How can I learn idioms: health and body in English?

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How many words are in the idioms: health and body deck?

This deck has 27 cards at level B2, each with pronunciation audio and an example sentence.

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Idioms: health and body

Learn English idioms for talking about health, illness, and recovery, from "fit as a fiddle" to "on the mend".

B227 cards

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Terms in this deck

on the mend
recovering from an illness or injury
sick as a dog
very ill
a picture of health
looking very healthy
at death's door
extremely ill, near death
black and blue
covered in bruises
a pain in the neck
an annoying person or situation
get a clean bill of health
to be told by a doctor that you're healthy
run yourself into the ground
to exhaust yourself through overwork
a shadow of your former self
much weaker or thinner than before, often due to illness
take a turn for the worse
for a situation, especially health, to suddenly become worse
under doctor's orders
required by a doctor's instructions
break out in a cold sweat
to suddenly sweat from fear, nerves, or illness
touch wood
said to avoid bad luck when talking about good health or fortune
a bitter pill to swallow
something unpleasant that must be accepted
take your medicine
to accept an unpleasant but deserved consequence
a taste of your own medicine
to be treated the way you have treated others
burn the candle at both ends
to work or party too much without getting enough rest
go under the knife
to have surgery
down with the flu
to be sick with the flu
feel like death warmed up
to feel extremely unwell
on your last legs
extremely tired, or about to fail or break down
not feeling yourself
to feel unwell or not normal
catch your breath
to rest until your breathing returns to normal
back on your feet
healthy and active again after an illness or difficulty
a health kick
a period of trying to improve your health through diet and exercise
worse for wear
tired, damaged, or in bad condition after an experience
raring to go
very eager and ready to start doing something

How to study this deck

These idioms describe health colloquially: "on the mend", "sick as a dog", "a picture of health". They are usually more expressive than simple words (ill, well). Learn which ones are about recovery and which about serious illness, so you do not use them in the wrong context.

The trickiest words

on the mend: it means recovering from an illness or injury: "He is on the mend".
sick as a dog: it means very ill, often with nausea. It is informal.
a pain in the neck: it is an annoying person or thing, not a real pain.

Examples in context

He's on the mend after the surgery.
She was at death's door before the treatment worked.
He got a clean bill of health after his checkup.
She's resting under doctor's orders.
Losing the game was a bitter pill to swallow.
She's been burning the candle at both ends studying for finals.
This old car is on its last legs.
He's back on his feet after the accident.

Mini dialogue

A: How is your father?
B: He was sick as a dog, but now he is on the mend.
A: Did the doctor give him a clean bill of health?
B: Almost. He looks like a picture of health again.