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curl
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.
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!
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!
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.
curl your lip
(literary) to lift one side of your mouth in an expression which shows that you do not like or respect something or someone Don't you curl your lip at me, young miss!
See want to curl up and die, curl hair, make toes curlcurl somebody's hair
(American) also make somebody's hair curl (American) to frighten or shock someone The scene where the guy follows her into the apartment curled my hair.
make somebody's toes curl
(British & Australian) if an experience makes your toes curl, it makes you feel extremely embarrassed and ashamed for someone else The very thought of what she said makes my toes curl. (British & Australian)
make somebody's toes curl
(American) also curl somebody's toes (American) to frighten or shock someone A loud scream from the next room made her toes curl.
want to curl up and die
to feel very embarrassed about something that you have said or done I spilt coffee all over their precious new rug and I just wanted to curl up and die.
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.
curl up
v.1. To twist, bend, or roll something into a curved or spiral form: She curled up the poster and slipped it into a tube. He waxed the ends of his moustache and curled them up.
2. To assume a curved or spiral form: The pages of the book had curled up at the edges.
3. To assume a position with the legs drawn up: I curled up in an armchair to read a book.
(just) curl up and die
1. in. to retreat and die. I was so embarrassed, I thought I would curl up and die.
2. in. to retreat; to withdraw. Don’t just curl up and die! Get in there and fight!
curl up and die
verb