In this article, we will explore idioms about leg idioms, heel and thumb idioms, neck and arm idioms, and belly and shoulder idioms. These idioms are commonly used in everyday conversations and can confuse non-native speakers. We will provide a list of idioms, their meanings, and examples of how to use them in context.
List of Body Parts Idioms
- The Story Has Legs
- To Pay an Arm and a Leg
- To Pull Someone’s Leg
- Break a Leg
- A Leg Up
- Achilles’ heel
- (Fall) Head Over Heels
- Cool Your Heels
- Drag One’s feet (or Heels)
- Hot on the Heels (of)
- All Thumbs
- Rule of Thumb
- Thumbs-Up
- Neck and Neck
- Neck of the Woods
- Pain in the neck
- Stiff-Necked
- Up to One’s Neck
- Arm Candy
- Keep Someone at Arm’s Length
- Fire in the Belly
- Belly Laugh
- A weight off your shoulders
- Have a Chip on One’s Shoulder
- To Give Someone the Cold Shoulder
Body Parts Idioms Meaning and Examples
Heel Idioms
List of heel idioms, sayings and phrases with meaning and examples.
Achilles’ heel
- Meaning: A person’s weakness or vulnerable point.
- Example: “Her Achilles’ heel is her lack of confidence.”
(Fall) Head Over Heels
- Meaning: To be completely in love with someone or something.
- Example: “I fell head over heels in love with Paris when I visited last year.”
Cool Your Heels
- Meaning: To wait patiently or to calm down.
- Example: “I had to cool my heels for an hour before the doctor could see me.”
Drag One’s feet (or Heels)
- Meaning: To delay or to be slow to take action.
- Example: “The company is dragging its feet on implementing the new policy.”
Hot on the Heels (of)
- Meaning: To follow closely behind someone or something.
- Example: “The police were hot on the heels of the suspect.”
Thumb Idioms
List of thumb idioms, sayings and phrases with meaning and examples.
All Thumbs
- Meaning: To be clumsy or awkward.
- Example: “I’m all thumbs when it comes to cooking.”
Rule of Thumb
- Meaning: A general guideline or principle.
- Example: “As a rule of thumb, we should save at least 10% of our income.”
Thumbs-Up
- Meaning: To show approval or agreement.
- Example: “I gave my colleague a thumbs-up for her excellent presentation.”
Neck Idioms
List of neck idioms, sayings and phrases with meaning and examples.
Neck and Neck
- Meaning: To be in a tie or to be very close in a competition.
- Example: “The two runners were neck and neck as they approached the finish line.”
Neck of the Woods
- Meaning: A particular region or area.
- Example: “I grew up in the same neck of the woods as my best friend.”
Pain in the neck
- Meaning: Something or someone that is annoying or troublesome.
- Example: “This project is a real pain in the neck.”
Stiff-Necked
- Meaning: To be stubborn or inflexible.
- Example: “My boss is so stiff-necked that he never listens to anyone else’s ideas.”
Up to One’s Neck
- Meaning: To be deeply involved in something, especially a difficult situation.
- Example: “We’re up to our necks in debt and don’t know how to get out of it.”
Arm Idioms
List of arm idioms, sayings and phrases with meaning and examples.
Arm Candy
- Meaning: A good-looking person who accompanies someone to a social event.
- Example: “She brought her new boyfriend as arm candy to the party.”
Keep Someone at Arm’s Length
- Meaning: To keep a safe distance from someone or to avoid getting too close to them.
- Example: “I have to keep my ex-boyfriend at arm’s length because he’s still in love with me.”
Belly Idioms
List of belly idioms, sayings and phrases with meaning and examples.
Fire in the Belly
- Meaning: A strong determination or motivation to succeed.
- Example: “She has a real fire in the belly to become a successful entrepreneur.”
Belly Laugh
- Meaning: A loud and hearty laugh.
- Example: “The comedian’s jokes always make me have a good belly laugh.”
Shoulder Idioms
List of shoulder idioms, sayings and phrases with meaning and examples.
A weight off your shoulders
- Meaning: A relief from a burden or responsibility.
- Example: “After finishing the project, I felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulders.”
Have a Chip on One’s Shoulder
- Meaning: To be easily offended or to have a grudge against someone.
- Example: “He always has a chip on his shoulder and gets defensive when someone criticizes him.”
To Give Someone the Cold Shoulder
- Meaning: To ignore or reject someone.
- Example: “She gave me the cold shoulder after our argument.”
Leg Idioms
List of leg idioms, sayings and phrases with meaning and examples.
The Story Has Legs
- Meaning: A story that has potential to continue or be successful.
- Example: “The story of the missing treasure has legs and people are still talking about it years later.”
To Pay an Arm and a Leg
- Meaning: To pay a high price for something.
- Example: “I had to pay an arm and a leg for my new laptop.”
To Pull Someone’s Leg
- Meaning: To tease or joke with someone.
- Example: “I was just pulling your leg – I didn’t really lose your phone.”
Break a Leg
- Meaning: Good luck.
- Example: “Break a leg on your audition tomorrow!”
A Leg Up
- Meaning: An advantage or assistance.
- Example: “The scholarship gave her a leg up in pursuing her education.”