Idiom Category: Body and bodily functions, Page 8

Rule of thumb

Rule of thumb means approximately.

Run off your feet

If you are run off your feet, you are extremely busy and don't have enough time to do everything.

Run your mouth off

If someone runs their mouth off, they talk too much.

Safe pair of hands

A person who can be trusted to do something without causing any trouble is a safe pair of hands.

Save face

If someone saves face, they manage to protect their reputation.

Save your skin

If someone saves their skin, they manage to avoid getting into serious trouble.

Scales fall from your eyes

When the scales fall from your eyes, you suddenly realise the truth about something.

Scent blood

If you can scent blood, you feel that a rival is having difficulties and you are going to beat them.

Sea legs

If you are getting your sea legs, it takes you a while to get used to something new.

See eye to eye

If people see eye to eye, they agree about everything.

Set your teeth on edge

If something, especially sounds, sets your teeth on edge, you react very negatively to it.

Shake a leg

If you shake a leg, you are out of bed and active.  It can be used to tell someone to hurry up.

Shoot yourself in the foot

If you shoot yourself in the foot, you do something that damages your ambition, career, etc.

Shot in the arm

If something gives you a shot in the arm, it encourages you, gives you energy or improves morale.

Sight for sore eyes

Someone or something that is a sight for sore eyes is a pleasure to see.

Skin and bones

If someone is skin and bones, they are very underweight and look bad.

Skin in the game

A person who has skin in the game has invested in the company they are running.

Skin someone alive

If someone skins you alive, they admonish and punish you hard.

Slap on the wrist

If someone gets a slap on the wrist, they get a very minor punishment when they could have been punished more severely.

Sleight of hand

Sleight of hand is the ability to use your hands in a clever way, like a magician performing tricks you can't see.

Slip of the tongue

If you say something accidentally, it is a slip of the tongue.

Slip through one's fingers

If something slips through one’s fingers it escapes or is lost through carelessness.

Smack in the face

If something is a smack in the face, it is a shock, usually one that impedes progress.

Smooth as a baby's bottom

If something is smooth as a baby's bottom, it has a regular, flat surface.

Speak with a forked tongue

To say one thing and mean another, to lie, to be two-faced

Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak

If the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, someone lacks the willpower to change things they do because they derive too much pleasure from them.

Spit blood

If someone is spitting blood, they are absolutely furious.

Spit it out

People say this when someone has something to say but is too embarrassed, shy, etc, to say it.

Split hairs

If people split hairs, they concentrate on tiny and unimportant details to find fault with something.

Stand head and shoulders above

It means to stand apart from the rest (in a good way), or to be the best. For example, "With his amazing grasp on the subject, John stood head and shoulders above the rest".

Stars in your eyes

Someone who dreams of being famous has stars in their eyes.

Step on someone's toes

If you step on someone's toes, you upset them, especially if you do something that they should be in charge of.

Stick in your craw

If someone or something really annoys you, it is said to stick in your craw.

Stick out like a sore thumb

If something sticks or stands out like a sore thumb, it is clearly and obviously different from the things that are around it.

Stick your neck out

If you stick you neck out, you take a risk because you believe in something.

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me

To be resistant to criticism.  This is often said to young children upset over the fact that another child called them something that they did not like.

Sticky fingers

The tendency to keep (or steal) an object you touch.  Also, to steal something quickly without anyone noticing. (ex: 'You stole that guy's wallet? You have some sticky fingers, my friend.')

Stiff upper lip

(UK) If you keep your emotions to yourself and don't let others know how you feel when something bad happens, you keep a stiff upper lip.

Stiff-necked

A stiff-necked person is rather formal and finds it hard to relax in company.

Stir the blood

If something stirs your blood, it arouses feelings or passions,.

Stone deaf

Someone who is stone deaf is completely deaf.

Straight face

If someone keeps a straight face, they remain serious and do not show emotion or amusement.

Straight from the shoulder

If someone talks straight from the shoulder, they talk honestly and plainly.

Strain every nerve

If you strain every nerve, you make a great effort to achieve something.

Stuffed to the gills

If someone is stuffed to the gills, they have eaten a lot and are very full.

Suck hind teat

A person who sucks hind teat is at a disadvantage or considered worse or less important that others.

Sweat blood

If you sweat blood, you make an extraordinary effort to achieve something.

Sweep off your feet

If you are swept off your feet, you lose control emotionally when you fall in love or are really impressed.

Sweet tooth

If you have a sweet tooth, you like eating food with sugar in it.

Take a nosedive

When things take a nosedive, they decline very quickly and head towards disaster.

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