Body idioms
25 idioms last verified 2026-07-18
Sayings that turn on parts of the body — bones, hands, feet, teeth — often traced by Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898) to old crafts, battlefield habits, or biblical passages.
About this category
Sayings that turn on parts of the body — bones, hands, feet, teeth — often traced by Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898) to old crafts, battlefield habits, or biblical passages. Each entry below gives the plain meaning, an origin note honestly attributed to Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898) or marked as uncertain, and a usage example.
Answers in this topic
- What does ‘up in arms’ mean?
- What does ‘have butterflies in your stomach’ mean?
- What does ‘see eye to eye’ mean?
- What does ‘have your hands full’ mean?
- What does ‘rub someone the wrong way’ mean?
- What does ‘give the thumbs up’ mean?
- What does ‘wear your heart on your sleeve’ mean?
- What does ‘have a heart of gold’ mean?
- What does ‘get something off your chest’ mean?
- What does ‘a shot in the arm’ mean?
- What does ‘play it by ear’ mean?
- What does ‘cross your fingers’ mean?
- What does ‘by the skin of your teeth’ mean?
- What does ‘a stiff upper lip’ mean?
- What does ‘keep your chin up’ mean?
- What does ‘a chip on your shoulder’ mean?
- What does ‘turn a blind eye’ mean?
- What does ‘give someone the cold shoulder’ mean?
- What does ‘face the music’ mean?
- What does ‘put your foot in your mouth’ mean?
- What does ‘get cold feet’ mean?
- What does ‘pull someone's leg’ mean?
- What does ‘cost an arm and a leg’ mean?
- What does ‘break a leg’ mean?
- What does ‘bite the bullet’ mean?
Questions
- Where do the origins for body idioms come from?
- Origins on this page are drawn from public-domain reference works, primarily Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898). Where the origin is disputed or unknown, the entry says so plainly.
- Are these idioms still in modern use?
- Most are in everyday English; a few are chiefly literary or old-fashioned, and those are flagged in the usage notes.
Source:
Last verified: 2026-07-18