Read Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook Online
Authors: Gail Brenner
Some people wake up early, as the sun is coming up. A few colorful expressions describe getting up very early. You can place the verbs
wake, get,
or
be
in front of either of these expressions:
up at the crack of dawn
♦
We have to
get up at the crack of dawn
to catch our flight.
up with the chickens
♦
She
wakes with the chickens
every morning.
Personal Hygiene and Grooming
Everyday activities like bathing, grooming, and, in particular, using the toilet are usually expressed with idioms. The more private an activity, the more likely people are to use idioms to talk about it, rather than literal terms.
In the Bathroom
The most basic of basic needs,
using the bathroom,
or going to the toilet, is generally expressed in indirect ways in American English. For example, native speakers of American English prefer not to use the specific word “toilet.” So, rather than say “Where is the toilet,” which sounds a little crude, it’s much more common and polite to say:
Some slang expressions for toilet or bathroom that can be used among friends are:
the head
the can
the john
Note:
American English does not use the term
loo
for toilet.
Going to the Bathroom
In the sentence “I have to
go to the bathroom,
” the words
go to the bathroom
can mean find a bathroom, but
go to the bathroom
has also become synonymous with urinate and defecate. So you might hear a seemingly impossible sentence like “The little boy couldn’t wait and accidentally
went to the bathroom
in his pants.”
People often shorten “I have to
go to the bathroom”
and simply say “I have to go” or “I gotta go.”
Soap and Water
Using good old-fashioned soap and water or keeping oneself clean can be expressed with the following idioms that mean to wash oneself:
take a shower (
or
bath)
to wash in the shower or bathtub; sometimes said as
take one’s bath
♦
Some people
take a shower
in the morning, but I prefer to
take mine
in the evening.
♦
You can
take your bath
first, I’ll go after you.
Note:
In American English, people generally don’t say
have a bath.
give someone a bath
to bathe someone, usually a child, a person who is incapable of bathing him- or herself, or a pet ♦
After she
gave the baby a bath,
she put her to bed.
♦
I tried to
give my cat a bath,
but it was a bad idea.
Note:
One cannot easily give someone a shower, so there is no such expression.
get under (
or
in) the shower
to take a shower ♦
After working on the construction site, I can’t wait to
get in the shower. ♦
He said, “I’ll be ready soon; I just need to
get under the shower
for a few minutes.”
Using the preposition
up
with some verbs helps give the verb its precise special meaning, as in the following idioms:
wash up
or
clean up
to quickly wash one’s hands and face, usually before a meal or after getting one’s hands and/or face dirty. Sometimes used for a quick shower, but most often used to mean washing oneself at the sink. ♦
She said, “You kids go
wash up
for dinner.”
♦
I’d like to
clean up
a little before we go to the store.
Note:
In American English,
wash up
does not mean to wash dishes.
soap up
to use soap and create plenty of lather, washing well ♦
I had just
soaped up
when the water shut off unexpectedly.
♦
He gave his son the soap and said,
“Soap up
your hands well, and I’ll help you rinse them.”
freshen up
to do a light washing, perhaps in the sink and maybe reapply make-up ♦
I need to
freshen up
a little bit before going out again.
♦
Her schedule was so busy, she didn’t even have time to
freshen up
going to the concert.
Grooming
A number of grooming idioms use the verb
do,
as in
do one’s hair,
meaning to brush, comb, or arrange one’s hair. In such expressions, the word
do
means to maintain in a specific way. Here are some grooming idioms that use
do
:
do one’s hair
to arrange one’s hair by brushing, combing, styling, and so on; to dye one’s hair ♦
She often
does her hair
into a bun.
♦
I’ll be ready as soon as I
do my hair. ♦
Last week he had green hair, and this week he
did his hair
blue.
Note:
This term is generally used for female hair styling, but it can be used for men too.
do one’s nails
to manicure and, generally, to polish one’s nails ♦
I can’t touch anything; I just
did my nails. ♦
She often
does her nails
in rainbow colors.
do one’s teeth
to brush one’s teeth, and possibly floss ♦
Her mother said, “Go
do your teeth.
