208+ List of Idioms Starting with C | Idioms with Meaning

An idiom is a phrase or expression that typically presents a figurative, non-literal meaning attached to the phrase. Some phrases which become figurative idioms, however, do retain the phrase’s literal meaning.

Categorized as formulaic language, an idiom’s figurative meaning is different from the literal meaning.

Here are the list some of the Idioms starting with C:

Idioms Starting With C

Sr. No.	Idioms	Meaning
1	Cake’s not worth the candle	If someone says that the cake’s not worth the candle, they mean that the result will not be worth the effort put in to achieve it.
2	Calf lick	A calf lick is the weird parting in your fringe where your hair grows in a different direction, usually to one side.
3	Call a spade a spade	A person who calls a spade a spade is one speaks frankly and makes little or no attempt to conceal their opinions or to spare the feelings of their audience.
4	Call it a day	If you call it a day, you stop doing something for a while, normally at least until the following day.
5	Call on the carpet	If you are called on the carpet, you are summoned for a reprimand by superiors or others in power.
6	Call the dogs off	If someone calls off their dogs, they stop attacking or criticizing someone.
7	Call the shots	If you call the shots, you are in charge and tell people what to do.
8	Call the tune	The person who calls the tune makes the important decisions about something.
9	Calm before the storm	A calm time immediately before period of violent activity or argument is the calm before the storm.
10	Can of worms	If an action can create serious problems, it is opening a can of worms.
11	Can’t dance and it’s too wet to plow	When you can’t dance and it’s too wet to plow, you may as well do something because you can’t or don’t have the opportunity to do anything else.
12	Can’t do it for toffee	If you can’t so something for toffee, you are incapable of doing something properly or to any sort of standard.
13	Can’t hack it	Unable to perform an act, duty, job etc. (example: I have to quit my job as a computer technician; I just can’t hack it.)
14	Can’t hold a candle	If something can’t hold a candle to something else, it is much worse.
15	Can’t see the forest for its trees	If someone can’t see the forest for its trees, they are too focused on specific details to see the picture as a whole.
16	Canary in a coal mine	A canary in a coal mine is an early warning of danger.
17	Card up your sleeve	If you have a card up your sleeve, you have a surprise plan or idea that you are keeping back until the time is right.
18	Carpetbagger	A carpetbagger is an opportunist without any scruples or ethics, or a politician who wants to represent a place they have no connection with.
19	Carrot and stick	If someone offers a carrot and stick, they offer an incentive to do something combined with the threat of punishment.
20	Carry the can	If you carry the can, you take the blame for something, even though you didn’t do it or are only partly at fault.

21	Carry the day	If something carries the day, it wins a battle (the sense is that the battle has been long and could have gone either way) or competition for supremacy.
22	Case by case	If things are done case by case, each situation or issue is handled separately on its own merits and demerits.
23	Case in point	Meaning an instance of something has just occurred that was previously discussed. For instance, a person may have told another that something always happens. Later that day, they see it happening, and the informer might say, ‘case in point’.
24	Cash cow	A product, business, etc, that generates a continuous flow of money or a high proportion of overall profits is a cash cow.
25	Cash in your chips	If you cash in your chips, you sell something to get what profit you can because you think its value is going to fall. It can also mean ‘to die’.
26	Cast a long shadow	Something or someone that casts a long shadow has considerable influence on other people or events.
27	Cast aspersion	If you cast aspersion, you try to blacken someone’s name and make people think badly of them.
28	Cast doubt on	If you make other people not sure about a matter, then you have cast doubt on it.
29	Cast iron stomach	A person with a cast iron stomach can eat or drink anything without any ill effects.
30	Cast pearls before swine	If you cast pearls before swine, you offer something of value to someone who doesn’t appreciate it- ‘swine’ are ‘pigs’.
31	Cast sheep’s eyes at	If you cast sheep’s eyes at at someone, you look lovingly or with longing at them.
32	Cast your mind back	If somebody tells you to cast your mind back on something, they want you to think about something that happened in the past, but which you might not remember very well, and to try to remember as much as possible.
33	Cast your net widely	If you cast your net widely, you use a wide range of sources when trying to find something.
34	Casting vote	The casting vote is a vote given to a chairman or president that is used when there is a deadlock.
35	Castles in the air	Plans that are impractical and will never work out are castles in the air.
36	Cat among the pigeons	If something or someone puts, or sets or lets, the cat among the pigeons, they create a disturbance and cause trouble.
37	Cat and dog life	If people lead a cat and dog life, they are always arguing.
38	Cat burglar	A cat burglar is a skillful thief who breaks into places without disturbing people or setting off alarms.
39	Cat fur and kitty britches	When I used to ask my grandma what was for dinner, she would say ‘cat fur and kitty britches’. This was her Ozark way of telling me that I would get what she cooked. (Ozark is a region in the center of the United States)
40	Cat got your tongue?	If someone asks if the cat has got your tongue, they want to know why you are not speaking when they think you should.

