[crew] See: SECTION GANG or SECTION CREW.

[crew cut] or [crew haircut] {n.} A boy’s or man’s hair style, cut so that the hair stands up in short, stiff bristle. •/Many boys like to get crew cuts during the summer to keep cooler./

[crisp] See: BURN TO A CRISP.

[crocodile tears]{n.} Pretended grief; a show of sorrow that is not really felt. •/When his rich uncle died, leaving him his money, John shed crocodile tears./ (From the old legend that crocodiles make weeping sounds to attract victims and then shed tears while eating them.)

[crook] See: BY HOOK OR BY CROOK.

[crop] See: CASH CROP, CREAM OF THE CROP, STICK IN ONE’S CRAW or STICK IN ONE’S CROP.

[crop out]{v.} To appear at the surface; come through or show through from hiding or concealment. •/Rocks often crop out in New England pasture land./ •/A hidden hate cropped out in his words./

[cropper] See: COME A CROPPER.

[crop up]{v.} To come without warning; appear or happen unexpectedly. •/Problems cropped up almost every day when Mr. Reed was building his TV station./ •/Serious trouble cropped up just when Martin thought the problem of his college education was solved./ Compare: TURN UP.

[cross] See: AT CROSS PURPOSES, CARRY ONE’S CROSS, DOUBLE CROSS, KEEP ONE’S FINGERS CROSSED at CROSS ONE’S FINGERS(1b).

[cross a bridge before one comes to it]{v. phr.} To worry about future events or trouble before they happen. — Usually used in negative sentences, often as a proverb. •/"Can I be a soldier when I grow up, Mother?" asked Johnny. "Don’t cross that bridge until you come to it," said his mother./ Compare: BORROW TROUBLE.

[cross-check(1)]{v.} To test the truth of by examining in different ways or by seeing different reports about. •/If you see something in a book that may not be true, be sure to crosscheck it in other books./

[cross-check(2)]{n.} The testing of the truth of by checking one report against another or others. •/A cross-check with other books will show us if this story is true./

[cross fire]{n.} 1. Firing in a fight or battle from two or more places at once so that the lines of fire cross. •/The soldiers on the bridge were caught in the crossfire coming from both sides of the bridge./ 2. Fast or angry talking back and forth between two or more people; also, a dispute; a quarrel. •/There was a cross fire of excited questions and answers between the parents and the children who had been lost in the woods./ •/The principal and the graduates quarreled about the football team, and the coach was caught in the cross fire and lost his job./

[cross one’s fingers]{v. phr.} 1a. To cross two fingers of one hand for good luck. •/Mary crossed her fingers during the race so that Tom would win./ 11b. or [keep one’s fingers crossed] {informal} To wish for good luck. •/Keep your fingers crossed while I take the test./ 2. To cross two fingers of one hand to excuse an untruth that you are telling. •/Johnny crossed his fingers when he told his mother the lie./

[cross one’s heart] or [cross one’s heart and hope to die] {v. phr.}, {informal} To say that what you have said is surely true; promise seriously that it is true. — Often used by children in the longer form. Children often make a sign of a cross over the heart as they say it, for emphasis. •/"Cross my heart, I didn’t hide your bicycle," Harry told Tom./ •/"I didn’t tell the teacher what you said. Cross my heart and hope to die," Mary said to Lucy./

[cross one’s mind] or [pass through one’s mind] {v. phr.} To be a sudden or passing thought; be thought of by someone; come to your mind; occur to you. •/At first Bob was puzzled by Virginia’s waving, but then it crossed his mind that she was trying to tell him something./ •/When Jane did not come home by midnight, many terrible fears passed through Mother’s mind./

[cross one’s path]{v. phr.} To meet or encounter someone; to come upon someone more by accident than by plan. •/Surprisingly, I crossed John’s path in Central Park one afternoon./

[cross street]{n.} A street that crosses a main street and runs on both sides of it. •/Elm Street is a cross street on Main Street and there is a traffic light there./ Compare: THROUGH STREET.

[cross swords]{v. phr.}, {literary} To have an argument with; fight. — Often used with "with". •/Don’t argue with the teacher; you’re not old enough to cross swords with her./

[cross the wire]{v. phr.} To finish a race. •/The Russian crossed the wire just behind the American./

[cross up]{v.}, {informal} 1. To block or upset; throw into confusion or disorder. •/We were going to catch him at the gate, but he crossed us up by going in the back way./ •/Father crossed up the surprise party we had planned for him by not getting back in time./ 2. To deceive or be false to. •/George crossed up his partner by selling a lot of things secretly./

[crow] See: EAT CROW.

[crow before one is out of the woods]{v. phr.} To be glad or brag before you are safe from danger or trouble. — Usually used in negative sentences, often as a proverb, "Don’t crow before you are out of the woods." •/John thought his team would win because the game was almost over, but he didn’t want to crow before they were out of the woods./ Often used in a short form, "out of the woods". •/Mary nearly died during the operation, and she is not out of the woods yet./

[crown jewels]{n. pl.} The crown, staff, and jewels used for the crowning of a king or queen; the crown and jewels representing royal power and authority. •/The crown jewels are handed down from one king to the next when the new king is crowned./

[crow to pick] See: BONE TO PICK or CROW TO PICK.

[crust] See: UPPER CRUST.

[crux of the matter]{n. phr.} The basic issue at hand; the core essence that one must face. •/The crux of the matter is that he is incompetent and we will have to fire him./

[cry] See: FAR CRY, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, HUE AND CRY.

[cry] or [scream bloody murder] {v. phr.} To bitterly and loudly complain against an indignity. •/Pete cried bloody murder when he found out that he didn’t get the promotion he was hoping for./

[cry before one is hurt] or [holler before one is hurt] {v. phr.}, {informal} To complain when there is no reason for it; become upset because you are worried or afraid. — Used in negative sentences. •/When Billy went to the barber, he began to cry before the barber cut his hair and his father told him not to cry before he was hurt./ — Often used as a proverb. •/John was worried because he would soon have a new boss. His mother said, "Don’t cry before you’re hurt!"/ Syn.: BORROW TROUBLE.

[cry buckets]{v. phr.} To shed an excessive amount of tears. •/Grandma is crying buckets over the loss of our cat./

[cry for] or [cry out for] {v.}, {informal} To need badly; be lacking in. •/It has not rained for two weeks and the garden is crying for it./ •/The school is crying out for good teachers./

[cry out]{v.} 1. To call out loudly; shout; scream. •/The woman in the water cried out "Help!"/ 2. To complain loudly; protest strongly. — Used with "against". •/Many people are crying out against the new rule./