Then I’ll read you a bedtime story.”
♦
The dentist suggested that he use mouthwash after
doing his teeth.
do one’s make-up
put on one’s make-up ♦
She usually drinks a cup of coffee while she’s
doing her make-up. ♦
It takes her only about five minutes to
do her make-up.
More on Hair and Make-Up
“I’m having
a bad hair day!
” That’s what people (mostly women) say when they are unhappy with the way their hair looks. When one’s hair is stuck into an odd shape after sleeping, it’s sometimes called
bed head
or
mattress hair.
The common expression
put on make-up
means to apply cosmetics or make-up. Occasionally people use the funny expression “I have to
put on my face.
” Be careful not to say
put on
a
face
or
make a
face.
Those expressions mean to make a facial gesture that shows displeasure or disgust.
[See
put on
and
take off
in Part V.]
Shaving
A person with a
heavy beard
(dark, thick, and/or fast-growing facial hair) may need to shave more than once a day to look clean-shaven. If his beard is already starting to show again in the afternoon, he has a
five-o’clock shadow
(alluding to the dark shadowy look of unshaven facial hair).
Getting Dressed
Although you
put on
clothes or
put
clothes
on,
you don’t put clothes off. This is incorrect. Instead, you
take off
clothes or
take
clothes
off.
For example, “In the morning, I
took off
my pajamas and
put on
my work clothes.” Some other items that can be
put on
or
taken off
are glasses, contact lenses, jewelry, body products, perfume or cologne, topical medications, and bandages:
Dressing Up
or
Down
Dressing casually and informally is sometimes called
dressing down
, as in “It’s just a casual party, so you can
dress down.”
“Friday is casual day in the office and we
dress down.”
The opposite of
dressing down
is
dressing up
(wearing formal or fancy clothes). For example, “Everyone
dressed up
for the graduation.” To
dress up
is sometimes said as
get dressed up:
“We enjoy
getting dressed up
to go out.”
Some other expressions that mean to be dressed up or to look great in very nice clothes are the following (usually put in the adjective form):
(all) decked out
♦
They were
decked out
for the family photo.
dressed to kill
♦
She was
dressed to kill
and caught everyone’s attention.
dressed to the nines
♦
Everyone was
dressed to the nines
at the opera.
look sharp (
or
smart)
♦
He wanted to
look
especially
sharp
his first day on the job.
Note:
In American English, people say “You
look
very smart,” not “You
are
very smart” (which means “You are intelligent”).
look like a million dollars (
or
bucks)
♦
Wow! You
look like a million bucks
in that outfit.
The expressions
dress up
or
be dressed up
also mean to put on a costume or disguise. Children like to
play dress up
(put on adult clothes and costumes).
Someone who loves clothes and has a lot of them might be called a
clotheshorse
or a
clothes hound.
Hand-Me-Downs
If you grew up in a family with older brothers, sisters, or cousins, you may be very familiar with
hand-me-downs
(clothes given to you, usually because an older family member or friend has outgrown them).
Hand-me-downs
are
handed down
(or passed) from one person to, usually, a younger or smaller person. Any clothes that once belonged to someone else and were given away can be called
secondhand clothes.
[See
secondhand
in Chapter 13.]
CHAPTER 4
HEALTH MATTERS: GOOD HEALTH, ILLNESS, AND ADDICTION
Today people are
health conscious,
concerned about staying healthy and active into old age. Everyone knows (but does not always follow) the basic recipe for good health:
eat right
(eat healthy, wholesome foods),
maintain your weight
(don’t gain or lose an unhealthy amount of weight),
stay active
(exercise), and
reduce stress
(try to avoid stressful situations).
