Literary Conventions and the Human Body:The use of bodily expressions for states of mind Göran Kjellmer University of Gothenburg Abstract Changes in
speakers’ states of mind are often reflected in their facial expressions or
bodily movements. The relation between a
physical expression and the state of mind that goes with it is often firmly
established and conventionalised. Writers can make use of such correlations and
indicate without having to describe them what emotions and sensations their
characters experience by referring to their physical actions. The paper is concerned with unintentional and
perhaps unconscious communicative manifestations and discusses the degree to
which they have become conventionalised. A list of bodily expressions and their corresponding states of mind is
drawn up, and illustrative material is supplied from two large language
corpora. A. Correlation bodily
expression and state of mind 1. Evidence Variations
in the mood of speakers habitually co-occur with variations in their facial expressions or bodily movements. This kind of correspondence
has been observed and commented on[i], not least in the medical literature, where
speakers with different types of handicap, mental and
others, have been studied.[ii] That
we are not alone in the animal world in this respect is shown by studies of
apes[iii] and
monkeys[iv],
where similar relations have been found. From a communicative point of view we
may, with Wierzbicka (1995), make a distinction between "bodily
actions which function as speech surrogates [...] and bodily actions which
while meaningful cannot be seen as speech surrogates" (209). Although many physical manifestations are deliberately
communicative[v],
such as hugs and kisses as expressions of friendship or love, physical manifestations
are unconscious or semiconscious perhaps most of the time, and speakers vary
with regard to their wish and ability to control them. Consequently, a given physical expression
can be assumed to indicate a certain emotional state while a given emotional
state cannot without reservation be expected to result in a certain physical
expression.[vi] As
this relation between certain mental states and physical expressions is fairly
well established[vii],
writers, particularly writers of fiction, have been quick to make use of
it. It is obvious,
therefore, that it has aspects of interest to linguistic and communicative
studies. Kurath (1921) observed, as Sweetser (1990:28) notes, that “Indo-European words for the
emotions are very frequently derived from words referring to physical actions
or sensations accompanying the relevant emotions, or to the bodily organs
affected by those physical reactions.” What the present study will do is
consider the stage preceding that discussed by Kurath,
viz. the stage where the physical actions or sensations have not yet become, or
are just beginning to become, lexicalised as purely emotional expressions. The
study will thus look into the way in which states of mind are represented as
physical expressions in written English.
It will use material from two language corpora, viz. the 57-million-word
Cobuild Direct Corpus (examples where the reference
follows the text) and the 100-million-word British National Corpus (examples
where the reference precedes the text).
An important question to be addressed will then be to what extent the
actual physical manifestations represented in writing can be assumed to be
present in the persons referred to. For
example, can a person said to be tearing his or her hair out in exasperation
actually be assumed to be physically doing so, or has the phrase become just a
literary device to signify an emotional state?
Is the link between the state of mind and its physical manifestation
being severed? 2. General validity? There
has been a great debate as to whether terms and relations in the emotional
field established for one language community can also be taken to apply to
other language communities.[viii] Wierzbicka, for
one, emphatically denies that this could be the case: "[A]s empirical cross-linguistic
studies show, there are simply no
emotional expressions interpreted the same way across cultures ..."
(2000:149). The present little study is only concerned with English, so the
question whether the bodily expressions can be translated and whether they
apply in the same way to states of mind in other language communities does not
arise. Moreover, we are not here
concerned with deliberately communicative manifestations, such as handclapping,
hugging and kissing, but rather with mostly unintentional and perhaps
unconscious ones like pursing one's lips or dropping one's jaw. B. Literary use The
fact that facial expressions and bodily movements are often unconscious and yet
expressive of some mental state makes them an obvious medium for anyone wanting
to observe, study and describe internal processes in
our fellow human beings. As was just
mentioned, fiction writers in particular have shown themselves to be interested
in, and to make use of, this way of portraying the mental states of their characters. It is easy to see the advantages of this
procedure. For one thing, it allows
thought processes and emotional perturbations to be made evident in an indirect
way. Sweetser (1990: 31) speaks of “a general
tendency to borrow concepts and vocabulary from the more accessible physical
and social world to refer to the less accessible worlds of reasoning, emotion
and conversational structure.” Readers will not be likely to miss the intended
message, simply because many expressions are widely recognised as corresponding
to given mental analogues. For another
thing, the device of giving a physical expression for a mood has the obvious
advantage of being very effective as a literary expedient. It is more vivid and expressive to say, e.g.,
"She moistened her dry lips" than to say "She seemed
uncertain", or to say "He was drumming his fingers" than to say
"He was impatient”. Note,
however, that not all facial expressions and bodily movements have been
conventionalised in the sense that they reflect a given mental state. To pick
one's nose or to scratch one's knee does not necessarily correspond to some
predictable mood of the agent. C. Conventionalised
expressions We
are here concerned with conventionalised expressions of human behaviour, i.e.
with established language collocations referring to bodily movements conventionally
linked with a given emotion or set of emotions; we are thus not like Wierzbicka (2000) dealing with a description of the
behaviour itself. The well-established emblematic character
of the phrases in question is apparent when one considers that to gnash one's teeth and to grit one's teeth refer to quite
different kinds of mood (frustration and determination, respectively),
although the physical manifestations are very similar. The corresponding physical actions of wringing one's hands and rubbing one's hands are not unlike, but
they are used to signify contrasting
states of mind (worry and glee, respectively).
