The moving and the talking!

Did you know body parts can also be verbs? Here are many examples!

Image: engin akyurt

Our body takes us to all kinds of places, but not only in the literal sense. You can head a meeting, shoulder a responsibility, or eye someone suspiciously. Some words started as simple body parts, but evolved to take on actions and meanings that go far beyond anatomy! Are you ready to flex your brain?

Image: Evan Lee

You might head something like a company or a movement, in any case, you’re the person in charge. This makes perfect sense, since your head is, well, at the top of your body!

The word comes from Old English heafod, meaning the top or chief part of something. In time, it became a handy verb that keeps things moving forward, literally and figuratively.

Image: Viktor Talashuk

To shoulder something means to take on responsibility or carry a burden. It’s no surprise where this comes from, after all, your shoulders are built to bear weight!

This usage dates back to the 14th century when it referred to physically carrying things. Eventually, it took on a more figurative meaning, like shouldering blame or responsibility.

Image: Diane Alkier

To back someone means to support them, whether it’s a friend, a cause, or a winning horse at the racetrack.

This makes sense because your back provides strength and stability. The verb form of "back" has been around since the 14th century, originally meaning to push something forward or stand behind it. Today, it has multiple meanings but they all go back to the idea of support and assistance.

Image: Teo Zac

To toe the line means to follow the rules, but where does that come from? It dates back to 19th-century military drills, where soldiers had to stand with their toes exactly in a line for inspection.

The phrase evolved to mean strict obedience in all the fields, from sports to business, or politics. It’s a sign of good behavior and appreciation for order. Quite necessary, don’t you think?

Image: Wilhelm Gunkel

To skin something means to remove its outer layer, but it also has a more dramatic meaning: Escaping by the skin of your teeth. This odd phrase comes from the Bible’s Book of Job, where it meant surviving with almost nothing left.

In modern usage, "skinning" something can mean barely avoiding disaster. You might skin your knee falling off a bike, or skin by on just enough money. Which of these have you experienced?

Image: Jonathan Borba

We say muscle, you think of strength, don’t you? That’s right, to muscle your way into something means to use strength, either physical or persuasive, to get what you want.

Whether you’re muscling through a tough workout or muscling your way into an exclusive club, the meaning is quite clear. It’s been used this way since the early 1900s, especially in sports and business.

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You know when there’s only one slice of cake left and you patiently wait and wish nobody else grab it? You look at it carefully, in the hope you are the one to eat it. Well, you actually eye it!

The verb, first recorded in the 17th century, was used to mean looking at something with intent. Today, we use it for everything from sizing up a deal to checking out a new car.

Image: Tash Williams

Have you ever gone backpacking, with no transport booked, just you and your thumb to take you places? To thumb a ride means to hitchhike, sticking your thumb out on the roadside and hoping for the best.

This practice became common in the early 20th century when travelers relied on the kindness of passing drivers. The thumb became the universal signal for needing a lift, and the verb stuck.

Image: Eugene Chystiakov

To stomach something means to tolerate it, even when it’s unpleasant. This makes sense since our stomachs are in charge of digesting (or rejecting) things we consume.

The verb form has been around since the 16th century, but it originally meant taking something in without protest. Today, we use it for everything from bad news to terrible fashion choices. If you can stomach it, you can get through just about anything!

Image: Joey Nicotra

No hidden meaning in the last body part/verb: When you mouth something, you’re moving your lips without making a sound, like lip-syncing or whispering in a way no one can hear.

Back in the 16th century, "mouthing" referred to exaggerated speech. Today, we use it for silent apologies, or to pretend we know song lyrics, a lot of possible scenarios. You’ll just need to be careful, if you mouth off too much, you might find yourself in trouble!

Easy peasy lemon squeezy

10 ways of saying "a piece of cake" around the world

Image: Pablo Arroyo

We all love those moments when something is so easy that we say, "It’s a piece of cake!" But did you know that this phrase exists in many different languages, each with its own unique twist? People around the world have found creative ways to express just how easy something can be. In this article, we’ll take a fun journey around the globe and explore 10 different ways to say "a piece of cake" in other languages.

Image: Alejandra Coral

People often say that French is the most romantic language in the world—Paris is the city of love, after all. But hear this: in French, if something is "as easy as sticking your fingers in the nose," or simple comme bonjour, it means it’s a breeze to do. Not very romantic of them, is it?

