case : Idioms & Phrases


A hard case

  • an abandoned or incorrigible person. Colloq.
Webster 1913

ablative case

  • noun the case indicating the agent in passive sentences or the instrument or manner or place of the action described by the verb
    ablative.
WordNet

accusative case

  • noun the case of nouns serving as the direct object of a verb
    accusative; accusative case.
WordNet

Action on the case

  • (Law), according to the old classification (now obsolete), was an action for redress of wrongs or injuries to person or property not specially provided against by law, in which the whole cause of complaint was set out in the writ; called also trespass on the case, or simply case.
Webster 1913

All a case

  • a matter of indifference. Obs. "It is all a case to me." L'Estrange.
Webster 1913

antitrust case

  • noun a legal action brought against parties who are charged with limiting free competition in the market place
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At any rate, In any case

  • whatever may be the state of affairs; anyhow.
Webster 1913

attache case

  • noun a shallow and rectangular briefcase
    attache.
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attributive genitive case

  • noun a word in the genitive case that is used as an attributive adjective
    attributive genitive.
    • an example of the attributive genetive is `John's' in `John's mother'
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Brain boxcase

  • the bony on cartilaginous case inclosing the brain.
Webster 1913

Burial case

  • a form of coffin, usually of iron, made to close air-tight, for the preservation of a dead body.
Webster 1913

case agreement

  • noun agreement in grammatical case between words in the same construction
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Case at bar

  • . See under Bar, n.
Webster 1913

Case divinity

  • casuistry.
Webster 1913

case history

  • noun detailed record of the background of a person or group under study or treatment
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case in point

  • noun an example that is used to justify similar occurrences at a later time
    precedent.
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case knife

  • noun a metal blade with a handle; used as cutlery
  • noun a knife with a fixed blade that is carried in a sheath
    sheath knife.
WordNet
Case" knife` noun
Definitions
  1. A knife carried in a sheath or case. Addison.
  2. A large table knife; -- so called from being formerly kept in a case.
Webster 1913

case law

  • noun a system of jurisprudence based on judicial precedents rather than statutory laws
    common law; precedent.
    • common law originated in the unwritten laws of England and was later applied in the United States
  • noun (civil law) a law established by following earlier judicial decisions
    common law; precedent.
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Case lawyer

  • one versed in the reports of cases rather than in the science of the law.
Webster 1913

case load

  • noun the number of cases handled in a given period of time (as by a court or agency)
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case officer

  • noun an operative who also serves as an official staffer of an intelligence service
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case shot

  • noun a metallic cylinder packed with shot and used as ammunition in a firearm
    canister; canister shot.
WordNet
Case" shot`
Definitions
  1. (Mil.) A collection of small projectiles, inclosed in a case or canister. ✍ In the United States a case shot is a thin spherical or oblong cast-iron shell containing musket balls and a bursting charge, with a time fuse; -- called in Europe shrapnel. In Europe the term case shot is applied to what in the United States is called canister. Wilhelm.
Webster 1913

Case stated or agreed on

  • (Law), a statement in writing of facts agreed on and submitted to the court for a decision of the legal points arising on them.
Webster 1913

case study

  • noun a careful study of some social unit (as a corporation or division within a corporation) that attempts to determine what factors led to its success or failure
  • noun a detailed analysis of a person or group from a social or psychological or medical point of view
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case-bay

Case"-bay` noun
Definitions
  1. (Arch.) (a) The space between two principals or girders. (b) One of the joists framed between a pair of girders in naked flooring.
Webster 1913

case-by-case

  • adjective satellite separate and distinct from others of the same kind
    item-by-item; individual.
    • mark the individual pages
    • on a case-by-case basis
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case-fatality proportion

  • noun the number of cases of a disease ending in death divided by the number of cases of the disease; usually expressed as a percentage or as the number of deaths per 1000 cases
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case-hardened

  • adjective satellite used of persons; emotionally hardened
    hard-boiled; hardened.
    • faced a case-hardened judge
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case-hardened steel

  • noun steel with a surface that is much harder than the interior metal
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case-to-infection proportion

  • noun the number of cases of a disease divided by the number of infections with the agent that causes the disease
    case-to-infection proportion.
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case-to-infection ratio

