Cotton Plantation State. Alabama, from its staple industry.
Cotton to. An Americanism meaning to cling to a man as cotton would cling to his garments.
Counter-jumper. The derisive nickname of a draper’s assistant, on account of his agility in leaping over the counter as a short cut from one department to another.
Country Dance. A corruption of the French contre danse, from the opposite positions of the dancers.
Coup de Grace. The merciful finishing stroke of the executioner after a criminal had been tortured by having all his bones broken on a wheel. One blow on the head then put him out of his misery.
Court Cards. Properly Coat Cards, on account of their heraldic devices.
Court of Arches. The ecclesiastical Court of Appeal for the Archbishopric of Canterbury which in ancient times was held in the crypt of St Mary-le-Bow, or St Mary of the Arches at Cheapside. See “[Bow Church].”
Court Plaster. The plaster out of which ladies of the Court fashioned their decorative (?) face patches.
Covenanters. Those who entered into a Solemn League or Covenant to resist the religious and political measures of Charles I. in 1638.
Covent Garden. A corruption of Convent Garden, the site of which was converted into a market, temp. Charles II. The convent and garden belonged to the Abbey at Westminster.