30 Health and Medicine Idioms with Meanings and Examples

Last updated on October 24, 2024 by Isabella Claire

Learning health and medicine idioms is important for both non-native and native English speakers. This reference provides a comprehensive list of health and medicine idioms with their meanings and examples. Each idiom is explained with its meaning and examples to help you understand and use them correctly. This guide will help improve your knowledge of health-related expressions.

List of Health and Medicine Idioms

Health and Medicine Idioms
Health and Medicine Idioms – Created by 7ESL
  • Alive And Kicking
  • An apple a day keeps the doctor away
  • As fit as a fiddle
  • As pale as a ghost
  • As pale as death
  • At death’s door
  • Back on one’s feet
  • Be on the Mend
  • Bitter pill to swallow
  • Black-and-blue
  • Break out in a cold sweat
  • Catch one’s death of cold
  • Feel on top of the world
  • Get a charley horse
  • Go Under the Knife
  • Go Viral
  • Green around the gills
  • Have foot-in-mouth disease
  • Have one foot in the grave
  • Just what the doctor ordered
  • Kink in one’s neck
  • Laughter is the best medicine
  • Poison pill (n)
  • Run in the family
  • Sick and Tired of
  • Sick as a Dog
  • Snake Oil
  • Take your medicine
  • Taste of your own medicine
  • Under the weather

Health and Medicine Idioms with Meaning and Examples

Alive And Kicking

  • Meaning: Someone who is still full of energy and is very active. Usually despite health problems or old age.
  • Example: Even though my grandma is 70 years old, she is alive and kicking.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away

  • Meaning: Eating healthy and taking care of oneself can prevent illnesses and diseases.
  • Example: I make sure to eat an apple a day to keep the doctor away.

As fit as a fiddle

  • Meaning: To be healthy and physically fit.
  • Example: After going to the gym every day for a month, I feel as fit as a fiddle.

As pale as a ghost

  • Meaning: To look very pale, usually due to being scared or sick.
  • Example: She was as pale as a ghost after hearing the bad news.

As pale as death

  • Meaning: To look extremely pale, usually due to being very sick or close to dying.
  • Example: After being in the hospital for a week, he was as pale as death.

At death’s door

  • Meaning: To be very sick or close to dying.
  • Example: After being diagnosed with cancer, she felt like she was at death’s door.

Back on one’s feet

  • Meaning: To be healthy and active again after being sick or injured.
  • Example: After a few days of rest, I was back on my feet and ready to go back to work.

Be on the Mend

  • Meaning: To be recovering from an illness or injury.
  • Example: After a week of rest, I was on the mend and feeling much better.

Bitter pill to swallow

  • Meaning: Something unpleasant or difficult to accept.
  • Example: Losing the championship game was a bitter pill to swallow, but we learned from our mistakes.

Black-and-blue

  • Meaning: Bruised, showing signs of having been physically harmed.
  • Example: After the accident, she was black-and-blue all over.

Break out in a cold sweat

  • Meaning: To suddenly feel very scared or nervous.
  • Example: I broke out in a cold sweat when I realized I had left my phone at the restaurant.

Catch one’s death of cold

  • Meaning: To catch a very bad cold that could lead to serious illness.
  • Example: If you don’t wear a coat, you’ll catch your death of cold.

Feel on top of the world

  • Meaning: To feel very happy and confident.
  • Example: After getting a promotion at work, I felt on top of the world.

Get a charley horse

  • Meaning: To get a sudden painful cramp in a muscle.
  • Example: After running a marathon, I got a charley horse in my leg.

Go under the Knife

  • Meaning: To have surgery.
  • Example: After years of suffering from back pain, she decided to go under the knife.

Green around the gills

  • Meaning: To look or feel sick.
  • Example: After eating the bad sushi, I felt green around the gills.

Have foot-in-mouth disease

  • Meaning: To say something inappropriate or embarrassing.
  • Example: I always seem to have foot-in-mouth disease when I’m nervous.

Have one foot in the grave

  • Meaning: To be very old or sick and close to dying.
  • Example: After being diagnosed with cancer, he felt like he had one foot in the grave.

Just what the doctor ordered

  • Meaning: Something that is exactly what is needed to improve one’s health or situation.
  • Example: After a long day at work, a relaxing bath was just what the doctor ordered.

Kink in one’s neck

  • Meaning: A stiff or sore neck.
  • Example: After sleeping on a bad pillow, I woke up with a kink in my neck.

Laughter is the best medicine

  • Meaning: Laughing and having a good time can improve one’s mood and health.
  • Example: After a stressful day, we watched a comedy and remembered that laughter is the best medicine.

Poison pill (n)

  • Meaning: A plan or strategy that is intended to harm someone or something.
  • Example: The CEO’s decision to sell off all the company’s assets was seen as a poison pill by the employees.

Run in the family

  • Meaning: To have a health condition or trait that is common in one’s family.
  • Example: Diabetes runs in my family, so I have to be careful about what I eat.

Sick and Tired of

  • Meaning: To be fed up or annoyed with something.
  • Example:  I am sick and tired of your constant complaining.

Sick as a Dog

  • Meaning: To be very ill or sick.
  • Example: After eating that bad sushi, I was sick as a dog for two days.

Snake Oil

  • Meaning:  A product or remedy that is fraudulent or ineffective.
  • Example: That new diet pill is just snake oil, it won’t help you lose weight.

Take your medicine

  • Meaning:  To accept the consequences of one’s actions, or to do something unpleasant that is necessary.
  • Example: You made a mistake, now it’s time to take your medicine and face the consequences.

Taste of your own medicine

  • Meaning: To experience the same negative treatment that one has inflicted on others.
  • Example: After years of being a bully, he finally got a taste of his own medicine when he was bullied by his boss.

Under the weather

  • Meaning: To be mildly ill or not feeling well
  • Example: I’m feeling a bit under the weather today, so I think I’ll stay home and rest.

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