One may also observe that the state of mind described as wrinkling one's brow is one radically
different from that signalled by wrinkling
one's nose. It is therefore not the
physical expressions as such that are in focus but the conventionalised descriptions
of them. The above examples show that
the physical reality of the phenomena in question is all but irrelevant to
their verbal representation and conventional meaning; an attempt to
"obtain accurate measurements of the movements of facial [and other]
muscles" (treated coolly by Wierzbicka 2000:
159) would hence be beside the point in the present context. D. Nature of correlation Physical
expressions are characteristically described as occurring in response to new
information or as a reaction to someone's behaviour. It
is striking that the mental states conveyed by bodily expressions are overwhelmingly
negative. If the terms for the states of
mind studied in this paper (see E, below) are accepted, the resulting list of
terms looks like this: agreement anger (control of) amazement anger x 3 annoyance x 4 bewilderment boredom x 4 carelessness concentration x 2 confusion deep thought x 3 defeat deliberation desperation x 2 determination x 2 disappointment disapproval x 4 discomfort disgust disrespect embarrassment exasperation excitement fear frustration gleeful anticipation hopelessness horror x 2 idleness x 3 impatience x 4 incomprehension indifference irritated determination loss of control negative expectation or surprise nervousness x 2 pleasure x 2 puzzlement rejection scorn sexual interest (among women) shock x 2 sorrow surprise x 4 uncertainty worry x 2 Since
emotions can be verbally expressed in a variety of ways, it stands to reason
that no statistics can be based on such a list.
Nevertheless, it is obvious that emotions like annoyance, boredom,
disapproval, impatience, anger, surprise and idleness are frequently given
physical expression. There are many more
negative terms and very few even mildly positive ones (agreement, gleeful
anticipation and perhaps sexual interest; there is only one unqualified positive
one, viz. pleasure.) If we have many
more recognised physical ways of expressing nuances of negative feelings than
we have of expressing positive feelings, this could be because “humans have a
greater need to talk about problematic events and processes than unproblematic
ones.”[ix] One might also speculate that positive
feelings are in fact less well articulated than negative ones, both in the mind
and in their physical correspondences. The
emotion suggested by the employment of the bodily expression can be more or
less sharply focussed. In some cases
there can be little doubt as to the precise nature of the state of mind
described: to tear one's hair
normally signifies a state of desperation, to
shrug has a given interpretation as a sign of indifference. On the other hand, when people are described
as throwing up their hands, this
could be because they are either horrified or
hopeless and dejected. The exact
shade of meaning intended is not always apparent, but writers sometimes supply
evidence supporting one or other of the possible interpretations, as in the
following phrases from the Corpora (see Appendix): blinked in bewilderment curled her lips in scorn drummed his fingers impatiently gnashed their teeth in frustration
and envy opens her hands in ignorance pursed her lips in thought rolls her eyes in exasperation scratches his head to remember ... shake his head in wonder tapping her fingers on the desk impatiently threw their hands up in horror wring my hands in desperation Such
additional information may be helpful when on another occasion we have to
interpret a given phrase without the benefit of a supplied mental
correlate. E. Selective list of conventionalised
expressions Collocations
expressing the conventional counterpart of a given state of mind are more
frequent than may be realised, as will appear from the following list. The list lays
no claim to exhaustiveness, needless to say.
It is in the nature of collocations that some are better established
than others, and that there is an element of subjectivity in assessing their collocationhood. It
is obvious that more collocations of a similar sort could have been included,
but the ones that are listed will provide enough material to illustrate some
interesting aspects. The items under
"state of mind" reflect my attempts at finding typical mental correlates
of the physical expressions and movements.
Corpus material illustrating their use, and hopefully supporting the
interpretations given below, will be found in the Appendix.
1. Wierzbicka (2000: 163): "I don't know what I can say."
2. Wierzbicka (2000: 160): "I am thinking now." 3. Wierzbicka (2000: 161): "I want to know more." 4. Wierzbicka (1995: 227) describes the meaning of the act of stamping one's foot in the following way: (a) I think you said something bad now (b) I don't want this (c) I feel something bad now (d) because of this, I want to do THIS now F. Discussion of examples 1. Physical or metaphorical? One
remarkable aspect of the physical-for-mental literary device is the fact that, because of the close and generally recognised
association between expression and mood, the bodily expression writers use
to indicate the state of mind or mood of their characters need not be openly
manifested. The moral disapproval of
someone said to "purse her lips" or the negative expectation of
someone said to "raise her eyebrow" may just show itself in their
words or tone of voice, while lips and eyebrows remain in their normal
place. People are said to "shrug",
"tear their hair", "wring their hands" without necessarily
doing so physically. In some cases,
the physical equivalent of a certain kind of mood is obviously manifested
concretely. This may be apparent from
the way the expressions are described or commented on, as in the following
examples where the mental states of the subjects are clearly conveyed: (1) G1W 2669 "What exactly were the stains by the way?"
Dexter saw Lancaster moisten his lips before he spoke. "Coffee,
Sergeant. Just coffee. I spilt some on the
jacket." (2)
Oh, this is so unprofessional. I really should be ashamed, but ... She threw up her hands in mock
resignation, a somewhat stiff, self-conscious gesture. (Corpus: usbooks/09. Text: B9000000418.) (3)
By this time, Lenny was terrified. Each time Mr. Trancas
came into the room, Lenny's entire body stiffened in anticipation of what was
to come. He was no longer able to control the expression on his face; his mouth
became dry, his eyes widened, and he began to tremble all over.
