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 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.

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?

come on 1 start (insep) start

• 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.