Body Part Idioms.

[BobK]

To finger or to be fingered --- is to be caught in the act.

...

Maybe that's a local (northern) meaning. Down here, 'to finger' is to accuse. If you are caught in the act there is another hand-related idiom: 'to be caught red-handed'. A person caught stealing money through an official position, is caught 'with his fingers in the till'.

I've got ones concerning the feet:
"Get my foot in the door" This means that you want to get a job at some place or you are trying to get noticed by getting an interview or lower level job in the hopes that you'll be able to work up to a better job at that company or place. i.e, I got a job at Microsoft as a janitor to get my foot in the door.
"Get your feet wet" This means to get some experience a new venture or job, etc., i.e., I took a small part in the school play to get my feet wet as an actor.
"Put my foot in my mouth": This means you said something stupid or embarassing that made yourself look bad, and you didn't realize it until it was too late.
"He's got lead feet" Someone who drives a car too fast (as if his feet are heavy like lead pushing the gas pedal down).

And another: "to get one's feet under the table" - to marry for physical comfort: 'Have you seen Harry with Jane? He hasn't been drinking with his mates since he met her. But as soon as he's got his feet under the table he'll be back to his old ways.'

And on the subject of 'lead feet' there's another foot one - 'give it/her [the car] some wellie' [this refers to a Wellington boot]; this idiom has expanded in its possible contexts, so you could now say 'Did you hear the pianist? In the third verse he was really giving it some wellie.' [Playing loudly/with vigour.]

And on the subject of 'boot', there's 'Denver boot' - wheel-clamp.



b

[johnny86321]

in the raw.(naked)
eg:The boys are playing in the reiver in the raw.

[BobK]

There are quite a few using the word 'face'. The most obvious one - so obvious that it's easy to miss, is the verb "face" (in several meanings: 'Face the front', 'face the enemy', 'face the future', 'face the music', 'face the share-holders' ....)

Also these:

• A bare-face lie' [=obvious untruth]

• Face-to-face [=either 'looking at each other' or just 'in person' - as in 'I've spoken to her on the phone several times, but we've never met face-to-face']

• Face down [=be unperturbed by hostile criticism]

• A face-off [=a clash between rivals, a 'show-down']

• Lose face [=have diminished status]

• 'cutting off your nose to spite your face' [= retaliating for some small injury in such a way as to cause harm to yourself, as in 'Resigning from the committee would be just cutting off your nose to spite your face. You know you enjoy the meetings.'

• ... no doubt there are more.

There's also 'head to head' [=aggressive meeting/contest/fight between bitter rivals - as in 'The two greatest heavyweights [boxers] alive are going head to head'. Francophones should note that a tête à tête has nothing to do with going 'head to head'.


b

[chameleon2]

''to turn a deaf ear'' ; he turned a 'deaf ear' to her appeals.means he ignored her appeals.

[BobK]

'Heads down' to mean 'look busy'. Example 'Heads down, here comes the boss.' (This is not really an idiom, just a common collocation)

Another body part/direction combination is the command (originally to marching soldiers in a cermonial context, but often used in non-military contexts) 'eyes right'.

b