English idioms : Health

English idioms relating to HEALTH
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."
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."
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."