  • noun the number of cases of a disease divided by the number of infections with the agent that causes the disease
    case-to-infection proportion.
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charity case

  • noun a case for a welfare worker
    charity case.
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cigarette case

  • noun a small flat case for holding cigarettes; can be carried in a purse or a pocket
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compositor's case

  • noun (printing) the receptacle in which a compositor has his type, which is divided into compartments for the different letters, spaces, or numbers
    case; compositor's case.
    • for English, a compositor will ordinarily have two such cases, the upper case containing the capitals and the lower case containing the small letters
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custody case

  • noun a legal action to determine custody (usually of children following a divorce)
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dative case

  • noun the category of nouns serving as the indirect object of a verb
    dative.
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dispatch case

  • noun case consisting of an oblong container (usually having a lock) for carrying dispatches or other valuables
    dispatch box.
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display case

  • noun a glass container used to store and display items in a shop or museum or home
    case; vitrine; showcase.
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Dressing case

  • noun a small piece of luggage for carrying brushes and bottles and toilet articles while traveling
WordNet
  • a case of toilet utensils.
Webster 1913

dutch case-knife bean

  • noun tropical American bean with red flowers and mottled black beans similar to Phaseolus vulgaris but perennial; a preferred food bean in Great Britain
    runner bean; Phaseolus coccineus; scarlet runner; scarlet runner bean; Phaseolus multiflorus.
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Float case

  • (Naut.), a caisson used for lifting a ship.
Webster 1913

fly-case

Fly"-case` noun
Definitions
  1. (Zoöl.) The covering of an insect, esp. the elytra of beetles.
Webster 1913

gear case

  • noun the shell (metal casing) in which a train of gears is sealed
    gearbox; gear box.
WordNet

genitive case

  • noun the case expressing ownership
    possessive; genitive; genitive case.
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glasses case

  • noun a case for carrying spectacles
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grammatical case

  • noun nouns or pronouns or adjectives (often marked by inflection) related in some way to other words in a sentence
    case.
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gun case

  • noun a case for storing a gun
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Hard cancer, Hard case

  • etc. See under Cancer, Case, etc.
Webster 1913

In any case

  • adverb used to indicate that a statement explains or supports a previous statement; anyhow, they're quiet"; anyway, it's gone"; in any case, there was a brief scuffle"
    anyway; at any rate; in any event; anyways; anyhow.
    • Anyhow, he is dead now
    • I think they're asleep
    • I don't know what happened to it
    • anyway, there is another factor to consider
    • I don't know how it started
    • in any event, the government faced a serious protest
    • but at any rate he got a knighthood for it
  • adverb making an additional point; anyway; besides, we can't afford it"
    besides.
    • I don't want to go to a restaurant
    • she couldn't shelter behind him all the time and in any case he wasn't always with her
WordNet
  • whatever may be the state of affairs; anyhow.
Webster 1913

in case

  • adverb if there happens to be need
    in case.
    • in case of trouble call 911
    • I have money, just in case
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In case, ∨ In case that

  • if; supposing that; in the event or contingency; if it should happen that. "In case we are surprised, keep by me." W. Irving.
Webster 1913

In good case

  • in good condition, health, or state of body.
Webster 1913

in one case

  • adverb on one occasion
    one time; once.
    • once I ran into her
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index case

  • noun the earliest documented case of a disease that is included in an epidemiological study
WordNet

iron-cased

I"ron-cased` adjective
Definitions
  1. Cased or covered with iron, as a vessel; ironclad.
Webster 1913

Irreducible case

  • (Alg.), a particular case in the solution of a cubic equation, in which the formula commonly employed contains an imaginary quantity, and therefore fails in its application.
Webster 1913

just in case

  • adverb if there happens to be need
    in case.
    • in case of trouble call 911
    • I have money, just in case
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Leading case

  • (Law), a reported decision which has come to be regarded as settling the law of the question involved. Abbott.
Webster 1913

letter case

  • noun case for carrying letters
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lower-case

Low"er-case` adjective
Definitions
  1. (Print.) Pertaining to, or kept in, the lower case; -- used to denote the small letters, in distinction from capitals and small capitals. See the Note under 1st Case, n., 3.
Webster 1913

lower-case letter

  • noun the characters that were once kept in bottom half of a compositor's type case
    minuscule; lowercase; small letter.
WordNet

mental case

  • noun a person suffering from neurosis
    psychoneurotic; neurotic.
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Moot case

