Idioms About Human Body
Here is a list of 50+ idioms about the human body with their meanings and example sentences.
- All ears
Meaning: To be eager to listen or hear something
Example: “Tell me what happened at the party, I’m all ears.” - Backseat driver
Meaning: Someone who gives unwanted advice or criticism
Example: “I can’t stand being a passenger in your car, you’re such a backseat driver.” - Biting your tongue
Meaning: To hold back from saying something
Example: “I had to bite my tongue during the meeting to avoid offending my boss.” - Blood, sweat, and tears
Meaning: To work very hard for something
Example: “I put in blood, sweat, and tears to finish my thesis on time.” - Break a leg
Meaning: Good luck
Example: “Break a leg on your audition tomorrow!” - Butterflies in your stomach
Meaning: To feel nervous or anxious
Example: “I always get butterflies in my stomach before a big presentation.” - Cost an arm and a leg
Meaning: To be very expensive
Example: “I would love to go on a vacation, but the airfare would cost me an arm and a leg.” - Cry your eyes out
Meaning: To cry excessively
Example: “When I watched that sad movie, I cried my eyes out.” - Cut corners
Meaning: To do something in a cheap or quick way, often at the expense of quality
Example: “Don’t cut corners on the construction project, we need it to be safe and durable.” - Dig your heels in
Meaning: To refuse to change your mind or opinion about something
Example: “Even though everyone else disagrees, I’m digging my heels in on this issue.” - Down in the dumps
Meaning: To feel sad or depressed
Example: “I’ve been down in the dumps since my dog died.” - Elbow grease
Meaning: Physical effort or hard work
Example: “Cleaning the garage requires a lot of elbow grease.” - Face the music
Meaning: To face the consequences of your actions
Example: “I know I made a mistake, but I have to face the music and apologize.” - Feel it in your bones
Meaning: To have a strong intuition or feeling about something
Example: “I feel it in my bones that something good is going to happen today.” - Foot in the door
Meaning: To gain an initial advantage or opportunity
Example: “I just need to get my foot in the door with this company, then I can work my way up.” - Get cold feet
Meaning: To become nervous or hesitant about something you were previously excited about
Example: “I was planning to propose, but I got cold feet at the last minute.” - Get a head start
Meaning: To start before everyone else or before it’s too late
Example: “If we leave now, we can get a head start on the traffic.” - Get something off your chest
Meaning: To confess or reveal something that has been bothering you
Example: “I had to get it off my chest and tell her the truth.” - Give someone a hand
Meaning: To help someone
Example: “Can you give me a hand with this heavy box?” - Give someone the cold shoulder
Meaning: To ignore or reject someone
Example: “I don’t know why she’s giving me the cold shoulder, I didn’t do anything wrong.”
- Go the extra mile
Meaning: To put in extra effort or work beyond what is expected
Example: “I always go the extra mile for my clients to ensure their satisfaction.” - Have a heart of gold
Meaning: To be a very kind and generous person
Example: “She has a heart of gold, always helping those in need.” - Head in the clouds
Meaning: To be out of touch with reality or daydreaming
Example: “He’s always got his head in the clouds, never paying attention to what’s going on around him.” - Hit the nail on the head
Meaning: To get something exactly right
Example: “You hit the nail on the head with that suggestion, it’s exactly what we need.” - Keep your chin up
Meaning: To remain optimistic and positive during difficult times
Example: “I know things are tough right now, but keep your chin up and stay strong.” - Kick the bucket
Meaning: To die
Example: “He kicked the bucket last night, may he rest in peace.” - Let your hair down
Meaning: To relax and have fun
Example: “After a long week of work, I can’t wait to let my hair down and go out with my friends.” - Make a long story short
Meaning: To summarize something briefly
Example: “To make a long story short, I lost my wallet on the subway.” - Neck of the woods
Meaning: A particular area or region
Example: “I grew up in that neck of the woods, it’s a beautiful place.” - Off the top of your head
Meaning: To say something without thinking or planning
Example: “I can’t give you an exact number off the top of my head, but it’s somewhere around 50.” - On the same page
Meaning: To have the same understanding or agreement
Example: “We’re all on the same page about the project’s goals and objectives.” - Play it by ear
Meaning: To improvise or make decisions as you go
Example: “Let’s play it by ear and see how the situation develops before making a plan.” - Pull someone’s leg
Meaning: To joke or tease someone in a playful way
Example: “I’m just pulling your leg, I don’t really believe that.” - Put your foot in your mouth
Meaning: To say something inappropriate or embarrassing
Example: “I really put my foot in my mouth when I made that insensitive comment.” - Shoulder the burden
Meaning: To take on a difficult responsibility or task
Example: “I’ll shoulder the burden and take care of the paperwork for the project.” - Stick your neck out
Meaning: To take a risk or stand up for something
Example: “I’m willing to stick my neck out and fight for what’s right.” - Straight from the horse’s mouth
Meaning: To hear something directly from the source
Example: “I heard it straight from the horse’s mouth that the company is planning to expand.” - Take it with a grain of salt
Meaning: To be skeptical or cautious about something
Example: “I take everything he says with a grain of salt, he’s not always truthful.” - Thick-skinned
Meaning: To be insensitive to criticism or insults
Example: “You have to be thick-skinned to survive in the entertainment industry.”
- Turn a blind eye
Meaning: To ignore something intentionally
Example: “The manager turned a blind eye to the employee’s tardiness because he was a top performer.” - Twist someone’s arm
Meaning: To persuade or pressure someone to do something
Example: “I had to twist his arm to get him to come to the party.” - Under someone’s thumb
Meaning: To be completely controlled or dominated by someone
Example: “She’s completely under his thumb, he makes all the decisions for her.” - Up in arms
Meaning: To be very angry or outraged about something
Example: “The community was up in arms about the proposed development project.” - Wear your heart on your sleeve
Meaning: To be very open and honest about your emotions
Example: “He wears his heart on his sleeve, you always know how he’s feeling.” - Wet behind the ears
Meaning: To be inexperienced or naive
Example: “She’s still wet behind the ears when it comes to managing a team.” - Wrap your head around
Meaning: To understand something complicated or difficult
Example: “I’m still trying to wrap my head around the new project requirements.” - You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours
Meaning: To do favors for each other in a mutually beneficial arrangement
Example: “If you cover my shift tonight, I’ll cover yours next week. You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.” - Your guess is as good as mine
Meaning: To not know or be uncertain about something
Example: “I have no idea when the project will be finished, your guess is as good as mine.” - Zip your lips
Meaning: To be quiet or keep something confidential
Example: “I can’t tell you what I heard, but just zip your lips and let it be.”
