Image by William Creswell
on Flickr.com.
Let’s look at some idioms in English that go from head to toe. Here is our first one! “From head to toe” is an idiom that means ‘from the top to the bottom’ or ‘the entirety of something.’
To have a little fun with this I want you to try and guess which body parts go with which idioms. First try to match the body parts listed on the left with the idioms listed on the right. Then look below and you will see a list of theses idioms, correctly matched, and what each of them means.
First, give it a go!
1. ears a. cold ______________
2. feet b. sweet ______________
3. heart c. all _______________
4. head d. to pull one’s _______________
5. hair e. pat on the _______________
6. back f. rule of ______________
7. leg g. to let one’s ______________ down
8. thumb h. to be in over one’s _______________
9. tooth i. cry your ____________ out
Okay, now let’s get our body parts in order, here are how these idioms should be matched up.
all ears – This means that someone is fully listening.
Example: John was all ears when he heard there was prize money to be won.
cold feet – This is a way of describing nervous feelings that happen just before a big event.
Example: I always get cold feet before having to go on stage and give a speech.
to cry your heart out – This means to cry very hard.
For example: Sally was crying her heart out over her ex-boyfriend.
to get (something) off (one’s) chest – This means to tell someone your problems or your secrets.
Example: Andrew had to get the news of his chest, or he thought he’d go crazy.
to be in over (one’s) head – This describes a person that is taking big risks or taking on tasks that they probably can’t handle.
Example: The new employee was in over her head with her first project, but she was to proud to ask for help.
to let (one’s) hair down – This is a way of saying, to relax or have fun.
Example: Let’s go to the beach and let our hair down for the day.
to pat on the back – This means to recognize or give thanks to someone.
Example: Sam got a pat on the back from the teacher for his wonderful project.
to pull one’s leg – This is another way of saying, ‘joking’ or ‘teasing’ someone.
Example: I didn’t realize Tony was pulling my leg when he first started telling the story, but pretty soon it got too outrageous and I figured what was going on.
rule of thumb – This is another way of saying something is a basic or well known rule.
Example: As a rule of thumb I don’t pick up hitchhikers.
sweet tooth – This is a way of saying that someone has a love of sugar or sweet things.
Example:I have a strong sweet tooth.
Which of these idioms are you going to try and use this week?
Answers:
1-c; 2-a; 3-i; 4-h; 5-g; 6-e; 7-d; 8-f 9-b