(Corpus: usbooks/09. Text: B9000000909.) In other cases
it may be doubtful whether the physical description is meant to be taken
literally: (4) He japed: `Oh come off it Mr Lilley,
you're just an old queen like me <p> You could
have heard a penny drop. Lilley's jaw dropped, too. (Corpus: today/11. Text: N6000940113.) (5) Then Peter came to her and said `I am
now not asking you to marry me", and her life fell away. <p> It was the end of her innocence. <p> She straightened her back and carried on with her
duties. (Corpus: oznews/01. Text:
N5000951022.) A jaw may have
been dropped and a back straightened in those examples, but what is more
important is the change of mood in the characters, a change conveyed by the use
of the physical descriptions. In other cases
again it seems clear that the physical expressions given in order to represent
a mental state are not meant to be taken literally but are rather to be seen as
metaphorical. We will take a look at a
number of such cases. Consider the following examples. (6) They didn't foul, didn't dive in;
they just chased and harried and frustrated until the home side and 120,000
fans were tearing their hair. And, when the chance came, they broke away
and scored. (Corpus: sunnow/17. Text: N9119980610.) (7)
Election fever had been in the air for six months. Some though not all of the
curial cardinals resident in Rome rubbed their hands as they mourned:
now they could avenge the humiliation of the first session of the Council by
blocking Cardinal Giovanni Battista Montini, the
obvious [“]liberal" candidate. (Corpus: ukbooks/08. Text: B0000001257.) It is hard to
imagine that 120,000 soccer fans were physically tearing their hair, or that
curial cardinals were actually rubbing their hands as they mourned their
deceased Pope. Rather, this is a way of presenting the despair of the fans and
the glee of the cardinals in a colourful and memorable way. And similarly, in (8) The sight of MPs wringing their
hands in sorrow while they piously pleaded that they could not make ends
meet on almost £100,000 a year was, frankly, sickening. (Corpus: today/11. Text: N6000920716.) and (9) Mention the name of composer John
Cage and classical music fans are liable to roll their eyes, grit their
teeth and brace themselves for a dissonant, loud or unsettling
experience. (Corpus: npr/07. Text:
S2000910312.) it is very unlikely that wringing of hands
actually took place in Parliament, and that "classical music fans"
will physically roll their eyes and grit their teeth at the mention of John
Cage. The phrases
have become conventionalised as emblems of mental states. Here are some more
examples of a similar kind: (10) In Lesbia
Magazine, the film critic Catherine Gonnard turned
up her nose at the stereotypes, saying I've never known how to unclog a
sink, I don't smoke, I hate wearing keys on my belt, children and married women
make me run away (Corpus: times/10.
Text: N2000960217.) (11)
Even Euro-fanatics can not point to one single tangible economic benefit. It
has been all downside. Which is the main reason our political
leaders want to suppress rational debate and threw their hands up in
horror when The Sun catapulted the issue into millions of homes, pubs, clubs
and workplaces this week.
(Corpus: sunnow/17. Text: N9119980626.) (12)
Police morale is low. Increasingly their response to crime is to shrug their
shoulders. Only 29 percent of crimes
are solved. (Corpus: npr/07. Text:
S2000930310.) (13)
If you couldn't attend either of the concerts and are currently gnashing
your teeth at having missed out, don't despair. MM has 1,000 copies of the
LP that we're giving away FREE! (Corpus: ukmags/03. Text: N0000000812.) There is thus a
sliding scale in the use of bodily terms between physically concrete
expressions and abstract metaphorical ones.
What is common to them is that they characterise the mental state of
their subjects more strikingly and dramatically than a mere reference to it
would have done. Indeed, at the most
abstract metaphorical end of that scale a semantic change might be said to have
taken place. If metaphorical semantic relationships can be described as a
mapping of one domain onto another (Sweetser 1990:
25), we are in the present case witnessing a strikingly gradual process of such
mapping. Unlike what is the case in
conventional metaphors[xiv]
(“Time is money”, “Edward Teller is
the father of the hydrogen bomb”),
where the metaphorical nature of the expression is not in doubt, it is often
difficult or impossible to decide whether an occurrence of a bodily expression
is meant to be taken literally or metaphorically. The direction of the semantic
change, when there is a semantic
change, from concrete to abstract, is in any case what we could expect.[xv] 2.
"Mood" interpretation crucial for understanding. The importance
of realising the conventional connexion between mood and physical expression
for the full understanding of a text appears clearly if one imagines a reader
unaware of such links. He will not grasp
the import of the "physical" phrases in the following examples,
namely that of signalling impatience and/or boredom: (14)
They arrived at midnight on Sunday after twiddling their thumbs for
seven hours in Calcutta airport. (Corpus: times/10. Text: N2000960227.) (15) APY 1250 Parking was not allowed at that kerb,
but no one would stop him. He sat tapping
his fingers on the wheel, waiting for her. The
interpretation of those examples may be fairly straightforward even without
such previous knowledge, but in (16) AFTER a year spent collectively gnashing
their teeth, the building companies have suddenly decided that the
construction market is not as gloomy as they led the City and Government to
believe. (Corpus: times/10. Text: N2000960405.) the context does not help out,
and the suggestion of frustration will be lost on the unsuspecting reader, who
may well be confused or at any rate inadequately informed. 3. Relevance of
grammatical objects for interpretation The canonical
form of the collocations with which we are concerned is "verb + possessive
+ noun", where of course the noun phrase is the object. In two cases (frown, scowl) there is no (nonprepositional)
object[xvi],
and in (at least) four the object can be omitted (blink, pout, shrug, stamp). In cases where the object of the
collocations seems to be omissible, there may be a semantic difference between the
collocation with an object and one without it. Cruse
(1991: 108-109) discusses shrug vs. shrug one's shoulders and pout vs. pout one's lips: [T]he omission of the object has a subtle semantic consequence. Shrug and pout in Arthur pouted and
Celia shrugged refer to a gesture
used as a conventional signal; Arthur
pouted his lips and Celia shrugged
her shoulders, however, are non-committal about whether a signal was
intended, and indicate merely that a certain movement was performed. In other
words, the precise sense of pout, shrug
(and probably also nod, stamp, wave)
depends on whether or not the direct object is present. That
being so, the direct object cannot be said to be totally redundant. This may well
be correct in the majority of cases, but it is best not to be categorical. For instance, in (17) A6T 1916
Our breath made huge clouds of steam which hid our faces as we
talked, and we hopped about and shrugged elaborately to ward off the
penetrating fingers of cold that probed at our necks and hands. it is clear that shrugged does not "refer to a gesture used as a conventional signal". G. Conclusion This study has
attempted to show, first, that authors’ reference to physical manifestations,
such as facial expressions, head and hand movements, etc., in order to
represent mental states and emotions and thereby to lend colour and life to the
portrayal of dramatis personae is more widespread than may have been realised,
and secondly, that this device has been conventionalised to such an extent that
it can be used to signal mental states or activities even when there can be no
question of actual physical correlates.