Physical Health and Well-Being
Maintaining good health is often referred to with the terms
fit
or
in shape,
which mean to be in good physical health, generally as a result of exercise and a healthy diet. These adjectives are generally used with the verbs
to get, to be, to keep,
and
to stay,
and they have slightly different meanings depending on the verb that is used to create the idiom. The following examples show how to use these idioms:
get in shape
to make an effort to become physically healthier or stronger, often by losing weight; to train or prepare for a physical challenge ♦
After years of being sedentary, my parents are trying to
get
back
in shape. ♦
I’ve been running every day
to get in shape
for the 10K race.
be in shape
or
be fit
to be physically healthy and strong, generally as a result of physical activity ♦
I’m exercising now so I’ll
be in
better
shape
for the holiday parties.
♦
You can’t
be fit
if you sit in front of the TV all day.
Grammar Note:
In this context, an adjective, such as
good, better,
or
great,
often separates the idiom
in shape,
as in “He’s
in
great
shape
for a man 78 years old!”
keep in shape
or
keep fit
to maintain good health and a strong, healthy body, generally as a result of physical activity and proper eating habits ♦
We love to walk. That’s how we
keep in shape. ♦
Dancing
keeps
me
fit.
stay in shape
or
stay fit
to maintain good health and a strong, healthy body ♦
Playing tennis three times a week helps me
stay in shape. ♦
It’s hard to
stay fit
if you never exercise.
The opposite of being
in shape
is being
out of shape,
which might include being too heavy or not having enough strength, energy, or stamina. People
get out of shape
when they don’t exercise or don’t eat wholesome foods, and when they have unhealthy habits like smoking and drinking. The following examples show how to use the expression
out of shape
:
Eating Habits
Eating habits
(what and how much one regularly eats) are important for good health. When people say they are
watching what they eat,
they don’t mean that they are looking at their food; they mean that they are paying close attention to the amount, type, and quality of food they eat. Good eating habits are often advised with expressions like the following:
Losing Weight
Maintaining one’s weight
means trying to stay at a comfortable and healthy weight for one’s own body type and genetic make-up. In other words, a person should try to avoid being
overweight
(having too much weight for one’s body type) or
underweight
(having too little weight for one’s body type).
But when people say “I’m
watching
my weight,
” they generally mean they are trying not to gain weight. For example, “No dessert for me, thank you. I’m trying to
watch my weight
.”
The following idioms mean to lower or reduce body weight:
lose weight
♦
I
lost
ten
pounds
on our month-long hiking trip.
shed pounds
♦
I either have to
shed some pounds
or buy some larger clothes!
take off pounds
♦
His doctor advised him to
take off a few pounds.
trim down
♦
Actors often have to
trim down
or gain weight for a movie role.
keep one’s weight down
♦
She was dieting most of her life trying to
keep her weight down.
A common way that people try to lose weight is by
dieting
or
going on a diet,
which means reducing the amount of food one eats, or eating only specific or specially designed foods that one believes will reduce weight. A person who is dieting is said to
be on a diet.
Here are a few examples showing these terms:
Note:
Dieting or being on a special diet is not always done for the purpose of losing weight. Sometimes people eat special diets to gain weight, to put on muscle, or to help control a health problem such as diabetes.
Gaining Weight
These expressions mean to increase body weight:
gain weight
to add body weight ♦
I
gained 10 pounds
on my vacation.
♦
Her doctor told her that she has to
gain some weight
before he can do the operation.
put on pounds
to add body weight ♦
She has
put on a few pounds
since I saw her last.
♦
Many young women are so worried about
putting on a few pounds
that they become ill from not eating.
fatten up
to gain a little weight, often deliberately ♦
He’s so thin, perhaps he should
fatten up
a little.
♦
Actor John Travolta had to
fatten up
for his role in the movie
Pulp Fiction.
Baby Fat, Bean Pole,
and Related Idioms
These slang expressions describe some different body conditions. It’s generally impolite to use these expressions to a person directly. However, people often say them about themselves.
