car arriving, he realized his goose was cooked!




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Exemple:

Cook someone's goose

Details:
To cook somebody's goose means to spoil that person's chances of success.


Examples:
When the burglar saw the police car arriving, he realized his goose was cooked!




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Cook the books

Details:
A person who cooks the books is one who changes the facts or figures in the financial accounts, often in order to steal money.
to cook the books (third-person singular simple present cooks the books, present participle cooking the books, simple past and past participle cooked the books)
1. (idiomatic) To manipulate accounting information, especially illegally.
? Enron Corp., once a major U.S. corporation, is now famous for cooking the books.
2. (idiomatic, by extension) To fal


Examples:
The actor discovered after a while that his agent was cooking the books.




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Cook up

Details:
cook up (third-person singular simple present cooks up, present participle cooking up, simple past and past participle cooked up)
1. (idiomatic, figuratively) To manufacture; to fabricate; to falsify; to devise an elaborate lie.
? He really cooked up a good one this time, something about an airline disaster.
2. (slang) To prepare a heroin dose by heati


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Cooked

Details:
cooked (comparative more cooked, superlative most cooked)
1. Of food, that has been prepared by cooking.
2. (computing, slang, of an MP3 audio file) Corrupted by conversion through a text format, requiring uncooking to be properly listenable.
3. (idiomatic) (of accounting records, intelligence) partially or wholly fabricated,


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Cookie-cutter

Details:
cookie-cutter (comparative more cookie-cutter, superlative most cookie-cutter)
1. Of or pertaining to cookie cutters.
2. (idiomatic, often disparaging) Looking or seeming identical; created by some standard or common means; often with the implication that the result is common, boring, or not applicable to all needs.
? The subd


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Cooking with gas

Details:
cooking with gas
1. (idiomatic) Functioning particularly effectively; achieving something substantial.
? With the updated software, I was really cooking with gas. I got the project done in half the time.


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Cool as a cucumber

Details:
cool as a cucumber or as cool as a cucumber
1. (simile) Calm and composed even in difficult or frustrating situations; self-possessed.
? Even during the elections, Josh was as cool as a cucumber.


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Cool as a cucumber

Details:
A person who is as cool as a cucumber is not anxious, but relaxed and non-emotional.


Examples:
The bride's mother stayed as cool as a cucumber all through the ceremony.




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Cool it

Details:
cool it (third-person singular simple present cools it, present participle cooling it, simple past and past participle cooled it)
1. (idiomatic) calm down, relax, take a time out
? We did tell him to cool it but he just got more and more irate: he ended up hitting him.


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Cool one's heels

Details:
If you are left to cool your heels, someone keeps you waiting.
To wait, especially impatiently or restlessly.


Examples:
After rushing to be on time for my appointment, I was left to cool my heels in the waiting room for an hour.




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Cool one's jets

Details:
cool one's jets
1. (idiomatic) To become less excited, intense, or active; to exercise self-restraint.


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Coon eyes

Details:
coon eyes (uncountable)
1. (idiomatic, informal) The state of the orbits of the eyes (especially the undereyes) having a blueish-purplish coloration


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Coon's age

Details:
a coon's age (uncountable)
1. (idiomatic, US, colloquial) A very long time.
? Jarn hasn't seen Schnie in a coon's age.
? We've been waiting a coon's age for our damn food.


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Cop a feel

Details:
cop a feel
1. (idiomatic, intransitive) To stealthily fondle someone in a sexual manner.


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Cop on

Details:
cop on
1. (Ireland, informal, idiomatic) Common sense.
? That idiot has no cop on.
cop on (third-person singular simple present cops on, present participle copping on, simple past and past participle copped on)
1. (Ireland, informal, idiomatic) To behave, to grow up.
?


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Cop out

Details:
cop out (third-person singular simple present cops out, present participle copping out, simple past and past participle copped out)
1. (idiomatic) To avoid or shirk, either by failing to perform, or by performing in a grossly insufficient, negligent, or superficial manner.
? Faced with the prospect of cooking for himself, his first thought was to cop out and order a p


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Cop-out

Details:
cop-out (plural cop-outs)
1. (idiomatic) Avoidance or inadequate performance of a task or duty; the action of copping out.
? His disappearance on the day of the audition was just a cop-out.
2. (idiomatic) An excuse made in order to avoid performing a task or duty; a reason offered when someone cops out.
? It was a cop-out to say he couldn't sign the p


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Copious free time

Details:
copious free time (plural copious free times)
1. (idiomatic, sarcastic) A hypothetical time set aside for performing time-consuming tasks, however insinuating that the speaker really has no free time.
? I'll do that in my copious free time.


