Continuing Glossophilia’s 10-part series on bodily expressions.

We’ve gathered all the phrases and expressions we can possibly think of that make use of bodily parts in all their glory — and divided them into ten broad categories* descending from head to toe (and then some …). We’ve left out one- and two-word euphemistic adjectives and tried to avoid expressions that refer too literally to our actual limbs, organs or orifices; what follows are phrases that tend towards the metaphorical and poetic, even though some can also be taken more literally.

Here we have phrases using eyes and ears — those poetic gateways to the sights and sounds of our daily lives. And coming up next: faces, noses & mouths; teeth, cheeks & chins …

Eye(s):

1. to have a bird’s eye view

2. Raise your eyebrows

3. Keep an eye on / keep an eye out for

4. Make sheep’s eyes at

5. In the eyes of the law

6. Didn’t bat an eye(lid)

7. to the naked eye

8. Can’t/can hardly believe my eyes

9. To eye someone up

10. In the blink of an eye

11. Pull the wool over my eyes

12. Easy on the eyes

13. With an eye to

14. In the twinkle of an eye

15. Feast your eyes on something

16. A feast for the eyes

17. The apple of my eye

18. He has his eye on something/someone

19. To have a roving eye

20. Has caught the eye of

21. To catch someone’s eye

22. Turn a blind eye

23. In my mind’s eye

24. See eye to eye

25. I would give my eyeteeth for something

26. An eye for an eye

27. Eyes bigger than my stomach

28. A sight for sore eyes

29. Keep my eyes peeled

30. To be up to your eyeballs in something

31. He has an eye for something

32. He only has eyes for her

33. I can do it with my eyes closed

34. All eyes are on him

35. To (first)  set/clap one’s eyes on

36. As far as the eye can see

37. To be in the public eye

38. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

39. Before my very eyes

40. Can’t take my eyes off someone/something

41. Cast your eye over something

42. To have stars in your eyes

43. Out of the corner of my eye

44. More than meets the eye

45. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house

46. With one’s eyes (wide) open

Ear(s):

1. To be all ears

2. Play it by ear

3. To prick up your ears

4. To box someone’s ears

5. Don’t believe my ears

6. Out on your ear

7. Up to my ears in something

8. In one ear and out the other

9. To have an ear for something

10. Keep your ears to the ground

11. Your ears must be burning

12. To bend someone’s ear

13. It’s coming out of my ears

14. It fell on deaf ears

15. He’s hardly dry behind the ears

16. With a flea in her ear

17. Can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear

18. My ears are flapping

19. To put a word in someone’s ear

20. Grinning from ear to ear

21. Nothing between his ears

22. That’s music to my ears

23. He talked her ear off

24. Throw him out on his ear

*****

* Categories:

I: Hair, heads & brains
II: Eyes & ears
III: Faces, noses & mouths, teeth, cheeks & chins
IV: Necks, throats & shoulders
V: Chests, breasts & hearts
VI: Arms & hands, fingers & thumbs
VII: Bellies & bottoms, hips, loins & backs
VIII: Legs, feet, toes & heels
IX: Blood, sweat & tears, skin & bones, nerves, muscles
X: Bodies & skeletons