Head
To be a headache
My Science homework is always such a headache.
To be a headache
Meaning: To be difficult, annoying, burdensome
Break a leg!
Before Tim went onstage, I told him, "Break a leg!"
Break a leg!
Meaning: Good luck!
To be all ears
Mr. Sanchez told the students, "I need you to be all ears when I explain the requirements for this assignment."
To be all ears
Meaning: To be listening carefully
Big mouth
I'm really sick of Traci's big mouth; I'm never going to tell her anything personal again.
Big mouth
Meaning: 1) A habit of speaking a lot and indiscreetly, especially about sensitive or secret information; 2) A person who talks in this way.
Give (or lend) someone a hand
I'm better at math than Tom is, so our Algebra teacher asked me to give him a hand with the assignment.
Give (or lend) someone a hand
Meaning: To help someone out
Head start
We gave my little cousin a head start in the race because he's the youngest.
Head start
Meaning: an earlier start
Leg it
We'd better leg it--the bell rang, and the principal is walking this way!
Leg it
Meaning: To leave quickly
Ears are burning
Hey, are you guys talking about how I fell on my face during practice? My ears are burning.
Ears are burning
Meaning: One says this when one senses that people were talking about them, despite not hearing what was said.
To put one's foot in one's mouth
Wow, did I put my foot in my mouth--I congratulated Sherri's mom on being pregnant, but she isn't!
To put one's foot in one's mouth
Meaning: To unintentionally say something stupid or offensive.
To have one's hands full
Between doing my homework, playing volleyball, and practicing piano, I definitely have my hands full.
To have one's hands full
Meaning: To be very busy, to have a lot to do
To be in over one's head
Tom was in over his head last semester when he took five honors classes and played two sports.
To be in over one's head
Meaning: To be in a situation you can't handle
To not have a leg to stand on
Kristina is always gossiping about people, so she doesn't have a leg to stand on when she accuses others of talking about her.
To not have a leg to stand on
Meaning: To not have a defense or an argument to defend a position or action
Between one's (or "the") ears
I'm sorry to say I don't think Jim has much between his ears, judging by his answers in class.
Between one's (or "the") ears
Meaning: In the head where the brain is (or should be); this is usually used in the saying "Not much between the ears" meaning "not very intelligent."
Do you kiss your grandma (or momma, etc.) with that mouth?
Why do you have to curse so much? Do you kiss your grandma with that mouth?
Do you kiss your grandma (or momma, etc.) with that mouth?
Meaning: This idiom is used to show disapproval or shock at someone using bad language
To wash one's hands of something
The film director hated the final cut of her movie so much that she washed her hands of it.
To wash one's hands of something
Meaning: To refuse to accept responsibility for; to abandon
Head over heels
We never see Luke anymore since he fell head over heels for his new girlfriend.
Head over heels
Meaning: Deeply in love
To have legs
I can't believe the theory that astronauts never landed on the moon still has legs, but there are some people who still believe that.
To have legs
Meaning: To have the ability to endure, stay relevant, or continue to maintain interest. .
To have an ear for
My teacher says I must have an ear for languages since I'm learning French so easily.
To have an ear for
Meaning: To have the ability to learn and understand a language, or a piece of music, quickly
Straight from the horse's mouth
There's no school on Monday--that's straight from the horse's mouth because I overheard the principal saying it to a teacher.
Straight from the horse's mouth
Meaning: From an authoritative or reliable source
To have to hand it to someone
Even though Mr. Wong is a tough teacher, I have to hand to him--I learn a lot in his class.
To have to hand it to someone
Meaning: To give someone recognition or credit for something
Let one's hair down
After such a hard week at school, Tran can't wait to let her hair down this weekend.
Let one's hair down
Meaning: To relax, have fun
Get (or have) a leg up
Since he's six-foot-six, Julian will have a leg up on the competition when he tries out for the basketball team.
Get (or have) a leg up
Meaning: To have an advantage or a benefit. This is often used in the expression "to have a leg up on the competition."
Out on one's ear
John's dad told him, "If you don't get a job after graduation, you'll be out on your ear."
Out on one's ear
Meaning: Kicked out of the house, suddenly on one's own
Born with a silver spoon in (one's) mouth
Maria is rich, but she wasn't born with a silver spoon in her mouth. She grew up poor and worked very hard to build a successful business.
Born with a silver spoon in (one's) mouth
Meaning: Born into a wealthy family.
Try one's hand at something
You run so fast in PE! Why don't you try your hand at track and field?
Try one's hand at something
Meaning: Try to learn to do something new