In such cases it is suggested we are entitled to speak of a semantic
change. References Alvarado, Nancy
and Kimberly Jameson 1996. “New Findings on the Contempt
Expression.” Cognition
and Emotion, 10, 4, July, 379-407. Aston, Guy, and Lou Burnard 1998. The BNC Handbook. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. British National Corpus, see Aston and Burnard 1998 and Leech and Smith 2000. CobuildDirect corpus, an on-line service: http://titania.cobuild.collins.co.uk. Cruse, D A. 1991. Lexical Semantics.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Darwin, Charles
1955 [1872]. The Expression of Emotions in Man and
Animals. New York: Philosophical Library. De Gelder, Beatrice and Jean Vroomen
2000. “The Perception of Emotions by Ear
and by Eye.”
Cognition and
Emotion, 14, 3, May, 289-311. Ibarretxe-Antuñano, Iraide 2002. “MIND-AS-BODY as a Cross-Linguistic
Conceptual Metaphor.” Miscelánea, A Journal of English and American Studies, 25 Kidron,
Yael, and Ron Kuzar 2002. “My Face Is Paling against My Will: Emotion
and Control in English and Hebrew.” Pragmatics
& Cognition, 10, 1-2, 129-157. Kogo,
Reiko, Yoko Mochizuki and Fusako Koshikawa
2003. “Recognition
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Journal of Special Education, 40, 5, Jan, 443-450. Kurath, Hans 1921. The semantic sources of the
words for the emotions in Sanskrit, Greek, Latin, and the Germanic languages.
PhD dissertation, University of Chicago. Published by The Collegiate
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Mark Johnson 1980. Metaphors We Live By. Chicago: Chicago University Press. Leech, Geoffrey, and Nick
Smith 2000.
Manual to Accompany The
British National Corpus (Version 2) with Improved Word-class Tagging. Oxford:
Oxford University Computing Services. Maestripieri, Dario 1997. “Gestural Communication in Macaques: Usage and Meaning of Nonvocal Signals.” Evolution
of Communication, 1, 2, 193-222. Manusov, Valerie and
April R. Trees 2002. “'Are You Kidding Me?': The Role
of Nonverbal Cues in the Verbal Accounting Process.” Journal of Communication, 52, 3, Sept,
640-656. Parr, Lisa A.,
William D. Hopkins and Frans B. M. de Waal 1998. “The Perception of Facial
Expressions by Chimpanzees, Pan Troglodytes.” Evolution of Communication, 2, 1, 1-23. Partington, Alan 2004. “’Utterly content in each other’s company.’ Semantic prosody and semantic preference.” International
Journal of Corpus Linguistics 9:1, 131-154. Pease, Allan 1997
[1981]. Body Language
: how to read others' thoughts by their gestures. London: Sheldon
Press Stevens, D., T. Charman and R. J. R. Blair 2001 “Recognition of
Emotion in Facial Expressions and Vocal Tones in Children with Psychopathic
Tendencies.” The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 162, 2, June, 201-211. Sweetser, Eve Eliot
1984. Semantic Structure and Semantic Change: A Cognitive Linguistic Study of
Modality, Perception, Speech Acts, and Logical Relations. Ann Arbor, Mi:
