[cover up]{v.}, {informal} 1. To hide something wrong or bad from attention. •/The spy covered up his picture-taking by pretending to be just a tourist./ •/A crooked banker tried to cover up his stealing some of the bank’s money by starting a fire to destroy the records./ Compare: COVER ONE’S TRACKS(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 chin when he boxed./ 3. To protect someone else from blame or punishment; protect someone with a lie or alibi.?—?Often used with "for". •/The teacher wanted to know who broke the window and told the boys not to try to cover up for anyone./ •/The burglar’s friend covered up for him by saying that he was at his home when the robbery occurred./

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

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

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

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

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

[cozy up]{v.}, {slang} To try to be close or friendly; try to be liked.?—?Usually used with "to". •/John is cozying up to Henry so he can join 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 night before the exam./ •/Many students think they can pass without cracking a book./

[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 best wishes./

[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’s face; permit a smile to appear. •/Bob told the whole silly story without even cracking a smile./ •/Scrooge was a gloomy man, who never cracked a smile./ •/When we gave the shy little boy an ice cream cone, he finally cracked a smile./

[crack down]{v. phr.}, {informal} To enforce laws or rules strictly; require full obedience to a rule. •/After a speeding driver hit a child, the police cracked down./?—?Often used with "on". •/Police suddenly cracked down on the selling of liquors to minors./ •/The coach cracked down on 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 rays first appear. •/The rooster crows at the crack of dawn and wakes up everybody on the farm./

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

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

[crackpot]{n.}, {attrib. adj.}, {informal} 1. {n.} An eccentric 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 or cooperation by threats of punishment. •/If the children won’t behave when I reason with them, I have to crack the whip./

[crack up]{v.} 1. To wreck or be wrecked; smash up. •/The airplane cracked up in landing./ •/He cracked up his car./ 2. {informal} To become mentally ill under physical or mental overwork or worry. •/He had kept too busy for years, and when failures came, he cracked up./ •/It seemed to be family problems that made him crack up./ 3. Burst into laughter or cause to 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 natural freedom; prevent your usual behavior; limit your actions or talk. •/He cramped his style a good deal when he lost his money./ •/Army rules cramped George’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 of the submarine told his crew to prepare for a crash dive when he saw the enemy battleship approaching./

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

[crash the gate]{v. phr.}, {slang} To enter without a ticket or without paying; attend without an invitation or permission. •/Bob got into the circus without paying. He crashed the gate./ •/Three boys tried to crash 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, but she 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 the crop./ •/The students had drawn many good pictures and the teacher chose the 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 habit rather than by thought. •/Our boss is a creature of habit, so let us not confuse him with too many new ideas./

[credibility gap]{n.}, {hackneyed phrase}, {politics} An apparent discrepancy between what the government says and what one can observe for oneself. •/There was a tremendous credibility gap in the USA during the Watergate 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 not see the snake creeping up on it over the rocks./ •/Indians were creeping up on the house through the bushes./ 2. or [sneak up on] To come little by little; arrive slowly and unnoticed. •/The woman’s hair was turning gray as age 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 were playing./ Compare: COME OVER.