Step 98: Body Idioms
Idiomatic English — Idioms describing people
📖 Read — Break a Leg!
The night before the school play, Sophia got cold feet. “I can't do it,” she whispered. “Twelve lines, and my heart is pounding.” Her best friend Julia, who had learned every line by heart as Sophia's backup, laughed kindly: “Break a leg!” — which, in the theater, means GOOD LUCK. “And keep an eye on the red curtain for your cue.”
The tickets had cost their families an arm and a leg, so the hall was full of expectations. The director, Mr. Carter, was a pain in the neck about details — every candle exactly placed. But when Sophia stepped into the light, something settled. She faced the music, spoke her lines like she'd written them, and somewhere in row nine her little brother fell asleep, head over heels in a dream. The play worked. Sometimes your body betrays you before the show — and carries you during it.
🧩 Grammar — Body Idioms — English Thinks with Its Body
A huge family of idioms is built from the body: learn by heart (memorize completely), keep an eye on (watch carefully), give/lend a hand (help), get cold feet (suddenly lose courage), cost an arm and a leg (be very expensive), break a leg! (theater good luck), head over heels (completely in love — or upside down), a pain in the neck (an annoying person/thing), face the music (accept the consequences). Most take small grammar changes safely (she got cold feet, it cost me an arm and a leg) — but never translate them word for word.
- He learned the poem by heart.
- Keep an eye on the baby, please.
- The wedding cost an arm and a leg.
- She got cold feet before the interview.
🏗️ Key structures
- learn ___ by heart — Actors learn their lines by heart.
- get cold feet / face the music — He got cold feet and canceled. / Time to face the music.
- cost an arm and a leg / a pain in the neck — Repairs cost an arm and a leg. / Traffic is a pain in the neck.
⭐ Idiom & natural phrases
Your play is tonight? Break a leg!
🔤 New words
memorize something completely so you can say it without reading
She learned the poem by heart.
watch something carefully and stay responsible for it
Keep an eye on the soup for me.
help someone (also: lend a hand)
Can you give me a hand with these bags?
suddenly become too nervous to do something you planned
He got cold feet before his wedding.
be extremely expensive
That car cost an arm and a leg.
completely and madly in love (or fallen upside down)
They fell head over heels for each other.
a person or thing that is very annoying
This paperwork is a pain in the neck.
accept the unpleasant consequences of your actions
He broke the window and faced the music.
🎧 Say it with me
I learned my lines by heart, then I got cold feet — but Julia said, “Break a leg!” — and I faced the music beautifully!
🎤 Your turn to speak
Tell a performance or exam story using four body idioms: learned by heart, got cold feet, keep an eye on, and break a leg or face the music.
Say it out loud three times. Even better: record it on your phone and listen — your ear is your best teacher.
✍️ Your turn to write
Write 5 sentences about a big event (play, match, wedding, or exam). Use at least four body idioms from this step.
See a model answer
The night before the final, our goalkeeper got cold feet and wanted to quit. Our captain, who knew every play by heart, just smiled: “Keep an eye on their tall striker, give each other a hand, and play.” The tickets had cost the fans an arm and a leg, so the stands were loud. When the whistle blew, we faced the music — and played the game of our lives.
Self-check: capital letters? Full stops? Did you use the grammar of this step?
📝 Quick check
🎉 Saved in your progress!