The backbone of our language
From Head to Toe: The weird origins of body-part idioms!
Published on February 10, 2026
Image: Lidia Nemiroff
Your body does a lot more than move you around; it even slips into the way you talk. From head to toe, clever idioms using body parts are a staple of everyday conversation. If you want to learn more about what these 10 idioms really mean and how they started, keep reading!
To keep at arm’s length
Image: Sebastian Dumitru
After the argument, she kept her coworker at arm’s length to avoid more drama.
Remember that friend-of-a-friend you’re not so sure about? The one you’d rather not let get too close? That’s someone you keep "at arm’s length." This common phrase comes from the old practice of measuring distances with body parts (not so old, really; we still measure in feet), and an early version even shows up in Shakespeare’s 1599 play As You Like It, where the line goes: "Hold death awhile at arm’s end."
To give/lend someone a hand
Image: Lina Trochez
When my car broke down, a kind stranger stopped to lend me a hand.
Many expressions we use figuratively today started out in very literal situations. That’s the case with "to lend a hand," which originally referred to physically using your hands to help someone with a task. Over time, the meaning expanded, and the phrase can now be used for any kind of help.
On the tip of my tongue
Image: Lala Azizli
His birthday is on the tip of my tongue… wait, is it next Thursday?
You’re chatting with your best friend, remembering old times, when a familiar song pops into your head. You remember the lyrics perfectly, but who was the singer? Ahh… It’s on the "tip of your tongue"! Used in English since the 16th century, this idiom describes those moments when something feels just within reach but doesn’t fully come to mind.
Head over heels
Image: Siora Photography
Ever since they met, he’s been head over heels for her.
When was the last time you were completely captivated by someone or something? In those moments, you could say you were "head over heels." The phrase dates back to 14th- and 15th-century English as "heels over head," originally describing literal upside-down movements. Over time, it evolved into its modern form, describing the feeling of being madly in love.
To give one’s eye teeth
Image: Enis Yavuz
I’d give my eye teeth to get tickets to that concert!
In the past, canines (often called eye teeth because they sit just below the eyes) were among the most important teeth. Losing one was a big deal, which likely explains the origin of this idiom. It’s still used today to describe a major sacrifice or something someone desperately wants.
Ears burning
Image: kyle smith
I bet your ears are burning after that email went around the office.
It turns out your ears can "burn" even when there’s no infection. This kind of burning has a different interpretation: it means someone is talking about you behind your back. It’s not always negative, but it does involve gossip. The idiom comes from ancient beliefs that physical sensations in the body could indicate external events.
To cost an arm and a leg
Image: Lucrezia Carnelos
Renovating the old house is going to cost us an arm and a leg.
When something costs an arm and a leg, it means it’s extremely expensive or requires a big sacrifice. There are two main theories about its origin: one, now widely regarded as a myth, suggests that in the 15th century, artists charged more if a portrait included the subject’s arms or legs. The other theory links the phrase to the serious physical sacrifices soldiers can make in war.
Break a leg
Image: Atakan Narman
Break a leg at the competition; everyone’s rooting for you.
When you tell your singer friend to "break a leg," you’re not wishing them anything bad; in fact, it’s the opposite. This idiom comes from old theater superstitions, where saying "good luck" was thought to bring exactly the contrary. To avoid tempting fate, people would say something negative to actually wish someone something positive.
To cry your heart out
Image: Kelly Sikkema
He cried his heart out after saying goodbye to his childhood home.
Since ancient times, people have believed that the heart is where emotions live. So when you "cry your heart out," you’re letting out all your feelings, often very intensely. The phrase usually reflects pain, sadness, ordeep emotional suffering.
To be someone’s flesh and blood
Image: Zach Lucero
Even though we argued, he’s still my flesh and blood, and I’ll always protect him.
This idiom is much less creepy than it might sound at first. To be someone’s "flesh and blood" means you are part of their family, or are treated as if you were. Some sources trace one of the earliest uses of this phrase to an Old English translation of the Bible, specifically in Matthew 16:17.