These expressions have to do with being heavy or having extra fat. All of them are used as compound nouns:
baby fat:
the natural plumpness that babies and many children have
spare tire:
extra roll of fat around the middle, alluding to a car tire
love handles:
extra fat on either side of the body
pot belly:
a stomach that protrudes or sticks out, also called a
paunch
beer belly:
same as a pot belly, but bigger; may be the result of drinking too much beer
These expressions are somewhat derogatory terms for being thin. All of them are used as adjectives, and generally said with the verb
to be:
skin and bones
a bean pole
stick-thin
Note:
It’s impolite to comment on a person’s size or weight. Words like
fat
for a very large person or
skinny
for a very thin person are considered insulting and rude. If you must refer to a person’s size, use
large
or
big
and
thin
or
slender.
In Great Health
When you feel good, healthy, and vibrant, you might say:
Or you might use one of these comparisons, which are called
similes:
These four expressions can all be used to talk about oneself or other people. An idiom with similar meaning is
the picture of health.
This idiom is typically only used when talking about other people. For example: “Since she stopped smoking, Nancy has been
the picture of health.
”
Illness and Poor Health
If a person says “I have
health issues,
” that means he or she has health problems. The health problem could be a brief illness, a
chronic illness
or
chronic condition
(a continuing health problem), or a
life-threatening
disease (a disease that can be fatal or cause death). If one’s health is not good for any reason, one might be described as being
in poor health.
A similar expression,
in bad shape,
can refer to poor health or injury. Here are a few examples of these expressions to show how they’re used:
Feeling Poorly
and Related Idioms
When people are
feeling poorly
, they are not feeling well; they feel a bit sick.
run down (adj)
physically exhausted and tired; often used with the verb
to feel
♦
I’ve been feeling
run down
for days. Maybe I’m getting sick?
come down with (v)
become sick with a specific illness ♦
I
came down with
a cold last night.
fight off (v)
for the body’s immune system to combat an illness like a cold or flu ♦
Vitamin C seems to help me
fight off
colds.
[See more about colds and flu later in this chapter.]
Under the Weather
and Related Idioms
These expressions mean that one is feeling a little sick, but not terribly ill. All of these expressions are adjectives that are generally used with the verb
to be
or
to feel:
under the weather
♦
When you’re feeling
under the weather
, it’s best to stay home and rest.
out of sorts
♦
I don’t know what’s wrong; I’ve felt
out of sorts
all day.
Note:
The expression
out of sorts
(without the word
feeling
) often means to feel grumpy, irritable, or in a bad mood.
not 100%
♦
This cold has lasted so long, I don’t think I’ll ever feel
100%
again.
Out of It
and Related Idioms
These expressions mean feeling very sick, often with a cold, flu, or other common ailment:
out of it
(adj)
not coherent, stable, or present; also used to mean very tired or mentally exhausted ♦
No, he can’t come to the phone. He’s too
out of it. ♦
I felt so
out of it
yesterday that I went to bed at 6 p.m.
feel rotten
or
feel miserable
(v)
to feel very bad physically; to feel very sick ♦
Poor Baby, she just
feels miserable
with that cold.
♦
Man, I
feel rotten!
I’m going to call the doctor.
sick as a dog
(adj)
very sick, nauseated, or vomiting ♦
He was
sick as a dog
with that pneumonia.
♦
Something I ate in that restaurant made me
sick as a dog.
Idioms for Colds and Flu
Colds are so common that there is even an expression,
the common cold,
meaning the typical cold, the type of cold that most people get when they have a cold. This expression is generally used in medical and news reporting, for example, “Medical science has not yet discovered a cure for
the common cold.”
The
flu
is also quite common;
flu
is short for influenza, which is caused by a virus.
Grammar Note:
People generally say
a
cold and
the
flu, as in “I have
a cold”
and “I have
the flu.”
One exception is the expression
the common cold,
as used in the example sentence above.
Winter is called
cold and flu season,
but you can have
a winter cold
or
a summer cold
depending on the season in which you get sick.
Here are some other idioms related to colds and the flu:
catch a cold
(v)
to get a cold virus and become sick ♦
If you’re sick, stay home. We don’t want to
catch your cold. ♦
I
caught a cold
from my friend.
Grammar Note:
After catching a cold, a person has a cold.