University Microfilms International. Sweetser, Eve Eliot
1990. From Etymology to Pragmatics.
Cambridge, etc.: Cambridge University Press. Timler, Geralyn R. 2003. “Reading
Emotion Cues: Social Communication Difficulties in Pediatric
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Seminars in
Speech and Language, 24, 2, 121-130. Wierzbicka, Anna 1995. “Kisses, Handshakes, Bows: The Semantics of Nonverbal
Communication.” Semiotica,
103, 3-4, 207-252. Wierzbicka, Anna 2000. “The Semantics of Human
Facial Expressions.” Pragmatics
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[i]See for instance Stevens et al. (2001), Manusov & Trees (2002) and Kidron & Kuzar (2002). In fact, much of the research in this area goes back to Charles Darwin (1955 [1872]). [ii] See for instance Kogo et al. (2003), Timler (2003). [iii] Parr et al. (1998). [iv] Maestripieri (1997). [v] "We want you to know this" (Wierzbicka 1995: 249). [vi] Cf. Sweetser (1990: 30): “bodily experience is a source of vocabulary for our psychological states, but not the other way around. The correlations are bidirectional and partial, but the mapping observed in semantic change and in synchronic metaphorical language is both unidirectional and more general than the correlations. Its unidirectionality alone would suggest the possibility that it is metaphorical in nature.” [vii] Cf. Pease (1997 [1981]), De Gelder & Vroomen (2000). [viii] See e.g. Sweetser (1990, Ch. 2), Ibarretxe-Antuñano (2002). [ix] Partington (2004:144). [x] Wierzbicka (2000: 163): "I don't know what I can say." [xi] Wierzbicka (2000: 160): "I am thinking now." [xii] Wierzbicka (2000: 161): "I want to know more." [xiii]
Wierzbicka (1995: 227) describes the meaning of the
act of stamping one's foot in the following way: (a)
I think you said something bad now (b)
I don't want this (c)
I feel something bad now (d) because of this, I want to do THIS now [xiv] Such as fill the pages of Lakoff and Johnson (1980). [xv] “Furthermore, such generalizations about semantic change as we do have [...] suggest very strongly that meaning more frequently shifts from concrete to abstract than in the opposite direction; [...]” (Sweetser 1984: 18.) [xvi]
You can frown upon something and scowl at someone, but you cannot *frown something or *scowl
someone. Appendix. Illustrations from corpora In the list below, the CobuildDirect Corpus and, sometimes, the British National
Corpus have been searched to present evidence for the use of the
conventionalised expressions referred to in the paper. Each one of them will be
illustrated by a handful of examples from the corpora. bite one’s nails (excitement, nervousness) With
just over 10 minutes to go, Kerry were level after subjohn
Dooley's smashing goal had the Waterford fans biting
their nails. Corpus: sunnow/17. Text: N9119980525. <F05>
They get all nervous and things <F0X> Yeah <F01>
They get nervous <F05>
like twiddle their thumbs and things <F06>
Yeah and bite their nails Corpus:
ukspok/04. Text: S9000001238. I
ventured to question a great deal of what he said, but he had grown excited--he
was walking up and down, biting his nails, and I saw, that apart from
registering my disagreement, there was nothing I could usefully say. Corpus:
ukbooks/08. Text: B0000001245. What
did I do that night long, the only time in my life when I could have been some
use? The night long with my love breaking in agony? Nothing. Sat there biting my nails, and snivelled.
Corpus: ukbooks/08. Text: B0000001245. blink
(one's eyes/an eye)
(sudden surprise, loss of control, bewilderment) Erich Priebke,
a former SS captain, leaves the military court in Rome where he was ordered to
stand trial yesterday on May 8, the fifty-first anniversary of VE-Day, for his
role in the massacre of 335 Italians during the Second World War. When the
ruling was announced, Herr Priebke, 82, `didn't blink
an eye", said Pietro Nicotera,
a lawyer for victims' relatives.
(Corpus: times/10. Text: N2000960405.) Did you meet anybody when you
came up here?" Gil asked suddenly. <p> Bob blinked his eyes
bewilderedly. `Meet anybody? No; I didn't see anybody. (Corpus: usbooks/09. Text: B9000000492.) Then he asked, `Watson boy
drawing this year?" A tall boy in the crowd raised his hand. `Here,"
he said. `I'm drawing for m'mother and me." He blinked
his eyes nervously and ducked his head (Corpus: usbooks/09. Text:
B9000001423.) The book was a compilation of
Private Eye's spoof on the Adrian Mole diaries, The
Secret Diary of John Major aged 47 3/4, which depicts the Prime Minister as
something of a pant-wetter. O'Donnell finally plucked up his courage and
presented Major with a pen. He didn't even blink, oh no. <p> The Prime Minister was happy to
sign it," says Gus. (Corpus:
times/10. Text: N2000960213.) He leans up into the tree,
holds up a hand. <p> Come on down, he says. <p> Come on, he urges
you can't stay up there all night. <p> The
bogyman will get you. <p> I blink. <p> The
bogyman? (Corpus: oznews/01. Text: N5000950624.) clench
one's teeth ((control
of) anger) canonization was a particularly Catholic
way of celebrating exclusively Catholic heroes. Anglicans, having no part in
it, could only clench their teeth and go on about triumphalism
and repentance. (Corpus: ukbooks/08.
Text: B0000001257.) He clenched his teeth
to keep down his anger. His feelings were bridling so that he found himself
picking nervously at his lips with his fingernails. (Corpus: usbooks/09. Text:
B9000000492.) These sonsofbitches!
They presumed they owned him, that they could come upon him when they liked,
that he had no inviolate private world of his own into which they could not
penetrate at will. He clenched his teeth and kept his eyes averted [...]
(Corpus: usbooks/09. Text: B9000000492.) curl
one's lips (scorn, disapproval, disrespect,
annoyance, boredom) You
<f> men!"
<f> She curled her lips in scorn. `How
much do you think a poor girl can stand?"
(Corpus: usbooks/09. Text: B9000000492.) You want one?" he asked.
