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Download the Body Idioms List & PDF Worksheets
View the updated web-version of the body idioms list in the table below.
The idiom worksheets and games are also free to download.
- Download and print the PDFs.
- Use the materials for interactive learning activities in class.
- Students can also complete the worksheets to review or for self-study.
Body Idiom Worksheets for ESL Students
Worksheet A: Defining Idioms & Writing Sentences with Idioms
Worksheet B: Reading Idioms in Context & Describing Meanings
Fun Body Idiom Games for the Classroom
Body Idioms Checklist (for BINGO)
54 Idioms and Phrases About Body Parts
*Updated: November 2021
| Idiom / Phrase | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| achilles' heel | someone's weakness | Vodka is his achilles' heel. He only loses his composure when he drinks it. |
| add insult to injury | worsen an unfavorable situation | She added insult to injury by picking her little brother's ice cream off the dirty floor and sticking it in his mouth. |
| all ears | listen carefully | Jane asked if I was paying attention. I told her, "I'm all ears!" |
| all hands on deck | everyone's help is needed | We need all hands on deck if we want to reduce carbon emissions. |
| all thumbs | clumsy | I'm all thumbs today. I keep dropping my phone! |
| an arm and a leg | very expensive | That new car costs an arm and a leg. |
| apple of my eye | an adored person | My precious daughter is the apple of my eye. |
| break a leg | good luck | Before the final exam, the teacher told his students to break a leg. |
| bust my chops | say something insulting | She always busts my chops about my low salary. |
| by the skin of my teeth | barely or narrowly | I finished the test by the skin of my teeth just before the bell rang. |
| cold feet | being nervous or anxious before a big event | She got cold feet before the wedding. |
| cry your heart out | cry a lot | He cried his heart out when his dog died. |
| dog-eared | folded corners of pages in a book | He dog-eared the pages of the book instead of using a bookmark. |
| dog's bollocks | the best | That new Tesla is the dog's bollocks. |
| face the music | deal with unpleasant consequences | The man confessed to the crime and faced the music in prison. |
| flesh and blood | family | I can't fire my brother. He's my own flesh and blood. |
| foot the bill | pay for something | I'll foot the bill and pay for everyone's meal at the restaurant. |
| freeze your buns off | be very cold | You will freeze your buns off in Antarctica. |
| get a head start | start before others | Don always gets a head start and wakes up at dawn. |
| get something off my chest | reveal or confess something | I felt better getting it off my chest by confessing that I stole the money. |
| give a cold shoulder | to deny or ignore | She gave him a cold shoulder when he asked for her phone number. |
| give a hand or lend a hand | help someone | Can you give me a hand with lifting this laundry machine? |
| green thumb | talent for gardening | Your flowers live so long because of your green thumb. |
| have eyes in the back of your head | perceptive | You must have eyes in the back of your head. You always know what your boyfriend is doing when he's away. |
| have your head in the clouds | to be unaware or oblivious | You always have your head in the clouds. Do you have any idea what's happening? |
| head over heels | to be deeply in love | Sarah was head over heels for her new boyfriend. |
| heavy heart | sadness | She left him with a heavy heart. |
| in over your head | trying something that is much too difficult for one's ability | You're in over your head. You can't beat the computer at chess. |
| keep an eye on | watch carefully or take care of | Please keep an eye on the kettle. It will boil soon. |
| keep my head above water | try not to fall behind | I have so much work to finish. It's hard to keep my head above water here. |
| keep your chin up | stay positive | Keep your chin up. You will win the next game. |
| keep your lips sealed | promise to keep a secret | You must keep your lips sealed about your affair. |
| know by heart | memorize | Steve knows all of the computer code by heart. |
| let your hair down | relax and have fun | You should let your hair down on Saturday night and go dancing. |
| live from hand to mouth | live on very little money | During the depression, we had to live from hand to mouth. |
| make my blood boil | make very angry | Donald makes my blood boil when he talks. |
| neck of the woods | nearby location | The restaurant is in my neck of the woods. |
| old hand | experienced person | Peter is an old hand when analyzing the stock market. |
| over my dead body | to do anything to prevent something from happening | My son wanted to get a face tattoo, but I told him over my dead body. |
| pat on the back | give recognition | You deserve a pat on the back for fixing the furnace. |
| play something by ear | let things occur without a rigid plan | Let's play it by ear and see what happens tonight. |
| pull your leg | tease or joke around | I'm just pulling your leg. Don't take it too seriously. |
| puppy dog eyes | innocent facial expression | His daughter showed him puppy dog eyes after dropping his ice cream cone. |
| put your money where your mouth is | stop talking and start acting upon something | You should put your money where your mouth is and start your new business idea. |
| rule of thumb | general rule | As a rule of thumb, you should get 8 hours of sleep per night. |
| see eye to eye | agree | My wife and eye don't see eye to eye. We're getting a divorce. |
| stick your neck out | help someone despite possible consequences for oneself | You should stick your neck out for your teammate. |
| sweet tooth | love sweet things | Suzie has a sweet tooth. She always eats ice cream after dinner. |
| thick in the head | stupid or foolish | Tommy is so thick in the head. He keeps licking the wall. |
| tongue in cheek | not meaning what one is saying | When I said to fly to Hawaii, I was speaking tongue in cheek. I didn't actually think you would book a ticket! |
| under my thumb | under my control | Mick said the girl was under his thumb. She was the sweetest pet in the world. |
| wash my hands of something | stop dealing with a problem | I'm washing my hands of his troubled past and moving on with life. |
| water off a duck's back | a harmful remark that has no effect on someone | She insulted me but I didn't care. It was like water off a duck's back. |
| yellow-bellied | cowardly | Don't be so yellow-bellied. It's only a small spider! |
Extra Examples of Body Idioms in Use
Do you want to read more examples and sentences with body idioms?
Try entering the expressions in a corpus database or language app.
We highly recommend the following corpus resources and tools: