英語成語和諺語 (心, 手, 臂, 腳, 背)

English idioms are more common in spoken English. They can be difficult to remember, so here's a guide to some common English idioms to do with parts of your body.


Heart

to break someone's heart[/COLOR] = to upset someone a great deal
"She broke his heart when she left him".

to learn something by heart[/COLOR] = to learn something until you know it perfectly
"I've learnt the Highway Code by heart - they can ask me any question they like in the exam - I'm bound to pass!"

you're all heart![/COLOR] = when you tell someone sarcastically how kind they are
"Thanks for giving me all this extra work - you're all heart!"

hand on heart[/COLOR] = to promise with sincerity
"Hand on heart, it's the honest truth."

have the heart[/COLOR] = to be able to break bad news to someone
"I didn't have the heart to tell him he'd failed his exam."

a heart of gold[/COLOR] = to be a very kind person
"She'll do anything to help - she has a heart of gold."


Hand

hand over[/COLOR] = pass on something
"Before I leave the company, I have to hand over all the responsibilities to my successor."

to get out of hand[/COLOR] = to become impossible to manage
"You'll have to deal with this problem before it gets out of hand."

to know something like the back of your hand[/COLOR] = to know something extremely well
"He knows London like the back of his hand"

have your hands full[/COLOR] = to be very busy
"I can't do anything about it now - my hands are full."

in hand[/COLOR] = under control
"The company report is in hand - you'll have it next week."

live hand to mouth[/COLOR] = to only earn enough money for food
"After he lost his job, he had to live hand to mouth for a couple of months."

give someone a hand[/COLOR] = to help someone
"Can you give me a hand with the housework, please?"

to have someone in the palm of your hand[/COLOR] = to have a lot of influence over someone
"He's got her in the palm of his hand - he can make her do anything he wants!"

to be caught red-handed[/COLOR] = to be caught doing something bad
"The children were caught red-handed picking the neighbor's flowers."


Fingers

to have green fingers[/COLOR] = to be good at gardening
"My father can grow anything in his garden - he's got green fingers"

to have sticky fingers[/COLOR] = to have a tendency to steal
"Don't trust him near your money - he's got sticky fingers."

butter fingers[/COLOR] = to be clumsy so that you always drop things
"You've dropped my vase! Butter fingers!"

keep your fingers crossed[/COLOR] = to wish something for someone
"Keep your fingers crossed for me tomorrow - it's my job interview."

under your thumb[/COLOR] = to control someone
"She's got him under her thumb - he won't do anything without asking her first."


Arm

twist someone's arm[/COLOR] = to persuade someone
"I didn't really want to go out, but he twisted my arm."

cost an arm and a leg[/COLOR] = to cost a fortune
"This car cost an arm and a leg - it'll take them ages to pay back the loan."


Feet

put your foot in it[/COLOR] = say or do something you shouldn't.
"The party was supposed to be a surprise - you've really put your foot in it by telling her."

to have itchy feet[/COLOR] = not able to settle down in one place
"She's going off travelling again - she's got really itchy feet."

to keep someone on their toes[/COLOR] = to keep someone alert
"Our new teacher likes to keep people on their toes - we never know what she will ask us to do next."

stand on your own two feet[/COLOR] = be independent
"I don't need your help - I can stand on my own two feet."

to have two left feet[/COLOR] = be clumsy with your body
"He's a terrible dancer - he's got two left feet!"

walk on eggshells[/COLOR] = to be careful about what you say or do
"She's in a terrible mood today - you'll have to walk on eggshells around her."

foot the bill[/COLOR] = pay the bill
"He had to foot the bill for the whole party - no one else paid anything towards it."

all talk no trousers[/COLOR] = someone who says what they are going to do, but never does it
"Don't listen to him - he's all talk no trousers!"


Back

to go behind someone's back[/COLOR] = to do something secretly
"She went behind my back and told my boss I wanted a new job."

to have your back to the wall[/COLOR] = to be in a difficult situation
"It's difficult to see how he's going to survive this recession - he's got his back to the wall and I don't think there's any option for him now."

to back off[/COLOR] = to stop trying to force someone to do something
"Will you just back off and let me decide what I should do!"

to back down[/COLOR] = to accept defeat in an argument
"He finally backed down and let me buy a pet rabbit."

to back someone up[/COLOR] = to support someone
"He backed me up in the meeting and said that my idea was good."

put your back into something[/COLOR] = to work extremely hard at something
"To get results you must put your back into it!"

stab someone in the back[/COLOR] = to betray someone
"Be careful of him - he likes stabbing people in the back, and he'll do anything to get what he wants."

She broke his heart when she left him

haha,

he broke her heart when he left her...

interesting...