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Head Over Heels For English: 30 Common Body Idioms

Writer's picture: Wafa HouraniWafa Hourani

Head Over Heels For English: 30 Common Body Idioms


Idioms that incorporate parts of the body ingeniously create vivid imagery, transforming abstract ideas into more tangible and relatable concepts. These expressions play a crucial role in enriching our everyday communication, making it more colorful and compelling. For those who are either learning or teaching English, acquiring a grasp of these body idioms can be immensely helpful




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In this post, we have compiled a list of 30 common body idioms. Each idiom is accompanied by its meaning, and to help you understand its usage in real-life scenarios, we also provide example sentences. This hands-on approach will make it easier for you to understand and incorporate these idioms into your own language usage.

For those who would like to have a portable version of this resource, we’ve made it easy for you! A downloadable PDF version of these examples can be found at the end of this page.


Body Part Idioms

Cost an arm and a leg

Meaning: Something is very expensive. Example Sentence: “The designer dress she wanted cost an arm and a leg, so she decided to rent it instead.“


Break a leg

Meaning: Wishing someone good luck. Example Sentence: “Before his big audition, his sister called and told him to break a leg.“

Give a hand

Meaning: To help someone. Example Sentence: “Could you give me a hand carrying these bags upstairs?“

Cry your eyes out

Meaning: To cry excessively. Example Sentence: “She cried her eyes out when she found out her pet had passed away.“

Cold feet

Meaning: To feel nervous before a big event. Example Sentence: “She got cold feet just before her wedding, but her best friend reassured her.“

Bite your tongue

Meaning: To avoid speaking. Example Sentence: “I had to bite my tongue to avoid saying something rude.“

Face the music

Meaning: To confront the consequences of one’s actions. Example Sentence: “After cheating on the test, he had to face the music when he was caught.“

Pull someone’s leg

Meaning: To tease or joke with someone. Example Sentence: “I’m just pulling your leg, I didn’t really forget your birthday.“

Get it off your chest

Meaning: To express your feelings to feel better. Example Sentence: “I feel so much better now that I’ve gotten that off my chest.“

Play it by ear

Meaning: To improvise or play without a plan. Example Sentence: “We don’t have a plan for our road trip, we’re just going to play it by ear.“

Get under one’s skin

Meaning: To annoy or bother someone. Example Sentence: “Her constant criticism really gets under my skin.“

Lend an ear

Meaning: To listen to someone. Example Sentence: “If you ever need someone to talk to, I’m here to lend an ear.“

Have a heart

Meaning: To show compassion. Example Sentence: “Please have a heart and donate to those in need.“

Wear your heart on your sleeve

Meaning: To openly show your feelings or emotions. Example Sentence: “He wears his heart on his sleeve, so it’s easy to tell when he’s upset.“

Turn a blind eye

Meaning: To ignore something intentionally. Example Sentence: “You can’t just turn a blind eye to the environmental issues our planet is facing.“

Put your foot in your mouth

Meaning: To say something embarrassing or inappropriate. Example Sentence: “I really put my foot in my mouth when I asked about her husband, not knowing they had recently divorced.“

Have a gut feeling

Meaning: To have a strong intuition about something. Example Sentence: “I have a gut feeling that this is the right decision for me.“

Head over heels

Meaning: To be extremely in love with someone. Example Sentence: “She fell head over heels for him the moment they met.“

Keep your chin up

Meaning: To remain cheerful in a difficult situation. Example Sentence: “Even though she was going through a tough time, she kept her chin up and stayed positive.“

Stick your neck out

Meaning: To take a risk for someone else. Example Sentence: “He stuck his neck out for his friend, even though he knew it might cause him problems.“


See eye to eye

Meaning: To agree on something. Example Sentence: “Although they are from different political parties, they see eye to eye on this issue.“

Back to the drawing board

Meaning: To start a task all over again. Example Sentence: “Our plan didn’t work out as we expected, so it’s back to the drawing board.“

Off the top of your head

Meaning: To say something without thinking about it in advance. Example Sentence: “Can you give me the answer off the top of your head, or do you need time to think about it?”

Have a chip on your shoulder

Meaning: To seem angry all the time because you feel that you have been treated unfairly or feel you are not as good as other people. Example Sentence: “Ever since he was overlooked for the promotion, he’s had a chip on his shoulder.“

On the tip of your tongue

Meaning: When you know something but can’t quite remember it. Example Sentence: “His name is on the tip of my tongue, but I just can’t remember it.“

Elbow grease

Meaning: Hard physical work, especially cleaning. Example Sentence: “This old furniture will look like new with a little elbow grease.“

Pain in the neck

Meaning: Someone or something that is very annoying. Example Sentence: “My neighbor’s loud music is a real pain in the neck.”

Shoulder the burden

Meaning: To take on a responsibility. Example Sentence: “He had to shoulder the burden of his father’s failed business.“

Nose out of joint

Meaning: To feel upset or annoyed because you believe you have been treated unfairly. Example Sentence: “He got his nose out of joint when he wasn’t invited to the meeting.“

Twist someone’s arm

Meaning: To persuade someone to do something. Example Sentence: “I didn’t want to go to the party, but she twisted my arm.”





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