Dictionary: letter C
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call back [call back, call someone back] return a phone call or call again later phone back, ring back
- I'll call you back as soon as I hear anything.
- Can you ask her to call me back, please?
- I called him four times and he never called me back.
call in 1 visit (insep) pay someone a short visit drop in, pop in
- Call in next time you're in town.
- I've just called in to see if you needed anything.
2 [call someone in] (doctor, expert, consultant, police, technician) ask someone, like a doctor or a technician, to come and help you with a problem bring in
- We had to call in a doctor.
- The situation got out of hand and the Army had to be called in.
- We can't afford to call in a technician every time the washing-machine breaks down.
call off cancel [call something off] cancel an event be
off, put off
- The concert was called off because of rain.
- It's too late to call off the ceremony now.
call out 1 shout [call something out] announce or say something in a loud voice
- He called out the results.
- She called out his name but there was no answer.
2 challenge [call something out] draw attention to unacceptable behaviour
- That blatantly false fact was not called out.
- We have a responsibility to call it out when we see it.
call up phone [call someone up] phone someone
- Call me up when you get there.
- He called me up this this morning.
calm down relax [calm down, calm someone down] become more relaxed
- He was very upset about it, but he calmed down eventually.
- She was rude and aggressive towards him but it was clear he was trying to calm her down.
carry away [get carried away] behave in a silly way because you are too excited, angry, etc; not know what you are doing
- Sorry I called you a fool; I got a bit carried away.
- She got carried away in the shop and spent all her money on new dresses.
carry on continue (insep) continue doing something go on, keep on
- Carry on working!
- He carried on as if nothing had happened.
- If things carry on the way they are, you'll lose your job.
carry out do [carry something out] (survey, investigation, research, review, plan, threat) do a task
- It's going to be difficult to carry out that plan.
- The government is going to carry out a survey on the nation's health.
- Politicians don't usually carry out their promises.
carve out get [carve something out] (career, name, reputation, place, role) manage to get something by working hard
- The region has carved out a reputation for its apples.
cash in get [cash something in] (cheque, pension) get the money
- I need to cash in a cheque.
- There may be a reduction in benefits if you cash in your pension early.
cash in on [cash in on something] (insep) profit or take advantage of something
- They were accused of cashing in on the tragedy.
catch on (insep) (idea, fashion, concept) become popular
- The idea eventually caught on and became all the rage by the 1980s.
chalk up 1 [chalk something up] (goals, losses, success, victory, win) succeed in getting something
- The team has just chalked up their first victory.
- They have chalked up yet another victory.
- He has chalked up his 500th career win with victory at the Miami Open.
2 [chalk something up] write down what someone should pay
- Chalk up these drinks to my account, please.
3 [chalk something up to] explain something as the result of something else
- Okay, let's chalk it up to inexperience.
- Chalk it up to my charming personality.
- Should we chalk this up to a misunderstanding?
idiom chalk it up to experience regard a failure as an experience you can learn from
chase away [chase someone/something away] force a person or animal to leave a place with threats or by attacking them
- A passer-by stopped his car to help and, along with several neighbors, managed to chase the dog away. No one was bitten.
chase off chase away
chat up seduce [chat someone up] talk to someone in a friendly way because you are sexually attracted to them
- Normally I find it dead hard to chat up a girl but I was drunk and had no inhibitions.
check in [check in, check something in] arrive at a hotel or airport and report your arrival at reception or check-in desk
- We checked into the hotel a little after midnight.
- I arrived in London a few days ago and checked into the Bolsover Hotel.
- When I checked in with a confirmed economy ticket, I was told that the flight was overbooked.
- The staff were incredibly helpful and made checking in a delightful hassle free experience.
check out 1 pay and leave a place
- After breakfast I checked out of the hotel.
2 [check something out] check that something is correct or it's what you want
- You've got to check the facts out before you start torturing yourself.
- Hey, check this out!
cheer up [cheer up, cheer someone up, cheer something up] make someone feel happier
- I got you this. I thought it might cheer you up.
- I took him to the party because he needed cheering up.
- Fancy a pint to cheer you up?
chew over think [chew something over] think about something or discuss it very carefully mull over, think over
- I can't imagine Jeffrey being the kind of guy to openly argue, but rather chew it over in silence and - eventually - decide for himself.
chicken out (insep) not do something because of fear
- At the last minute, I chickened out.
- I was ready to do it but I chickened out.
chip in 1 contribute contribute money towards something club together, pitch in
- Local schools students, individuals and community groups have all chipped in to bring this area alive.
2 interrupt interrupt a conversation butt in
- Some senior Army officials chipped in to say it was safe and there was no danger.
chuck in leave [chuck something in] leave; stop doing something (job, possessions )
- He decided to chuck in his job.
- I'd love to just chuck it all in.
clam up (insep) refuse to speak
- I've tried talking to her about it, but she just clams up and changes the subject.
- He would clam up when the conversation turned personal.
- She just clammed up. She wouldn't speak.
clean up [clean up, clean something up] wash or clean completely clear up
- You'd better go and get cleaned up.
- It took ages to clean up the mess.
clear off leave [clear off, clear something off] disappear or be removed
- During the night the fog cleared off.
- We cleared off all the dirt and rock that was loose on the ground.
clear up 1 [clear up, clear something up] (kitchen, mess) tidy & clean or remove dirt and clean clean up
- I cleared up the mess from the kids in the back garden.
2 (doubt, problem, disagreement, misunderstanding, confusion, issue, crime, mystery) find an answer or an explanation for something or settle it sort out
- I think this misunderstanding will be cleared up soon.