The full expression is facile comme de mettre les doigts dans le nez, which literally translates to "as easy as putting your fingers in your nose." Yes, the phrase is as playful as it is descriptive. However, we strongly recommend you stick to just saying it—no need to actually act it out!

Image: Rachel Park

Breakfast is the first and most important meal of the day, it gives us the necessary energy to tackle the to-dos ahead. However, in Japanese, some things are considered so easy that you don’t even need breakfast to accomplish them. You can simply do it 朝飯前 (No, we don’t know Japanese either, so here’s how to pronounce it: asameshimae).

This phrase means that a task is so easy, you could do it "before breakfast." No energy needed, no preparation required—if it’s asameshimae, you’ve got it covered without breaking a sweat. After all, what’s easier than something you can do on an empty stomach?

Image: George Kendall

If you ask a professional biologist, they’ll probably be able to tell you how smart a hedgehog is. But we’re not professional biologists—so we don’t know. What we do know is that in Russia, there’s a saying that describes certain tasks as so easy, they’re "understandable to a hedgehog" (ежу понятно, or yezhu ponyatno).

The phrase can be used for tasks or statements—basically, anything so straightforward that even a hedgehog could grasp it. So when something is crystal clear, it’s not just easy—it’s hedgehog-easy!

Image: Marine Le Gac

Finding a hair in your food is never ideal. But if we had to choose, we’d rather find it in butter than in stew. Why? Well, here’s the Turkish guarantee—removing a hair from butter is actually quite simple.

The Turkish expression tereyağından kıl çeker gibi means something is "as easy as pulling a hair from butter."

Just imagine: a hair sliding out of soft butter with no resistance, no struggle. According to this Turkish simile, the task isn’t just simple—it’s smooth and effortless. We do hope the saying stays figurative… but hey, worse things have happened!

Image: JM Lova

We have to agree with this one; few things in life are as easy as breathing. I mean, it takes literally nothing from you and gives you nothing less than life!

In Welsh, when something is mor hawdd â anadlu, it’s as effortless as taking in a breath of air. That’s the literal translation of the phrase.

Breathing is the most natural, instinctive thing we do, so this expression perfectly captures the idea of something being second nature. When life hands you an easy task, just take a breath—and remember how simple things can be.

Image: Crazy Cake

We’re not sure what the deal is with languages and butter, but it seems to be the universal image of simplicity. Just like the Turks, the Greeks also use butter to metaphorically describe an easy task.

The Greek phrase σαν βούτυρο στο ψωμί (pronounced san voutyro sto psomi) translates to "as butter spread on bread." Just as butter smoothly spreads over a slice of bread, this expression describes something that’s effortlessly simple. And if you think about it, it’s true—some things just go smoothly, like butter on bread.

Image: Matthew Hamilton

If you’re reading this around lunch or dinner time, we bet you’re already getting hungry with all these food similes we’ve mentioned. Maybe now’s the time for some chicken soup—just to see what the Portuguese mean.

In Portuguese, the phrase é sopa, which literally means "it’s soup," is used to describe something that’s super easy. More specifically, _é canja_—"it’s chicken soup"—adds a layer of comfort and familiarity to the expression. When something is é canja, you know you’re in for a task as simple and soothing as sipping a warm bowl of soup.

Image: Pete Wright

In Latvian, if something is tik viegli, kā paņemt konfekti no bērna, it’s "as easy as taking candy from a child." This expression emphasizes just how effortless a task can be, though it does carry a cheeky hint of slyness. It’s a light-hearted way of describing a situation where the difficulty is virtually nonexistent.

While you’d (hopefully) never actually take candy from a child, the phrase perfectly captures the idea of something being laughably easy.

Image: Daiga Ellaby

We’re almost at the end, and we couldn’t resist including an expression like this one. In Chinese, the phrase 易如反掌 (don’t sweat it, the pronunciation is yì rú fǎnzhǎng) means something like "as easy as turning your hand over."

This expression suggests that the task requires just a simple movement, like flipping your hand from palm up to palm down. Funny how one of the most complex languages to learn has an expression like this!

Image: Barbara Chowaniec

Let’s finish this article with yet another food-related expression. But this time, it’s not butter or cake—it’s jam.

In Croatian, when something is k’o pekmez, translated as "as simple as jam," it means the task is easy to do, with no complications or fuss.

Butter and jam have more than one thing in common: they’re smooth, sweet, eaten at breakfast, and both are used to describe simple tasks. When life gives you something easy, think of it as "as simple as jam."