Read Online Webster's New World American Idioms Handbook by Gail Brenner - Free Book Online
Authors: Gail Brenner
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get out of shape when I was working at a desk job.
He’s was too out of shape to go on the hike.
Eating Habits
Eating habits (what and how much one regularly eats) are important for good health. When people say they are watching what they eat, they don’t mean that they are looking at their food; they mean that they are paying close attention to the amount, type, and quality of food they eat. Good eating habits are often advised with expressions like the following:
Eat a balanced meal! (a meal with a balance of nutrients needed for good health)
Don’t overeat! (eat too much food)
Avoid junk food! (packaged and processed food with no nutritional value, such as chips, soda, candy, pastries, greasy and fried foods, and fast food)
Losing Weight
Maintaining one’s weight means trying to stay at a comfortable and healthy weight for one’s own body type and genetic make-up. In other words, a person should try to avoid being overweight (having too much weight for one’s body type) or underweight (having too little weight for one’s body type).
But when people say “I’m watching my weight, ” they generally mean they are trying not to gain weight. For example, “No dessert for me, thank you. I’m trying to watch my weight .”
The following idioms mean to lower or reduce body weight:
lose weight ♦ I lost ten pounds on our month-long hiking trip.
shed pounds ♦ I either have to shed some pounds or buy some larger clothes!
take off pounds ♦ His doctor advised him to take off a few pounds.
trim down ♦ Actors often have to trim down or gain weight for a movie role.
keep one’s weight down ♦ She was dieting most of her life trying to keep her weight down.
A common way that people try to lose weight is by dieting or going on a diet, which means reducing the amount of food one eats, or eating only specific or specially designed foods that one believes will reduce weight. A person who is dieting is said to be on a diet.
Here are a few examples showing these terms:
I’ve been on this diet for a month, and I’ve lost a little weight.
She was tired of always being on a diet, so she decided to quit dieting and enjoy her larger figure.
Note: Dieting or being on a special diet is not always done for the purpose of losing weight. Sometimes people eat special diets to gain weight, to put on muscle, or to help control a health problem such as diabetes.
Gaining Weight
These expressions mean to increase body weight:
gain weight
to add body weight ♦ I gained 10 pounds on my vacation. ♦ Her doctor told her that she has to gain some weight before he can do the operation.
put on pounds
to add body weight ♦ She has put on a few pounds since I saw her last. ♦ Many young women are so worried about putting on a few pounds that they become ill from not eating.
fatten up
to gain a little weight, often deliberately ♦ He’s so thin, perhaps he should fatten up a little. ♦ Actor John Travolta had to fatten up for his role in the movie Pulp Fiction.
Baby Fat, Bean Pole, and Related Idioms
These slang expressions describe some different body conditions. It’s generally impolite to use these expressions to a person directly. However, people often say them about themselves.
These expressions have to do with being heavy or having extra fat. All of them are used as compound nouns:
baby fat: the natural plumpness that babies and many children have
spare tire: extra roll of fat around the middle, alluding to a car tire
love handles: extra fat on either side of the body
pot belly: a stomach that protrudes or sticks out, also called a paunch
beer belly: same as a pot belly, but bigger; may be the result of drinking too much beer
These expressions are somewhat derogatory terms for being thin. All of them are used as adjectives, and generally said with the verb to be:
skin and bones
a bean pole
stick-thin
Note: It’s impolite to comment on a person’s size or weight. Words like fat for a very large
He’s was too out of shape to go on the hike.
Eating Habits
Eating habits (what and how much one regularly eats) are important for good health. When people say they are watching what they eat, they don’t mean that they are looking at their food; they mean that they are paying close attention to the amount, type, and quality of food they eat. Good eating habits are often advised with expressions like the following:
Eat a balanced meal! (a meal with a balance of nutrients needed for good health)
Don’t overeat! (eat too much food)
Avoid junk food! (packaged and processed food with no nutritional value, such as chips, soda, candy, pastries, greasy and fried foods, and fast food)
Losing Weight
Maintaining one’s weight means trying to stay at a comfortable and healthy weight for one’s own body type and genetic make-up. In other words, a person should try to avoid being overweight (having too much weight for one’s body type) or underweight (having too little weight for one’s body type).
But when people say “I’m watching my weight, ” they generally mean they are trying not to gain weight. For example, “No dessert for me, thank you. I’m trying to watch my weight .”
The following idioms mean to lower or reduce body weight:
lose weight ♦ I lost ten pounds on our month-long hiking trip.
shed pounds ♦ I either have to shed some pounds or buy some larger clothes!
take off pounds ♦ His doctor advised him to take off a few pounds.
trim down ♦ Actors often have to trim down or gain weight for a movie role.
keep one’s weight down ♦ She was dieting most of her life trying to keep her weight down.
A common way that people try to lose weight is by dieting or going on a diet, which means reducing the amount of food one eats, or eating only specific or specially designed foods that one believes will reduce weight. A person who is dieting is said to be on a diet.
Here are a few examples showing these terms:
I’ve been on this diet for a month, and I’ve lost a little weight.
She was tired of always being on a diet, so she decided to quit dieting and enjoy her larger figure.
Note: Dieting or being on a special diet is not always done for the purpose of losing weight. Sometimes people eat special diets to gain weight, to put on muscle, or to help control a health problem such as diabetes.
Gaining Weight
These expressions mean to increase body weight:
gain weight
to add body weight ♦ I gained 10 pounds on my vacation. ♦ Her doctor told her that she has to gain some weight before he can do the operation.
put on pounds
to add body weight ♦ She has put on a few pounds since I saw her last. ♦ Many young women are so worried about putting on a few pounds that they become ill from not eating.
fatten up
to gain a little weight, often deliberately ♦ He’s so thin, perhaps he should fatten up a little. ♦ Actor John Travolta had to fatten up for his role in the movie Pulp Fiction.
Baby Fat, Bean Pole, and Related Idioms
These slang expressions describe some different body conditions. It’s generally impolite to use these expressions to a person directly. However, people often say them about themselves.
These expressions have to do with being heavy or having extra fat. All of them are used as compound nouns:
baby fat: the natural plumpness that babies and many children have
spare tire: extra roll of fat around the middle, alluding to a car tire
love handles: extra fat on either side of the body
pot belly: a stomach that protrudes or sticks out, also called a paunch
beer belly: same as a pot belly, but bigger; may be the result of drinking too much beer
These expressions are somewhat derogatory terms for being thin. All of them are used as adjectives, and generally said with the verb to be:
skin and bones
a bean pole
stick-thin
Note: It’s impolite to comment on a person’s size or weight. Words like fat for a very large
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