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Phrases related to: literal and figurative language Page #13

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cattle callAn audition which is open to the public and thus draws a large number of applicants, many of whom are inexperienced.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
caucus raceA political competition; the game of campaigning and one-upmanship to get votes and be elected.Rate it:

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caught between the devil and the deep blue seaHaving a choice between two alternatives, both undesirable.Rate it:

(3.33 / 3 votes)
causae rerum et consecutionescause and effect.Rate it:

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caution - slippery when wetWarning, often in the form of a sign, that people should pay attention when walking on a wet and slippery ground not to fall down and get injured.Rate it:

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CAVOKAcronym of Ceiling and visibility OK., sometimes alternatively interpreted as "Clouds and Visibility OK", a weather status report for pilots when visibility is at least 10 kilometres, there are no clouds below 5000 feet or minimum sector altitude, and there is no current or forecast significant weather such as precipitation.Rate it:

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ce n'est pas tous les jours fête1. Christmas comes but once a year. 2. One cannot always have “a high old time,” but must work as well. 3. Life is not all beer and skittles.Rate it:

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ce sont deux têtes dans un bonnetThey are hand and glove together.Rate it:

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cease and desistTo stop and not resume an action.Rate it:

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cease and desistA demanding that one "cease and desist from" continuing certain behavior, such as copyright infringement, trademark infringement, slander, or libel.Rate it:

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cela ne lui rend pas la jambe mieux faite! (ironic.)And a lot of good that will do him!Rate it:

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center fieldThe part of a baseball field which is beyond the infield and straight ahead left if you stand on home plate and face the pitcher.Rate it:

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cet homme casse les vitresThat man speaks out boldly, to bring matters to a crisis; That man does not pick and choose his words.Rate it:

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cette femme est un vrai dragon1. That woman is a virago. 2. That woman is very masculine (in appearance and manners).Rate it:

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cette fois, ça y estNow it is done, and no mistake.Rate it:

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chalk and cheeseSaid of things that are superficially alike but very different in substance.Rate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
chalkfaceA musical concept or genre in which music is completely improvised and never played twice. Most often mixing elements of hip-hop, metal, punk and avant-garde jazz.Rate it:

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charity muggerA person employed by a charity, or by an intermediary fundraising agency employed by the charity, who stands in the street and invites passersby to set up standing orders or direct debits to make regular donations to the charity.Rate it:

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charm offensiveA campaign of deliberately using charm and flattery in order to achieve some goal, especially in a political or diplomatic field.Rate it:

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charmed lifeA life in which one is always lucky and safe from danger.Rate it:

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chase downTo pursue and apprehend someone.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
chase one's tailTo busily try to perform many tasks or to repeatedly revise one's plans, especially with inefficient use of one's time and limited results.Rate it:

(5.00 / 1 vote)
chat upIn a friendly, open, or casual manner, sometimes also in a charming or affected manner, usually to curry favor, and sometimes flirtatiously with the intention of establishing a romantic or sexual encounter or relationship with that person.Rate it:

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che sera seraUsed to express a personal philosophy of fatalism1604, Christopher Marlowe, Doctor Faustus:Why then belike we must sin, / And so consequently die. / Aye, we must die an everlasting death. / What doctrine call you this ? Che, sera, sera: / What will be*, shall be; Divinity adieu. / These Metaphysics of Magicians, / And necromantic books, are heavenly.Rate it:

(4.50 / 2 votes)
cheap-arse TuesdayThe day of the week when establishments such as the cinemas, restaurants, etc, offer some of their goods and services at discounted prices.Rate it:

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cheap-arse TuesdayThe day of the week (Tuesday) when establishments such as the cinemas, restaurants, etc, offer some of their goods and services at discounted prices.Rate it:

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check and balanceProvide mutual oversight and limitation by independent organizations in order to prevent abuses of power.Rate it:

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check outTo have one's purchases recorded and bagged at a supermarket, and pay for it.Rate it:

(4.00 / 2 votes)
check outTo pay the bill, and record one's departure, as from a hotel.Rate it:

(4.00 / 3 votes)
check outUsed to draw attention to something and stimulate excitement about it.Rate it:

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check outTo withdraw an item, as from a library, and have the withdrawal recorded.Rate it:

(3.00 / 1 vote)
check overTo read and look for errors.Rate it:

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check your attitude (at the door)The speaker is warning the listener that their attitude may have adverse effects and advising that the listener change their attitude. Adding "at the door" at the end of this phrases means to leave your attitude outside/don't bring that attitude in hereRate it:

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checks and balancesA system for multiple parties wherein each has some control over the actions of each of the others.Rate it:

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cheer onTo cheer and support a team, to barrack, to root for.Rate it:

(5.00 / 13 votes)
Chew Someone OutTo handle someone roughly and scold them severelyRate it:

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Chew the FatTo talk in a friendly and relaxed mannerRate it:

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chew the meat and spit out the bonesTo take in a great deal of information and selectively disregard some of it as invalid or inapplicableRate it:

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chicken filletA piece of rubber or silicone placed in a woman's bra under the breast to increase apparent size and/or create more cleavage.Rate it:

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chicken scratchChicken feed consisting of random mixed grains such as corn, wheat, barley, sorghum and milling by-products.Rate it:

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chickenizationThe process of chickenizing, making into a vertically and horizontally integrated industry.Rate it:

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chickenizeTo make into a vertically and horizontally integrated industry.Rate it:

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children should be seen and not heardChildren should behave well and be quiet, especially in the presence of adults.Rate it:

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chill girlA woman who denies or dismisses sexism and/or misogyny.Rate it:

(1.00 / 1 vote)
Chill OutCalm down, relax or feel light and relievedRate it:

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chilly climateA male-dominated environment where both overt and subtle forms of discrimination lead to the unequal treatment of womenRate it:

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China syndromeA hypothetical kind of catastrophic failure in which a nuclear reactor melts through the floor of its containment system and penetrates the earth's surface, continuing downward as if (from a Western Hemispheric point of view) traveling through the planet toward China.Rate it:

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China syndromeA rare disease, first characterized in the early 1990s, which resembles poliomyelitis but which has somewhat different characteristics and occurs in persons vaccinated for poliomyelitis.Rate it:

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Chinese WallA barrier of silence and secrecy established within an organization in order to cope with confidentiality requirements.Rate it:

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Chip Off the Old BlockA child who shares the same looks, abilities and characteristics as of his parentsRate it:

(0.00 / 0 votes)

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