Today we’ll be talking about words and idioms with the noun TOOTH. We already covered idioms with HEAD, EYE and MOUTH, so feel free to check them out if you haven’t already.
This article comes from issue 2 (1/2023) of Your American English Magazine. You’ll find much more interesting stuff there, I’m sure.
| Looks like you’ve gotten your teeth into this idioms stuff. There’s so much to learn, but you’re fighting tooth and nail, right? There are also some interesting idioms with the noun TOOTH and I’m sure many people would give their eyeteeth for an opportunity to learn them all. So, now that you got the bit between your teeth, I’m sure there’s no stopping you. If you think it’s too much to learn, you just have to grit your teeth and keep learning. | get/sink your teeth into sth – to become fully involved in sth, such as a new activity, to do or deal with sth with a lot of energy, interest, etc. tooth and nail – with a lot of effort and determination give your eyeteeth for sth – to want to do or have sth very much get/take the bit between your teeth – to start doing sth in a very enthusiastic and determined way grit your teeth – to press or rub your teeth together or to show courage and determination when you are dealing with problems or challenges |
| You use your teeth for eating, or rather for biting. What kind of food do you like most? Maybe you’ve always had a sweet tooth? Or maybe you prefer to sink your teeth into an apple? Unless you’re a little long in the tooth and don’t have your own teeth anymore. In such a case biting hard fruit would be like pulling teeth. What about food you don’t like? Is there anything that sets your teeth on edge? When you’re starving and you get to eat something you just can’t even look at, it may be a real kick in the teeth. | sweet tooth – a liking for sweet foods sink your teeth into sth – to bite sth long in the tooth – no longer young, old like pulling teeth – used to say that sth is very difficult and frustrating set your teeth on edge – (of a sound, taste, etc.) to make your body feel tense or uncomfortable kick in the teeth – sth that is very shocking and disappointing |
| Wild animals use their teeth to fight. People, at least most of them, only use teeth to fight in a figurative sense. Sometimes you must have teeth to survive. But it may be difficult to survive if your opponent is armed to the teeth. Maybe you could only escape by the skin of your teeth. Sometimes you have to sail into the teeth of wind, also figuratively if it’s the wind of life. | teeth – the power that makes sth effective to the teeth – fully or completely by the skin of your teeth – only by a small difference in time, space, or amount, just barely in/into the teeth of sth – directly against sth like a strong wind, storm, etc. |
