MIND GAMES
13
May
May
Recently, while driving, I heard a radio host ask a guest for a response “off the top of your head.” That somehow prompted me to consider how many English words or phrases incorporate body parts. A lengthy car ride is a fine place and opportunity to indulge in such mind games, so I started brainstorming. Here’s my list, one that avoids literal references but uses body parts words to convey other meanings (e.g., not headgear but headstrong and head start).
| A | Armchair (general) Airhead Armpit (of the…) Arm’s length About face All hands on board Asshole Able-bodied |
| B | Browbeat Bloodbath Blood thirsty Blood curdling Blood line Blood sport Bloodless Blood letting Blood boiling Brain child Brain storming Brain lock Brainy Bleeding heart Bite the hand Bend your ear Black eye Breathless Breakneck Belly aching Bonehead Body language Belly flop Back sliding Back stabbing Back up Boob Butt (of joke) Bird in hand Blink of an eye Belly laugh Bad mouth Bosom (buddies) |
| C | Cheeky Chest thumping Chin up Cut throat |
| E | Earful Earsplitting Ear shot Elbow (out of the way) Eye opener Eye candy Eyeball (at) Eye sore Eye catching |
| F | Foot loose Foot in the mouth Footwork Footman Footpath Foothold Feet first Foot lights Footman Footing Footnote Foot path Footsteps Finger pointing Fingertip (control) Fisticuffs Face to face Face in the crowd Face the music Face (the facts) Full throated |
| G | Gut wrenching Gutsy |
| H | Heart rending Heart strings Heart felt Heartless Heart beat Heart stopping Heart throb Heart to heart Heart sick Hand wringing Hand holding Handy Handful Hand to hand (combat) Handsprings Handout Handover Hand (in the till) Head long Headliner Head (of the class) Head and shoulders Heady Head strong Head hunter Heads up Head start Headquarters Head on Hair raising Hair cut Ham handed Hip Heel |
| I | Intestinal fortitude |
| J | Jawbreaker Jawbone Jawing |
| K | Knee capping Knee jerk Knuckle down Kiss my ass |
| L | Lily (livered) Lip service Lip Loud mouth Leg up Lend a hand Limber Limber up Last leg |
| M | Muscle bound Mouthful Mouthpiece Mouthing (off) Muscled (out of way) |
| N | Nervous Necking Nail biter Nosey Nose dive Neck and neck No brainer |
| O | Off the top of your head Out of hand |
| P | Pain in the ass Pain in the neck Poker face Put the arm on |
| R | Raised eyebrows Rule of thumb Red blooded Ribbing |
| S | Skin (in the game) Skin flint Skinny Saving face Sorehead Splitting hairs Scalper Shoulder (aside) Strong arm Skeleton (force) Spine tingling Spleen Side splitting Saving face Stomach (it) |
| T | Tongue twister Tongue in cheek Tongue tied Toehold Tooth and nail Thumbnail (sketch) Take it on the chin Tip your hand Tight assed Tight lipped Take a knee |
| U | Upper hand |
| W | White knuckle Waist deep |
I invite you to add to the list. It’s a great game to play with your kids on a long trip (assuming you can separate them from their devices) or with friends and colleagues as long as they haven’t yet read this.
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Dear Rich,
After coming back from the islands life is beginning to take on its usual rhythms. I finally looked at my calendar and I realized it was your birthday yesterday, and not today. I don’t know why I associated it with Cupid because you look nothing like the demigod. Nevertheless, I hope you had a swell birthday and thank you for the call on my birthday.
Cheers,
Harris