She curled her lip in mock disgust. D'you ever
kiss somebody who smokes? I wun't
kiss a guy who smokes. (Corpus:
usbooks/09. Text: B9000001192.) ACW 1117 In the gloom of the hall, Buddie sniffed and curled his lip in distaste. AEB 2176 And she positively curled her lip
with disdain. BMW 990 His lip curled
in a bitter smile. GVP 1085 "Of course
we'll give you a lift," said Melissa hastily, noting the contemptuous curl
of Iris's lip and anxious to forestall any blunt comment that might sour
the atmosphere still further. curl
one's toes (up)/make one's toes curl (embarrassment, discomfort) I would say they could stay
and <ZZ1> company name's <ZZ0> policy is they can stay here till
they curl their toes up (Corpus:
ukspok/04. Text: S9000001625.) C8S 1240 both had the
kind of accent that made his toes curl, and made him wish he'd opted for
the more costly tailor. HGE 3178 The mere sight of him was enough to make
McAllister's toes curl. JY4 904 "What has he got
that I couldn't give you?" he asked in a dull tone that chilled Ruth more
than if he had bawled at her. Ruth's toes curled under the table. If
only he knew that no man could give her what he had -- thirteen frantic days of
excitement and sensuality K52 2189 Those tight-lipped, clipped voices curl
the toes of any Trust member who lives north of Watford and can't say
"five thisand pinds." drop
one's jaw (surprise, shock, disappointment) It doesn't snow there?"
The kid dropped his jaw as if he'd never heard any such thing. (Corpus: ukbooks/08. Text: B0000001221.) What do you mean?" I
asked, trying not to drop my jaw.
(Corpus: usephem/05. Text: E9000000886.) this picture graphically catches
John Daly at the top of his backswing, a style which will make every golfer drop
his or her jaw a little closer to the breakfast table. (Corpus: oznews/01.
Text: N5000951203.) He japed: `Oh come off it Mr
Lilley, you're just an old queen like me <p> You
could have heard a penny drop. Lilley's jaw dropped, too. (Corpus: today/11. Text: N6000940113.) But'chu know someday I'm gonna drive by in my LIMO
an' I'm gonna STOP an' get out an' he gonna lookit me an' his jaw gonna drop, bro'.
(Corpus: usbooks/09. Text: B9000001192.) drum
one's fingers (impatience, idleness) Maybe I'd better come with
you, make sure you find it [...]; ` <p> You want
to see the morgue, or not?" <p> Christ."
He drummed his fingers on his knees. `All right all right, but hurry,
will you? I got work to do. <o> Shake
it Cain." (Corpus: ukbooks/08.
Text: B0000000051.) The Harbor
Lights offices closed at five, like ours. <p> I stared at the phone and drummed
my fingers on my desk. <p> Four fifty-eight.
<p> What if I were wrong? (Corpus:
ukbooks/08. Text: B0000000051.) She drummed her fingers
nervously on the steering wheel. Come on, come on, she said to herself and
peered out of the window again. (Corpus:
ukbooks/08. Text: B0000000336.) Shifting uneasily in his
chair, he drummed his fingers impatiently on the desk, willing the phone
to ring. (Corpus: ukbooks/08. Text:
B0000001320.) frown (deep thought, anger, confusion, worry) Now he
frowned.He
was very thoughtful.
(Corpus: usbooks/09. Text: B9000000538.) How do you feel?" Mr. Trancas asked. `Do you have a headache?" Confused,
Lenny frowned
and nodded. Well, that's to be expected. It's from the ether. (Corpus:
usbooks/09. Text: B9000000909.) A garden or a gardener?" <p> She
frowned,
trying to remember, then shrugged.
Honestly, that's all I can recall.
(Corpus: ukbooks/08. Text: B0000000034.) She frowned behind her horn-rimmed glasses in
worried thought. (Corpus: ukbooks/08.
Text: B0000000051.) The most important thing is your
degree." <p> Hey," he said and frowned, annoyed. `I didn't marry you so you
could put me through college."
(Corpus: ukbooks/08. Text: B0000000115.) gnash
one's teeth (anger, frustration) When the Wallabies beat
England in the 1991 World Cup final, the still-ostracised South Africans
watching from the Twickenham stands gnashed their teeth in frustration
and envy. (Corpus: oznews/01. Text: N5000950301.) AFTER a year spent
collectively gnashing their teeth, the building companies have suddenly
decided that the construction market is not as gloomy as they led the City and
Government to believe. (Corpus:
times/10. Text: N2000960405.) At 6.1 on the Richter scale,
it was the biggest earthquake to hit LA in years, its epicentre a mere eight
kilometres from the San Andreas fault. Radio preachers
gibbered about the end of the world. There was a whole lot of wailing and gnashing
of teeth. (Corpus: ukmags/03. Text:
N0000000493.) If you couldn't attend either
of the concerts and are currently gnashing your teeth at having missed
out, don't despair. MM has 1,000 copies of the LP that we're giving away FREE!
(Corpus: ukmags/03. Text: N0000000812.) grit
one's teeth (determination in adversity) Mention the name of composer
John Cage and classical music fans are liable to roll their eyes, grit their
teeth and brace themselves for a dissonant, loud or unsettling
experience. (Corpus: npr/07. Text:
S2000910312.) Grit your teeth, every time you wake up in
the morning tell yourself you're perfectly normal - which you are - and wait
till those hormones sort themselves out and you start to have a better
time. (Corpus: today/11. Text:
N6000940718.) Abstinence doesn't have to be
a grim, grit-your-teeth-and-bear-it process either. (Corpus: usbooks/09.
Text: B9000000440.) The England man played with a
damaged shoulder, but explained: `I was in pain for a lot of the game. It's a
case of gritting your teeth and getting on with it. (Corpus: today/11. Text: N6000941205.) kick
one's heels
(idleness, boredom) Boy-racers are revving their souped-up Ford Fiestas and eyeing the town's fretful youth
who are kicking their heels on the street because they are underage.
