cl Idiom
a clean bill of health
a good report from the doctor, a good checkup You'll never get a clean bill of health if you eat fat meat!
a cliff-hanger
a game that is close until the end, a barnburner Every election in this town is a real cliff-hanger - a close race.
a close call
close to danger or an accident That was a close call. The train nearly hit the bus!
a close shave
very close to serious injury or death The old man described his fight with the bear as a close shave.
a clutch hitter (baseball)
a batter who hits when runners are on base Joe's a clutch hitter. He's batting .431 with runners on base.
a foregone conclusion
a certain conclusion, a predictable result That he'll graduate is a foregone conclusion. He is a good student.
a grandfather clause
a written statement that protects a senior worker They can't demote him because he has a grandfather clause.
a man of the cloth
a minister, a priest, a clergyman Being a man of the cloth, he has studied the Bible.
a new broom sweeps clean
an employee works hard on the first day or two, make a good impression "After my first day working for Grandfather, he said, ""A new broom sweeps clean."""
a stitch of clothes
(See didn't have a stitch of clothes on)
a wolf in sheep's clothing
an evil person who looks innocent The priest looked harmless, but he was a wolf in sheep's clothing.
around the clock
twenty-four hours, 'round the clock Julie worked around the clock to finish her sewing project.
as clean as a whistle
without any dirt or marks, smooth and clean The hen squeezed, and out popped an egg as clean as a whistle.
at a good clip
fast, at a high speed When you passed us you were going at a pretty good clip.
blow this popsicle stand
leave this place, quit this place What a boring town! Let's blow this popsicle stand!
Bob's your uncle
"no problem as ""Bob,"" a powerful friend or relative, will do it or have it done" "When I asked her to give your application to the president, she said, ""Bob's your uncle!"""
bring to a close
conclude, finish, wrap up Now, to bring my presentation to a close, I'll tell you a story.
circles around you
much better than you, no contest Why do you play cards with her? She can play circles around you.
claim to fame
what you have done to cause you to be famous Besides passing math, what's your claim to fame?
clam
dollar, buck He paid a hundred clams for that radio.
clam up
stop talking, become quiet Why do you clam up when we mention Judy? Why so quiet?
claptrap
nonsense, trivia, bull I heard what the psychic said. What a lot of claptrap!
claws are showing
show resentment or envy or jealousy, if looks could kill When you talked about Carla, your claws were showing. Do you dislike her?
clean bill of health
(See a clean bill of health)
clean cut
well groomed, clean, neat We're looking for clean-cut boys to work as waiters.
clean me out
buy all I have, steal everything I own The thieves cleaned us out. They took everything in our house.
clean up
make a lot of money, make a big profit I cleaned up at the horse races last year and still have some of the money left.
clean up on
defeat, beat, whip you, wipe you Little Chad cleaned up on big Clint. Chad is quite a fighter.
clean up your act
do it better, do it legally, get your act together I've missed classes, failed tests. I need to clean up my act.
clean up your plate
finish eating all the food on your plate, eat it up You may leave the table after you've cleaned up your plate.
clear as a bell
easy to hear or understand, clearly audible We heard him say it. He said no, clear as a bell.
clear as mud
not understandable, confusing "Mr. Lee explained the formula. Then he said, ""Clear as mud, eh?"""
clear out
leave, go, get out, take off When the gang arrived, we cleared out. We left in a hurry.
clear sailing
(See smooth sailing)
clear the air
explain, talk about a problem openly His statement will clear the air. It will prevent more confusion.
clear up
explain, discuss so everyone understands Let's clear up the matter of the missing keys. Were they stolen?
clear your head/mind
relax so you can think clearly After an argument I need time to clear my head, to become calm.
click in
become aware, realize, dawn on, hit me It didn't click in that he was hurt until I saw the blood on his shirt.
cliff-hanger
(See a cliff-hanger)
climb the walls
feel upset or stressed, go bonkers, go crazy On the first day of school, the teacher was climbing the walls.
clip one
limit or hold one back, bring one under control We had to try and clip his wings as he was becoming too aggressive in dealing with other people.
close a deal/sale
complete a sale to a customer Vi knows how to close a sale. She's a good closer.
close call
(See a close call)
close out
sell the whole of something, sell all the goods They decided to close out the store and sell all of the remaining stock very cheap.
close ranks
unite and fight together During the meeting the opposite side closed ranks and refused to compromise on any issue.
close shave
(See a close shave)
close the books
stop taking orders, end a bookkeeping period They usually close the books at the end of February every year.
close to the vest
hidden, covered, not showing your cards Walter plays close to the vest. He doesn't let me see his cards.
closer
(See wheeler-dealer)
clotheslined (hockey)
lifted by a bodycheck, hanging in the air Orr was clotheslined just as he crossed the line. What a check!
