From head to toe: German idioms based on body parts

Tongue and foot, back and heart: The human body has a wealth of parts that people refer to in idioms every day. Most of the time they can also be easily understood when translated.

Many phrases are identical in both German and English (i.e. "I am all ears"), others are almost the same. In English, you have something on the tip of your tongue; in German, the word or memory you are looking for involves the entire tongue ("Es liegt mir auf der Zunge").

"Take your legs into your hands," and check out our gallery for more interesting and quirky German expressions based on body parts.

You'll find more from Meet the Germans on YouTube or at dw.com/MeettheGermans.