[change one’s tune]{v. phr.}, {informal} To make a change in your story, statement, or claim; change your way of acting. •/The man said he was innocent, but when they found the stolen money in his pocket he changed his tune./ •/Bob was rude to his teacher, but she threatened to tell the principal and he changed his tune./ Syn.: SING A DIFFERENT TUNE.

[change up] See: LET UP(4).

[character] See: IN CHARACTER.

[charge] See: CARRYING CHARGE, CHARGE OFF(2), IN CHARGE, IN CHARGE OF, TAKE CHARGE.

[charge account]{n.} An agreement with a store through which you can buy things and pay for them later. •/Mother bought a new dress on her charge account./ •/Mr. Jones has a charge account at the garage on the corner./

[charge off]{v.} 1. To consider or record as a loss, especially in an account book. •/The store owner charged off all of the last season’s stock of suits./ Syn.: WRITE OFF(1). 2. or [charge up] {informal} To accept or remember (something) as a mistake and not worry about it any more. — Often used with "to experience". •/He charged off his mistakes to experience./ Syn.: CHALK UP. Compare: CHARGE TO.

[charge something to something]{v.} 1. To place the blame on; make responsible for. •/John failed to win a prize, but he charged it to his lack of experience./ •/The coach charged the loss of the game to the team’s disobeying his orders./ 2. To buy something on the credit of. •/Mrs. Smith bought a new pocketbook and charged it to her husband./ •/Mr. White ordered a box of cigars and had it charged to his account./

[charge up]{v. phr.} 1. To submit to a flow of electricity in order to make functional. •/I mustn’t forget to charge up my razor before we go on our trip./ 2. To use up all the available credit one has on one’s credit card(s). •/"Let’s charge dinner on the Master Card," Jane said. "Unfortunately I can’t," Jim replied. "All of my credit cards are completely charged up."/

[charge with]{v. phr.} To accuse someone in a court of law. •/The criminal was charged with aggravated kidnapping across a state line./

[charmed life]{n.} A life often saved from danger; a life full of lucky escapes. •/He was in two airplane accidents, but he had a charmed life./ •/During the war a bullet knocked the gun out of his hand, but he had a charmed life./

[chase] See: GIVE CHASE, GO CHASE ONESELF, LEAD A MERRY CHASE.

[chase after] See: RUN AFTER.

[chase around] See: RUN AROUND.

[cheapskate]{n.}, {informal} A selfish or stingy person; a person who will not spend much. — An insulting term. •/None of the girls like to go out on a date with him because he is a cheapskate./

[cheat on someone]{v. phr.}, {informal} To be unfaithful (to one’s wife or husband, or to one’s sweetheart or fiancee). •/It is rumored that Joe cheats on his wife./

[check] See: BLANK CHECK, CLAIM CHECK, DOUBLE CHECK, IN CHECK, RAIN CHECK, RUBBER CHECK, SALES CHECK.

[check in]{v.} 1a. To sign your name (as at a hotel or convention). •/The last guests to reach the hotel checked in at 12 o’clock./ Contrast: CHECK OUT. 1b. {informal} To arrive. •/The friends we had invited did not check in until Saturday./ 2. To receive (something) back and make a record of it. •/The coach checked in the football uniforms at the end of the school year./ •/The students put their books on the library desk, and the librarian checked them in./

[check off]{v.} To put a mark beside (the name of a person or thing on a list) to show that it has been counted. •/The teacher checked off each pupil as he got on the bus./ •/Bill wrote down the names of all the states he could remember, and then he checked them off against the list in his book./ Compare: TICK OFF.

[check on someone/thing] or [check up on someone/thing] {v.}. To try to find out the truth or rightness of; make sure of; examine; inspect; investigate. •/We checked on Dan’s age by getting his birth record./ •/Mrs. Brown said she heard someone downstairs and Mr. Brown went down to check up on it./ •/You can check on your answers at the back of the book./ •/The police are checking up on the man to see if he has a police record./ •/Grandfather went to have the doctor check on his health./ Compare: LOOK INTO, LOOK OVER.

[check out]{v.} 1a. To pay your hotel bill and leave. •/The last guests checked out of their rooms in the morning./ Contrast: CHECK IN. 1b. {informal} To go away; leave. •/I hoped our guest would stay but he had to check out before Monday./ Compare: CHECK IN. 2a. To make a list or record of. •/They checked out all the goods in the store./ 2b. To give or lend (something) and make a record of it. •/The boss checked out the tools to the workmen as they came to work./ 2c. To get (something) after a record has been made of it. •/I checked out a book from the library./ 3. {informal} To test (something, like a part of a motor). •/The mechanic checked out the car battery./ •/"He checked out from the motel at nine," said the detective, "then he checked out the air in the car tires and his list of local clients."/ 4. {slang} To die. •/He seemed too young to check out./

[check up]{v.} To find out or try to find out the truth or correctness of something; make sure of something; investigate. •/Mrs. Brown thought she had heard a burglar in the house, so Mr. Brown checked up, but found nobody./ •/Bill thought he had a date with Janie, but phoned her to check up./

[check-up]{n.} A periodic examination by a physician or of some equipment by a mechanic. •/I am overdue for my annual physical check-up./ •/I need to take my car in for a check-up./

[check with]{v. phr.} 1. To consult. •/I want to check with my lawyer before I sign the papers./ 2. To agree with. •/Does my reconciliation of our account check with the bank statement?/

[cheek] See: TURN THE OTHER CHEEK.

[cheer] See: BRONX CHEER.

[cheer on]{v. phr.} To vociferously encourage a person or a team during a sports event. •/The spectators at the stadium cheered on their home team./

[cheer up]{v.} 1. To feel happy; stop being sad or discouraged; become hopeful, joyous, or glad. •/Jones was sad at losing the business, but he cheered up at the sight of his daughter./ •/Cheer up! The worst is over./ 2. To make cheerful or happy. •/The support of the students cheered up the losing team and they played harder and won./ •/We went to the hospital to cheer up a sick friend./ •/Flowers cheer up a room./

[cheese] See: BIG CHEESE, WHOLE CHEESE.

[cheesebox]{n.}, {slang} A small, suburban house built by a land developer available at low cost and resembling the other houses around it. •/They moved to a suburb, but their house is just a cheesebox./

[cheesecake]{n.}, {slang}, {informal} A showing of the legs of an attractive woman or a display of her breasts as in certain magazines known as cheesecake magazines. •/Photographer to model: "Give us some cheesecake in that pose!"/

[cherry farm]{n.}, {slang} A correctional institution of minimal security where the inmates, mostly first offenders, work as farmhands. •/Joe got a light sentence and was sent to a cherry farm for six months./