Словарь американских идиом: 8000 единиц
Шрифт:
[coat tail] See: ON ONE’S COAT TAILS.
[cock] See: GO OFF HALF-COCKED also GO OFF AT HALF COCK.
[cock-and-bull story]{n. phr.} An exaggerated or unbelievable story. •/"Stop feeding me such cock-and-bull stories," the detective said to the suspect./
[cockeyed]{adj.} Drunk; intoxicated. •/Frank has been drinking all day and, when we met, he was so cockeyed he forgot his own address./
[cocksure]{adj.} Overconfident; very sure. •/Paul was cocksure that it wasn 't going to snow, but it snowed so much that we had to dig our way out of the house./
[C.O.D.]{n. phr.} Abbreviation of "cash on delivery." •/If you want to receive a piece of merchandise by mail and pay when you receive it, you place a C.O.D. order./
[coffee break]{n.} A short recess or time out from work in which to rest and drink coffee. •/The girls in the office take a coffee break in the middle of the morning and the afternoon./
[coffee hour]{n.} A time for coffee or other refreshments after a meeting; a time to meet people and have refreshments. •/After the business meeting we had a coffee hour./ •/The Joneses had a coffee hour so their visitor could meet their neighbors./
[coffee table]{n.} A low table used in a living room. •/There were several magazines on the coffee table./
[coffin nail]{n.}, {slang} A cigarette. •/"I stopped smoking," Algernon said. "In fact, I haven’t had a coffin nail in well over a year."/
[cog] See: SLIP A COG or SLIP A GEAR.
[coin money] or [mint money]{v. phr.}, {informal} To make a lot of money quickly; profit heavily; gain big profit. •/Fred coined money with many cigarette vending machines and juke boxes./
[cold] See: BLOOD RUNS COLD, BLOW HOT AND COLD, CATCH COLD or TAKE COLD, IN COLD BLOOD, OUT COLD, OUT IN THE COLD, PASS OUT(2), STONE-COLD, STOP COLD, THROW COLD WATER ON.
[cold cash] or [hard cash]{n.} Money that is paid at the time of purchase; real money; silver and bills. •/Mr. Jones bought a new car and paid cold cash for it./ * •/Some stores sell things only for cold cash./ Compare: CASH ON THE BARRELHEAD.
[cold comfort]{n.} Something that makes a person in trouble feel very little better or even worse. •/When Tim lost the race, it was cold comfort to him to hear that he could try again in two weeks./ •/Mary spent her vacation sick in bed and Jane’s letter about her trip was cold comfort./
[cold feet]{n. phr.}, {informal} A loss of courage or nerve; a failure or loss of confidence in yourself. •/Ralph was going to ask Mary to dance with him but he got cold feet and didn’t./
[cold fish]{n.}, {informal} A queer person; a person who is unfriendly or does not mix with others. •/No one knows the new doctor, he is a cold fish./ •/Nobody invites Eric to parties because he is a cold fish./
[cold-shoulder]{v.}, {informal} To act towards a person; with dislike or scorn; be unfriendly to. •/Fred cold-shouldered his old friend when they passed on the street./ •/It is impolite and unkind to cold-shoulder people./ Compare: BRUSH OFF(2), HIGH-HAT, LOOK DOWN ONE’S NOSE AT.
[cold shoulder]{n.}, {informal} Unfriendly treatment of a person, a showing of dislike for a person or of looking down on a person. — Used in the cliches "give the cold shoulder" or "turn a cold shoulder to" or "get the cold shoulder". •/When Bob asked Mary for a date she gave him the cold shoulder./ •/The membership committee turned a cold shoulder to Jim’s request to join the club./
[cold snap]{n.} A short time of quick change from warm weather to cold. •/The cold snap killed everything in the garden./
[cold turkey]{adv.}, {slang}, {informal} 1. Abruptly and without medical aid to withdraw from the use of an addictive drug or from a serious drinking problem. •/Joe is a very brave guy; he kicked the habit cold turkey./ 2. {n.} An instance of withdrawal from drugs, alcohol, or cigarette smoking. •/Joe did a cold turkey./
[cold war]{n.} A struggle that is carried on by other means and not by actual fighting; a war without shooting or bombing. •/After World War II, a cold war began between Russia and the United States./
[collar] See: HOT UNDER THE COLLAR, ROMAN COLLAR, SAILOR COLLAR.
[collective farm]{n.} A large government-run farm made by combining many small farms. •/The Russian farmers used to live on collective farms./