15 Idioms About Health Every English Learner Should Know [with Audio!]
The English language contains numerous idioms about health and wellness that often come up in conversation.
These are expressions or phrases that have a figurative meaning. If you take them literally, you might end up very confused!
Understanding these idioms and being able to use them will impress your English-speaking friends and help you keep track of what’s being said.
In this post, we’ll explore 15 of the most common health and wellness idioms that you can add to your English toolbox.
Contents
- English Idioms About Health
-
- 1. As fit as a fiddle
- 2. Alive and kicking
- 3. Under the knife
- 4. Under the weather
- 5. To be back on one’s feet
- 6. A bitter pill to swallow
- 7. A clean bill of health
- 8. A picture of health
- 9. Out of shape
- 10. To have a spring in one’s step
- 11. To have a new lease on life
- 12. As pale as a ghost
- 13. To have a frog in one’s throat
- 14. To turn one’s stomach
- 15. As sick as a dog
- Why Learn English Health Idioms
- And One More Thing...
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
English Idioms About Health
Let’s begin our lesson on English health idioms!
1. As fit as a fiddle
To be as fit as a fiddle is to be in excellent physical shape or to be very healthy.
“Are you ready for our run this morning?”
“Ready?! I’m feeling as fit as a fiddle.”
As an extra bonus to this idiom, you can learn an interesting piece of vocabulary: A fiddle is a stringed instrument similar to a violin.
To fiddle is also a verb, which means to play with something or change something with your hands. We might also call it fidgeting with our hands.
2. Alive and kicking
This is a great idiom because it can be used to talk about many different things. The basic definition is something that’s (still) functioning in a good way. This can be a person, an object or even an idea!
The reason I wrote still in brackets is that alive and kicking often refers to something that’s perhaps old or thought to be useless.
“Do you still have that motorbike you bought in the 1970s?”
“Yeah, and it’s still alive and kicking.”
Here’s another example:
“My grandmother is still alive and kicking at 89 years old. She never slows down!”
3. Under the knife
This idiom sounds a little scary, and, in some cases, it can be. To go under the knife is to have surgery or an operation.
Because of the use of the word knife, the idiom usually implies (suggests) that it’s serious surgery.
“How’s your uncle?”
“He’s ok; he’s going under the knife next week to have his knee replaced.”
4. Under the weather
Perhaps you noticed that this idiom uses the same preposition as the idiom above. “Under the” is a very common construction with many different uses.
Check out the following video to hear this idiom being used:
In this example, under the weather refers to being unwell, typically with a cold or other minor sickness.
“Are you coming to the party tonight?”
“I don’t think so. I’m feeling a bit under the weather.”
5. To be back on one’s feet
If you’re back on your feet, then you’ve successfully recovered from injury or sickness and are feeling better again!
It means to be in good health after a difficult time.
“How was the surgery?”
“It was tough, but it’s great to be back on my feet!”
6. A bitter pill to swallow
This is a great example of an idiom that is figurative. While it refers to a health-related action, i.e., swallowing a pill, the meaning of the idiom is much more general.
A bitter pill to swallow refers to a difficult or uncomfortable realization that someone comes to. It could be accepting a difficult situation or admitting that you’re wrong.
“Realizing that my business was going to lose half its profit was a bitter pill to swallow.”
7. A clean bill of health
A clean bill of health is when a medical professional acknowledges that you’re healthy and free from health-related issues.
This idiom can also be used to refer to a group of people or even to non-human things. For example, you could use it in any situation where somebody with a special authority assesses something and finds it to be good. This could be anything from a car to a natural landscape.
“The local biologist assessed the river and found it to be healthy. He gave it a clean bill of health.”
Here’s a second example:
“The hikers who were lost in the woods for two days received a clean bill of health from the local physician.”
8. A picture of health
If somebody is a picture of health, then they’re in great physical condition. Usually, the idiom refers to somebody who’s in visually great condition. We often use the determiner “the” when using this idiom to describe an individual.
“Have you met my Uncle Paul? He drinks every day, but he’s still the picture of health!”
9. Out of shape
This simple idiom describes somebody who’s physically unfit. It’s perhaps one of the most commonly used health idioms.
This idiom is often used to refer to oneself.
“How was the boxing class?”
“Very tough! I’m pretty out of shape, so I’m surprised I made it to the end!”
