Body
your body aches
I had the flu last week and my body was aching all over.
move your body (to music)
People moved their bodies in time to the music.
exercise your body
Swimming is an excellent way of exercising your body.
your body shakes
When I got out of the car after the accident, my whole body was shaking.
have an amazing body
She has an amazing body for a woman of 60.
your body is run-down
You're more likely to get sick when your body is run-down.
a dead body
The first time I ever saw a dead body was at my grandmother's funeral.
be self-conscious about your body
I'm very self-conscious about my body. I think my legs are too thin.
Muscle
relax/tense your muscles
Try not to tense the muscles in your stomach so much. Breathe out slowly and try to relax them.
build up / develop your muscles
I use weights in the gym to build up my muscles.
pull a muscle
Our best player won't be able to play on Saturday because he's pulled a muscle.
massage (tense) muscles
After a hard day at work, I get my wife to massage the tense muscles in my back.
muscles feel stiff
My leg muscles usually feel stiff for days after I've run a marathon.
(a bath) soothes tired muscles
After the football match, I had a long, hot bath to soothe my tired and aching leg muscles.
Note
Note this expression:
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How can the guards at the palace gates stand for hours without moving a muscle?
Skin
have fair skin
If you have very fair skin, you shouldn’t sit in the hot sun for very long.
your skin is itchy
My skin is so itchy, I can't stop scratching myself.
scrape the skin off (your knees)
I crashed my motorbike and scraped all the skin off my knees.
hard/soft skin
I keep my skin soft by using lots of hand cream.
dark skin
I find his dark skin and black eyes very attractive.
your skin peels
I got badly sunburnt on holiday and now the skin is beginning to peel off my arms.
Note
A 'scar' is a mark left on the skin when a cut heals:
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He had a big scar across his cheek.
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The cut is quite deep, and it will probably leave a scar.
Stomach
your stomach rumbles
My stomach was rumbling during the lesson. I should have had some breakfast before going to school. It was very embarrassing.
something upsets your stomach
I don't eat hot spices like chilies. They upset my stomach. and give me wind!
lie on your stomach
Geraldine was lying on her stomach, watching television, when I got home.
hold your stomach
My dad was holding his stomach because it was very painful. But it was nothing serious - just a touch of indigestion.
a full stomach
You should never swim on a full stomach. You might get cramps.
an upset stomach
I missed college yesterday because of an upset stomach.
an empty stomach
The doctor told me not to take these pills on an empty stomach. I have to eat first.
a strong stomach
The film is full of blood and guts! You'll need a strong stomach to watch it.
pick up a stomach bug
I picked up a nasty stomach bug while I was on holiday.
hit someone in the stomach
I don't know why he hit me in the stomach.
Waist and Back
put your arms around (his) waist
While we were dancing, he put his arms around my waist and kissed me on the cheek.
wrap (a towel) around your waist
I got out of the bath and wrapped a towel around my waist to see who was at the door.
(your hair) reaches to your waist
Our teacher's got incredibly long hair. It reaches down to her waist!
strip to the waist
At boarding school, we had to strip to the waist and wash ourselves in cold bathrooms.
rup someone on the back
I love getting my back rubbed. It's so relaxing.
a sore back
My back is sore after all that heavy work in the garden!
lie on your back
We lay on our backs in the sun gazing up at the sky.
hurt your back
I hurt my back while I was lifting some furniture.
a bad back
He's been off work for over a month now with a bad back.
Arm
a stiff arm
My right arm is so stiff after playing tennis yesterday. I can hardly bend it at all today!
long arms
Mark is perfect as goalkeeper. He's tall, with really big hands and long arms.
a broken arm
My grandmother fell awkwardly as she got off the bus, and broke her arm in two places.
your arm aches
My arms are aching after carrying these heavy shopping bags from the supermarket.
a broken arm
How can he write with a broken arm?
fold your arms
The prisoner sat down, folded his arms across his chest, and refused to speak.
carry (a file) under your arm
Mr. Morris came into the room, carrying a newspaper under his arm.
put his arms around her
When I met Angela at the airport. she put her arms around me and gave me a big hug.
hold (a baby) in your arms
Your mother was holding a large cat in her arms when she opened the door.
stick a needle into (your) arm
I tried not to cry, but it really hurt when the nurse stuck the needle into my arm.
Note
If you welcome someone with open arms, you are very pleased to see them.
Wrist
cut your wrists
Liz wasn't trying to kill herself. I think cutting her wrists was a cry for help.
sprain your wrist
I sprained my wrist in my exercise class last week. At first, I thought I'd broken it!
hold your wrist
The nurse held my wrist in order to check my pulse.
break your wrist
My father fell and broke his wrist. It was in plaster for ages. It's still not right!
