[command module]{n.}, {Space English} 1. One of the three main sections of the basic Apollo spacecraft. It weighs six tons and is cone shaped. It contains crew compartments and from it the astronauts can operate the lunar module (LM), the docking systems, etc. 2. {Informal transferred sense.} The cockpit, the chief place where a person does his most important work. •/My desk is my command module./

[commission] See: IN COMMISSION or INTO COMMISSION, OUT OF COMMISSION.

[common] See: IN COMMON.

[common as an old shoe]{adj. phr.}, {informal} Not showing off; not vain; modest; friendly to all. •/Although Mr. Jones ran a large business, he was common as an old shoe./ •/The most famous people are sometimes as common as an old shoe./

[common ground]{n.} Shared beliefs, interests, or ways of understanding; ways in which people are alike. •/Bob and Frank don’t like each other because they have no common ground./ •/The only common ground between us is that we went to the same school./ Compare: IN COMMON.

[common touch]{n.} The ability to be a friend of the people; friendly manner with everyone. •/Voters like a candidate who has the common touch./

[company] See: KEEP COMPANY, PART COMPANY.

[company man]{n.}, {informal} A worker who always agrees with management rather than labor. — Usually used to express dislike or disapproval. •/Joe was a company man and refused to take a part in the strike./ Compare: YES-MAN.

[compare notes]{v. phr.}, {informal} To exchange thoughts or ideas about something; discuss together. •/Mother and Mrs. Barker like to compare notes about cooking./

[compliment] See: RETURN THE COMPLIMENT.

[conclusion] See: JUMP TO A CONCLUSION.

[condition] See: IN SHAPE or IN CONDITION, IN THE PINK or IN THE PINK OF CONDITION, ON CONDITION THAT, OUT OF SHAPE or OUT OF CONDITION.

[conference] See: PRESS CONFERENCE.

[congregate housing]{n.}, {informal} A form of housing for elderly persons in which dining facilities and services are shared in multiple dwelling units. •/Jerry put Grandma in a place where they have congregate housing./

[conk out]{v. phr.}, {slang}, {informal} To fall asleep suddenly with great fatigue or after having drunk too much. •/We conked out right after the guests had left./

[consent] See: SILENCE GIVES CONSENT.

[consequence] See: IN CONSEQUENCE, IN CONSEQUENCE OF.

[consideration] See: IN CONSIDERATION OF.

[consumer goods] or [consumer items] {n.} Food and manufactured things that people buy for their own use. •/In time of war, the supply of consumer goods is greatly reduced./

[content] See: TO ONE’S HEART’S CONTENT.

[contention] See: BONE OF CONTENTION.

[contrary] See: ON THE CONTRARY, TO THE CONTRARY.

[control room]{n.} A room containing the panels and switches used to control something (like a TV broadcast). •/While a television program is on the air, engineers are at their places in the control room./

[control tower]{n.} A tower with large windows and a good view of an airport so that the traffic of airplanes can be seen and controlled, usually by radio. •/We could see the lights at the control tower as our plane landed during the night./

[conversation] See: MAKE CONVERSATION.

[conversation piece]{n.} Something that interests people and makes them talk about it; something that looks unusual, comical, or strange. •/Uncle Fred has a glass monkey on top of his piano that he keeps for a conversation piece./

[conviction] See: HAVE THE COURAGE OF ONE’S CONVICTIONS.

[cook] See: SHORT-ORDER COOK, WHAT’S UP or WHAT’S COOKING.

[cook one’s goose]{v. phr.}, {slang} To ruin someone hopelessly; destroy one’s future expectations or good name. •/The bank treasurer cooked his own goose when he stole the bank’s funds./ •/She cooked John’s goose by reporting what she knew to the police./ •/The dishonest official knew his goose was cooked when the newspapers printed the story about him./

[cook up]{v.}, {informal} To plan and put together; make up; invent. •/The boys cooked up an excuse to explain their absence from school./

[cool] See: PLOW ONE’S COOL.

[cool as a cucumber]{adj. phr.}, {informal} Very calm and brave; not nervous, worried, or anxious; not excited; composed. •/Bill is a good football quarterback, always cool as a cucumber./

[cool customer]{n.} Someone who is calm and in total control of himself; someone showing little emotion. •/Jim never gets too excited about anything; he is a cool customer./

[cool down] or [cool off] {v.} To lose or cause to lose the heat of any deep feeling (as love, enthusiasm, or anger); make or become calm, cooled or indifferent; lose interest. •/A heated argument can be settled better if both sides cool down first./ •/John was deeply in love with Sally before he left for college, but he cooled off before he got back./ •/Their friendship cooled off when Jack gave up football./ •/The neighbor’s complaint about the noise cooled the argument down./

[cool one’s heels]{v. phr.}, {slang} To be kept waiting by another’s pride or rudeness; be forced to wait by someone in power or authority; wait. •/He cooled his heels for an hour in another room before the great man would see him./ •/I was left to cool my heels outside while the others went into the office./

[coon’s age] See: DOG’S AGE.

[coop] See: FLY THE COOP.

[coop up]{v. phr.} To hedge in; confine; enclose in a small place. •/How can poor Jane work in that small office, cooped up all day long?/

[cop a feel]{v. phr.}, {vulgar}, {avoidable} To attempt to arouse sexually by manual contact, usually by surprise. •/John talks big for a 16 year old, but all he’s ever done is cop a feel in a dark movie theater./ Compare: FEEL UP. Contrast: COP A PLEA.

[cop a plea]{v. phr.}, {slang}, {colloquial} To plead guilty during a trial in the hope of getting a lighter sentence as a result. •/The murderer of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., copped a plea of guilty, and got away with a life sentence instead of the death penalty./

[cop out]{v. phr.}, {slang}, {informal} To avoid committing oneself in a situation where doing so would result in difficulties. •/Nixon copped out on the American people with Watergate./

[cop-out]{n. phr.}, {slang}, {informal} An irresponsible excuse made to avoid something one has to do, a flimsy pretext. •/Cowe on, Jim, that’s a cheap cop-out, and I don’t believe a word of it!/

[copy cat] n. Someone who copies another person’s work or manner. — Usually used by children or when speaking to children. •/He called me a copy cat just because my new shoes look like his./

[corn ball]{n.}, {slang}, {informal} 1. A superficially sentimental movie or musical in which the word "love" is mentioned too often; a theatrical performance that is trivially sentimental. •/That movie last night was a corn hall./ 2. A person who behaves in a superficially sentimental manner or likes performances portraying such behavior. •/Suzie can’t stand Joe; she thinks he’s a corn ball./