Body Language and Idioms: A Comprehensive Guide
Body Posture and Movement
- to crouch: to sit with legs bent under you so that you are close to the ground and leaning forward slightly
- to curl up: to move into a position where your body makes a rounded shape
- to duck: to quickly lower your head in order to avoid being hit by sth, or so as not to be seen
- to fidget: to be constantly moving your hands or your feet
- to flinch: to make a sudden small movement because sth has hurt you or has made you jump
- to frown: to lower your eyebrows because you are angry or you do not understand
- to kneel: to bend your legs so that your knees are touching the ground
- to nod: to move your head up and down
- to nudge: to gently push sb with your elbow to attract their attention
- to shiver: when your body is shaking because you are cold
- to shudder: when your whole body shakes for a short time because you have seen, heard or tasted sth unpleasant
- to tremble: when your body or part of your body is shaking because you are frightened or very nervous
Compound Body Adjectives
- bloodcurdling (cream): very frightening
- eye-catching: so attractive or unusual that you can´t help noticing it
- first-hand: if you have first-hand experience of sth, you have experienced it personally
- hair-raising: very frightening, risky, stressful, used to describe experiences and journeys
- head-on: used to describe a collision between two moving vehicles where the front part of one vehicle hits the front part of another vehicle
- light-hearted: funny and not very serious
- mouth-watering: food that looks and/or smells very good
- nail-biting: very exciting and dramatic, because you do not know what is going to happen
- narrow-minded: orthodox, not accepting and positively disliking anything new, different or radical
- well-thumbed: a book or magazine that has been read so much that the edges and corners of the pages are dirty and in poor conditions
Verb-Noun Combinations
- not to bat an eyelid: not to show any visible signs of surprise
- to clear your throat: to cough in order to speak more clearly
- to clench your fist: to curl your fingers up very tightly, usually because you are very angry
- to cross your legs: while sitting, to put one leg on top of the other
- to flex your muscles: to strike a pose and show your muscles
- to fold your arms: to bring your arms together and link them
- to grit your teeth: to press your teeth tightly together, often because you are angry or distressed
- to pluck your eyebrows: to pull out some of the hairs of your eyebrows, using tweezers
- sb´s heart is pounding: sb´s heart is beating very hard
- to rumble (of stomach): to make a noise because it is empty and you are hungry
- to shake your head: to move your head from side to side; when you say no
- to shrug your shoulders: to move your shoulders up and down
- to sprain (your ankle/wrist): to twist and hurt (your ankle/wrist)
- to stub your toe: to hit your toe against sth
Body Idioms
a pain in the neck: a very annoying person, thing or task
at the foot of: at the bottom of (a hill, mountain, the stairs, a tree, your bed)
to cost an arm and a leg: to be very expensive
to cry your eyes out: to cry a lot
to face a team: to play against another team
to fall head over heels in love (with sb): to fall madly and completely in love (with sb)
to foot the bill: to pay the bill at a restaurant or hotel (used to emphasise that you thought sb else was going to pay)
to get cold feet: to suddenly feel that you are not brave enough to do sth important
to get sth off your chest: to tell sb sth that has been worrying you
to get up sb’s nose: to annoy sb
to give sb a hand (with sth): to help sb do sth to be glad
to be glad to see the back of sb/sth: to be happy when sb leaves or when sth is finished
to have sth on the brain: to be obsessed by sth and think about it all the time
to have your eye on sth: to have seen sth (in a shop, for example) that you want to buy/have
to have/give sb a head start: to have/give sb an advantage over a competitor (in business)/other people (in life)
to head home: to leave somewhere in order to go home
I can’t put my finger on: to know that sth is wrong or different, but be unable to say exactly what it is
I couldn’t keep a straight face: I couldn’t stop laughing
I don´t know off-hand: (informal) I can’t tell/answer until I have checked first
I’d give my right arm to: I would really like to
in the eyes of the law: legally, according to the laws of the land
to keep an eye on sth/sb: to look after sth/sb to know somewhere like the back of your hand: to know a particular place very well (not used for people)
to learn to stand on one’s own two feet: to learn not to depend on others (e.g. one´s parents)
to make/lose money hand over fist: to rapidly make or lose large sums of money