Leg
break your leg
I broke my leg skiing. but I can walk quite well with crutches.
lose your leg (in a war / an accident)
My best friend has an artificial leg. He lost his left leg in a car accident 5 years ago.
shave your legs
It's common for women to shave their legs regularly. Some footballers are now doing it!
rub your leg
Why are you rubbing your leg?
> I bumped into the corner of the table. It's really sore!
(doctors) amputate your leg
Doctors had to amputate the farmer's legs below the knee after he stood on a landmine.
fat/thin legs
I don't think I look good in short skirts. My legs are too fat.
stiff legs
At the end of the long flight from Tokyo, my legs were very stiff.
stretch your legs out
There wasn't enough room in the car for me to stretch my legs out.
tired/weary legs
You must be exhausted. Here, sit down and rest your weary legs.
balance on one leg
Can you shut your eyes and balance on one leg?
Finger
cut your finger
I accidentally cut my finger while I was chopping some onions.
snap your fingers
In the UK, it's not the custom to snap your fingers to attract a waiter's attention.
tap your fingers (on the table)
Tommy! Stop tapping your fingers on the desk. It's driving me up the wall!
point your finger at someone
In the UK, it's rude to point your finger at someone.
lick (the chocolate) off your fingers
I finished the cake, then licked the cream off my fingers.
hold (a match) between your finger and thumb
James was holding a 50p coin between his finger and thumb.
have/wear a ring on your finger
I love jewelry. I have a ring on every finger!
Note
To 'keep your fingers crossed' is to hope for good luck:
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We'll just have to keep our fingers crossed that it doesn't rain.
Nail and Toe
break a nail
Damn! I've broken one of my nails again.
cut your nails
I use a pair of nail clippers to cut my nails. I never use scissors.
paint your nails
Anastasia's not ready yet. She's still painting her nails!
grow your nails / bite your nails
How do you expect your nails to grow if you bite them all the time!
stand on your toes
I had to stand on my toes to see out of the church window.
touch your toes
Can you bend over and touch your toes? I can't.
step on someone's toes
Sorry! I didn't mean to step on your toes.
be covered in (mud) from head to toe
After the rugby match, most of the boys were covered in mud from head to toe.
Notes
Note this expression:
-
You've still got some dirt under your nails. Get back upstairs and wash your hands properly.
If you file your nails, you use a nail file or emery board to make them smooth after you have cut them.
Knee
hurt your knee / have/need an operation on your knee
I hurt my knee quite badly while playing football. The doctors think I may need an operation on it.
bend your knees
Always remember to bend your knees when lifting heavy objects or you'll hurt your back.
(the water) came right up to your knees
We had to wade across the stream and the water came right up to our knees!
get down on your hands and knees
I got down on my hands and knees and looked under the bed for my other sock.
scrape/graze your knees
Jamie tripped over a stone which was lying on the pavement and scraped his knees. His mother had to put a couple of plasters on them when he got home.
Foot
wash your feet
Make sure you wash your feet before you enter the swimming pool.
lift your feet
Ali! Don't shuffle along like that! Lift your feet properly when you're walking.
stand on someone's foot
Ouch! You're standing on my foot! Why don't you watch where you're going!
wipe your feet
Please wipe your feet on the mat before you come into the house.
your bare feet
Elena! Don't walk around in your bare feet. Put some shoes on!
your feet are freezing
After walking through the snow in my trainers, my feet were absolutely freezing.
smelly feet
Whatever you do, don't let Costas take his shoes off. He's got really smelly feet!
dirty feet
Katerina, Get your feet off the sofa - they're dirty!
my feet are killing me
My feet are killing me! I've been shopping all day.
be unsteady on your feet
I've been in bed with the flu all week and I'm still unsteady on my feet.
be on your feet all-day
I've been on my feet all day and I just want to sit down and rest.
go/travel on foot
You could save money by going to work on foot instead of taking the bus.
When I had the flu my body was aching all over.
I pulled a muscle in my leg while I was playing tennis and had to stop.
She ate something that upset her stomach.
I hurt my back lifting some heavy boxes.
He broke his left leg playing football. He's now on crutches.
I fell off my bike and scraped all the skin off my knees and elbows.
I don't know how he can walk across the hot sand in his bare feet.
He sat down and folded his arms across his chest.
I missed breakfast and my stomach was rumbling all through the meeting.
Can you touch your toes? I can only do it if I bend my knees.
He snapped his fingers to attract the waiter's attention.
He's been off work for months with a bad back.
After work, I got my wife to massage the tense muscles in my neck.
Believe it or not, his hair reaches down to his waist.
Don't point your finger at me!
He was carrying a newspaper under his arm.
The teacher patted me on the back and said 'Well done!'
I wrapped a towel around my waist.
I don't know why he hit me in the stomach.
He apologized for stepping on my toes.