Anatomical illustrations showing muscles of the eyes & ears; photo from Wellcome Images
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 …