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[cradle] See: ROB THE CRADLE.

[cradle robber], [cradle robbing] See: ROB THE CRADLE.

[cramp] See: WRITER’S CRAMP.

[cramp one’s style]{v. phr.}, {informal} To limit your natural freedom; prevent your usual behavior; limit your actions or talk. •/He cramped his style a good deal when he lost his money./ •/Army rules cramped George’s style./

[crash dive]{n.} A sudden dive made by a submarine to escape an enemy; a dive made to get deep under water as quickly as possible. •/The captain of the submarine told his crew to prepare for a crash dive when he saw the enemy battleship approaching./

[crash-dive]{v.} 1. To dive deep underwater in a submarine as quickly as possible. •/We shall crash-dive if we see enemy planes coming./ 2. To dive into (something) in an airplane. •/When the plane’s motor was hit by the guns of the enemy battleship, the pilot aimed the plane at the ship and crash-dived into it./

[crash the gate]{v. phr.}, {slang} To enter without a ticket or without paying; attend without an invitation or permission. •/Bob got into the circus without paying. He crashed the gate./ •/Three boys tried to crash the gate at our party but we didn’t let them in./

[craw] See: STICK IN ONE’S CRAW.

[crawl up] See: RIDE UP.

[crazy] or [mad] or [nuts about] {adj. phr.}, {informal} Excessively fond of; infatuated with. •/Jack is totally nuts about Liz, but she is not too crazy about him./

[cream] See: VANISHING CREAM.

[cream of the crop]{n. phr.} The best of a group; the top choice. •/May Queen candidates were lovely, but Betsy and Nancy were the cream of the crop./ •/The students had drawn many good pictures and the teacher chose the cream of the crop to hang up when the parents came to visit./

[creature of habit]{n. phr.} A person who does things out of habit rather than by thought. •/Our boss is a creature of habit, so let us not confuse him with too many new ideas./

[credibility gap]{n.}, {hackneyed phrase}, {politics} An apparent discrepancy between what the government says and what one can observe for oneself. •/There was a tremendous credibility gap in the USA during the Watergate years./

[credit] See: DO CREDIT.

[creek] See: UP THE CREEK or UP THE CREEK WITHOUT A PADDLE.

[creep] See: THE CREEPS.

[creep up on]{v.} 1. To crawl towards; move along near the ground; steal cautiously towards so as not to be seen or noticed. •/The mouse did not see the snake creeping up on it over the rocks./ •/Indians were creeping up on the house through the bushes./ 2. or [sneak up on] To come little by little; arrive slowly and unnoticed. •/The woman’s hair was turning gray as age crept up on her./ •/Winter is creeping up on us little by little./ •/The boys didn’t notice the darkness creeping up on them while they were playing./ Compare: COME OVER.

[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./