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 faces, noses, mouths (and the mouth’s various constituent parts), cheeks and chins. Coming up next: necks, throats and shoulders.

Face:

1. To stuff your face

2. In his face

3. The face that launched a thousand ships

4. Not just a pretty face

6. To put on a brave face

7. To have egg on your face

8. To fall on one’s face

9. To have a face like a wet weekend

10. That’s a slap in the face

11. To be as plain as the nose on your face

12. To have a face like thunder

13. He hid his face in shame

14. It’s written all over her face

15. That put a smile on his face

16. To keep a straight face

17. To slam the door in someone’s face

18. To throw in someone’s face

19. Until I’m blue in the face

Nose:

1. To win by a nose

2. Keep your nose clean

3. Cut off your nose to spite your face

4. Put your nose out of joint

5. Turn your nose up at something

6. Keep my nose to the grindstone

7. No skin off my nose

8. Gets up my nose

9. To stick your nose in

10. To powder one’s nose

11. As plain as the nose on your face

12. Can’t see past/further than the end of his nose

13. To have your nose in a book

14. He has his nose in the air

15. She looks down her nose at him

15. To follow one’s nose

16. To rub her nose in it

17. To have a nose for something

18. It’s right under his nose

19. To thumb one’s nose at someone/something

Lips:

1. My lips are sealed

2. Many a slip between cup and lip

3. A stiff upper lip

4. To give someone lip

5. Loose lips sink ships

6. It’s on everyone’s lips

7. To pay lip service

8. It won’t pass my lips

9. There’s many a slip twixt cup and lip

Mouth:

1. To have a big mouth

2. Down in the mouth

3. Word of mouth

4. To foam at the mouth

5. Born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth

6. He’s all mouth and trousers

7. Butter wouldn’t melt in her mouth

8. From the horse’s mouth

9. To look a gift horse in the mouth

10. My heart is in my mouth

11. It leaves a bad taste in my mouth

12. Out of the mouths of babes

13. To put one’s money where one’s mouth is

14. You took the words right out of my mouth

15. You’re putting words in my mouth

16. To laugh out of the other side of your mouth

17. To put one’s foot in one’s mouth

18. It makes my mouth water

19. Living from hand to mouth

Tooth/teeth:

1. By the skin of his teeth

2. Get my teeth into

3. Have a sweet tooth

3. To be long in the tooth

4. A kick in the teeth

5. Take the bit between your teeth

6. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth

7. To fight (go at someone) tooth and nail

8. To cut your teeth on something

9. Sets my teeth on edge

10. To have teething problems

11. Clean as a hound’s tooth

Tongue:

1. Tongue in cheek

2. A slip of the tongue

3. To bite your tongue

4. The cat has got your tongue

5. On the tip of my tongue

6. That will cause tongues to wag / set tongues wagging

7. To have a forked-tongue

8. To keep a civil tongue (in one’s head)

9. Hold your tongue

10. Watch your tongue

11. It rolls off the tongue

12. Tongue in cheek

Cheek:

1. Cheek by jowl

2. To turn the other cheek

3. Tongue in cheek

4. To water one’s cheeks

5. Put/bring the roses in/to your cheeks

Chin:

1. Keep your chin up

2. To take it on the chin

3. To wag one’s chin

*****

* 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