[carry the ball]{v. phr.}, {informal} To take the most important or difficult part in an action or business. •/None of the other boys would tell the principal about their breaking the window, and John had to carry the ball./ •/When the going is rough, Fred can always be depended on to carry the ball./

[carry the banner]{v. phr.} To support a cause or an ideal with obvious advocacy. •/Our college is carrying the banner for saving the humpback whale, which is on the list of endangered species./

[carry the day]{v. phr.}, {informal} To win completely; to succeed in getting one’s aim accomplished. •/The defense attorney’s summary before the jury helped him carry the day./

[carry the torch] See: CARRY A TORCH.

[carry the weight of the world on one’s shoulders] See: WEIGHT OF THE WORLD ON ONE’S SHOULDERS.

[carry through]{v.} 1a. To put into action. •/Mr. Green was not able to carry through his plans for a hike because he broke his leg./ 1b. To do something you have planned; put a plan into action. •/Jean makes good plans but she cannot carry through with any of them./ Compare: GO THROUGH WITH, CARRY OUT. 2. To keep (someone) from failing or stopping; bring through; help. •/When the tire blew out, the rules Jim had learned in driving class carried him through safely./

[carry weight]{n.} To be influential; have significance and/or clout; impress. •/A letter of recommendation from a full professor carries more weight than a letter from an assistant professor./

[cart before the horse (to put)]{n. phr.}, {informal} Things in wrong order; something backwards or mixed up. — An overused expression. Usually used with "put" but sometimes with "get" or "have". •/When the salesman wanted money for goods he hadn’t delivered, I told him he was putting the cart before the horse./ •/To get married first and then get a job is getting the cart before the horse./

[cart off] or [cart away] {v.}, {informal} To take away, often with force or with rough handling or behavior. •/The police carted the rioters off to jail./ •/When Bobby wouldn’t eat his supper, his mother carted him away to bed./

[carved] or [chiseled] or [inscribed in granite] / [written in stone] {adj. phr.} Holy; unchangeable; noble and of ancient origin. •/You should wear shoes when you come to class, although this is not carved in granite./ •/The Constitution of the United States is so hard to change that one thinks of it as written in stone./

[case] See: BASKET CASE, CIRCUMSTANCES ALTER CASES, COUCH CASE, GET DOWN TO BRASS TACKS also GET DOWN TO CASES, IN ANY CASE, IN CASE or IN THE EVENT, IN CASE OF also IN THE EVENT OF, VANITY CASE.

[case in point]{n. phr.} An example that proves something or helps to make something clearer. •/An American can rise from the humblest beginnings to become President. Abraham Lincoln is a case in point./

[case the joint]{v. phr.}, {slang} 1. To study the layout of a place one wishes to burglarize. •/The hooded criminals carefully cased the joint before robbing the neighborhood bank./ 2. To familiarize oneself with a potential workplace or vacation spot as a matter of preliminary planning. •/"Hello Fred," he said. "Are you working here now?" "No, not yet," Fred answered. "I am merely casing the joint."/

[cash] See: COLD CASH.

[cash-and-carry(1)]{adj.} Selling things for cash money only and letting the customer carry them home, not having the store deliver them; also sold in this way. •/This is a cash-and-carry store only./ •/You can save money at a cash-and-carry sale./

[cash-and-carry(2)]{adv.}. With no credit, no time payments, and no deliveries. •/Some stores sell cash-and-carry only./ •/It is cheaper to buy cash-and-carry./

[cash crop]{n.} A crop grown to be sold. •/Cotton is a cash crop in the South./ •/They raise potatoes to eat, but tobacco is their cash crop./

[cash in]{v.} 1. To exchange (as poker chips or bonds) for the value in money. •/He paid the bill by cashing in some bonds./ •/When the card game ended, the players cashed in their chips and went home./ 2. or [cash in one’s chips] {slang} To die. •/When the outlaw cashed in his chips, he was buried with his boots on./ •/He was shot through the body and knew he was going to cash in./

[cash in on]{v.}, {informal} To see (a chance) and profit by it; take advantage of (an opportunity or happening). •/Mr. Brown cashed in on people’s great interest in camping and sold three hundred tents./

[cash on the barrelhead]{n. phr.}, {informal} Money paid at once; money paid when something is bought. •/Father paid cash on the barrelhead for a new car./ •/Some lawyers want cash on the barrelhead./ Compare: COLD CASH.

[cast] or [shed] or [throw light upon] {v. phr.} To explain; illuminate; clarify. •/The letters that were found suddenly cast a new light on the circumstances of Tom’s disappearance./ •/Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity threw light upon the enigma of our universe./

[cast about] also [cast around] {v.}, {literary} 1. To look everywhere; search. •/The committee was casting about for an experienced teacher to take the retiring principal’s place./ 2. To search your mind; try to remember something; try to think of something. •/The teacher cast about for an easy way to explain the lesson./ •/Jane cast around for a good subject for her report./

[cast down]{adj.} Discouraged; sad; unhappy. — Used less often than the reverse form, "downcast". •/Mary was cast down at the news of her uncle’s death./ •/Charles felt cast down when he lost the race./

[cast in one’s lot with]{formal} See: THROW IN ONE’S LOT WITH.

[castle in the air] See: BUILD CASTLES IN THE AIR.

[castles in Spain] See: CASTLES IN THE AIR.

[cast off]{v.} 1a. or [cast loose] To unfasten; untie; let loose (as a rope holding a boat). •/The captain of the boat cast off the line and we were soon out in open water./ 1b. To untie a rope holding a boat or something suggesting a boat. •/We cast off and set sail at 6 A.M./ 2. To knit the last row of stitches. •/When she had knitted the twentieth row of stitches she cast off./ 3. To say that you do not know (someone) any more; not accept as a relative or friend. •/Mr. Jones cast off his daughter when she married against his wishes./

[cast one’s lot with] See: THROW IN ONE’S LOT WITH.

[cast out]{v.}, {formal} To force (someone) to go out or away; banish; expel. •/After the scandal, he was cast out of the best society./ Compare: CAST OFF(3).

[cast pearls before swine] or [cast one’s pearls before swine] {n. phr.}, {literary} To waste good acts or valuable things on someone who won’t understand or be thankful for them, just as pigs won’t appreciate pearls. — Often used in negative sentences. •/I won’t waste good advice on John any more because he never listens to it. I won’t cast pearls before swine./

[cast the first stone]{v. phr.}, {literary} To be the first to blame someone, lead accusers against a wrongdoer. •/Jesus said that a person who was without sin could cast the first stone./ •/Although Ben saw the girl cheating, he did not want to cast the first stone./