The backbone of our language

From Head to Toe: The weird origins of body-part idioms!

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!

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

10 weird historical events that no one has been able to explain (yet)

Image: Walters Art Museum, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Who doesn't like a good mystery? And if the mystery isn’t a work of fiction but the result of a true story, even better! The great unsolved enigmas of history are absolutely fascinating. Some have been solved over time, but there are still many old secrets for which neither scientists nor historians have found an explanation—yet. Time-travel with us as we uncover 10 of the biggest historical mysteries that will probably never be cracked!

Image: Tanner, Henry S., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Bermeja Island is mentioned in navigation texts written by European travelers and appears in cartography from the 16th to 19th centuries. Old maps place it off the north coast of the Yucatán Peninsula; however, multiple searches over the years have yielded no concrete evidence of its existence.

So, what happened to Isla Bermeja? Was it a cartographic error? Did it sink due to a tidal wave? Because of its geopolitical significance, some have even suggested that it was blown up by the CIA! A 2009 study by the Autonomous University of Mexico concluded that Isla Bermeja does not exist today, nor were any traces found at its supposed coordinates. Yet, it will forever remain a mystery that will surely keep many entertained.

Image: Credit: Big Ear Radio Observatory and North American AstroPhysical Observatory (NAAPO)., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

In 1977, Ohio State University’s Big Ear radio telescope, used in the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, detected a signal now known as the Wow! signal. While reviewing the data, astronomer Jerry R. Ehman noticed a sequence represented as "6EQUJ5." Baffled by the anomaly, he circled it and wrote "Wow!" in the margins.

The signal lasted 72 seconds and, unfortunately, has never been repeated. To this day, no one can fully explain the phenomenon, although some suggest it may have come from a man-made source. Still, the Wow! signal remains one of the strongest candidates for potential extraterrestrial contact ever detected.

Image: Edward S. Curtis, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

How is it possible for an entire village to vanish without a trace? Believe it or not, this is said to have happened nearly a century ago. According to lore, a small Inuit village in Canada was well known among fur trappers who visited regularly to trade. But in 1930, something very strange supposedly occurred.

A hunter named Joe Labelle claimed he visited the village one day and couldn’t find a single person. Reports said there were guns and food left behind, and even claims that the graves in the cemetery were empty. A thorough investigation, however, found no conclusive evidence of what happened to the villagers. Some witnesses from nearby towns even reported seeing a huge green light. Theories ranged from mass migration to extraterrestrial abductions. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has since dismissed the case as an urban legend. Some still believe the story to be true.

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We know thousands of shipwreck stories, but this one is quite unique. The MV Joyita, designed to be nearly unsinkable, was found adrift in the South Pacific, practically unharmed, but the crew had disappeared completely.

In October 1955, the American merchant vessel left the port of Apia in Samoa with 16 crew members and 9 passengers bound for the Tokelau Islands. After days without news, a rescue mission was launched. Five weeks later, the Joyita was spotted more than 600 miles west of its intended route. The vessel was partially submerged, and there was no sign of the passengers or crew. Four tons of cargo and all three life rafts were missing. They were never seen again.

Image: Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Do you know where one of the best-preserved mummies was found? Hint: not in Egypt. Xin Zhui, the Marquise of Dai during the Western Han Dynasty in China, was discovered in her tomb at Mawangdui 2,000 years after her death, along with hundreds of valuable documents and artifacts.

What makes this mummy so extraordinary is how well-preserved her body is. Her organs and veins remain intact, and she still has hair and even eyelashes. Scientists analyzed the fluid present in the coffin and discovered it was acidic and contained salt and magnesium. They believe this mysterious liquid may have been responsible for preserving Xin Zhui so well. What they don’t know is whether it was intentionally poured into the coffin or came from the body itself.

Image: Yoichi Okamoto, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The United States has its fair share of presidents who died while in office, but none of our 45 presidents have ever disappeared without a trace. Did you know that this actually happened in The Land Down Under?

Harold Edward Holt was the Prime Minister of Australia from 1966 until his presumed death in 1967. He loved the ocean and spearfishing. During a weekend trip with friends, Holt visited the remote Cheviot Beach to take a swim. Rough sea conditions that day caused him to be swept away by the waves, and he never reappeared. Despite an intensive search, his body was never found, which has given rise to numerous conspiracy theories. Ironically, Australians built the Harold Holt Memorial Swimming Centre in Melbourne in his honor.

Image: FBI, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Many famous criminals have managed to remain unidentified for decades, but the D.B. Cooper case is something else entirely. In 1971, Cooper boarded a flight from Portland to Seattle. Shortly after takeoff, he showed a flight attendant a device he claimed was a bomb and demanded four parachutes and $200,000 in cash.

The crew landed to meet Cooper’s demands in exchange for the passengers and then took off again. As the plane flew over southwestern Washington, Cooper jumped into the cold, rainy night carrying his haul. His whereabouts and true identity were never discovered, although it is likely he didn’t survive the jump. In 1980, some of the ransom money was found near the Columbia River. Although the FBI officially closed the case in 2016, amateur sleuths continue to try to crack it.

Image: Pieter Brueghel the Elder, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Can you imagine an epidemic where the main symptom is uncontrollable dancing? Sounds like science fiction, doesn’t it? Yet this really happened during the Middle Ages. In 1518, a dancing plague struck Strasbourg, Alsace, in what is now France. This strange condition affected up to 400 people, making them dance frantically for weeks. It is said that some even died of heart attacks, exhaustion, or strokes.

Doctors and authorities tried all kinds of measures to stop the spread. They even banned music for a while! To this day, scientists are not certain what caused this bizarre condition: it may have been food poisoning from toxins in the ergot fungus, or perhaps a case of stress-induced mass hysteria.

Image: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The Voynich manuscript is a codex written roughly 500 years ago in an unknown language and writing system by an anonymous author. Known as Voynichese, the manuscript was named after Wilfrid Voynich, a Polish bibliophile and antiquarian who purchased it in 1912.

Radiocarbon testing has shown that it dates to the early 15th century. Many cryptographers and codebreakers have attempted to decipher its roughly 240 pages without success. The manuscript contains diagrams and illustrations of unknown plants and astrological symbols. Some believe it may be a made-up language, a secret code, a work of fiction, or even a hoax. If you think you can solve this mystery, the Voynich manuscript is available for viewing at Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

Image: Bernhard

Similar to the Voynich manuscript, the Phaistos Disc is a fired clay disc believed to have been created during the Bronze Age. It was discovered by an Italian archaeologist in the basement of a palace in Crete, Greece, in 1908.

What makes this disc fascinating is that it contains a mysterious message. Stamped into the clay is a set of signs, forming a text that many scientists have tried to decipher—without success. It is considered an early attempt at printing, a technological innovation that would not become widespread for several centuries. While enthusiasts still hope the enigma can be solved, this is unlikely unless other documents are discovered to provide context.