(Corpus: times/10. Text: N2000951118.) Carroll will be just another
face in the crowd at Croke Park today as his
team-mates take on Derry. But he knows he must stay kicking his heels on
the sidelines for at least another two months as he recovers from having
ruptured his spleen in a recent match. (Corpus: sunnow/17. Text: N9119980426.) Zola had fretted and kicked
his heels on the bench for 70 long, laborious minutes before his great mate
Gianluca Vialli gave him
the call to arms. (Corpus: sunnow/17. Text: N9119980514.) Beckham has gone at a stroke
from what seemed to be star status in the team to kicking his heels as a
reserve. (Corpus: sunnow/17. Text: N9119980622.) knit
one's brow(s)
(concentration, worry) The woman in Inversion, for instance, knits
her brow and is worried about `going up" too far and too fast.
(Corpus: times/10. Text: N2000960213.) He remained silent, knitting his brows.
He felt that he was so surrounded and involved in a mesh of falsity that it was
hard to unravel anything. (Corpus: usbooks/09. Text: B9000001423.) FPM 1433 "Not tonight, Father, I'm staying
on to do some work. There's the question of the membership to be sorted out.
We've too many men on our books and not enough work to go round. We're going to
have to cut back." Marcus knitted his brows. "I sincerely hope
it will not come to that. FPM 2729 And now she's dead,
and it's all my fault ... ." Marcus knitted his brows. "What
are you saying? FRS 1763 Christina watched her go, a worried
frown knitting her brows. moisten
one's lips (uncertainty, nervousness) G1W 2669 "What exactly
were the stains by the way?" Dexter saw Lancaster moisten his lips
before he spoke. "Coffee, Sergeant. Just coffee.
I spilt some on the jacket." H7W 503 Beneath her anger she was afraid.
Something was happening between her and this man that she didn't understand.
Her tongue flicked out to moisten her lips. "I don't think my
private life is any of your business, Mr Bryce." JY4 2391 His fingers came up
and snapped once again and he didn't need to say any more. Ruth's tongue snaked
out to moisten her lips. "But ... but we already know that nothing
will happen. 2393 You said so yourself. EFJ 1388 "Hepzibah's a good housekeeper, Samuel." Pink patches
appeared on Auntie Lou's neck as she looked at her brother. She moistened her lips
and said pleadingly, "She's been good to poor Dilys." H7W 0885 "I know what
you want," he said in that soft deep voice that made her think of a
silk-sheathed scalpel. She moistened lips suddenly and inexplicably dry. nod one’s head (agreement, pleasure) Hello Jean," he calls out a second
later to a passing dinner lady. <p> Hi William.
All right <p> William smiles broadly and nods his head. (Corpus: today/11. Text: N6000920918.) Ten years in jail in the tropics is death
- I mean <f> death, <f> man - don't you understand?"
<p> I understand," Gil said, nodding his head. (Corpus:
usbooks/09. Text: B9000000492.) There were no wild displays of delight when
Athers reached three figures. He simply raised his
bat, nodded his head, pumped gloves with Stewart and kissed the England
badge on his helmet. Corpus: sunnow/17. Text: N9119980605. besides that, the money Gregor brought home every month--he had kept only a few
dollars for himself--had never been quite used up and now amounted to a small
capital sum. Behind the door Gregor nodded his
head eagerly, rejoiced at this evidence of unexpected thrift and
foresight. Corpus: usbooks/09. Text:
B9000001423. Mr Tolliver,
contented with the first prize that he had won for his onions, nodded his
head as if he had known it all along.
Corpus: ukbooks/08. Text: B0000000026.
open
one's eyes wide (surprise, fear) Jean, my dear, do this for me.
It can't do any harm and often helps. Healthy people often do it." He opened
his eyes wide. What? Take communion? Why? It's unnecessary! (Corpus: usbooks/09. Text: B9000001423.) Perhaps we can come and see
you?" <p> Of course," said Frido,
bowing. His head spun. <p> Can we really?" Marcia opened her eyes
wide. (Corpus: ukbooks/08. Text: B0000000072.) Once he opened his eyes
wide and looked at her with a frightened, accusing look, then at the boy,
his head starting up off the pillow.
(Corpus: ukbooks/08. Text: B0000000354.) H8J 2957 Claudia opened
her eyes wide, unable to believe she had heard him say "our
wedding". C85 460 A loaf? Stolen of
course. Rats always pilfer ...
their nature. We could dispense some justice and hang him from the bowsprit to
save the courts the trouble. Take it from him, Mr Lambert." Jess opened
her eyes wide, hugging the loaf to her. "No," she muttered,
spitting crumbs. "No!" open
one's hands (incomprehension,
carelessness) Like countless professionals who work
with sex offenders, Mrs Kendall opens her hands in ignorance I don't
always agree that offending is a cry for help," she says Corpus: times/10. Text: N2000960316. `Go. What keeps you here?" <p>
She moved her shoulders, opened her hands, a
gesture of helplessness. I don't have anyplace to go." Corpus: usbooks/09. Text: B9000000447. The Colonel shrugged and opened his
big hands. `One does what one can." Corpus: ukbooks/08. Text: B0000000132. Signorina Elettra
opened her hands in a gesture meant to show her own lack of
responsibility. Leon, Donna 2004. Uniform
Justice. London: Arrow Books, p.200 pout
(one's lips)[xvi]
(annoyance;
sexual interest (among women)) The 12-year-old daughter Judith is in her
bedroom, pouting perhaps, because she had an argument with her father
about practicing the piano. (Corpus:
npr/07. Text: S2000920921.) Bob Hunter, one of the Party organizers,
came rushing in to see Gil. When I told him that Gil was out his face fell and
he pouted like a child. (Corpus:
usbooks/09. Text: B9000000492.) Liz scowled exquisitely (or pouted
with attitude if her sponsor Estee Lauder was
involved) (Corpus:
today/11. Text: N6000950805.) Do you know smoke makes me real horny?'
