Our bodies are amazing, and in English, many idioms are based on body parts like the head, hands, eyes, or feet. Idioms are expressions whose meanings cannot always be guessed from the words alone.
In this article, we’ll look at 100 idioms about body parts with simple meanings. These idioms will help you sound natural, creative, and expressive in your English conversations and writing.
Why Body Parts in Idioms?
Body parts are used in idioms because:
- Eyes are connected to seeing → attention or focus.
- Hands are used for work → action or help.
- Heart shows feelings → love or courage.
- Feet are for moving → travel or stability.
That’s why body parts became symbols in everyday English.
100 Body Part Idioms with Meanings
| Idiom | Meaning |
|---|---|
| All ears | Listening carefully |
| Keep an ear to the ground | Stay informed |
| Music to my ears | Something pleasant to hear |
| Fall on deaf ears | Be ignored |
| Play it by ear | Handle a situation without a plan |
| Sweet talk | Flattering words |
| Lip service | Saying, not doing |
| Zip your lip | Be quiet |
| Bite your tongue | Stop yourself from speaking |
| Cat got your tongue | Can’t speak, silent |
| Big mouth | Talk too much |
| By word of mouth | Spread by speaking |
| Slip of the tongue | A spoken mistake |
| Foam at the mouth | Be very angry |
| Tongue-in-cheek | Not serious, joking |
| Face the music | Accept the result |
| Lose face | Be embarrassed |
| Save face | Protect your reputation |
| Poker face | Expressionless face |
| Two-faced | Dishonest, hypocritical |
| Written all over your face | Very obvious emotion |
| Nose out of joint | Upset or offended |
| Keep your nose clean | Stay out of trouble |
| Stick your nose into | Interfere in something |
| Turn up your nose at | Reject with dislike |
| Pay through the nose | Pay too much |
| Cut off your nose to spite your face | Harm yourself to harm others |
| Eye to eye | In agreement |
| Catch someone’s eye | Get attention |
| In the public eye | Famous |
| Turn a blind eye | Ignore something |
| Apple of my eye | Someone very special |
| Keep an eye on | Watch carefully |
| In the blink of an eye | Very quickly |
| Eagle eye | Very observant |
| Keep your eyes peeled | Stay watchful |
| See eye to eye | Agree |
| Cold shoulder | Ignore someone |
| Shoulder responsibility | Accept duty |
| Look over your shoulder | Be nervous or suspicious |
| A chip on your shoulder | Holding a grudge |
| Cry on someone’s shoulder | Share problems with someone |
| Head start | Early advantage |
| Off the top of your head | Without thinking too much |
| Head over heels | Deeply in love |
| Lose your head | Panic or lose control |
| Bite someone’s head off | Speak angrily |
| Keep your head above water | Manage to survive |
| Use your head | Think carefully |
| Go to someone’s head | Make someone arrogant |
| A level head | Calm and sensible |
| Heart of gold | Very kind person |
| Break someone’s heart | Make someone very sad |
| Have your heart in something | Care deeply |
| Have a change of heart | Change your mind |
| Lose heart | Give up hope |
| Learn by heart | Memorize |
| Pour your heart out | Share deep feelings |
| Hand in hand | Together, connected |
| Lend a hand | Help |
| Wash your hands of something | Refuse responsibility |
| Out of hand | Out of control |
| In good hands | In safe care |
| Bite the hand that feeds you | Hurt someone who helps you |
| Upper hand | Advantage |
| On the one hand / On the other hand | Two sides of an argument |
| Rule of thumb | General rule |
| All thumbs | Clumsy |
| Green thumb | Skill at gardening |
| Under someone’s thumb | Controlled by someone |
| Thumb a ride | Ask for a free ride (hitchhike) |
| At your fingertips | Easily available |
| Cross your fingers | Hope for luck |
| Point the finger | Blame someone |
| Butterfingers | Clumsy with hands |
| Twiddle your thumbs | Waste time |
| Put your finger on it | Identify something exactly |
| Give someone the finger | Make a rude gesture |
| Cold feet | Nervous before an event |
| Find your feet | Adjust to a new situation |
| Get back on your feet | Recover from problems |
| Drag your feet | Delay on purpose |
| Stand on your own two feet | Be independent |
| Sweep someone off their feet | Make someone fall in love quickly |
| Foot the bill | Pay for something |
| Have itchy feet | Want to travel or move |
| Put your foot down | Be firm, refuse |
| Shoot yourself in the foot | Harm yourself by mistake |
| Achilles’ heel | A weakness |
| Bare bones | Basic details |
| Skeleton in the closet | Hidden secret |
| Skin and bones | Very thin |
| Make no bones about it | Be honest and direct |
| Jump out of your skin | Be very scared |
| By the skin of your teeth | Just barely |
| Get under someone’s skin | Annoy someone |
| Thick-skinned | Not easily upset |
| Thin-skinned | Easily upset |
Conclusion
These 100 body part idioms show how English uses parts of the body to express feelings, actions, and situations. From “all ears” to “cold feet,” these phrases make language lively and fun.
Learning them will help you understand conversations better and make your own speaking and writing more expressive. Next time you talk with friends or write an essay, try adding a body idiom—you’ll sound natural and creative!