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coup n. (KOO) a brilliant move or action. The chess champion lost suddenly with a coup by the challenger.

coup d'etat n. (koo day TAH) an overthrow of a ruler or government, especially by a small group. The dictator was forced to abdicate his position after a decisive coup d'etat by his opposition.

covenant n. (KUV uh nunt) a contractual or bind­ing agreement. The community enforced a covenant restricting fences over six feet in height.

covert adj. (koh VURT) secret; undercover. The spy carried out a covert operation.

coy adj. (KOY) shy or flirtatiously shy; demure. Her coy gazes attracted the attention of the boys.

crass adj. (KRASS) crude and indelicate. We were offended by her crass remarks.

credence n. (KREE dens) belief that something is true. I don't give psychics much credence; if they could really predict the future they'd all be millionaires.

creme de la creme (KREM duh luh KREM) French term for the "cream of the cream," or the best of the best. All the desserts were delicious, but the chocolate cake was the creme de la creme.

crescendo n. (kruh SHEN doh) an increase in inten­sity and accompanying climax. The orchestra played a near-deafening crescendo.

critical mass n. a metaphor used to illustrate a crisis point; the state of any problem that has grown unchecked and threatens to explode. The metaphor originates from the minimum amount of fissionable material needed to cause a nuclear explosion. Don't wait for environmental problems to reach critical mass; do something about them now.

cross the Rubicon to take some critical action that will result in great consequences, from which there is no turning back. Originating from the crossing of the Rubicon by Julius Caesar and his troops in 49 b.c. By permanently giving up its electronics division, the com­pany has crossed the Rubicon into uncharted terrain.

cryptic adj. (KRIP tik) mysterious; secret; concealed. The spies sent cryptic messages to each other.

curry favor to win one over through flattery. Poli­ticians curry favor with voters by telling them how wonderful they and their home towns are.

cursory adj. (KUR suh ree) performed superficially and without much attention to detail. The clerk made a cursory inspection of her nails and then promptly started chewing on them.

curt adj. (KURT) brief or abrupt to the point of being considered impolite. The clerk was so curt and unfriendly that we decided to take our business else­where.

cut the Gordian knot to solve a convoluted prob­lem quickly. Originating from the legendary knot tied by King Gordius as a challenge to would-be conquer­ors of Asia Minor in 400 b.c. and cut by Alexander the Great. The mayor cut the Gordian knot of clean­ing up air pollution by simply restricting the number of cars on the roads.

cutting edge n. the forefront; the vanguard. The com­pany is on the cutting edge of computer innovation.