Expressões em inglês

Every language has it's own unique expressions that seem normal to native speakers, but when we stop to think about it, are actually pretty funny. In English, there are several expressions like this that use parts of the body in unusual ways, and that's what we'll take a look at today!

I'm all ears

If someone tells you that they are "all ears", don't worry, they still just have the usual 2 ears like always. What they mean to say, is that they are listening to what you have to say, and are ready to hear you out.
"Go ahead and tell us your ideas. We're all ears."

Put (your) foot in (your) mouth

Besides not being very easy to accomplish, it probably would not be very pleasant to actually put your foot in your mouth. What this expression really means to say is that you said something that you shouldn't have said. Maybe you offended someone, gave away a surprise, or went against the plan.
"Don't ask Jerry to speak at the event, he's sure to put his foot in his mouth."

To know by heart

Our brain is the only part in our body actually capable of storing information, but when we say we "know something by heart", we are saying we know it so well that it's like it has become a part of us.
"I know every one of Beyoncé's songs by heart."

To give a hand

Literally, "to give a hand" would mean to give one of your hands to someone else, but that's not usually what we mean when we use this expression! Most always, we use "give a hand" like "to help". You can give someone a hand with jobs like washing the car, painting the house, or even doing their homework.
"Can you give me a hand with my science project after dinner?"

To cost an arm and a leg

If you've ever been shocked by someone telling you that their latest buy cost them an arm and a leg, don't worry! They didn't actually have to give parts of their body as payment. What they meant to say was, their purchase was very expensive, and cost them more than they would have liked to pay.
"I love my new computer, but it cost me an arm and a leg."

(He) has a monkey on (his) back

Sorry to break it to you, but that monkey your uncle "just can't get off his back", isn't a real monkey at all. Having a monkey on your back is another way to say you have a habit or an addiction you have a hard time stopping. And when you get the monkey off your back, that means you've broken that habit.
"I used to be a smoker, but I finally got that monkey off my back."

I have to hand it to you

Yup, another expression with hands... This time though, it's not about helping, nor is it about giving, even though that would be it's literal meaning. "I have to hand it to you", as an expression, is used to admit/recognize that someone else was right. Maybe you disagreed about something and you turned out to be wrong, you may go back to the other person and "hand it to them."
"I doubted them at first, but I have to hand it to you, they did really well."

(His) heart is in the right place

In a literal sense, I think all of our hearts are located in the correct place in our bodies, otherwise we probably wouldn't be doing very well! However, this expression isn't about the physical location of our heart, but is used to say that someone had the right motivation or intention. Maybe they made a mistake, but they had the right idea.
"Karen can be rude sometimes, but her heart is in the right place."

Skin and bones

Maybe you've heard someone or something be described as "just skin and bones"... but of course there was actually many other things there besides just skin and bones. This expression is an exaggeration, used to describe a person or an animal that has become so thin, that it appears that there is only a layer of skin over their bones, and nothing else. A quick anatomy lesson would show you that it's impossible to be truly skin and bones only, but to our naked eye it can appear that way.
"When we rescued this dog, he was just skin and bones."

Turn your back on (something)

If you've ever abandoned something (or someone), walked away from it, or ignored it, then you've turned your back on something. When our backs are turned to something, we aren't giving that thing our attention, right? That's what this expression means to say, even when we aren't physically facing away from anything.
"I thought Miguel was my friend, but then he turned his back on me."

Get off (my) back

We can get on somebody's back if we are constantly reminding them of or asking them about something. Obviously, we aren't actually sitting on their backs, but by our actions we are creating a weight on them. In response, they might snap at us: "get off my back!" as a way of telling us to stop or leave them alone.
"I need my mentor to get off my back about job applications."

To get it off (your) chest

Chances are, when getting something off your chest, you aren't literally removing something from the front of your body. Usually, we use this expression to describe the sensation of confessing or telling the truth about something (which usually makes us feel much better!)
"It was hard to tell her about my mistake, but I'm glad I got it off my chest."

To get cold feet

Usually socks are a great solution to cold feet, unless your cold feet are purely figurative and have nothing do with the two feet at the end of your legs. "To get cold feet" is an expression used when someone loses their courage, or becomes unsure about something. It is especially used when someone gets nervous before a big day, event, or decision.
"It's normal to get cold feet before your wedding, but it's all going to be fine!"

Try out your favorite expression from this post on a friend or family member, and if they're not familiar with the saying, try explaining with a few of your own examples!

Katie Smith