| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
| cave in |
quit, be unable to cope, fold
|
One more crisis and I'll cave in. I'm very weary.
|
| cement hands |
awkward hands, butter fingers
|
Joey can't type; he's got cement hands.
|
| chain letter |
a letter that is copied and sent to other people
|
This letter says I will have bad luck if I break the chain.
|
| chain of command |
order of those in power, line of authority
|
If you are a lieutenant, the chain of command goes up and down.
|
| chain reaction |
one event causing a sequence of events
|
Abe sold his shares, causing a chain reaction in the market.
|
| chain smoker |
a person who smokes one cigarette after another, smokes like a furnace
|
"Do all chain smokers die of emphysema?" "No, but most of them do."
|
| chairman of the boards (hockey) |
a player who controls play along the boards
|
In the 1970s Doug was chairman of the boards for the Hawks.
|
| chalk it up to |
conclude that it is..., attribute it to...
|
You tried and you failed. Chalk it up to experience. Learn from it.
|
| chalk one up for you |
you have earned a point, you won that point/game
|
Good shot! I'll chalk one up for you.
|
| chances are |
it is quite possible, it may be
|
Chances are they're lost, and that's why they're late.
|