41	Cat nap	If you have a short sleep during the day, you are cat napping.
42	Cat’s lick	A cat’s lick is a very quick wash.
43	Cat’s pajamas	Something that is the cat’s pajamas is excellent.
44	Cat’s whiskers	Something excellent is the cat’s whiskers.
45	Catch as catch can	This means that people should try to get something any way they can.
46	Catch hell	If you catch hell, you get into trouble or get scolded. (‘Catch heck’ is also used.)
47	Catch some z’s	If you catch some z’s, you get some sleep.
48	Catch someone red-handed	If someone is caught red-handed, they are found doing something wrong or illegal.
49	Catch-22	Catch-22 is a situation where conflicting rules make the desired outcome impossible. It comes from a novel by the American author Joseph Heller, in which pilots would not have to fly missions if they were mentally ill, but not wanting to fly dangerous missions was held to be proof of sanity, so they had to fly anyway. (‘Catch 22’, without the hyphen, is also used.)
50	Caught with your hand in the cookie jar	If someone is caught with his or her hand in the cookie jar, he or she is caught doing something wrong.
51	Chalk and cheese	Things, or people, that are like chalk and cheese are very different and have nothing in common.
52	Champ at the bit	If someone is champing at the bit, they are very eager to accomplish something. (‘Chomping at the bit’ is also used.)
53	Champagne taste on a beer budget	Someone who lives above their means and likes things they cannot afford has champagne taste on a beer budget.
54	Change horses in midstream	If people change horses in midstream, they change plans or leaders when they are in the middle of something, even though it may be very risky to do so.
55	Change of heart	If you change the way you think or feel about something, you have a change of heart.
56	Change tack	If you change tack, you use a different method for dealing with something.
57	Change your tune	If someone changes their ideas or the way they talk about them, they change their tune.
58	Chaps my ass	When something/someone really annoys you, it chaps your ass.
59	Chapter and verse	When you know something very well, and can quote it, you know it chapter and verse.
60	Charity begins at home	This idiom means that family members are more important than anyone else, and should be the focus of a person’s efforts.

61	Chase rainbows	If someone chases rainbows, they try to do something that they will never achieve.
62	Chase your tail	If you are chasing your tail, you are very busy but not being very productive.
63	Cheap as chips	If something is very inexpensive, it is as cheap as chips.
64	Cheap at half the price	If something’s cheap at half the price, it’s very cheap indeed.
65	Cheap shot	A cheap shot is an unprincipled criticism.
66	Cheat death	If someone cheats death, they narrowly avoid a major problem or accident.
67	Cheek by jowl	If things or people are cheek by jowl, they are very close together.
68	Cherry pick	If people cherry pick, they choose things that support their position, while ignoring things that contradict it.
69	Chew on a bone	If someone is chewing on a bone, he or she is thinking about something intently.
70	Chew the cud	If you chew the cud, you think carefully about something.
71	Chew the fat	If you chew the fat with someone, you talk at leisure with them.
72	Chickenfeed	If something is small or unimportant, especially money, it is chickenfeed.
73	Child’s play	If something is child’s play, it is very easy and simple.
74	Chinese walls	Chinese walls are regulatory information barriers that aim to stop the flow of information that could be misused, especially in financial corporations.
75	Chinese whispers	When a story is told from person to person, especially if it is gossip or scandal, it inevitably gets distorted and exaggerated. This process is called Chinese whispers.
76	Chip off the old block	If someone is a chip off the old block, they closely resemble one or both of the parents in character.
77	Chip on your shoulder	If someone has a chip on their shoulder, they are resentful about something and feel that they have been treated badly.
78	Chop and change	If things chop and change, they keep changing, often unexpectedly.
79	Cigarette paper	If you cannot get or put a cigarette paper between people, they are so closely bonded that nothing will separate them or their positions on issues.
80	Circle the wagons	If you circle the wagons, you stop communicating with people who don’t think the same way as you to avoid their ideas. It can also mean to bring everyone together to defend a group against an attack.

