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| in bad shape | A person
who is in bad shape is in poor physical condition. "I really am in bad shape. I need to get some exercise." |
| get yourself back into shape | To get
yourself back into shape, you need to take exercise in order to become fit and healthy again. "Se decided she'd have to get back into shape before looking for a new job." |
| bag of bones | To say that someone is a bag of bones means that they are extremely thin. "When he came home from the war he was a bag of bones." |
| full of beans | A person
who is full of beans is lively, active and healthy. "You'd never guess his age. He's still full of beans!" |
| black out | If you
black out, you lose consciousness. "When Tony saw the needle, he blacked out." |
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as blind as a bat |
Someone whose vision is very poor, or who is unable to see anything, is (as) blind as a bat. "Without his glasses the old man is as blind as a bat." |
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blue around the gills (also green or pale around the gills) |
If a person looks blue around the gills, they look unwell or sick. "You should sit down. You look a bit blue around the gills." |
| feel blue | To
feel blue means to have feelings of deep sadness or depression. "My old neighbour has been feeling blue since her dog died." |
| kick the bucket |
To kick the bucket
is a light-hearted way of talking about death. "He will inherit when his grandfather kicks the bucket." |
| cast iron stomach |
If you can eat all sorts of food and drink what you like, without any indigestion, discomfort or bad effects, it can be said that you have a cast iron stomach. "I don't know how you can eat that spicy food. You must have a cast iron stomach!" |
| clean bill of health | If a
person has a clean bill of health, they have a report or certificate
declaring that their health is satisfactory. |
| be off colour | If you
are off colour, you are looking or feeling ill. "You look a bit off colour. Are you feeling all right?" |
| dead as a doornail | This expression is used to stress that a person or thing is
unquestionably dead. "As soon as the golf ball hit the rabbit, he was dead as a doornail." |
| dice with death | If you put your life at risk by doing something very dangerous,
you dice with death. "Going mountain-climbing alone is dicing with death." |
| die with one's boots on |
A person who dies with their boots on dies while still leading an
active life. "He says he'll never retire. He'd rather die with his boots on!" |
| my
dogs are barking |
When a person says that their dogs are barking they mean that their feet are hurting. "I've been shopping all day. My dogs are barking." |
| drop like flies | If people drop like flies, they fall ill or die in large numbers. "There's an epidemic of flu at the moment. Senior citizens are dropping like flies." |
| hit the dust | The
expression hit the dust is a humorous way of referring to death. "You can have my computer when I hit the dust!"" |
| back on one's feet | If you
are back on your feet, after an illness or an accident, you are physically healthy again. |
| have a frog in one's throat | A person
who has a frog in their throat is unable to speak clearly because their throat is sore, or because they want to cough. |
| hair of the dog that bit you |
This expression means that you use as a remedy a small amount of what made you ill, for example a drink of alcohol when recovering from drinking too much. "Here, have a drop of this. It's a little hair of the dog that bit you!" |
| hale and hearty |
Someone, especially an old person, who is hale and hearty
is in excellent health "My grandmother is still hale and hearty at the age of ninety." |
| have a hangover | To
have a hangover means to suffer from the unpleasant after-effects of drinking too much alcohol. |
| hard of hearing | If you are hard of hearing, you can't hear very well. "You'll have
to speak louder to Mr. Jones. He's a bit hard of hearing." |
| keep
body and soul together |
If someone is able to keep body and soul together, they manage to survive. "He was unemployed and homeless, but he somehow managed to keep body and soul together." |
| land of the living |
This is a humorous way of saying that someone is still alive. "Hi there! It's good to see you're still in the land of the living!" |
| be on one's last legs | If you
are on your last legs, you are in a very weak condition or about to die. |
| like death warmed up | If you look
or feel
like death warmed up, you look or feel very ill or
tired. "My boss told me to go home. He said I looked like death warmed up." |
| living on borrowed time | This expression refers to a period of time after an
illness or accident which could have caused death. " After heart surgery, some patients say they're living on borrowed time." |
| look the picture of health | To
look the picture of health means to look completely or extremely healthy. |
| on the mend |
Someone who is on the mend is getting better after an illness. "My grandmother has not been very well this last while but she's on the mend now." |
| new lease of life |
A person who has a new lease of life has a chance to live longer or with greater enjoyment or satisfaction. "Moving closer to his children has given him a new lease of life." |
| go nuts | To say
that a person has gone nuts means that they have become completely foolish, eccentric or mad. |
| go under the knife | If a
person goes under the knife, they have surgery. "I'm not worried about the anaesthetic. I've been under the knife several times." |
| off colour |
If you are off colour, you look or feel ill. "What's the matter with you Tom? You look a bit off colour today." |
| one's number is up |
To say that one's number is up means that a person is either in serious difficulty and something bad is going to happen, or the time has come when they will die. "When he had a second heart attack, we thought his number was up!" |
| out of sorts |
If someone is out of sorts, they are upset and irritable and not
feeling well. "The baby is out of sorts today. Perhaps he's cutting a tooth." |
| have pins and needles | To have
pins and needles is to have a tingling sensation in a part of the body, for example an arm or a leg, when it has been in the same position for a long time. |
| in the pink of health |
If you are in the pink of health, you are in excellent physical
condition or extremely healthy. "Caroline looked in the pink of health after her holiday." |
| in the prime of one's life |
A time in one's life when a person is
the most successful or in their best physical condition is called the prime of one's life. "At the age of 75, the singer is not exactly in the prime of his life!" |
| pull through | If you
pull through, you recover from a serious illness. "My grandmother got pneumonia but she pulled through." |
| pushing up the daisies |
If you say of someone that they are pushing up the
daisies, you mean that they are dead. "Old Johnny Barnes? He's been pushing up the daisies for over 10 years!" |
| ready to drop |
Someone who is ready to drop, is nearly too exhausted to stay
standing. "I've been shopping all day with Judy. I'm ready to drop!" |
| recharge your batteries | When you recharge your batteries, you take a break from a tiring
or stressful activity in order to relax and recover your energy. "Sam is completely over-worked. He needs a holiday to recharge his batteries." |
| right as rain |
If someone is (as) right as rain, they are in excellent health or
condition. "I called to see my grandmother, thinking she was ill, but she was (as) right as rain!" |
| run down | A person
who is run down is in poor physical condition. "He's completely run down from lack of proper food." |
| spare-part surgery | This term refers to surgery in which a diseased
or non-functioning organ of a person is replaced with a transplanted or artificial organ. |
| spare tyre |
If a person has a spare tyre, they have a roll of flesh around
the waist. "I'd better go on a diet - I'm getting a spare tyre!" |
| take a turn for the worse | If a
person who is ill takes a turn for the worse, their illness becomes more serious. "I'm afraid the news is not good. The patient has taken a turn for the worse." |
| touch-and-go |
If something is touch-and-go, the outcome or result is uncertain. "Dave's life is out of danger now, but it was touch-and-go after the operation." |
| under the weather | If you
are under the weather, you are not feeling very well. "I'm not going to the party. I'm a bit under the weather today." |
| up and about |
If someone is up and about, they are out of bed or have
recovered after an illness. "She was kept in hospital for a week but she's up and about again." |
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