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Copper-bottomed

Details:
To describe something such as a plan, a contract or a financial arrangement as copper-bottomed means that it is completely safe or reliable.
copper-bottomed (comparative more copper-bottomed, superlative most copper-bottomed)
1. Having lower parts made of or covered by copper (especially of a ship or cookware).
2. (UK, idiomatic) Thoroughly reliable.


Examples:
He signed a copper-bottomed agreement with a distributor.




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Coprophagous grin

Details:
coprophagous grin (plural coprophagous grins)
1. (idiomatic, rare) shit-eating grin


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Cork up something

Details:
If you cork up your feelings or emotions, you fail to show or express them.


Examples:
It would be better if she showed her grief and didn't cork up her feelings.




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Corner the market

Details:
If a company dominates an area of business, and leaves no room for competition, it is said to have cornered the market.
To monopolize a resource or commodity, as with the intent of driving up prices.


Examples:
By importing large quantities and selling at low prices, they have cornered the market.




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Corporate ladder

Details:
corporate ladder (plural corporate ladders)
1. (idiomatic) The hierarchy or ranking system of employment positions within a business organization.


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Corporation pop

Details:
corporation pop (uncountable)
1. (idiomatic, UK) Water, specifically drinking water supplied by a public utility company.


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Corridors of power

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This term refers to the higher levels of government or administration where important decisions are made.


Examples:
The matter is the subject of much discussion in the corridors of power at the present time.




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Cost a pretty penny

Details:
cost a pretty penny
1. (idiomatic) To be expensive.


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Cost an arm and a leg

Details:
If something costs an arm and a leg, it is very expensive.


Examples:
The new house cost us an arm and a leg, but we have no regrets.




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Exemple:

Cost the earth

Details:
If something costs the earth, it is very expensive indeed.
cost the earth (third-person singular simple present costs the earth, present participle costing the earth, simple past and past participle cost the earth)
1. (idiomatic) to be a huge expense


Examples:
She wears designer clothes that must cost the earth!




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Cotton on

Details:
cotton on (third-person singular simple present cottons on, present participle cottoning on, simple past and past participle cottoned on)
1. (idiomatic) To realize; come to understand.


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Cotton to

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cotton to (third-person singular simple present cottons to, present participle cottoning to, simple past and past participle cottoned to)
1. (idiomatic) To like; approve of, accept, or tolerate.
? He tried sneaking it past them, but they didn't cotton to his attempts.


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Cotton-picking

Details:
cotton-picking (uncountable)
1. The harvesting of cotton
cotton-picking
1. (US, idiomatic, colloquial) An intensifier, like "darn", used for emphasis or to signify that something is of little value.
2. (US, idiomatic, pejorative, colloquial) Describes a person who tends to become involved in matters outside of his a


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Couch potato

Details:
If you refer to someone as a couch potato, you criticize them for spending a lot of time sitting and watching television.


Examples:
Don't be such a couch potato. There are better ways of spending your time than in front of the TV.




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Exemple:

Couch potato

Details:
If you refer to someone as a couch potato, you criticize them for spending a lot of time sitting and watching television.


Examples:
Don't be such a couch potato. There are better ways of spending your time than in front of the TV.




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Exemple:

Cough up

Details:
If you have to cough up something, such as money or information,  you give it reluctantly or unwillingly.


Examples:
He refused to say who attacked him until his father made him cough up the names.




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Could care less

Details:
could care less
1. (idiomatic, US) Lacking interest; having apathy towards.


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Could eat a horse

Details:
To say that you could eat a horse means that you are very hungry.


Examples:
Let's get something to eat.  I'm starving. I could eat a horse!




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Could not get elected dogcatcher

Details:
could not get elected dogcatcher
1. (idiomatic, US, politics) Is unpopular, particularly of politicians.


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Couldn't carry a note in a bucket

Details:
couldn't carry a note in a bucket
1. (of a person) not musically talented, unable to sing.


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Couldn't give a hoot!

Details:
To say that you don't or couldn't give a hoot means that you don't care at all about something.


Examples:
She wears eccentric clothes but she couldn't give a hoot about what others think.




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Couldn't happen to a nicer

Details:
couldn't happen to a nicer ...
1. (idiomatic) Sarcastically asserts that those in question thoroughly deserve their fate.
? So the CEO of ScamCo is going to prison? Couldn't happen to a nicer guy.


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