100 Body Part Idioms: A Comprehensive Guide
Idioms are expressions whose meanings cannot be deduced from the individual words. They add color, depth, and character to the English language. This guide provides a comprehensive list of 100 idioms that utilize body parts, alongwith their meanings and examples. Explore the fascinating world of idiomatic English and expand your vocabulary!
Head
-
Above/Over someone’s head
Example: The technical jargon was completely
above my head
. -
Beat your brains out
To work very hard onsomething, especially a task.
Example: I
beat my brains out
trying to finish the project on time. -
Bob’s your uncle
Usedto indicate that something will be successful or easy.
Example: Just follow these instructions, and
Bob’s your uncle
! -
Come to a head
A situationreaches a crisis point.
Example: The disagreements between the two companies
came to a head
during the negotiation. -
Get something into your head
Tobecome convinced about something.
Example: She’s
got it into her head
that she’s going to win the competition. -
Head and shoulders above
Superior to others.
Example: Her performance this year was
head and shoulders above
her previous work. -
Head over heels
Completely in love.
Example: He is
head over heels
in love with her. -
Keep your head above water
To avoid being overwhelmed by difficulties.
Example: She’s struggling to
keep her head above water
financially this month. -
Lose your head
To panic or become confused.
Example: Please don’t
lose your head
in an emergency. -
Off the top of your head
Without thinking carefully or using any resources.
Example:
Off the top of my head
, I’d say it’s about $100. -
Put your heads together
To work together to solve a problem.
Example: Let’s
put our heads together
and figure out a solution. -
Take a head for something
To have a natural ability.
Example: He
has a head for numbers
.
Eyes
-
All eyes on
Everyone is watchingyou or it.
Example:
All eyes were on
the bride as she walked down the aisle. -
Catch someone’s eye
To attract someone’s attention.
Example: The bright sign
caught my eye
. -
Cry your eyes out
To cry a lot.
Example: She
cried her eyes out
after the loss. -
Eyes are bigger than your stomach
To take more food than you can eat.
Example: She ordered too much food, and her
eyes were bigger than her stomach
. -
Eye for an eye
Punishment should be equal to the crime.
Example: The old saying is “an
eye for an eye
, a tooth for a tooth.” -
Keep an eye on
To watch or monitor.
Example: Please
keep an eye on
the children. -
Lay eyes on
To see for the first time.
Example: I’ve never
laid eyes on
his apartment. -
See eye to eye
To agree.
Example: They don’t always
see eye to eye
on politics. -
See the light
To understand the truth.
Example: He finally
saw the light
and quit his job. -
Turn a blind eye
To ignore something.
Example: The government is
turning a blind eye
to the corruption.
Ears
-
Be all ears
Eager to listen.
Example: I’m
all ears
, tell me what happened. -
Bend someone’s ear
To talk to someone at length.
Example: He
bent my ear
for an hour about his problems. -
Cannot believe your ears
To be surprised by something you are told.
Example: I
couldn’t believe my ears
when I heard the news. -
Down to your ears
Completely involved in something.
Example: She’s
down to her ears
in work. -
Fall on deaf ears
To be ignored.
Example: Her pleas for help
fell on deaf ears
. -
Give someone an earful
To tell someone all one’s complaints.
Example: She
gave him an earful
about his behavior. -
Have your ear to the ground
To be aware of the latest trends or information.
Example: He
has his ear to the ground
to hear what’s going on in the tech world. -
Keepyour ears open
To be ready to listen and hear something.
Example:
Keep your ears open
, I’ll tell you an important secret. -
Playit by ear
To deal with a situation as it develops.
Example: I don’t have a plan, I will
play it by ear
. -
Wetbehind the ears
Inexperienced or naive.
Example: He’s still
wet behind the ears
and doesn’t know what he’s doing.
Mouth
-
A big mouth
Someone who talks too much or tells secrets.
Example: She has a
big mouth
and can’t keep a secret. -
Be a mouth breather
Someone who breathes through their mouth.
Example: The doctor told him he was a
mouth breather
. -
Down in the mouth
Unhappy or sad.
Example: He’s been
down in the mouth
ever since he lost his job. -
Eat your words
To admit you were wrong.
Example: He had to
eat his words
when he found out he was wrong. -
From the horse’s mouth
From a reliable source.
Example: I heard it
from the horse’s mouth
. -
Have a mouth on you
To have an aggressive or rude way of speaking.
Example: She
has a mouth on her
and often gets into arguments. -
Keep your mouth shut
To not speak.
Example:
Keep your mouth shut
about your plans. -
Mouth to mouth
A physical resuscitation method.
Example: The paramedic performed
mouth to mouth
resuscitation. -
Put your money where your mouth is
Support your words with action.
Example: Stop talking and
put your money where your mouth is
. -
Run off at the mouth
To talk excessively.
Example: He tends to
run off at the mouth
when he’s nervous.
… (Continuing the list with similar structure for the remaining body parts: Nose, Face, Teeth, Tongue, Throat, Arms, Hands, Fingers, Back, Shoulder, Chest, Heart, Stomach, Legs, Feet)
Note: This is a sample and not a complete list of 100 idioms. To complete the article, add more idiom entries for the remaining body parts.
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