[cover up]{v.}, {informal} 1. To hide something wrong or bad fromattention. •/The spy covered up his picture-taking by pretending to be just atourist./ •/A crooked banker tried to cover up his stealing some of thebank’s money by starting a fire to destroy the records./ Compare: COVER ONE’STRACKS(2). 2. In boxing: To guard your head and body with your gloves, arms,and shoulders. •/Jimmy’s father told him to cover up and protect his chinwhen he boxed./ 3. To protect someone else from blame or punishment; protectsomeone with a lie or alibi. — Often used with "for". •/The teacher wantedto know who broke the window and told the boys not to try to cover up foranyone./ •/The burglar’s friend covered up for him by saying that he was athis home when the robbery occurred./

[cover-up]{n.}, {slang} A plan or excuse to escape blame orpunishment; lie, alibi. •/When the men robbed the bank, their cover-up was todress like policemen./ •/Joe’s cover-up to his mother after he had beenfighting was that he fell down./

[cow] See: HOLY CATS or HOLY COW, SACRED COW.

[cowboy]{n.}, {slang}, {informal} A person who drives his carcarelessly and at too great a speed in order to show off his courage. •/Joe’sgoing to be arrested some day — he is a cowboy on the highway./

[cow college]{n.}, {slang} 1. An agricultural college; a schoolwhere farming is studied. •/A new, bigger kind of apple is being grown at thecow college./ 2. A new or rural college not thought to be as good as older orcity colleges. •/John wanted to go to a big college in New York City, not toa cow college./

[cows tail]{n.}, {dialect} A person who is behind others. •/Johnwas the cow’s tail at the exam./ •/Fred was always the old cow’s tail forfootball practice./

[cozy up]{v.}, {slang} To try to be close or friendly; try to beliked. — Usually used with "to". •/John is cozying up to Henry so he canjoin the club./

[crack] See: HARD NUT TO CRACK or TOUGH NUT TO CRACK.

[crack a book]{v. phr.}, {slang} To open a book in order to study. — Usually used with a negative. •/John did not crack a book until the nightbefore the exam./ •/Many students think they can pass without cracking abook./

[crack a bottle]{v. phr.} To open a new bottle of alcoholic beverage.•/On birthdays it is customary to crack a bottle and offer one’s bestwishes./

[crack a joke]{v. phr.}, {informal} To make a joke; tell a joke.•/The men sat around the stove, smoking and cracking jokes./

[crack a smile]{v. phr.}, {informal} To let a smile show on one’sface; permit a smile to appear. •/Bob told the whole silly story without evencracking a smile./ •/Scrooge was a gloomy man, who never cracked asmile./ •/When we gave the shy little boy an ice cream cone, he finallycracked a smile./

[crack down]{v. phr.}, {informal} To enforce laws or rulesstrictly; require full obedience to a rule. •/After a speeding driver hit achild, the police cracked down./ — Often used with "on". •/Police suddenlycracked down on the selling of liquors to minors./ •/The coach cracked downon the players when he found they had not been obeying the training rules./

[crack of dawn]{n. phr.} The time in the morning when the sun’s raysfirst appear. •/The rooster crows at the crack of dawn and wakes up everybodyon the farm./

[cracked up]{adj. phr.}, {informal} Favorably described orpresented; praised. — Usually used in the expression "not what it’s cracked upto be". •/The independent writer’s life isn’t always everything it’s crackedup to be./ •/In bad weather, a sailing cruise isn’t what it’s cracked up tobe./

[cracking] See: GET CRACKING — at GET GOING(2).

[crackpot]{n.}, {attrib. adj.}, {informal} 1. {n.} Aneccentric person with ideas that don’t make sense to most other people.•/Don’t believe what Uncle Noam tells you — he is a crackpot./ 2.{attrib. adj.} •/That’s a crackpot idea./

[crack the whip]{v. phr.}, {informal} To get obedience orcooperation by threats of punishment. •/If the children won’t behave when Ireason with them, I have to crack the whip./

[crack up]{v.} 1. To wreck or be wrecked; smash up. •/The airplanecracked up in landing./ •/He cracked up his car./ 2. {informal} Tobecome mentally ill under physical or mental overwork or worry. •/He had kepttoo busy for years, and when failures came, he cracked up./ •/It seemed tobe family problems that made him crack up./ 3. Burst into laughter or causeto burst into laughter. •/That comedian cracks me up./

[cradle] See: ROB THE CRADLE.

[cradle robber], [cradle robbing] See: ROB THE CRADLE.

[cramp] See: WRITER’S CRAMP.

[cramp one’s style]{v. phr.}, {informal} To limit your naturalfreedom; prevent your usual behavior; limit your actions or talk. •/Hecramped his style a good deal when he lost his money./ •/Army rules crampedGeorge’s style./

[crash dive]{n.} A sudden dive made by a submarine to escape an enemy;a dive made to get deep under water as quickly as possible. •/The captain ofthe submarine told his crew to prepare for a crash dive when he saw the enemybattleship approaching./

[crash-dive]{v.} 1. To dive deep underwater in a submarine as quicklyas possible. •/We shall crash-dive if we see enemy planes coming./ 2. Todive into (something) in an airplane. •/When the plane’s motor was hit by theguns of the enemy battleship, the pilot aimed the plane at the ship andcrash-dived into it./

[crash the gate]{v. phr.}, {slang} To enter without a ticket orwithout paying; attend without an invitation or permission. •/Bob got intothe circus without paying. He crashed the gate./ •/Three boys tried tocrash the gate at our party but we didn’t let them in./

[craw] See: STICK IN ONE’S CRAW.

[crawl up] See: RIDE UP.

[crazy] or [mad] or [nuts about] {adj. phr.}, {informal}Excessively fond of; infatuated with. •/Jack is totally nuts about Liz, butshe is not too crazy about him./

[cream] See: VANISHING CREAM.

[cream of the crop]{n. phr.} The best of a group; the top choice.•/May Queen candidates were lovely, but Betsy and Nancy were the cream of thecrop./ •/The students had drawn many good pictures and the teacher chosethe cream of the crop to hang up when the parents came to visit./

[creature of habit]{n. phr.} A person who does things out of habitrather than by thought. •/Our boss is a creature of habit, so let us notconfuse him with too many new ideas./

[credibility gap]{n.}, {hackneyed phrase}, {politics} Anapparent discrepancy between what the government says and what one can observefor oneself. •/There was a tremendous credibility gap in the USA during theWatergate years./

[credit] See: DO CREDIT.

[creek] See: UP THE CREEK or UP THE CREEK WITHOUT A PADDLE.

[creep] See: THE CREEPS.

[creep up on]{v.} 1. To crawl towards; move along near the ground;steal cautiously towards so as not to be seen or noticed. •/The mouse did notsee the snake creeping up on it over the rocks./ •/Indians were creeping upon the house through the bushes./ 2. or [sneak up on] To come little bylittle; arrive slowly and unnoticed. •/The woman’s hair was turning gray asage crept up on her./ •/Winter is creeping up on us little by little./•/The boys didn’t notice the darkness creeping up on them while they wereplaying./ Compare: COME OVER.