Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)
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[couch case] <n.>, <slang>, <informal> A person judged emotionally so disturbed that people think he ought to see a psychiatrist (who, habitually, make their patients lie down on a couch). * /Joe's divorce messed him up so badly that he became a couch case./
[couch doctor] <n.>, <slang>, <colloquial> A psychoanalyst who puts his patients on a couch following the practice established by Sigmund Freud. * /I didn't know your husband was a couch doctor, I thought he was a gynecologist!/
[couch potato] <n.> A person who is addicted to watching television all day. * /Poor Ted has become such a couch potato that we can't persuade him to do anything./
[cough up] <v.>, <slang> 1. To give (money) unwillingly; pay with an effort. * /Her husband coughed up the money for the party with a good deal of grumbling./ 2. To tell what was secret; make known. * /He coughed up the whole story for the police./
[couldn't care less] <v. phr.>, <informal> To be indifferent; not care at all. * /The students couldn't care less about the band; they talk all through the concert./ Also heard increasingly as "could care less" (nonstandard in this form.)
[counsel] See: KEEP ONE'S OWN COUNSEL.
[count] See: STAND UP AND BE COUNTED.
[countdown] <n.>. <Space English>, <informal> 1. A step-by-step process which leads to the launching of a rocket. * /Countdown starts at 23:00 hours tomorrow night and continues for 24 hours./ 2. Process of counting inversely during the acts leading to a launch; liftoff occurs at zero. 3. The time immediately preceding an important undertaking, borrowed from Space English. * /We're leaving for Hawaii tomorrow afternoon; this is countdown time for us./
[counter] See: UNDER THE COUNTER.
[count heads] or [count noses] <v. phr.>, <informal> To count the number of people in a group. * /On the class picnic, we counted heads before we left and when we arrived to be sure that no one got lost./ * /The usher was told to look out into the audience and count noses./
[count off] <v.> 1. To count aloud from one end of a line of men to the other, each man counting in turn. * /The soldiers counted off from right to left./ 2. To place into a separate group or groups by counting. * /The coach counted off three boys to carry in the equipment./ * /Tom counted off enough newspapers for his route./
[count on] <v.> 1. To depend on; rely on; trust. * /The team was counting on Joe to win the race./ * /I'll do it; you know you can count on me./ * /The company was counting on Brown's making the right decision./ Syn.: BANK ON. 2. See: FIGURE ON(2).
[count one's chickens before they're hatched] <v. phr.>, <informal> To depend on getting a profit or gain before you have it; make plans that suppose something will happen; be too sure that something will happen. Usually used in negative sentences. * /When Jim said that he would be made captain of the team, John told him not to count his chickens before they were hatched./ * /Maybe some of your customers won't pay, and then where will you be? Don't count your chickens before they're hatched./
[count out] <v.> 1. To leave (someone) out of a plan; not expect (someone) to share in an activity; exclude. * /"Will this party cost anything? If it does, count me out, because I'm broke."/ * /When the coach was planning who would play in the big game he counted Paul out, because Paul had a hurt leg./ 2. To count out loud to ten to show that (a boxer who has been knocked down in a fight) is beaten or knocked out if he does not get up before ten is counted. * /The champion was counted. out in the third round./ 3a. To add up; count again to be sure of the amount. * /Mary counted out the number of pennies she had./ 3b. To count out loud, (especially the beats in a measure of music). * /The music teacher counted out the beats "one-two-three-four," so the class would sing in time./
[count to ten] <v. phr.>, <informal> To count from one to ten so you will have time to calm down or get control of yourself; put off action when angry or excited so as not to do anything wrong. * /Father always told us to count to ten before doing anything when we got angry./ Compare: KEEP ONE'S HEAD. Contrast: BLOW A FUSE, FLY OFF THE HANDLE.
[county mounty] <n.>, <slang>, <citizen's hand radio jargon> Sheriff's deputy. * /The county mounties are parked under the bridge./
[courage] See: HAVE THE COURAGE OF ONE'S CONVICTIONS, SCREW UP ONE'S COURAGE.
[course] See: IN DUE COURSE, MATTER OF COURSE, OF COURSE, PAR FOR THE COURSE.
[court] See: DAY IN COURT, FRONT COURT, HOLD COURT, KANGAROO COURT.
[cousin] See: FIRST COUSIN, SECOND COUSIN.
[cover] See: FROM COVER TO COVER at FROM --- TO(3), UNDER COVER.
[cover a lot of ground] <v. phr.> To process a great deal of information and various facts. * /Professor Brown's thorough lecture on asteroids covered a lot of ground today./
[covered-dish supper] or [potluck supper] A meal to which each guest brings a share of the food. * /Dolly made a chicken casserole for the covered-dish supper./
[cover girl] <n.> A pretty girl or woman whose picture is put on the cover of a magazine. * /Ann is not a cover girl, but she is pretty enough to be./
[cover ground] or [cover the ground] <v. phr.> 1. To go a distance; travel. * /Mr. Rogers likes to travel in planes, because they cover ground so quickly./ 2. <informal> To move over an area at a speed that is pleasing; move quickly over a lot of ground. * /The new infielder really covers the ground at second base./ * /Herby's new car really covers ground!/ 3. To give or receive the important facts and details about a subject. * /If you're thinking about a trip to Europe, the airline has a booklet that covers the ground pretty well./ * /The class spent two days studying the Revolutionary War, because they couldn't cover that much ground in one day./
[cover one's tracks] or [cover up one's tracks] <v. phr.> 1. To hide and not leave anything, especially foot marks, to show where you have been, so that no one can follow you. * /The deer covered his tracks by running in a stream./ 2. <informal> To hide or not say where you have been or what you have done; not tell why you do something or what you plan to do. * /The boys covered their tracks when they went swimming by saying that they were going for a walk./ Compare: COVER UP(1).