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The C drawer

56 phrases beginning with C.

Cancel culture The practice or tendency of a large group of people withdrawing support from a public figure, company or work - 'cancelling' them - as punishment for…
Carry coals to Newcastle Supply something where it is already plentiful, making the effort needless. Newcastle refers to Newcastle upon Tyne, not another city of the same…
Carry on like a pork chop Make an excessive fuss, behave foolishly or become noisily agitated. Very informal. The fuller synagogue version can sound culturally insensitive and…
Cast pearls before swine Offer something valuable to people who cannot or will not appreciate it. Often sounds judgmental because it likens unappreciative people to swine. Use…
Cast the first stone Be the first to accuse, condemn, or punish someone, especially when no accuser is blameless. Usually invokes hypocrisy or shared fallibility, not…
Cat got your tongue? A teasing or mildly challenging question asked when someone is unexpectedly silent or unwilling to answer.
Catawampus Askew, out of alignment, or in a confused and irregular state. Current but regional, jocular, and semantically flexible Regional use: United States…
Catfishing Creating a false personal identity online, or using one, to deceive someone, most often in pursuit of a fake romantic relationship. The word names…
Caught between a rock and a hard place Facing a dilemma with no good options, stuck picking between two tough choices.
Caught flat-footed Caught off-guard or slow, not ready.
Caught in the act Nabbed doing something wrong, mid-move.
Caught in the crossfire Trapped in a conflict not your own, hit by stray shots.
Caught in the crosshairs Trapped in a tight spot or aim, pinned.
Caught napping Caught off-guard or unprepared, dozing at the wrong moment.
Caught on the back foot Taken by surprise or off balance, reeling.
Caught on the hop Caught off-guard or mid-step, surprised.
Caught red-handed To be discovered in the act of doing something wrong or illegal, with undeniable evidence of guilt, leaving no room for denial.
Caught with chaff Fooled or nabbed by a trick, taken in.
Caught with egg on your face Left looking foolish or publicly embarrassed because something you did, said, or predicted went wrong.
Caught with your hand in the cookie jar Nabbed doing something sneaky or wrong, caught red-handed.
Caught with your hand in the till Nabbed pilfering or stealing, caught cold.
Caught with your pants down Caught unexpectedly while unprepared, exposed or in an embarrassing or compromising situation. The expression is informal.
Chapter and verse Precise supporting authority or full, exact details about a claim or event. Can mean exact source references or, more loosely, a complete detailed…
Charity begins at home One's first responsibility is to care for people and needs close at hand, especially family. Can defend reasonable local responsibility or excuse…
Cheap at half the price A humorous way to call something very expensive; it is also sometimes used illogically to praise a bargain. Potentially ambiguous. Publish only with…
Cheugy US slang, pronounced CHOO-ghee, for a person or style that is unfashionable in a particular way: not merely dated but trying too hard, the opposite of…
Chew the fat To chat at length in a relaxed, informal way; to pass the time in friendly, unhurried conversation. It suggests idle talk among companions rather than…
Chew the scenery Of an actor: to overact wildly, performing in an exaggerated, melodramatic style that swamps the play. By extension it describes anyone behaving in a…
Children should be seen and not heard Children are expected to remain quiet and not interrupt adults. Now usually quoted critically, humorously, or as an example of authoritarian and…
Chip on your shoulder An ingrained sense of grievance or inferiority that makes someone defensive and quick to take offence, often seeming to invite confrontation…
Circle back In workplace speech, to return to a topic, question, or person later, after other matters have progressed or more information is available. Often used…
Clean bill of health An official assurance, after examination, that a person is healthy or that an organization, product or plan is free of fault. Originally a shipping…
Clickbait Online content, especially a headline or thumbnail, deliberately designed to grab attention and lure readers into clicking a link, usually through…
Close, but no cigar A near success that still falls short of the goal. Current informal expression Regional use: United States, later international.
Cloud cuckoo land An imaginary realm of wildly impractical or deluded notions; if someone lives in cloud cuckoo land, their beliefs or plans are hopelessly unrealistic…
Cock a snook Make a derisive gesture, or openly show contempt for a person or rule. Informal and defiant. The literal gesture is also known as thumbing one's nose…
Cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey Extremely cold. The headphrase contains a vulgar anatomical joke. 'Brass monkey weather' is the neutral alternative. Regional use: United Kingdom and…
Cold feet A sudden loss of courage or confidence that makes someone hesitate or withdraw from a planned action.
Cold turkey The abrupt, complete cessation of an addictive habit, especially drugs, without tapering or substitute treatment; also the physical withdrawal state…
Come from away A person who is not originally from the Atlantic Canadian place being discussed. Current regional identity term; tone depends on speaker and setting…
Come the raw prawn Attempt to deceive, impose upon or treat someone unfairly. Informal and confrontational, often used in a warning not to try a trick. Regional use…
Concern trolling Offering unsolicited 'friendly advice' or professed worry that is actually meant to undermine a cause, typically by a person pretending to be a…
Copper-bottomed Completely reliable, secure or trustworthy; unlikely to fail under pressure. Informal but common in business and political language. It may describe…
Core memory A deeply formative, emotionally charged memory treated as central to a person's identity, or, jokingly, any vivid flash of nostalgia. Most often met…
Crocodile tears A display of sorrow or sympathy that is insincere; tears or grief put on for effect by someone who does not actually feel it. The phrase usually…
Cross that bridge when you come to it To deal with a problem only when it arises, not fretting ahead.
Cry over spilled milk To waste time or emotion regretting something trivial or irreversible, lamenting a loss that can't be undone instead of moving on. It conjures a…
Cry wolf To raise false alarms, calling danger too often.
Cuffing season Slang for autumn and winter, the stretch when single people are said to look for a partner to settle down with through the cold months, typically…
Curry favour Seek someone's approval or an advantage through calculated flattery or ingratiating behaviour. Usually disapproving. American English spells the noun…
Cushioning Maintaining flirtatious or romantic contact with people outside your main relationship, or outside the one you are pursuing, so that prospects are on…
Cut and dried Already settled, prepared or decided, often in a routine way that allows little originality or debate. Commonly used in the negative, as in not cut…
Cut and run To make a hasty departure, abandoning whatever one was doing rather than seeing it through; to flee a situation quickly. Often carries a note of…
Cut of your jib Your characteristic appearance, manner or style, especially as the basis of a first impression. Informal and nautical in flavour. It can signal…
Cut the mustard Meet the required standard or perform adequately. Current informal idiom Regional use: United States; now widespread.
Cut to the chase To skip unnecessary details and get to the main point or action quickly, often reflecting impatience with preamble or fluff. It's a directive for…