ESL Student Blog: English Idioms to Describe Beauty Flaws

It’s this time of the year - winter holiday season - when many of us make New Year resolutions. We promise to get rid of the negative things affecting our lives (smoking, debts, etc.) and adopt positive lifestyle changes. Weight loss and commitment to changes in the diet and exercise habits are usually the most common on the list.

 

While ‘beauty is in the eye of the beholder’ (different people view beauty in different ways), many people agree that excessive weight and mature skin might be quite unflattering.

 

Look at the expressions and their definitions below. Don’t you think these common problems have funny names? Why are they associated with these particular animals or objects?

 

crow’s feet - wrinkles at the outer corner of the eyes

 

spider veins - blood vessels that are visible at the surface of the skin

 

bat wings - flabby arms

 

raccoon eyes - dark circles around the eyes

 

turkey neck - excess skin sagging and drooping down from the lower part of the neck

 

love handles - layers of fat on each side of the stomach or lower back

 

spare tire - layers of fat around the stomach (resembling a car tire)
 
muffin top - fat in the midsection that spills over the waistline when wearing pants

 

Do you have any nicknames for these problematic body zones in your language?