12-ounce curls
The act of drinking beer (which is commonly sold in 12-ounce cans), jokingly likened to a weightlifting exercise. The only exercise John seems to do these days is 12-ounce curls. Oh boy, you two were working on your 12-ounce curls at the bar again tonight, huh? A: "I've got to get back to the gym this week for real." B: "What, you mean doing 12-ounce curls every weekend isn't cutting it?"
curl (one's) hair
To shock or terrify someone. That horror movie sure curled my hair—I could not sleep for a week! Geez, don't sneak up on me like that, you're gonna curl my hair! When we were camping last weekend, we heard a scream in the night that curled our hair and kept us wide awake till morning.
curl (one's) lip
To sneer at something. When I heard what was for dinner, I curled my lip in disgust. Don't you curl your lip at me! I did nothing wrong here! I've sent the boss nothing but well-qualified candidates for the position, and he just curls his lip at every last one! I have no idea why.
curl the mo
To do something very successfully; to achieve superior results. Primarily heard in Australia. Wow, that runner sure curled the mo today. She won the race in record time! He's the best swimmer in the heat, so everyone expects him to curl the mo and take home the gold medal. Those two haven't exactly curled the mo in any of their business ventures thus far—that's why I'm hesitant to give them any money.
curl up
1. To sit or recline with the knees pulled in close to the chest. A cold, rainy night like this just makes me want to stay home and curl up with a good book. The kids are all curled up under a blanket watching a movie. My goodness, how adorable—the baby fell asleep curled up in her playpen.
2. To coil something. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "curl" and "up." I curled up the ribbon before tying it onto the gift box. Good luck curling up Ellen's stick straight hair! When you're done, make sure to curl up the hose and put it back where you found it.
3. slang To kill someone. In this usage, a noun or pronoun can be used between "curl" and "up." I curled up the informant, boss, don't worry—he'll never talk to the police again. The man said he'd curl me up if I told anyone that I'd seen him burying the money in the field. Because she's the prosecution's star witness, I'm worried that the mob will curl her up before she ever gets a chance to testify against them.
curl up and die
Used hyperbolically or humorously to emphasize one's extreme embarrassment. If I don't get asked to the prom, I'll be the laughing stock of the whole school. I might as well just curl up and die! When everyone started laughing at me on stage, I thought I would curl up and die. A: "Whoa, are you OK?" B: "Physically, yes. Emotionally, no. Ugh, I want to curl up and die because all those people saw me fall down the steps."
curl up with (someone or something)
1. To snuggle with someone or something. My daughter can't sleep unless she's curled up with her teddy bear. The puppies curled up with their mother in the bed. My sister and her boyfriend are curled up on the couch making out. Gross.
2. To make oneself cozy and comfortable with something, often a book. A cold, rainy night like this just makes me want to stay home and curl up with a good book. Tracy isn't feeling well, so I'm not surprised she dozed off as soon as she curled up with a blanket. The kids are at their dad's for the weekend, so I plan to take a long bath and curl up with a good book.
curl up with a (good) book
To make oneself cozy and comfortable while reading a book. A cold, rainy night like this just makes me want to stay home and curl up with a good book. The kids are at their dad's for the weekend, so I plan to take a long bath and curl up with a good book. After a long work week, I was all too eager to pull up a fuzzy blanket and curl up with my new library book.
make (one's) hair curl
To cause one to experience an acute feeling of shame, embarrassment, or discomfort. Her story about the disastrous wedding made everyone's hair curl. The thought of having to give her presentation in front of an audience made her hair curl.
make (one's) toes curl
1. To cause one an acute feeling of disgust, shame, embarrassment, or anguish. Her story about the disastrous wedding made everyone's toes curl. The thought of having to give her presentation in front of an audience made her toes curl. I don't know why, but the sound of another person chewing makes my toes curl.
2. To cause one an acute feeling of joy or pleasure. When he leaned in to kiss me at the end of the date, it made my toes curl.
out of curl
obsolete Of hair, straight and limp; no longer curly. After spending so much time on her hair, Mary was worried that it would come out of curl if she stepped outside into the storm.
want to curl up and die
To wish one could have an escape or some instant relief from being mortified or extremely embarrassed. Hershel just asked me out in the middle of class in front of everyone. I want to curl up and die. After my presentation, I realized my fly had been down the whole time, and I wanted to curl up and die.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
cuddle up with a (good) book
and curl up (with a (good) book)to snuggle into a chair or bed comfortably to read a book. I want to go home and cuddle up with a good book. She went home and curled up with a good book.
curl someone's hair
and make someone's hair curlFig. to frighten or alarm someone; to shock someone with sight, sound, or taste. Don't ever sneak up on me like that again. You really curled my hair. The horror film made my hair curl.
curl something up
to roll something up into a coil. She curled the edges of the paper up while she spoke. Why did she curl up the paper?
curl up and die
Fig. to die. (Often jocular.) When I heard you say that, I could have curled up and died. No, it wasn't an illness. She just curled up and died.
curl up (in(to) something
) 1. to roll into a coil. The snake curled up into a neat coil. It curled up so we couldn't get at it.
2. [for one] to bend one's body into a resting place, such as a chair or a bed. Colleen curled up in the chair and took a nap. She curled up and took a nap.
curl up with (someone or an animal)
to snuggle up to someone or something. She curled up with her husband and fell asleep. Elaine curled up with the family dog to keep warm.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
curl up
1. Assume a position with the legs drawn up; settle down for sleep in this posture. For example, I love to curl up with a good book. [c. 1900]
2. curl up and die. Retreat, collapse, die, as in At first the horse was ahead but in the home stretch she curled up and died, or I'll just curl up and die if he shows up. This colorful expression for collapsing or dying is often used hyperbolically (second example). [Early 1900s]
3. curl someone up. Kill someone, as in The sheriff said he'd curl up that outlaw. This usage originated as cowboy slang in the second half of the 1800s.
make one's hair stand on end
Also, make one's hair curl. Terrify one, as in The very thought of an earthquake makes my hair stand on end, or Diving off a high board is enough to make my hair curl. The first term, first recorded in 1534, alludes to goose pimples prompted by fear, which cause the hairs around them to stand up. The variant dates from the mid-1900s.
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.