[command module]{n.}, {Space English} 1. One of the three mainsections of the basic Apollo spacecraft. It weighs six tons and is cone shaped.It contains crew compartments and from it the astronauts can operate the lunarmodule (LM), the docking systems, etc. 2. {Informal transferred sense.} Thecockpit, the chief place where a person does his most important work. •/Mydesk is my command module./

[commission] See: IN COMMISSION or INTO COMMISSION, OUT OF COMMISSION.

[common] See: IN COMMON.

[common as an old shoe]{adj. phr.}, {informal} Not showing off;not vain; modest; friendly to all. •/Although Mr. Jones ran a large business,he was common as an old shoe./ •/The most famous people are sometimes ascommon as an old shoe./

[common ground]{n.} Shared beliefs, interests, or ways ofunderstanding; ways in which people are alike. •/Bob and Frank don’t likeeach other because they have no common ground./ •/The only common groundbetween us is that we went to the same school./ Compare: IN COMMON.

[common touch]{n.} The ability to be a friend of the people; friendlymanner with everyone. •/Voters like a candidate who has the common touch./

[company] See: KEEP COMPANY, PART COMPANY.

[company man]{n.}, {informal} A worker who always agrees withmanagement rather than labor. — Usually used to express dislike ordisapproval. •/Joe was a company man and refused to take a part in thestrike./ Compare: YES-MAN.

[compare notes]{v. phr.}, {informal} To exchange thoughts or ideasabout something; discuss together. •/Mother and Mrs. Barker like to comparenotes about cooking./

[compliment] See: RETURN THE COMPLIMENT.

[conclusion] See: JUMP TO A CONCLUSION.

[condition] See: IN SHAPE or IN CONDITION, IN THE PINK or IN THE PINK OFCONDITION, ON CONDITION THAT, OUT OF SHAPE or OUT OF CONDITION.

[conference] See: PRESS CONFERENCE.

[congregate housing]{n.}, {informal} A form of housing for elderlypersons in which dining facilities and services are shared in multiple dwellingunits. •/Jerry put Grandma in a place where they have congregate housing./

[conk out]{v. phr.}, {slang}, {informal} To fall asleepsuddenly with great fatigue or after having drunk too much. •/We conked outright after the guests had left./

[consent] See: SILENCE GIVES CONSENT.

[consequence] See: IN CONSEQUENCE, IN CONSEQUENCE OF.

[consideration] See: IN CONSIDERATION OF.

[consumer goods] or [consumer items] {n.} Food and manufacturedthings that people buy for their own use. •/In time of war, the supply ofconsumer goods is greatly reduced./

[content] See: TO ONE’S HEART’S CONTENT.

[contention] See: BONE OF CONTENTION.

[contrary] See: ON THE CONTRARY, TO THE CONTRARY.

[control room]{n.} A room containing the panels and switches used tocontrol something (like a TV broadcast). •/While a television program is onthe air, engineers are at their places in the control room./

[control tower]{n.} A tower with large windows and a good view of anairport so that the traffic of airplanes can be seen and controlled, usually byradio. •/We could see the lights at the control tower as our plane landedduring the night./

[conversation] See: MAKE CONVERSATION.

[conversation piece]{n.} Something that interests people and makesthem talk about it; something that looks unusual, comical, or strange.•/Uncle Fred has a glass monkey on top of his piano that he keeps for aconversation piece./

[conviction] See: HAVE THE COURAGE OF ONE’S CONVICTIONS.

[cook] See: SHORT-ORDER COOK, WHAT’S UP or WHAT’S COOKING.

[cook one’s goose]{v. phr.}, {slang} To ruin someone hopelessly;destroy one’s future expectations or good name. •/The bank treasurer cookedhis own goose when he stole the bank’s funds./ •/She cooked John’s goose byreporting what she knew to the police./ •/The dishonest official knew hisgoose was cooked when the newspapers printed the story about him./

[cook up]{v.}, {informal} To plan and put together; make up;invent. •/The boys cooked up an excuse to explain their absence fromschool./

[cool] See: PLOW ONE’S COOL.

[cool as a cucumber]{adj. phr.}, {informal} Very calm and brave;not nervous, worried, or anxious; not excited; composed. •/Bill is a goodfootball quarterback, always cool as a cucumber./

[cool customer]{n.} Someone who is calm and in total control ofhimself; someone showing little emotion. •/Jim never gets too excited aboutanything; he is a cool customer./

[cool down] or [cool off] {v.} To lose or cause to lose the heat ofany deep feeling (as love, enthusiasm, or anger); make or become calm, cooledor indifferent; lose interest. •/A heated argument can be settled better ifboth sides cool down first./ •/John was deeply in love with Sally before heleft for college, but he cooled off before he got back./ •/Their friendshipcooled off when Jack gave up football./ •/The neighbor’s complaint aboutthe noise cooled the argument down./

[cool one’s heels]{v. phr.}, {slang} To be kept waiting byanother’s pride or rudeness; be forced to wait by someone in power orauthority; wait. •/He cooled his heels for an hour in another room before thegreat man would see him./ •/I was left to cool my heels outside while theothers went into the office./

[coon’s age] See: DOG’S AGE.

[coop] See: FLY THE COOP.

[coop up]{v. phr.} To hedge in; confine; enclose in a small place.•/How can poor Jane work in that small office, cooped up all day long?/

[cop a feel]{v. phr.}, {vulgar}, {avoidable} To attempt toarouse sexually by manual contact, usually by surprise. •/John talks big fora 16 year old, but all he’s ever done is cop a feel in a dark movie theater./Compare: FEEL UP. Contrast: COP A PLEA.

[cop a plea]{v. phr.}, {slang}, {colloquial} To plead guiltyduring a trial in the hope of getting a lighter sentence as a result. •/Themurderer of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., copped a plea of guilty, and got awaywith a life sentence instead of the death penalty./

[cop out]{v. phr.}, {slang}, {informal} To avoid committingoneself in a situation where doing so would result in difficulties. •/Nixoncopped out on the American people with Watergate./

[cop-out]{n. phr.}, {slang}, {informal} An irresponsibleexcuse made to avoid something one has to do, a flimsy pretext. •/Cowe on,Jim, that’s a cheap cop-out, and I don’t believe a word of it!/

[copy cat] n. Someone who copies another person’s work or manner. — Usually used by children or when speaking to children. •/He called me a copycat just because my new shoes look like his./

[corn ball]{n.}, {slang}, {informal} 1. A superficiallysentimental movie or musical in which the word "love" is mentioned too often; atheatrical performance that is trivially sentimental. •/That movie last nightwas a corn hall./ 2. A person who behaves in a superficially sentimentalmanner or likes performances portraying such behavior. •/Suzie can’t standJoe; she thinks he’s a corn ball./