A Phrase for Every Feature: 100 Body Part Idioms
The English language is rich with colorful idioms, and many of them involve body parts. These phrases add vividness and nuance to our communication, often conveying meaning far beyond the literal words. This article explores 100 of these idioms, categorized by the body parts they relate to.
Head
To hit someone repeatedly.
To try to do something that is impossible.
To be annoying.
To be intelligent and sensible.
To manage during a difficult period, usually financial.
To become confused or upset and unable to think clearly.
Without thinking carefully
Falling completely in love.
Lose your self-control because of success
To tell someone what you really think of them, often angrily.
Eyes
To attract someone’s attention.
To agree.
Watch for something.
To ignore something you know is wrong.
Well-known
Everyone is watching.
Ears
Listen attentively to someone.
To be eagerly listening.
To decide what to do as the situation develops.
To be very busy with something.
To ignore
Nose
Exactly right.
To avoid doing anything wrong.
To reject or show contempt for someone or something.
Very obvious.
Mouth
Through spoken communication.
To speak rudely or aggressively.
To back up your words with action.
From the original source.
Arms
To persuade someone to do something.
To ignore someone.
Keeping a distance.
To welcome someone warmly.
Hands
To help someone.
Presenting different sides of an argument.
To be very busy.
To do hard physical work.
To refuse to be involved with something anymore.
Working together closely.
With just enough money to live.
Well taken care of.
Fingers
To hope for good luck.
To do nothing while waiting.
To blame someone.
Heart
To be very kind and generous.
To cause someone great sadness.
To show your feelings openly.
To do what you truly want to do.
To be encouraged
Back
Tosupport someone.
To stop bothering someone.
To speak to someone angrily.
To abandon or reject.
Shoulders
To work hard.
To offer comfort and support.
Stomach/Belly
To trust your intuition.
To feel nervous.
Knees
To feel weak, usually from love or excitement.
Legs
To wish someone good luck (ironic).
To have no evidence to support your position.
To gain an advantage.
Teeth
To lie.
To fight with all your strength.
Toe
To conform or obey the rules.
Dead.
General
In the same situation as someone else.
To stop being infatuated with someone.
To be in agreement.
To be normal, practical.
To become nervous or afraid to do something.
To start fresh.
To look like someone
To look unwell
To have difficulty speaking
To become confident in a new situation.
To be in a state of nervous anticipation.
To be arrogant
To be preoccupied with something.
To study.
To question someone to get information.
A general rule
To be uncertain.
To see hope.
To be criticalof someone
To be unwell.
To be relaxed and unconcerned
To speak with someone
To search for something
To do something unpleasant
To completely know something.
To stay calm during a difficult situation.
To be ready to give up
To be good at something.
To change the course of something
To talk about something that’s bothering you.
To be in the same situation
To start something
To relax
To be lazy
To be a difficult situation.
To be blamed for something someone else did
To be something good that seemed bad at first.
To be a person.
To be mistaken.
To be someone who spoils fun.
To have benefits of two different things.
To be a foolish search.
To have used something for a long time.
To be much ado about nothing.
To behappy.
To be very common.
To find good in a bad situation.