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hello everyone and welcome back
to english with lucy today we are going
to discuss
body idioms and there are a lot of them
today we are going to talk about
25 of the most commonly used
idioms relating to the human body
i haven't done an idioms video in so
long and i've had quite a lot of
requests for them
so i think this is a really really good
topic to come back with
as always i have created a free pdf that
goes with this lesson
it contains everything we'll speak about
today plus
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right let's get started with the lesson
right we're going to go through these in
alphabetical order
number one is all ears all is and i hope
you can
see and appreciate my toast my buttered
toast earrings today
i just thought they went quite well if
you are all ears then it means you are
fully listening let me finish hanging
out the washing and then i'll be
all ears i'll be fully listening to you
it's a nice way of saying
i can't concentrate right now because
i'm busy but in a second
i'll be fully listening i'll be all ears
number two you might know this one this
is normally one of the first idioms that
people
learn apart from it's raining cats and
dogs which we never say
it is break a leg break a leg and this
means
good luck it's most commonly used
for actors or musicians that are going
to perform
on stage an example i forgot you're on
stage tonight
break a leg number three moving on to
teeth this one is by the skin
of one's teeth and this means only just
or
barely the skin or the enamel on your
teeth is so thin you only just did
something
this example is true i passed my driving
test
by the skin of my teeth i really did one
more mistake and i wouldn't have passed
this is interesting actually fun fact i
turned up to my driving test
four times but i only failed twice
because one time i turned up and i
hadn't
clicked confirm when booking in my test
so i was all nervous waiting there turns
out i didn't have a test that day had to
wait another month
number four moving down to feet cold
feet
to have cold feet if you get cold feet
or you have cold feet it means you
suddenly feel nervous
about something something usually
important that you plan to do
and it's often used before weddings if
somebody
suddenly thinks is this actually what i
want it means they're getting cold feet
they're suddenly
doubting whether they want to do
something or not they're getting nervous
an example i hope he doesn't get cold
feet before the wedding
number five moving on to arms but still
involving the legs
to cost an arm and a leg if something
costs an arm and a leg then it is
very expensive an example i bet that
coat cost her an arm and a leg i bet
that coat was so expensive
number six eyes or heart to cry your
eyes out or to cry your heart out
i would say in british english to cry
your eyes out
is more commonly used i wonder in
american english
if any speakers of american english are
watching please let me know in the
comments section
this means to cry a lot she was crying
her eyes out she was crying so much
an example she cried her eyes out when
she lost her cat
number seven moving on to chest to get
something
off your chest this means to tell
someone what's been on your mind or to
tell someone one of your problems
it's a heavy load on your chest and you
get it off
an example i need to get it off my chest
and tell my boss that i'm unhappy
number eight hands to give a hand or to
lend a hand this means to help and i
would say
lend is possibly more common in british
english
can you give me a hand can you lend me a
hand give me or
lend me lem me can you lend me a hand
an example if you need any help with
moving i can lend you a hand
number nine head to have
one's head in the clouds this means
to be unaware or unrealistic about
something
to be naive an example he has his head
in the clouds
if he thinks he's getting a pay rise in
this economy
number 10 head and feet here we have
head over heels head over heels to fall
head over heels in love with somebody
head over heels means deeply or
completely in love
an example she is head over heels with
her new puppy
she's completely in love with her new
puppy number 11
head again in over one's head to be
in over one's head this means that
you're taking on a task
that you can't handle an example i am
completely in over my head in my new
teaching position
number 12 is ice to keep an eye on to
keep an eye on something or someone
this means to watch or monitor normally
in a
protective way to keep something safe an
example
can you keep an eye on my bike whilst i
nip into the post office
to nip somewhere is to go somewhere very
briefly
to nip into to go into very briefly
i'm just going to nip to the shops i'm
just going to very quickly
go to the shops number 13
chin to keep one's chin up to keep one's
chin up this means to try to be cheerful
or to try to avoid being sad an example
keep your chin up exam season will be
over soon
number 14 is to learn or to know
off by heart you don't always have to
include the off that's quite common in
british english
to learn by heart to know off by heart
this means to memorize an example
i know the harry potter books off by
heart all seven of them
number 15 we're on to hair this is
to let one's hair down to let one's hair
down
which means to relax or to have fun let
your hair down
relax have fun enjoy yourself this is
usually said to somebody who's a little
more serious
an example she needs to let her hair
down she is always
so stressed number 16
lips my lips are sealed my lips are
sealed and this means
your secret is safe with me an example
my lips are sealed i have no idea how
much your dress cost
number 17 blood i don't know where to
point all over my body hopefully
it is makes my blood boil
if something makes your blood boil it
makes you really
really angry an example the way that
they have underpaid you and
mistreated you over all these years
makes my blood boil
number 18 the body as a whole over my
dead body
over my dead body this is something that
said when you want to say
you cannot do that until i am dead
and then i can't stop you an example
over my dead body
i will never let you drive my car you
have to wait till i
die before you can drive my car number
19.
back a pat on the back a pat on the back
and this means
a thank you or recognition an example
i think i deserve a pat on the back
after all of my hard work today
you will often see people doing a little
meaning oh
pat on the back i've done really well
well done me
number 20 back to those wonderful ears
again
to play something by it this means to do
something without a plan
an example i don't know if the weather
will be dry enough for a picnic
let's play it by ear let's not have a
plan we'll just decide
if it's nice weather later on today
we'll have the picnic if not
then we'll have a picnic inside and
living in britain with very
unpredictable weather
i have had many a picnic inside before
number 21
back to legs it is to pull one's leg to
pull someone's leg
this means to joke or to tease someone
for example are you pulling my leg are
you really moving away
don't pull my leg is she pulling my leg
number 22 thumb the rule of thumb
or a rule of thumb this means a general
basic rule that's not always true but
it's generally true
an example as a rule of thumb a cup of
coffee
generally contains 80 milligrams of
caffeine
number 23 eyes to see eye to eye
to see eye to eye this means to agree on
something
so if you say we don't see eye to eye we
don't agree
for example her parents didn't see eye
to eye on her education
number 24 back to teeth we have sweet
tooth
a sweet tooth and this means a love of
sweet things can you tell me if that's
the same in
your language if english isn't your
first language i'd be very interested
do you have a sweet tooth direct
translation or something different
my grandma has the biggest sweet tooth
on earth and here is your example my
grandma
once requested a birthday meal
consisting of
just puddings she has such a sweet tooth
and number 25 back to hands it is to
wash
one's hands of something to wash your
hands of something
and this means to stop dealing with an
issue or a problem
i'm going to wash my hands of it i'm not
going to deal with it anymore
not my problem an example i'm going to
wash my hands of him
he causes too many problems right that
is it for today's lesson i hope you
enjoyed it i hope you learned something
don't forget to complete the quiz
remember you click on the link in the
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just sign up to my mailing list and it
goes straight to you
for homework i would like you to include
five
of these idioms pick your five favorite
and use them in the comments section
and i will try to see as many as i
possibly can and give you some feedback
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two-month sprint
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don't forget to connect with me on my
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where i have the most fantastic
pronunciation tool
if i do say so myself you can click on
all the phonemes and hear me
pronounce and say the phonemes or words
that contain the phonemes
it's very fun e word
if you are interested in improving your
vocabulary or your listening skills
even further then i also have my
vlogging channel where i upload
fully subtitled vlogs of my life here on
a farm
in the english countryside i will see
you soon for another lesson
in over boy if somebody
if somebody lipstick break
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you