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Can't see the forest for the trees
This phrase means that you are so focussed on the details (the trees) of something that you can't see the bigger picture (the forest). If someone tells you you can't see the forest for the trees it is time to step back from the problem and take another look.She was so caught up choosing a font for the flyers we missed the entire deadline, she couldn't see the forest for the trees.
Caught red-handed
The phrase caught red-handed means being caught while doing something wrong. It suggests that there is clear proof of the action. People often use this idiom when someone is discovered in the act.He was caught red-handed taking the cookies.
Close but no cigar
Close, but no cigar originated from carnivals where a cigar was the prize for winning a game of skill. If you lost, they would say "close, but no cigar!" and it grew to be a phrase that meant coming very close to something, but not quite reaching the goal.She got 99/100 on the test. Close, but no cigar!
Close to home
The phrase close to home or hits close to home means something affects you personally. You may relate to it so closely that it makes you feel emotional or uncomfortable.Her words hit close to home.
Cold feet
The idiom cold feet means sudden fear or doubt before doing something important. It is last minute hesitation.This idiom has been in use since the 1600s and its exact origin is unclear.
He got cold feet before the wedding.
Cost an Arm and a Leg
The idiom cost an arm and a leg means something is very expensive. Your arms and legs are very valuable - you need them to do things! The phrase also means to exaggerate the price of something.The concert tickets cost an arm and a leg.
Cross that bridge when you come to it
The idiom cross that bridge when you come to it means to deal with a problem only when it actually happens, and not to worry about it beforehand."What if we don't get the funding grant?" "We'll cross that bridge when we get to it"
Cry wolf
To cry wolf means to raise a false alarm too often. When real trouble comes, people may not believe you. This phrase comes from a story where a shepherd called the villagers out because a wolf came for the sheep so many times in a row that the villagers eventually stopped coming. Then a wolf did come for the sheep and nobody would help the shepherd.He cried wolf so many times that no one listened.
Cut corners
To cut corners means to do something in a careless or cheap way in order to save time or money. This often leads to poor results. The phrase is usually used as a warning about taking shortcuts. It originates from people who cut a path across the corner of a field instead of walking around the outside edge.The company cut corners and the product broke quickly.
Cut from the same cloth
Cut from the same cloth or patches of the same quilt means that two people are very similar, with similar personalities, sense of humor or beliefs.This originated from tailoring, when you bought cloth in long lengths and could cut two garments out from the same roll of cloth.
You like that too? Wow, we are cut from the same cloth!