coffin nail
A cigarette.
"I stopped smoking," Algernon said. "In fact, I haven't had a coffin nail in well over a year."
come off it
get off it
Stop pretending; bragging, or kidding; stop being silly. Used as a command.
"So I said to the duchess..." Jimmy began. "Oh, come off it," the other boys sneered.
Fritz said he had a car of his own. "Oh, come off it," said John. "You can't even drive."
come off second best
To not win first but only second, third, etc. place.
Our home team came off second best against the visitors.
Sue complains that she always comes off second best when she has a disagreement with her husband.
come off with flying colors
through with flying colors
To succeed; triumph.
John came off with flying colors in his final exams at college.
come off
To take place; happen.
The picnic came off at last, after being twice postponed.
To do well; succeed.
The attempt to bring the quarreling couple together again came off, to people's astonishment.
To be perceived or judged as.
Some people come off quite differently than they really are.
cool down
cool off
To lose or cause to lose the heat of any deep feeling (as love, enthusiasm, or anger); make or become calm, cooled or indifferent; lose interest.
A heated argument can be settled better if both sides cool down first.
John was deeply in love with Sally before he left for college, but he cooled off before he got back.
Their friendship cooled off when Jack gave up football.
The neighbor's complaint about the noise cooled the argument down.
count off
To count aloud from one end of a line of men to the other, each man counting in turn.
The soldiers counted off from right to left.
To place into a separate group or groups by counting.
The coach counted off three boys to carry in the equipment.
Tom counted off enough newspapers for his route.
cut off one's nose to spite one's face
To suffer from an action intended originally to harm another person.
In walking out and leaving his employer in the lurch, John really cut off his nose to spite his face, since no business wanted to hire him afterwards.