In this blog post, we’re going to explore 30 fun sayings that use parts of the body in ways you might not expect. These phrases, called idioms, make English colorful and are used a lot in everyday conversations. They might sound strange at first, especially if you’re just starting to learn English or looking to get better at it.
But don’t worry, we’ll write meaning and example sentences for each one so it’s easy to understand. This will not only improve your English but also make chatting with friends more interesting.
Idioms with Body Parts
1. Break a leg
Meaning: Good luck!
She said, Break a leg! before my speech.
2. Cost an arm and a leg
Meaning: Very expensive.
This new car cost an arm and a leg.
3. Keep an eye on
Meaning: Watch carefully.
Keep an eye on your bag in the crowd.
4. Lend me your ear
Meaning: Listen to me.
Lend me your ear; I have news.
5. Cold feet
Meaning: Feeling nervous.
I got cold feet before the interview.
6. Give a hand
Meaning: Help out.
Can you give me a hand here?
7. On the tip of my tongue
Meaning: Almost remembered.
His name is on the tip of my tongue.
8. Pull someone’s leg
Meaning: Joke with someone.
I was just pulling your leg, relax.
9. See eye to eye
Meaning: Agree fully.
We don’t see eye to eye on this.
10. All ears
Meaning: Fully listening.
I’m all ears, tell me the story.
11. Bite your tongue
Meaning: Stay silent.
I had to bite my tongue during the meeting.
12. Face the music
Meaning: Accept consequences.
It’s time to face the music for your actions.
13. Head over heels
Meaning: Deeply in love.
He’s head over heels for her.
14. Get it off your chest
Meaning: Confess something.
Get it off your chest, you’ll feel better.
15. Put your foot down
Meaning: Insist firmly.
I had to put my foot down at work.
16. Heart in your mouth
Meaning: Feel very nervous.
My heart was in my mouth during the ride.
17. Back to the drawing board
Meaning: Start over.
It’s back to the drawing board for us.
18. Pain in the neck
Meaning: Annoying.
This glitch is a real pain in the neck.
19. Have a gut feeling
Meaning: Intuitively know.
I have a gut feeling about this decision.
20. Stick your neck out
Meaning: Take a risk.
He stuck his neck out for the team.
21. Turn a blind eye
Meaning: Ignore deliberately.
She turned a blind eye to the chaos.
22. Wash your hands of
Meaning: Disclaim responsibility.
I’ve washed my hands of that project.
23. Under someone’s thumb
Meaning: Controlled by someone.
He’s completely under his boss’s thumb.
24. Cry your heart out
Meaning: Cry a lot.
She cried her heart out after the news.
25. Cross my heart
Meaning: Promise sincerely.
Cross my heart, I didn’t tell anyone.
26. Find your feet
Meaning: Become comfortable.
She quickly found her feet in the new job.
27. Have the stomach for
Meaning: Be able to endure.
I don’t have the stomach for horror movies.
28. Jump out of one’s skin
Meaning: Be very startled.
I jumped out of my skin at the noise.
29. Lose your head
Meaning: Become very upset.
Don’t lose your head over small issues.
30. Play it by ear
Meaning: Decide spontaneously.
Let’s play it by ear for our trip.
Related: Money Idioms