81	Circling the drain	If someone is circling the drain, they are very near death and have little time to live. The phrase can also describe a project or plan or campaign that that is on the brink of failure.
82	Class act	Someone who’s a class act is exceptional in what they do.
83	Clean as a whistle	If something is as clean as a whistle, it is extremely clean, spotless. It can also be used to mean ‘completely’, though this meaning is less common nowadays. If somebody is clean as a whistle, they are not involved in anything illegal.
84	Clean bill of health	If something or someone has a clean bill of health, then there’s nothing wrong; everything’s fine.
85	Clean break	If you make a clean break, you break away completely from something.
86	Clean hands	Someone with clean hands, or who keeps their hands clean, is not involved in illegal or immoral activities.
87	Clean sheet	When someone has a clean sheet, they have got no criminal record or problems affecting their reputation. In football and other sports, a goalkeeper has a clean sheet when let no goals in.
88	Clean slate	If you start something with a clean slate, then nothing bad from your past is taken into account.
89	Clean sweep	If someone makes a clean sweep, they win absolutely everything in a competition or contest.
90	Clean your clock	If you clean your clock, you beat someone decisively in a contest or fight.
91	Clear as a bell	If something is as clear as a bell, it is very clear or easy to understand.
92	Clear as mud	If something is as clear as mud, then it is very confusing and unclear.
93	Cliffhanger	If something like a sports match or an election is a cliffhanger, then the result is so close that it cannot be predicted and will only be known at the very end.
94	Climb on the bandwagon	When people climb on the bandwagon they do something because it is popular and everyone else is doing it.
95	Climb the greasy pole	Advance within an organization – especially in politics.
96	Cling to hope	If people cling to hope, they continue to hope though the chances of success are very small.
97	Close at hand	If something is close at hand, it is nearby or conveniently located.
98	Close but no cigar	If you are close but no cigar, you are close to success, but have not got there.
99	Close call	If the result of something is a close call, it is almost impossible to distinguish between the parties involved and to say who has won or whatever. It can also mean that you very nearly have a serious accident or get into trouble.
100	Close shave	If you have a close shave, you very nearly have a serious accident or get into trouble.

Read More – Ways to Say Because

101	Close the stable door after the horse has bolted	If people try to fix something after the problem has occurred, they are trying to close the stable door after the horse has bolted. ‘Close the barn door after the horse has bolted’ is alternative, often used in American English.
102	Close to your heart	If something is close to your heart, you care a lot about it. (‘Dear to your heart’ is an alternative.)
103	Closed book to me	If a subject is a closed book to you, it is something that you don’t understand or know anything about.
104	Cloth ears	If you don’t listen to people, they may suggest you have cloth ears.
105	Cloud cuckoo land	If someone has ideas or plans that are completely unrealistic, they are living on cloud cuckoo land.
106	Cloud nine	If you are on cloud nine, you are extremely happy. (‘cloud seven’ is a less common alternative)
107	Cloud of suspicion	If a cloud of suspicion hangs over an individual, it means that they are not believed or are distrusted.
108	Cloud on the horizon	If you can see a problem ahead, you can call it a cloud on the horizon.
109	Clutch at straws	If someone is in serious trouble and tries anything to help them, even though their chances of success are probably nil, they are clutching at straws.
110	Clutch play	If an activity is referred to as a clutch play, it means that the activity was the key to the success or failure of the venture. For instance, a clutch play in a baseball game may be striking out a batter with the bases loaded.
111	Coals to Newcastle	Taking, bringing, or carrying coals to Newcastle is doing something that is completely unnecessary.
112	Coast is clear	When the coast is clear, the people supposed to be watching you are not there and you are able to move or leave.
113	Cock a snook	To make a rude gesture by putting one thumb to the nose with the fingers outstretched.
114	Cock and bull story	A cock and bull story is a lie someone tells that is completely unbelievable.
115	Cock in the henhouse	This is used to describe a male in an all-female environment.
116	Cock of the walk	A man who is excessively confident and thinks he’s better than other people is the cock of the walk.
117	Cold day in hell	This is used as a prediction there is no chance some event or condition will ever happen.’There will be a cold day in hell before he manages it.’
118	Cold feet	If you get cold feet about something, you lose the courage to do it.
119	Cold fish	A cold fish is a person who doesn’t show how they feel.
120	Cold light of day	If you see things in the cold light of day, you see them as they really are, not as you might want them to be.

