[change one’s tune]{v. phr.}, {informal} To make a change in yourstory, statement, or claim; change your way of acting. •/The man said he wasinnocent, but when they found the stolen money in his pocket he changed histune./ •/Bob was rude to his teacher, but she threatened to tell theprincipal and he changed his tune./ Syn.: SING A DIFFERENT TUNE.

[change up] See: LET UP(4).

[character] See: IN CHARACTER.

[charge] See: CARRYING CHARGE, CHARGE OFF(2), IN CHARGE, IN CHARGE OF, TAKECHARGE.

[charge account]{n.} An agreement with a store through which you canbuy things and pay for them later. •/Mother bought a new dress on her chargeaccount./ •/Mr. Jones has a charge account at the garage on the corner./

[charge off]{v.} 1. To consider or record as a loss, especially in anaccount book. •/The store owner charged off all of the last season’s stock ofsuits./ Syn.: WRITE OFF(1). 2. or [charge up] {informal} To accept orremember (something) as a mistake and not worry about it any more. — Oftenused with "to experience". •/He charged off his mistakes to experience./Syn.: CHALK UP. Compare: CHARGE TO.

[charge something to something]{v.} 1. To place the blame on; makeresponsible for. •/John failed to win a prize, but he charged it to his lackof experience./ •/The coach charged the loss of the game to the team’sdisobeying his orders./ 2. To buy something on the credit of. •/Mrs. Smithbought a new pocketbook and charged it to her husband./ •/Mr. White ordereda box of cigars and had it charged to his account./

[charge up]{v. phr.} 1. To submit to a flow of electricity in order tomake functional. •/I mustn’t forget to charge up my razor before we go on ourtrip./ 2. To use up all the available credit one has on one’s credit card(s).•/"Let’s charge dinner on the Master Card," Jane said. "Unfortunately Ican’t," Jim replied. "All of my credit cards are completely charged up."/

[charge with]{v. phr.} To accuse someone in a court of law. •/Thecriminal was charged with aggravated kidnapping across a state line./

[charmed life]{n.} A life often saved from danger; a life full oflucky escapes. •/He was in two airplane accidents, but he had a charmedlife./ •/During the war a bullet knocked the gun out of his hand, but hehad a charmed life./

[chase] See: GIVE CHASE, GO CHASE ONESELF, LEAD A MERRY CHASE.

[chase after] See: RUN AFTER.

[chase around] See: RUN AROUND.

[cheapskate]{n.}, {informal} A selfish or stingy person; a personwho will not spend much. — An insulting term. •/None of the girls like to goout on a date with him because he is a cheapskate./

[cheat on someone]{v. phr.}, {informal} To be unfaithful (to one’swife or husband, or to one’s sweetheart or fiancee). •/It is rumored that Joecheats on his wife./

[check] See: BLANK CHECK, CLAIM CHECK, DOUBLE CHECK, IN CHECK, RAIN CHECK,RUBBER CHECK, SALES CHECK.

[check in]{v.} 1a. To sign your name (as at a hotel or convention).•/The last guests to reach the hotel checked in at 12 o’clock./ Contrast:CHECK OUT. 1b. {informal} To arrive. •/The friends we had invited did notcheck in until Saturday./ 2. To receive (something) back and make a record ofit. •/The coach checked in the football uniforms at the end of the schoolyear./ •/The students put their books on the library desk, and thelibrarian checked them in./

[check off]{v.} To put a mark beside (the name of a person or thing ona list) to show that it has been counted. •/The teacher checked off eachpupil as he got on the bus./ •/Bill wrote down the names of all the stateshe could remember, and then he checked them off against the list in hisbook./ Compare: TICK OFF.

[check on someone/thing] or [check up on someone/thing] {v.}. To tryto find out the truth or rightness of; make sure of; examine; inspect;investigate. •/We checked on Dan’s age by getting his birth record./•/Mrs. Brown said she heard someone downstairs and Mr. Brown went down tocheck up on it./ •/You can check on your answers at the back of thebook./ •/The police are checking up on the man to see if he has a policerecord./ •/Grandfather went to have the doctor check on his health./Compare: LOOK INTO, LOOK OVER.

[check out]{v.} 1a. To pay your hotel bill and leave. •/The lastguests checked out of their rooms in the morning./ Contrast: CHECK IN. 1b.{informal} To go away; leave. •/I hoped our guest would stay but he hadto check out before Monday./ Compare: CHECK IN. 2a. To make a list or recordof. •/They checked out all the goods in the store./ 2b. To give or lend(something) and make a record of it. •/The boss checked out the tools to theworkmen as they came to work./ 2c. To get (something) after a record has beenmade of it. •/I checked out a book from the library./ 3. {informal} Totest (something, like a part of a motor). •/The mechanic checked out the carbattery./ •/"He checked out from the motel at nine," said the detective,"then he checked out the air in the car tires and his list of localclients."/ 4. {slang} To die. •/He seemed too young to check out./

[check up]{v.} To find out or try to find out the truth or correctnessof something; make sure of something; investigate. •/Mrs. Brown thought shehad heard a burglar in the house, so Mr. Brown checked up, but found nobody./•/Bill thought he had a date with Janie, but phoned her to check up./

[check-up]{n.} A periodic examination by a physician or of someequipment by a mechanic. •/I am overdue for my annual physical check-up./•/I need to take my car in for a check-up./

[check with]{v. phr.} 1. To consult. •/I want to check with mylawyer before I sign the papers./ 2. To agree with. •/Does myreconciliation of our account check with the bank statement?/

[cheek] See: TURN THE OTHER CHEEK.

[cheer] See: BRONX CHEER.

[cheer on]{v. phr.} To vociferously encourage a person or a teamduring a sports event. •/The spectators at the stadium cheered on their hometeam./

[cheer up]{v.} 1. To feel happy; stop being sad or discouraged; becomehopeful, joyous, or glad. •/Jones was sad at losing the business, but hecheered up at the sight of his daughter./ •/Cheer up! The worst is over./2. To make cheerful or happy. •/The support of the students cheered up thelosing team and they played harder and won./ •/We went to the hospital tocheer up a sick friend./ •/Flowers cheer up a room./

[cheese] See: BIG CHEESE, WHOLE CHEESE.

[cheesebox]{n.}, {slang} A small, suburban house built by a landdeveloper available at low cost and resembling the other houses around it.•/They moved to a suburb, but their house is just a cheesebox./

[cheesecake]{n.}, {slang}, {informal} A showing of the legs ofan attractive woman or a display of her breasts as in certain magazines knownas cheesecake magazines. •/Photographer to model: "Give us some cheesecake inthat pose!"/

[cherry farm]{n.}, {slang} A correctional institution of minimalsecurity where the inmates, mostly first offenders, work as farmhands. •/Joegot a light sentence and was sent to a cherry farm for six months./