crow (redirected from crows)

*hoarse as a crow

very hoarse. (*Also: as ~.) After shouting at the team all afternoon, the coach was as hoarse as a crow. Jill: Has Bob got a cold? Jane: No, he's always hoarse as a crow.

crow about something and crow over something 

1. Lit. [for a rooster] to cry out or squawk about something. The rooster was crowing about something—you never know what.

2. Fig. [for someone] to brag about something. Stop crowing about your successes! She is crowing over her new car.

crow bait

Rur. someone or an animal that is likely to die; a useless animal or person. That old dog used to hunt good, but now he's just crow bait.

See also: bait

eat crow 

1. . Fig. to display total humility, especially when shown to be wrong. Well, it looks like I was wrong, and I'm going to have to eat crow. I'll be eating crow if I'm not shown to be right.

2. Fig. to be shamed; to admit that one was wrong. When it became clear that they had arrested the wrong person, the police had to eat crow. Mary talked to Joe as if he was an uneducated idiot, till she found out he was a college professor. That made her eat crow.

See also: eat

eat humble pie

to act very humble when one is shown to be wrong. I think I'm right, but if I'm wrong, I'll eat humble pie. You think you're so smart. I hope you have to eat humble pie.

See also: eat, humble, pie

make someone eat crow

Fig. to cause someone to retract a statement or admit an error. Because Mary was completely wrong, we made her eat crow. They won't make me eat crow. They can't prove I was wrong.

See also: eat, make

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as the crow flies

if the distance between two places is measured as the crow flies, it is measured as a straight line between the two places 'How far is it from Cambridge to London?' 'About 50 miles as the crow flies.' Our farm is only five miles from town as the crow flies, but the winding roads mean we have to drive nearly eight miles to get there.

See eat humble pie

See also: flies

be up with the lark  (British, American & Australian) also be up with the crows (Australian)

to be awake and out of your bed early in the morning

Usage notes: Larks and crows are birds that start singing very early in the morning.

You were up with the lark this morning!

See also: lark, up

eat humble pie  (British, American & Australian) also eat crow (American)

to be forced to admit that you are wrong and to say you are sorry The producers of the advert had to eat humble pie and apologize for misrepresenting the facts.

See also: eat, humble, pie

Jim Crow  (American)

a situation that existed until the 1960's in the south of the US, when black people were treated badly, especially by being separated from white people in public places

Usage notes: Jim Crow was the name of a black character in a 19th century song and dance act.

Jim Crow meant there were no black kids in white schools. (American)

Stone the crows!  (British & Australian informal, old-fashioned)

something that you say in order to show that you are very surprised So she's a film director now. Well, stone the crows!

See leave no stone unturned, sink like a stone

See also: stone

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as the crow flies

measured in a straight line It's only about 100 miles as the crow flies to great ski country.

See also: flies

eat crow

to publicly admit you were wrong about something Charles had to eat crow and tell them they were right all along.

See also: eat