In the following video, you might notice that Olaf exclaims, “Man am I out of shape!” after rushing down the mountain.
If you want to learn English with videos like the clip above, a video-based program like FluentU might be a good tool to add to your learning routine.
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You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Click here to check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.
10. To have a spring in one’s step
In this case, we can think of a spring as a kind of upbeat jump or movement. A step simply refers to walking.
To have a spring in one’s step means to be energetic and without worry.
“Did you see Kate this morning?”
“No, why?”
“She looked so happy. There was definitely a spring in her step this morning.”
11. To have a new lease on life
A new lease on life refers to a change in attitude and feeling for the better. It covers a number of different feelings, but generally, they’re positive. They relay happiness and enthusiasm for life.
This idiom can be considered a health idiom because it refers to a change in mental attitude or outlook.
While not always, the idiom is commonly used to describe a situation in which an event or person has caused a change in somebody else for the better.
We say that this change has been given. Let’s look at an example:
“Meditating every morning has given me a new lease on life. I’ve never been happier!”
Here’s another example:
“After her surgery, she was given a new lease on life and decided to travel the world.”
12. As pale as a ghost
This idiom is a little bit spooky! Okay, not really.
It uses a simile, which is a comparison of one thing to another. Similes are often found in poetry.
If someone is as pale as a ghost, then they’re very pale. Pale is a very light shade of color associated with sickness.
Because of this, the simile has two meanings: You can be as pale as a ghost because of fear or because you’re very sick or nauseous.
“Is he alright? He looks as pale as a ghost. I think he’s going to vomit!”
It’s also common to say that someone has turned white.
13. To have a frog in one’s throat
“Ribbit, ribbit!”
That’s the sound a frog makes in English.
But what if you have a frog in your throat?
If someone has a frog in their throat, then they’re unable to speak in a clear way. The reason that this idiom is included in this list is that it’s very common to use it when you’re unwell.
For example, you may have seasonal allergies or have contracted a cold or the flu, which has led to a change in your voice.
“I’m sorry, but no matter how much water I drink, I can’t get rid of this frog in my throat.”
14. To turn one’s stomach
If something turns your stomach, then it gives you an immediate feeling of nausea or sickness. You can also describe something as stomach-turning. This idiom is commonly (although not always) used to refer to food.
“Even the sight of cheese turns my stomach! I don’t know why.”
You could also use this idiom to refer to a feeling of anger.
The way my boss treats his staff is unacceptable. It turns my stomach!”
15. As sick as a dog
This is perhaps the most commonly used idiom in the entire list. Again, it uses a simile.
As sick as a dog simply means very sick.
It commonly refers to sickness that involves nausea and vomiting.
“I was as sick as a dog after we ate that chicken from the new restaurant last night. I think that something was wrong with it.”
Why Learn English Health Idioms
Like all English idioms, health idioms are a common part of daily speech and conversation.
Idioms are part of what we call everyday English. For example, visiting the doctor, talking to your friends and coworkers or describing something to your family are all situations in which you can use idioms.
And, if you want to sound more like a native speaker, then you should use health idioms! This is because asking about somebody’s health and well-being is very common in English. This is especially important if you know someone has been sick or unwell recently.
Conversations between friends in English generally begin with questions such as How are you? or sometimes How’s your health? If you can answer with an idiom, then it’s a fantastic way to show your English skills and an important step in your English learning journey. Plus, using idioms is a lot of fun!
Taking a picture quiz is always a great starting point when it comes to learning idioms. It’s a short and fun exercise that’ll introduce you to some new health idioms. It also helps you remember these idioms because you’ll associate them with pictures.
Try the quiz below by BBC Learning English to see how many English health idioms you already know!
How was that for a brain workout? Hopefully, you’re feeling as fit as a fiddle and ready to take on the English-speaking world with your new set of health idioms.
Don’t forget to keep exercising your brain and continuing to learn English idioms. It will put a spring in your step for sure!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
And One More Thing...
If you like learning English through movies and online media, you should also check out FluentU. FluentU lets you learn English from popular talk shows, catchy music videos and funny commercials, as you can see here:
If you want to watch it, the FluentU app has probably got it.
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For example, when you tap on the word "searching," you see this:
FluentU lets you tap to look up any word.
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FluentU helps you learn fast with useful questions and multiple examples. Learn more.
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