121	Cold shoulder	If you give or show someone the cold shoulder, you are deliberately unfriendly and unco-operative towards them.
122	Cold sweat	If something brings you out in a cold sweat, it frightens you a lot.
123	Cold turkey	If someone suddenly stops taking drugs, instead of slowly cutting down, they do cold turkey.
124	Colder than a witches tit	If it is colder than a witches tit, it is extremely cold outside.
125	Collateral damage	Accidental or unintended damage or casualties are collateral damage.
126	Collect dust	If something is collecting dust, it isn’t being used any more.
127	Color bar	Rules that restrict access on the basis of race or ethnicity are a color bar.
128	Come a cropper	Someone whose actions or lifestyle will inevitably result in trouble is going to come a cropper.
129	Come clean	If someone comes clean about something, they admit to deceit or wrongdoing.
130	Come hell or high water	If someone says they’ll do something come hell or high water, they mean that nothing will stop them, no matter what happens.
131	Come of age	When something comes of age it develops completely and reaches maturity. When someone comes of age, they reach adulthood or fulfill their potential.
132	Come on hard	If you come on hard, you are aggressive in your dealing with someone.
133	Come on the heels of	If something comes on the heels of something, it follows very soon after it.
134	Come out in the wash	If something will come out in the wash, it won’t have any permanent negative effect.
135	Come out of the woodwork	When things come out of the woodwork, they appear unexpectedly. (‘Crawl out of the woodwork’ is also used.)
136	Come out of your shell	If someone comes out of their shell, they stop being shy and withdrawn and become more friendly and sociable.
137	Come rain or shine	If I say I’ll be at a place come rain or shine, I mean that I can be relied on to turn up; nothing, not even the vagaries of British weather, will deter me or stop me from being there.
138	Come to a head	If events reach a crisis point, they come to a head.
139	Come to bear	If something comes to bear on you, you start to feel the pressure or effect of it.
140	Come to call	If someone comes to call, they respond to an order or summons directly.

141	Come to grips	If you come to grips with a problem or issue, you face up to it and deal with it.
142	Come to heel	If someone comes to heel, they stop behaving in a way that is annoying to someone in authority and start being obedient.
143	Come up roses	If things come up roses, they produce a positive result, especially when things seemed to be going badly at first.
144	Come up smelling of roses	If someone comes up smelling of roses, they emerge from a situation with their reputation undamaged.
145	Come up trumps	When someone is said to have ‘come up trumps’, they have completed an activity successfully or produced a good result, especially when they were not expected to.
146	Come what may	If you’re prepared to do something come what may, it means that nothing will stop or distract you, no matter how hard or difficult it becomes.
147	Come with the territory	If something comes with the territory, it is part of a job or responsibility and just has to be accepted, even if unpleasant.
148	Comes with the territory	If something comes with the territory, especially when undesirable, it is automatically included with something else, like a job, responsibility, etc.(‘Goes with the territory’ is also used.)
149	Comfort zone	It is the temperature range in which the body doesn’t shiver or sweat, but has an idiomatic sense of a place where people feel comfortable, where they can avoid the worries of the world. It can be physical or mental.
150	Connect the dots	When you connect the dots, you understand the connections and relationships.
151	Constitution of an ox	If someone has the constitution of an ox, they are less affected than most people by things like tiredness, illness, alcohol, etc.
152	Cook someone’s goose	If you cook someone’s goose, you ruin their plans.
153	Cook the books	If people cook the books, they keep false accounts to make money illegally or avoid paying tax.
154	Cool as a cat	To act fine when you a actually scared or nervous.
155	Cool your heels	If you leave someone to cool their heels, you make them wait until they have calmed down.
156	Coon’s age	A very long time, as in ‘I haven’t seen her in a coon’s age!’
157	Corner a market	If a business is dominant in an area and unlikely to be challenged by other companies, it has cornered the market.
158	Couch potato	A couch potato is an extremely idle or lazy person who chooses to spend most of their leisure time horizontal in front of the TV and eats a diet that is mainly junk food.
159	Could eat a horse	If you are very hungry, you could eat a horse.
160	Couldn’t give two hoots	If you couldn’t give two hoots about something, you don’t care at all about it.