off the top of one’s head: information given immediately without full knowledge of the facts
sth is off the last legs: sth (a car, a television, etc) is in very bad condition and will very soon stop working
to pull sb’s leg: to play a joke on sb and make them believe sth that is not true
to put your foot down: to become strict and tell sb (generally a child) that they must/can´t do sth
to set eyes on sb: to see sb, often for the first time
to set your heart on sth: to really want sth
sth happens right under sb’s nose: sb is very close to sth when it happens/is happening and yet they do not notice it
to stick your nose into other people’s business/affairs: to interfere in a situation which does not concern you, with the result that you cause other people problems
to think on your feet: to be able to give good answers to unexpected questions
with an eye to: in order to (+ noun or -ing form)
(it´s) written all over your face: to show by the expression on your face how you really feel you have
to hand it to sb: you have to admire and respect sb (for sth they have done)
Chance and Probability
to be bound to happen: to be certain to happen (because it always happens)
to be certain to happen: sth will very probably happen
to be in with a chance of (-ing form): there is a good possibility that
to be unlikely to/it is unlikely that: one/sth probably won´t
to blow your chances: to ruin your chances (of getting/achieving sth)
to grab an opportunity/chance (with both hands): to quickly accept a good opportunity, especially because you think you will not get that opportunity again
(sth will), in all probability, (happen): sth will very probably happen
it is doubtful whether/that sth will happen: sth probably won’t happen
it was purely by chance that: it was complete chance that sth happened
to jump at the chance/opportunity: to quickly accept a good opportunity
(to do sth) on the off-chance: do sth hoping it will succeed although you think it is unlikely to pass up a chance/opportunity: to say no to a good opportunity (a good job offer) (not) stand a chance: to have no possibility (of achieving/getting sth)
the chances are that sth will happen: sth will probably happen
the chances of sth happening are very remote: there is very little possibility that sth will happen
the odds are against sth happening: sth probably won’t happen there´s a slim/remote/little chance that sth will/could happen: there is not much possibility of sth happening
there´s every indication (to suggest) that sth will happen: all the signs show that sth will very probably happen
there´s every likelihood of sth happening/that sth will happen: sth will very probably happen
Choosing and Decisions
to be in a quandary: not to be able to decide what to do because you find yourself in a difficult situation
to be in two minds about sth/whether to do sth: can´t decide whether do or not to do sth
to be shortlisted: to be chosen from a large number of applicants for a job to join a much smaller group, all of whom will be interviewed and one of whom will be given the job
to be spoilt for choice: to have a lot of (similar) things to choose from
to be torn between sth and sth: to find two things attractive and as a result not to be able to decide between them
hand-picked: especially chosen to do a particular job
to have a change of heart: to change the way you feel about sth/sb
to have no alternative but to…: the only choice sb has is to; often used in formal threats
to opt for/to do sth: (formal) to choose (to do ) sth
to reach/come to / arrive at a decision: to decide after careful consideration (generally used for juries, committees. boards of directors, governments, etc)
to single (sth/sb) out: to choose and pay special attention to sth/sb from a group of similar things/people, usually in order to praise or criticise them
to sit on the fence: not to commit oneself in an argument; to neither agree nor disagree
Clothes I (Adjectives)
baggy: very loose. A baggy jumper/pair of jeans
creased/crumpled: unironed, full of lines and wrinkles. A creased/crumpled jacket/shirt
faded: having lost its original colour or brightness. A faded pair of jeans/sweatshirt fancy: special and unusual, with a lot of decoration fetching: attractive; can be used to describe a person (generally a woman) or an article of clothing
flared: wide at the bottom. Flared trousers/jeans
flat: with very low or no heels
garish: very colourful, in a way that is not in good taste
grubby: dirty. A grubby coat/face
loud: very colourful, in a way that some might find unpleasant
moth-eaten: full of holes
patched: with pieces of material sewn on to cover holes
platform: platform shoes have thick high heels and an elevated sole
shabby: looking old and in bad condition
sturdy: strong
synthetic: made from artificial substances/material
tailored: designed to fit close to the body
worn-out: old and ready to be thrown away