16 Body Idioms That You Need to Know

Do you know these body related English idioms and their meanings? Test yourself or your friends with these 16 body idioms.

A sight for sore eyes

– you can use this idiom when you want to express that you are happy to see someone or something. I.e. ‘I haven’t seen you in ages, you’re such a sight for sore eyes!’

Cold feet

– the idiom ‘cold feet’ means that you are having second thoughts about something. You might have heard this idiom before on a film when people are getting married. E.g. ‘Are you sure you want to marry her? If you’re getting cold feet, we can call off the wedding.’

Cold shoulder

– if you give someone the cold shoulder, you are ignoring them. I.e. ‘He’s been giving me the cold shoulder since last week, I think he is really upset with me.’

Cost an arm and a leg

– people use this idiom if something is very expensive. E.g. ‘That sports car costed me an arm and a leg!’

Cry your heart out

– this idiom means to cry a lot about something. I.e. ‘They broke up last night and she’s been crying her eyes out all day.’

Face the music

– this idiom can be used if you have to deal with the consequences of your actions. Often the consequences are unpleasant such as a punishment. E.g. ‘He is in court today, it’s about time he faced the music for what he did.’

Get off my back

– if someone is always telling you what to do or is criticising the way you do something you can use this idiom. I.e. ‘Why don’t you get off my back and stop telling me what to do?’

Get something off your chest

– you can use this idiom if you need to talk to someone about your problems. E.g. ‘Thank you for being there for me, I really needed to get that off my chest.’

Give/lend a hand – ‘can you give me a hand with this shopping?’ The idiom give me a hand (or lend a hand) means to help someone.

Head over heels

– if you are head over heels for someone it means you are in love with them. I.e. ‘They are head over heels for one another; it’s really sweet.’

In over your head

– this idiom means that you have taken on something that you can’t handle. E.g. ‘He shouldn’t have taken on that project at work, he’s really in over his head now!’

Keep your chin up

– saying to someone ‘keep up your chin’, means that they should try and be happy, even though they are feeling sad. I.e. ‘I know you are having a hard time at the moment, but you have to keep your chin up and keep going.’

My lips are sealed

– if someone says this phrase, it means that they won't tell anyone about your secret. E.g. ‘I won’t tell anyone; my lips are sealed.’

Off the top of my head

– this idiom can be used when you say something without careful consideration. I.e. ‘I can’t tell you the list of groceries off the top of my head, because I can't remember it.'

Pat on the back

– if someone says you deserve a pat on the back, they are saying that you’ve done something well. E.g. ‘That was a really nice gesture, you should give yourself a pat on the back.’

Rule of thumb

– this idiom means that it is a basic rule that should be followed. I.e. ‘Twin’s rule of thumb is: we want students to come to their morning English classes at 9am.’

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