Phrases Starting with “C”

English has thousands of phrases. For today’s column, let’s review a few which begin with the letter "C". The term charley horse (often misspelled even by native speakers as Charlie Horse) is uniquely American. If it is ever spoken in the UK, this is because it has been imported.

The term charley horse originates from the sport of baseball, which is American. | foto: Profimedia.cz

Angličtina na iDNES.cz
VŠECHNY LEKCE ZDE

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The term charley horse originates from the sport of baseball, which is American.

While there are several stories concerning the invention of this term, its creation seems to have been inspired by a real life baseball player named Charley Radbourne, who was pitching one day and pulled a muscle and could not continue.

A charley horse, put simply, is a cramp or any pulled muscle.

Examples: "He was having a hard time swimming because he had a charley horse in his calf" or "He could not run the football because he had a charley horse in his thigh."

Caught Red Handed
When a person is caught red handed, this means that they have been caught, literally, in the act of committing a crime or an offense.

Examples: "The judge was able to find him guilty real quickly because he was caught red handed in the middle of the bank at night" or "He was caught red handed cheating on her, she saw it herself."

Cold Turkey
When something is done cold turkey this means sudden, without advance notice, or without practice.

Examples: "He quit drinking all alcohol cold turkey, he just stopped drinking completely one day" or "He decided to quit smoking cold turkey, he smoked his last pack of cigarettes five years ago."

Cold Potatoes
If something is cold potatoes, this means the issue is "dead" or it is not going to be successful.

Examples: "His boss said ‘no’ to giving her a raise, the issue is cold potatoes" or "His wife said the issue is cold potatoes as far as she is concerned, she is not going to change her mind."

Jokes and Riddles of the Day

1. If you buy your dog a toy, your dog will play with it forever. If you buy a cat a toy, after 15 minutes he gets bored with the wrapper it came in.

2. A man’s dog is the only thing that truly appreciates his owner’s every word and superior intellect.

3. Remember the Golden Rule: dogs shed, cats shred.

4. Dogs understand what “no” means, cats say, “What, do you really mean to say that you were actually, truly, without a doubt talking to moi?”

5. Cat excuse: “That fur ball that I just coughed up can’t possibly be mine, so I’ll just leave it right here on your carpet.”

6. Q: How many greyhound dogs does it take to change a light bulb?

A: None. If they are not moving, they don’t care.

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