161	Count sheep	If people cannot sleep, they are advised to count sheep mentally.
162	Count your blessings	When people count their blessings, they concentrate on all the good things in their lives instead of the negative ones.
163	Country mile	A country mile is used to describe a long distance.
164	Cover all the bases	If you cover all the bases, you deal with all aspects of a situation or issue, or anticipate all possibilities. (‘Cover all bases’ is also used.)
165	Crack a nut with a sledgehammer	If you use a sledgehammer to crack a nut, you apply too much force to achieve a result. (‘Jackhammer’ is also used.)
166	Crash a party	If you crash a party, or are a gatecrasher, you go somewhere you haven’t been invited to.
167	Cream of the crop	The cream of the crop is the best there is.
168	Cream rises to the top	A good person or idea cannot go unnoticed for long, just as cream poured in coffee or tea eventually rises to the top.
169	Creature comforts	If a person said “I hate camping. I don’t like giving up my creature comforts.” the person would be referring, in particular, to the comfortable things he/she would have at home but not when camping. At home, for example, he/she would have complete shelter from the weather, a television, a nice comfortable warm bed, the ability to take a warm bath or shower, comfortable lounge chairs to relax in and so on. The person doesn’t like giving up the material and psychological benefits of his/her normal life.
170	Crème de la crème	The crème de la crème is the very best of something.
171	Crocodile tears	If someone cries crocodile tears, they pretend to be upset or affected by something.
172	Crooked as a dog’s hind leg	Someone who is very dishonest is as crooked as a dog’s hind leg.
173	Cross swords	When people cross swords, they argue or dispute. This expression is used when some groups accuse each other for non-adherence to norms. Actually no sword is used but the tempo of the argument is high enough to cause worsening of the already bad situation. It is a tussle (vehement struggle without use of arms) between the parties to establish supremacy.
174	Cross that bridge when you come to it	If you will cross that bridge when you come to it, you will deal with a problem when it arises, but not until that point.
175	Cross to bear	If someone has a cross to bear, they have a heavy burden of responsibility or a problem that they alone must cope with.
176	Crossing the Rubicon	When you are crossing the Rubicon, you are passing a point of no return. After you do this thing, there is no way of turning around. The only way left is forward.
177	Crunch time	When people, companies, etc, have to make an important decision that will have a considerable effect on their future, it is crunch time.
178	Cry wolf	If someone cries wolf, they raise a false alarm about something.
179	Cry your eyes out	If you cry your eyes out, you cry uncontrollably.
180	Cry-baby	A cry-baby is a person who gets emotional and cries too easily.

181	Cuckoo in the nest	Is an issue or a problem, etc, is a cuckoo in the nest, it grows quickly and crowds out everything else.
182	Cupboard love	To show love to gain something from someone.
183	Curate’s egg	If something is a bit of a curate’s egg, it is only good in parts.
184	Curiosity killed the cat	As cats are naturally curious animals, we use this expression to suggest to people that excessive curiosity is not necessarily a good thing, especially where it is not their business.
185	Curry favor	If people try to curry favor, they try to get people to support them. (‘Curry favor’ is the American spelling.)
186	Curve ball	If something is a curve ball, it is deceptive.
187	Cut a long story short	This idiom is used as a way of shortening a story by getting to to the end or the point.
188	Cut a rug	To cut a rug is to dance.
189	Cut above	If a person is described as a cut above other people, they are better in some way.
190	Cut and dried	If something is cut and dried, then everything has already been decided and, in the case of an opinion, might be a little stale and predictable.
191	Cut and run	If people cut and run, they take what they can get and leave before they lose everything.
192	Cut corners	If people try to do something as cheaply or as quickly as possible, often sacrificing quality, they are cutting corners.
193	Cut down the tall poppies	If people cut down the tall poppies, they criticise people who stand out from the crowd.
194	Cut it fine	If you cut it fine, you only just manage to do something- at the very last moment. ‘Cut things fine’ is the same. ‘Cut it a bit fine’ is a common variation.
195	Cut off your nose to spite your face	If you cut off your nose to spite your face, you do something rash or silly that ends up making things worse for you, often because you are angry or upset.
196	Cut someone some slack	To relax a rule or make an allowance, as in allowing someone more time to finish something.
197	Cut the Gordian knot	If someone cuts the Gordian knot, they solve a very complex problem in a simple way.
198	Cut the mustard	If somebody or something doesn’t cut the mustard, they fail or it fails to reach the required standard.
199	Cut to the chase	If you cut to the chase, you get to the point, or the most interesting or important part of something without delay.
200	Cut to the quick	If someone’s cut to the quick by something, they are very hurt and upset indeed.

201	Cut your coat according to your cloth	If you cut your coat according to your cloth, you only buy things that you have sufficient money to pay for.
202	Cut your losses	If you cut your losses, you avoid losing any more money than you already have by getting out of a situation before matters worsen.
203	Cut your teeth on	The place where you gain your early experience is where you cut your teeth.
204	Cute as a bug	If something is as cute as a bug, it is sweet and endearing.
205	Cuts no ice	If something cuts no ice, it doesn’t have any effect or influence.
206	Cutting edge	Something that is cutting edge is at the forefront of progress in its area.