English idioms, proverbs, and expressions are an important part of everyday English. They come up all the time in both written and spoken English. Because idioms don’t always make sense literally, you’ll need to familiarize yourself with the meaning and usage of each idiom. That may seem like a lot of work, but learning idioms is fun, especially when you compare English idioms to the idioms in your own language.
Here’s a list of “Idioms Beginning With C” in English:
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Call a Spade a Spade
Meaning: To speak frankly and directly about a problem
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Call It a Day
Meaning: Decide that one has worked enough on something for the day
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Call It a Night
Meaning: End an evening’s activities and go home
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Call the Shots
Meaning: Make the important decisions in an organization
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Call the Tune
Meaning: Making important decisions and controlling a situation.
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Can’t See the Forest for the Trees
Meaning: Is unable to maintain a wider perspective
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Can’t Swing A Dead Cat In (Place)
Meaning: Without Hitting A (Thing) There are many examples of [thing] in this [place].
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Carrot-and-Stick (Approach)
Meaning: A tactic in which rewards are offered, but there is also the threat of punishment
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Carry a Torch (for)
Meaning: To continue to be in love with someone even after a relationship has ended
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Carry Coals To Newcastle
Meaning: Supply something that is unneeded; engage in useless labor
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Carry the Can
Meaning: To take the blame for something one did not do
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Cash In One’s Chips
Meaning: A. To take advantage of a quick profit B. To die
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Cash-Strapped
Meaning: In need of money
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Cast the First Stone
Meaning: To be the first to criticize or attack someone
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Castle in the Air
Meaning: An impractical plan
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Cat Fight
Meaning: A fight between two women
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Cat Got Your Tongue?
Meaning: Don’t you have anything to say?
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Cat on a hot tin roof
Meaning: Be extremely nervous
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Cat-and-Mouse (adj.)
Meaning: In a toying way; playful in an unpleasant way
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Catch One’s Death of Cold
Meaning: To become very ill (with a cold/flu etc.)
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Catch Some Rays
Meaning: To sit or lie outside in the sun
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Catch Someone’s Eye
Meaning: Attract someone’s attention
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Catch-22
Meaning: A difficult situation from which there is no escape because options for avoiding it involve contradictions
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Cat’s Paw
Meaning: A person being used by someone else, a tool
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Caught Red-Handed
Meaning: Apprehended while committing a crime
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Circle the Wagons
Meaning: To prepare as a group to defend against attack, adopt a defensive posture
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Claim to Fame
Meaning: Unusual feature or offering
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Clean Up Nicely
Meaning: Look good when one is dressed up. Usually said of women
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Clear the Air
Meaning: Defuse tension, be honest about conflict so as to reduce it
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Clip Someone’s Wings
Meaning: Reduce someone’s privileges or freedom
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Close, But No Cigar
Meaning: You are very close but not quite correct.
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Cock and Bull Story
Meaning: A far-fetched story, probably untrue
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Cock-A-Hoop
Meaning: Elated, excited
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Cold Day in Hell
Meaning: A condition for something that would be extremely unlikely to occur
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Come By Something Honestly
Meaning: Acquire something honestly, or inherit it
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Come Clean
Meaning: To confess; to admit to wrongdoing
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Come Hell or High Water
Meaning: No matter what happens
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Come Out in the Wash
Meaning: To be resolved with no lasting negative effect
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Come Out of the Closet
Meaning: Reveal a secret about oneself, usually that one is gay (homosexual)
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Come Out Swinging
Meaning: Respond to something very aggressively
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Come Rain and Shine
Meaning: Do regularly, whatever the circumstances
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Come to Grips With
Meaning: To acknowledge a problem as a prelude to dealing with it
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Come to Terms With (Something)
Meaning: Feel acceptance toward something bad that has happened
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Coming Down the Pike
Meaning: Likely to occur in the near future
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Cook Someone’s Goose
Meaning: To insure someone’s defeat, to frustrate someone’s plans
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Cook Up a Storm
Meaning: Cook a great deal of food
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Cooking Up a Storm
Meaning: Cooking a great deal of food
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Cool as A Cucumber
Meaning: Calm and composed even in difficult or frustrating situations; self-possessed
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Cool Cat
Meaning: Someone who has the respect of their peers in a young, casual way.
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Cool Your Heels
Meaning: Wait
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Couch Potato
Meaning: A lazy person who watches a great deal of television
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Crash a Party
Meaning: To attend a party without being invited
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Crickets
Meaning: Silence
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Cross to Bear
Meaning: A problem one must deal with over a long time, a heavy burden
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Crunch Time
Meaning: A period of high pressure when one has to work hard to finish something
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Crunch the Numbers
Meaning: Do calculations before making a decision or prediction
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Cry Over Spilt
Meaning: Milk To waste energy moaning about something that has already happened
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Cry Wolf (verb)
Meaning: To issue a false alarm, to ask for help when none is needed
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Cry Your Eyes Out
Meaning: Cry hard for a very long time
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Curiosity Killed The Cat
Meaning: Stop asking questions, don’t be too curious
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Cut (Someone) To the Quick
Meaning: To deeply hurt someone emotionally
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Cut Corners
Meaning: Economize by reducing quality; take shortcuts
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Cut It Fine
Meaning: To do something at the last moment
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Cut Off Your Nose to Spite Your Face
Meaning: To act in a proud way that ultimately damages your own cause
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Cut Someone Some Slack
Meaning: Avoid treating someone strictly or severely
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Cut to the Chase
Meaning: Get to the point; explain the most important part of something quickly; skip the preliminaries
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Cut the Gordian Knot
Meaning: To solve a complex problem in a simple way
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Cut the Mustard
Meaning: Do something adequately
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Cut Your Teeth on Something
Meaning: To learn basic skills in a field
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Cutting-Edge
Meaning: Very novel, innovative
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Champagne taste on a beer budget
Meaning: Expensive or extravagant tastes or preferences that are beyond one’s economic means.
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Change Horses in Midstream
Meaning: Change plans or leaders in the middle of a process
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Change of Heart
Meaning: A change in one’s opinion or outlook
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Change One’s Tune
Meaning: To alter one’s opinion about something.
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Changing of the Guard
Meaning: A change in leadership at an organization
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Chase Rainbows
Meaning: To pursue unrealistic goals
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Cheap Shot
Meaning: An unfair attack; a statement that unfairly attacks someone’s weakness
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Cherry-Pick
Meaning: To present evidence selectively to one’s own advantage
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Cherry-Pick
Meaning: To select the best or most desirable
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Chew the Fat
Meaning: Chat for a considerable length of time
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Chickens Come Home To Roost
Meaning: The negative consequences of previous actions reveal themselves
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Child’s Play
Meaning: A very easy task
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Chill Out
Meaning: Do something that helps them to calm down and relax for a while.
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Chin Music
Meaning: Meaningless talk
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Chin Up/ Keep Your Chin Up
Meaning: Cheer up; try to be cheerful and strong
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Chip off the Old Block
Meaning: Someone who resembles a direct ancestor, usually the father
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Chomp (Champ) at the Bit
Meaning: Be eager to do something
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Chomp at the Bit
Meaning: To be eager to do something
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Chop Chop
Meaning: Quickly, without delay
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Chop Shop
Meaning: A shop where stolen cars are disassembled for parts
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Chuck a Wobbly
Meaning: To act in an emotional way