a chip off the old block
Someone can be described as a chip off the old block if they are very similar in character to one of their parents, usually their father.
a couch potato
You can say someone's a couch potato if they're very lazy and they spend a lot of time sitting around watching TV and eating junk food.
call a spade a spade
call it a day Informal
If you call it a day, you stop doing something that's usually
related to work.
can of worms Informal
If you say a situation or an issue is a can of worms, you think
that getting involved in it could lead to problems.
can't see the forest for the trees
If you can't see the forest for the trees, you can't see the
whole situation clearly because you're looking too closely at small
details, or because you're too closely involved.
can't see the wood for the trees
If you can't see the wood for the trees, you can't see the whole
situation clearly because you're looking too closely at small
details, or because you're too closely involved.
carte blanche Formal
If you give someone carte blanche, you give them freedom to do
whatever they want in a situation.
caught red-handed
If someone is caught red-handed, they are caught in the act of
doing something wrong such as cheating or stealing.
If you change your tune, you change your opinion about something or your attitude towards someone.
chew the fat | chew the rag
If you chew the fat, or chew the rag, you have a long, friendly
chat with someone.
chickens come home to roost
If chickens are coming home to roost, someone is suffering the
unpleasant consequences of their bad actions in the past.
clean as a whistle
If something is as clean as a whistle, it's extremely clean, or
for a person it can mean they have a perfect record and have never
done anything illegal.
come a cropper Informal
If you come a cropper, you fall over, or you make a mistake
which has serious consequences for you.
come clean
If you come clean about something, you let people know about it
after keeping it a secret.
come in handy Informal
You can say something might come in handy if you think it might
be useful.
come to a head
You can say a situation or a problem comes to a head if it
reaches a crisis point and dealing with it can no longer be
avoided.
come to grips with | get to grips with
If you come to grips with something, or get to grips with
something, you deal with the problems or challenges it
poses.
come to your senses
If you come to your senses, you see things clearly and begin to
act sensibly after a period of confusion and unwise
behaviour.
come up trumps
If you come up trumps, you succeed in something that you may not
have been expected to succeed in.
cook the books | cook the accounts
If someone cooks the books, or cooks the accounts, they keep
inaccurate accounts for a business, usually in order to pay less
tax.
cost the earth | charge the earth
If something costs the earth, or they charge the earth for it,
it's very expensive.
couldn't care less Informal
You can say "I couldn't care less" when you don't care about
something, or it doesn't matter to you.
cover your tracks
If you cover your tracks, you make sure no-one can find evidence
of what you've done.
cross that bridge when we come to it
You can say "we'll cross that bridge when we come to it" if
someone mentions a problem that might occur in the future, but you
want them to think about what's happening now instead.
cut to the chase Informal
If you tell someone to cut to the chase, you want them to get
straight to the main point of what they are saying.
the cream of the crop
If something or someone is in the cream of the crop, they are
among the best of a class of things or people.
