crew cut
A very short hairstyle typically for men. Its name is thought to come from its initial popularity among rowers. The coach makes us all get crew cuts at the start of the season because long hair isn't allowed on the team. A: "Aw, you're really gonna cut your surfer dude long hair?" B: "Yeah, but just a few inches off—not a crew cut or anything." I barely recognized my brother when he got off the bus with his military crew cut.
crew up
1. To join other people as the crew of a ship or plane. Having no other real job opportunities, I decided to crew up on a cargo ship hauling goods to and from Southeast Asia. She's crewing up with some of the most experienced astronauts in the world for their next space expedition. We're short one flight attendant. Is there anyone around who can crew up with us at the last minute?
2. To gather together as a group in order to accomplish some specific task, especially to commit a crime. We're crewing up for a bank heist soon. You in? You just got out of jail and you're already crewing up for your next robbery? Man, you're a fool. Trust me, if you crew up with these guys, nothing good will come of it.
motley crew
cliché A collection or assembly of individuals or groups from greatly varied or incongruous backgrounds. I'll never forget our motley crew at camp that summer. We likely never would have hung out under normal circumstances, but we were fast friends by the end. The coalition is a motley crew of organizations from different industries coming together to support a common cause.
skeleton crew
The bare minimum amount of employees necessary to keep an office, business, service, etc., running at a basic level. We can't have a restaurant that is completely closed during the slow season, so we keep a skeleton crew on board to serve the few customers who decide to come in. The rigs will have a skeleton crew keeping them running until the company finishes handing over its business to the new owners.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
crew cut
A closely cropped haircut, usually for a male, as in The boys all think crew cuts are cooler in summer. This term presumably originated in the navy ( crew referring to a ship's crew), where such a haircut was mandatory. [c. 1940]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.