3 (insep) (weather) improve brighten up
- The weather is horrible at the moment. I hope it clears up later.
climb down (insep) admit you are wrong back down
- The bank was eventually forced to climb down in the face of a fierce and sustained public backlash.
clock in (insep) register the time when arriving at work clock on clock out, clock off
- I have to clock in at 8.
- I clocked in and was ready to start working.
clock off (insep) leave work or register the time you leave work clock out clock on, clock in
- What time do you usually clock off?
clock on (insep) clock in clock out, clock off
- She clocked on at 8 am and worked until 6 pm.
clock out (insep) register the time you leave work clock off clock in, clock on
- I clocked out a bit early and went home.
clogup block (insep) (arteries, pipe, drain, well) block choke up
- Some types of weed have to be kept in check so that they don't clog up the pond.
- Dairy products make me feel clogged up.
close down [close something down] (factory, plant, business, company, shop, production, operations) close a place permanently shut down
- They closed down the bar many months ago because they weren't making enough money from it.
- There used to be a shop at the end of the street but it closed down last year.
- The factory closed down five years ago.
clue in [clue someone in] give someone the information needed to understand something or let them know what's new clue up
- Never played a Witcher game before. Can someone clue me in?
- Someone needs to clue us in on what's happening.
come across 1 meet [come across someone] (insep) meet someone by chance bump into , run into, stumble across
- Not long ago, I came across an old friend from the gang. I won't say his name for privacy reasons.
2 find [come across something] (insep) (photo) find something by chance
- This stretch of coastline is famous for the fossils that you just come across lying on the beach.
come forward (insep) offer help or information
- The witness has come forward to speak publicly about the incident.
come round/around 1 (insep)
recover consciousness come to pass out, black
out
- I had no idea what had happened to me when I came round.
2 (insep) pay someone a visit drop by
- Bill and Ben are coming round tonight. We're going to watch a video.
- Look, I'll come round to yours later, yeah?
- We had a good chat before the film came on.
2 (insep) make progress get on
- How's dinner coming on? I'm starving.
come to
(insep) recover consciousness come (a)round, pass out, black
out
- When Rose came to in the lifeboat, she could not remember what had happened.
- When he came to, he was being loaded into an ambulance.
come through 1 (insep) (call, message, document, authorization, divorce, money, results, news) recieve something
- As the final results came through, it couldn't have been any worse.
2 survive [come through something] (insep) (car crash, accident, operation, illness, war, ordeal, crisis) survive or recover
- He was in a serious car accident last week. Fortunately, he came through it with only minor injuries.
come up 1 mention (insep) (issue, point, matter, question, subject) be mentioned bring up
- You'd better make sure you know these verbs because they always come up in the exam.
2 appear (insep) (job, vacancy) appear
- As new jobs come up, we will contact students who have signed with the Odd Jobs database.
come up
with [come up with something] (insep) (idea, plan, proposal,
theory, scheme, solution, suggestion, compromise, money, funding) occur to you or you manage to find it
- I wonder who came up with the idea.
- The owner came up with a plan to avoid closing.
- They came up with a scheme to make some extra money.
cool down 1 (insep) become less hot
- Let food cool down before putting it in the fridge or freezer.
- Sweat is the body's natural way of cooling you down.
2 (insep) become less excited
- I thought we could finally calmly discuss our quarrel, now that she had cooled down a bit.
- She knew that she might regret it later, when she had cooled down.
cop out [cop out, cop out of something] (responsibility) avoid something because you are afraid or you don't want to keep your promise
- I hoped Maxwell would focus on the freedom issue, but he copped out.
cotton on understand (informal) begin to understand
- Lawyers are beginning to cotton on to the usefulness of using computerised graphics and other high-tech exhibits to impress judges and jurors.
cough up [cough something up] (informal) (money, name) give someone something because you have to pay up
- The health minister said the federal government must eventually cough up more money if it wants to maintain a high-quality health system.
count on [count on someone] (insep) rely on them to help or support you
- Ask Mary. You can always count on her to know the latest information.
crack down [crack down on someone, crack down on something] (informal) (criminals, vandals, extremists) be much stricter than before clamp down on
- We need to crack down on youth offenders with heavy penalties and teach them respect for other people.
- Ever since September 11th the Saudi government has been under pressure to crack down on extremist groups.
cram in include [cram in, cram something in] manage to have a lot of people or things in a reduced space or time pack in, fit in
- It's amazing how much you can cram into your brain the day before an exam.
- The more vegetables you can cram into your diet the better.
- Visit our website for more ideas on what to cram into your trip.
creep away/down/into/etc (insep) gradually or quietly begin to do something
- Christmas spirit is starting to creep into my office.
creep on up [creep up on someone] approach someone quietly from behind
- Don't creep up on me like that.
crop up (insep) (issues, problems, rumours) appear, often unexpectedly
- These kind of rumours have cropped up before.
- Several problems have cropped up.
- Numerous privacy issues have cropped up since the system launched two months ago.
cut back [cut something back, cut down on something] (spending, public expenditure, expenses, production, budget, costs) reduce something to save money
- Kraft Foods, the maker of brands from Oreo cookies to Oscar Meyer bologna, announced plans Tuesday to cut back on sugar and fat in some products.
cut down 1 reduce [cut down, cut down on something] (smoking, cigarettes, sugar, fatty foods; luxuries, spending, cost) reduce the amount you take of something
- People with diabetes are usually advised to cut down on sugar and sugary foods.
2 cut [cut something down] (tree, forest) make something fall to the ground by cutting it
- The tree was damaged in the storm so they had to cut it down.
cut off [cut something off] (electricity, water) remove something by cutting, separating or stopping it somehow
- For years, the country was part of the soviet union and was cut off from the rest of europe.