Diving into the English language is like opening a treasure chest full of surprises. One of the most colorful and fun parts of this treasure is idioms, especially those with body parts. They paint pictures with words, making conversations lively and expressive.
Our journey today will explore over 100 of these idioms, helping beginners and those looking to brush up on their English. So, buckle up for a playful ride through the human body, English style!
Idioms with Body Parts
Here’s a list of 30 idioms that involve body parts, with meaning for each:
- Cost an arm and a leg – Something very expensive.
- Break a leg – Good luck (often said to actors before they go on stage).
- Cold feet – Nervousness or fear about a decision or event.
- Give a hand – To help someone.
- Keep an eye on – To watch or monitor carefully.
- Play it by ear – To improvise or go with the flow.
- Pull someone’s leg – To joke or trick someone.
- See eye to eye – To agree with someone.
- Under someone’s thumb – Controlled or dominated by someone else.
- All ears – Fully listening or attentive.
- Bite your tongue – To stop yourself from saying something.
- Face the music – To confront the consequences of one’s actions.
- Get something off your chest – To talk about something that has been bothering you.
- Have a change of heart – To change one’s opinion or feelings.
- Lend an ear – To listen carefully or sympathetically.
- Nose out of joint – To feel upset or offended.
- On the tip of your tongue – When you can almost remember something.
- Pat on the back – To give praise or recognition.
- Rule of thumb – A general guideline, not a strict rule.
- Turn a blind eye – To ignore something intentionally.
- Wash one’s hands of – To refuse to have anything more to do with something.
- Bite off more than you can chew – To take on a task that is too big or difficult.
- Cross your heart – To promise sincerely.
- Elbow grease – Hard physical effort.
- Head over heels – Deeply in love or extremely excited.
- Jump out of one’s skin – To be extremely startled.
- Keep your chin up – To remain cheerful in a difficult situation.
- Lose one’s head – To lose control and not act in a calm manner.
- My lips are sealed – Promising to keep a secret.
- Pull someone’s strings – To control or manipulate someone.
Related: Idioms for Kids
