Learn a useful list of 30 common medical and health idioms in English.
Medical and Health Idioms in English
There are many idioms in English that native speakers use to describe health and illness …
1. As fit as a fiddle – Be healthy and physically fit
2. Black and blue – Bruised, showing signs of having been physically harmed
3. Clean bill of health – A report or certificate that a person or animal is healthy
4. Flare-up – Begin again suddenly (an illness or a disease)
5. Go under the knife – Have an operation in surgery, often a cosmetic surgery
6. Splitting headache – A severe headache
7. Alive and kicking – Be well and healthy
8. As pale as a ghost – Extremely pale
9. At death’s door – Very near death
10. A bitter pill to swallow – An unpleasant fact that one must accept
11. Break out in a cold sweat – Perspire from fever or anxiety
12. Breathe one’s last – Die
13. Bundle of nerves – A very nervous or anxious person
14. Catch one’s death of cold – Become very ill
15. A dose of one’s own medicine – The same treatment that one gives to others
16. Feel on top of the world – Feel very healthy
17. Fill a prescription – Get some medicine from a pharmacy with the orders from the doctor
18. Get a black eye – Get a bruise or darkened eye after being hit or after bumping into something
19. Get sick – Become ill
20. Green around the gills – Look sick
21. Gave a physical (examination) – Get a medical check-up
22. Gave foot-in-mouth disease – Embarrass oneself through a silly mistake
23. In the best of health – Very healthy
24. Nothing but skin and bones – Be very thin or emaciated
25. Nurse (someone) back to health – Give someone care to restore him or her to good health
26. On medication – Taking medicine for a current medical problem
27. On the mend – Becoming better, becoming well, healing
28. Out of condition/ out of shape – Not in a good physical condition
29. Picture of health – A perfect example of health
30. Refill a prescription – Sell the second set of medicine on a doctor’s orders
Medical and Health Idioms | Image
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