By Ranjana S
1. Nose:
(a) Pay through the nose ( pay an exorbitant
price)---If you really want that swanky car, you have to pay through your nose
for it.
(b) Lead (someone) by the nose (make a person do whatever
one wants) ---The husband leads his wife by the nose.
2. Mouth:
(a) Make one's mouth water (make one wish to eat)
--- These lip smacking dishes simply make my mouth water.
(b)Live from hand to mouth (only be able to fulfill one's
basic needs, especially for food) ---He is out of job and, hence, to maintain a
family of six he lives from hand to mouth.
3. Lip:
(a) There's many a slip 'twixt the cup and the lip (a
saying which says, things can easily go wrong before one gets what one wants or
expects)---He presumes that he will get a sweeping victory in the election but
there's many a slip 'twixt the cup and lip.
(b) One's lips are sealed (one will not discuss and disclose
something) ---I would like to divulge what I know but my lips are sealed.
4. Leg:
Pull someone's leg (make fun of someone, especially
making him believe something that is untrue) -Peter said to you that your
left year is bigger than the right one; don't believe in him, as he is just
pulling your leg.
5. Knee:
Bring someone to his knees (force someone to submit)
---The Maratha warriors brought the Mughal empire to their knees.
6. Heel:
Take to one's heels (run away) ---The robbers took
to their heels when the policemen arrived.
7. Heart:
(a) Take something to heart (become very pensive
and disillusioned) ---You should not take his barbs and jibes to heart.
(b) Heart and soul (completely) ---She devoted herself heart
and soul in establishing that school.
(c) Take heart (become encouraged) ---The captives took
heart when they heard that army personnels reached at the isolated place.
(d)Learn/Know something by heart (learn facts, poems,
speeches etc., so that one has it completely in one's memory---She has learnt
the dates of battles by heart.
(e) From the bottom of one's heart (very sincerely) ---When
I found Judy's lost solitaire, she thanked me from bottom of her heart.
8. Head :
( a) Above/Over someone's head (too difficult for
someone to understand) ---What the educator taught was well above the heads of
her students; she would have made a simpler delivery.
(b) Head and shoulder above (other people)... (Very much
better, cleverer etc., than other people) -She is head and shoulder above her
colleagues.
(c) Lose one's head (become excited or angry or to act foolishly
in a crisis) ---I am sorry that I lost my head when I saw you rebuking Jemmy
without any reason.
(d)Keep one's head (remain calm and sensible in a sudden
difficulty) ---She kept her head even when she found that her shop was ablaze.
9. Hand:
(a) Fall into the hands of someone (be caught,
captured etc. by someone)---He fell into the hands of a band of robbers.
(b)Give somebody a big hand (applaud for somebody loudly and
generously) ---The audience gave the performers a big hand.
(c) Give/Lend a helping hand(help, aid or assist
someone)---I am always eager to lend a helping hand to this women empowerment
project.
10. Finger :
( a) Be/have something at one's finger tips (know
all the details of a topic or subject thoroughly) ---Everything related to the
history of the movement is at her fingertips.
(b) Work one's fingers to the bone (work very hard) ----If
you want to bag the yearly contract, you might as well work your fingers to the
bone on the project in hand.
(c) Slip through someone's fingers (an opportunity missed by
someone) ---Let not the last chance of winning her back slip through your
fingers.
(d)Lay a finger on somebody (touch someone however slightly
with intent to harm) ---I will not excuse you this time if you lay a finger on
that child who's already scared of you.
(e)Burn one's fingers or get one's fingers burnt (suffer,
often financially, as a result of foolish behavior) He got his fingers all
burnt by investing a lion's share of his savings in the share market, which
crashed badly.
contd.....
Part....3....next week..... :)
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