  • a case or question to be mooted; a disputable case; an unsettled question. Dryden.
Webster 1913

nominative case

  • noun the category of nouns serving as the grammatical subject of a verb
    nominative; nominative case.
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nut case

  • noun a whimsically eccentric person
    screwball; fruitcake; nut; crackpot; crank.
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objective case

  • noun the case of nouns serving as the direct object of a verb
    accusative; accusative case.
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Oblique case

  • noun any grammatical case other than the nominative
    oblique.
WordNet
  • (Gram.), any case except the nominative. See Case, n.
Webster 1913

overnight case

  • noun a small traveling bag to carry clothing and accessories for staying overnight
    overnighter; overnight bag.
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packing case

  • noun a large crate in which goods are packed for shipment or storage
    packing box.
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Pencil case

  • noun a box for holding pencils
    pencil box.
WordNet
  • a holder for pencil lead.
Webster 1913

Possessive case

  • noun the case expressing ownership
    possessive; genitive; genitive case.
WordNet
  • (Eng. Gram.), the genitive case; the case of nouns and pronouns which expresses ownership, origin, or some possessive relation of one thing to another; as, Homer's admirers; the pear's flavor; the dog's faithfulness.
Webster 1913

Put case

  • formerly, an elliptical expression for, put or suppose the case to be.
    Put case that the soul after departure from the body may live. Bp. Hall.
Webster 1913

Show case

  • a glaed case, box, or cabinet for displaying and protecting shopkeepers' wares, articles on exhibition in museums, etc.
Webster 1913

spore case

  • noun organ containing or producing spores
    spore sac; sporangium.
  • noun specialized leaf branch in certain aquatic ferns that encloses the sori or clusters of sporangia
    sporocarp.
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Steam casing

  • . See Steam jacket, under Jacket.
Webster 1913

subject case

  • noun the category of nouns serving as the grammatical subject of a verb
    nominative; nominative case.
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test case

  • noun a representative legal action whose outcome is likely to become a precedent
    test suit.
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timbale case

  • noun small pastry shell for creamy mixtures of minced foods
    timbale.
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To put a case

  • to suppose a hypothetical or illustrative case.
Webster 1913

To set case

  • to suppose; to assume. Cf. Put case, under Put, v. t. Obs. Chaucer.
Webster 1913

tool case

  • noun a box or chest or cabinet for holding hand tools
    toolbox; tool cabinet; tool chest.
WordNet

Trespass on the case

  • noun an action brought to recover damages from a person whose actions have resulted indirectly in injury or loss
    • a person struck by a log as it was thrown onto a road could maintain trespass against the thrower but one who was hurt by stumbling over it could maintain and action on the case
WordNet
  • . (Law) See Action on the case, under Case.
Webster 1913

trophy case

  • noun a case in which to display trophies
WordNet

typesetter's case

  • noun (printing) the receptacle in which a compositor has his type, which is divided into compartments for the different letters, spaces, or numbers
    case; compositor's case.
    • for English, a compositor will ordinarily have two such cases, the upper case containing the capitals and the lower case containing the small letters
WordNet

Upper case

  • the top one of a pair of compositor's cases. See the Note under 1st Case, n., 3.
Webster 1913

upper-case letter

  • noun one of the large alphabetic characters used as the first letter in writing or printing proper names and sometimes for emphasis; capitals were kept in the upper half of the type case and so became known as upper-case letters"
    uppercase; capital letter; majuscule; capital.
    • printers once kept the type for capitals and for small letters in separate cases
WordNet

vocative case

  • noun the case (in some inflected languages) used when the referent of the noun is being addressed
    vocative.
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Watch case

  • noun the metal case in which the works of a watch are housed
WordNet
  • the case, or outside covering, of a watch; also, a case for holding a watch, or in which it is kept.
Webster 1913

welfare case

  • noun a case for a welfare worker
    charity case.
WordNet

Wing case

  • noun either of the horny front wings in beetles and some other insects which cover and protect the functional hind wings
    elytron.
WordNet
  • (Zoöl.), one of the anterior wings of beetles, and of some other insects, when thickened and used to protect the hind wings; an elytron; called also wing cover.
Webster 1913