He shook his head. `You gotta cut that out. I mean, I
like you too, but I got a girlfriend.' Oh yeah."
She pouted mockingly. `What a loyal little husband'ju
are.' (Corpus: usbooks/09. Text:
B9000001192.) HWA 660 While she spoke, Hannele
undressed herself, unhurriedly. Edward undid his tie, but for the life of him
he could not take his eyes off her. She stood to slip the dress down over her
hips, and pouted at him in her petticoat. purse
one's lips (disapproval, (deep) thought) But more important than its
grandeur is the security aspect. Ray Mill House is set in a valley, overlooked
by at least two houses, and one security expert I spoke to pursed
his lips at the problems it poses.
(Corpus: today/11. Text: N6000951026.) `Maybe grave robbers did it.
You know, for loot or for medical research." <p> Miss Grant pursed
her lips, shook her head gently. (Corpus:
ukbooks/08. Text: B0000000051.) `It would be so like Spitt to try to economize in that way." <p>
Economize?" <p> By burying two bodies in
one coffin." She pursed her lips and shook her head in a
disapproving fashion that would have done nothing for Stan's peace of
mind. (Corpus: ukbooks/08. Text:
B0000000051.) Herr General. <f> I
should say one thing. My fiancée is English." <p>
<f> Eine Engländerin!"
<p> <f> Yes. A good
English family. She is studying in Vienna." <p> The Corps
Commander pursed his lips. <p> This may
be difficult, von Arzfeld. You realize this?"
<p> Of course, <f> Herr General. (Corpus: ukbooks/08. Text: B0000000072.) So how is he?" asked Jon,
after they had placed their orders. <p> Mrs. Madrigal pursed her lips
in thought. `A little restless, I suppose." (Corpus: usbooks/09. Text: B9000000463.) raise
an eyebrow/one's eyebrows (negative expectation or
negative surprise[xvi]) a wonderful world renowned
cellist, worked with me on this project to--to make sure that my improvisation
was in the style of the time. When I
would get too modern, he would raise an eyebrow, then
I would have to go back down to normal for me.
(Corpus: npr/07. Text: S2000930104.) There are still people in the
wine trade who raise an eyebrow if you put a bar code on the
label," says Debbie Worton, marketing director
of Majestic and Wine Warehouses (Corpus: today/11. Text: N6000920310.) A musical about a
sixteen-year-old boy who goes on the game is bound to raise an eyebrow. (Corpus: ukmags/03. Text: N0000000072.) I mouthed the name `Lewis Riss" at him. Geof raised
his eyebrows, rolled his eyes, lifted his hands as if to ward off a blow,
and generally gave a good impression of a cop who didn't want to talk to a
reporter. (Corpus: ukbooks/08. Text:
B0000000051.) roll
one's eyes (annoyance,
boredom, exasperation) She stood with her eyes shut,
her hands drawing graceful in the air. One woman lawyer rolled her eyes
and sighed, but her male colleagues seemed transfixed. (Corpus: today/11. Text: N6000950323.) Jurors in the Snoop Doggy Dog
case were said to have rolled their eyes early in the trial when the
police failed to produce important evidence such as the victim's clothes and a
cartridge case. (Corpus: times/10. Text:
N2000960222.) From now on, Rhodry lad, you lead." What?" Rhodry
said. `I've never been here before, and you've been thrice. ` So? I'll act as
guide, like. You're the leader." Otho moaned and
rolled his eyes heavenward.
(Corpus: ukbooks/08. Text: B0000000906.) `I think you should consider
the possibility of going back to see her next week." Sharon sighed and rolled
her eyes. Trust the adults to stick together. (Corpus: ukbooks/08. Text: B0000000926.) Weil-Curiel
leans forward and rolls her eyes in exasperation (Corpus: ukmags/03.
Text: N0000000662.) rub
one's hands (pleasure, gleeful anticipation) ASTON Villa boss Ron Atkinson last night rubbed
his hands at the mouth watering prospect of proving that his former Captain
Marvel is not yet Manager Marvel.
(Corpus: today/11. Text: N6000941007. ) Tory Central Office rubbed its hands
when it read Blair's text. This, it said to itself, is proof at last that Blair
is beginning to crack and Major's counterattack is working. (Corpus: times/10. Text: N2000960203. ) His eyes lit up and his face glowed as he
rubbed his hands in glee when given the chance to talk about
Arsenal. (Corpus: sunnow/17. Text:
N9119980516. ) Election fever had been in the air for
six months. Some though not all of the curial
cardinals resident in Rome rubbed their hands as they mourned: now they
could avenge the humiliation of the first session of the Council by blocking
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Montini, the obvious
liberal" candidate. (Corpus:
ukbooks/08. Text: B0000001257. ) And when I mention that his
14-year-old son the Hon Hektor is a good-looking lad,
the Earl rubs his hands with delight.
<p> Yup," he says gleefully.
(Corpus: today/11. Text: N6000920901.) scowl (anger) Amid idyllic surroundings of summer
blooms, shrubbery and birdsong, Liz at one time put her hands on her hips and scowled
furiously at Hugh. Corpus: today/11.
Text: N6000950701. Mr. Anders scowled at his wife.
`You even told her about the devil worship, didn't you? I thought you had more
sense than that!" Corpus:
ukbooks/08. Text: B0000000926. But as he studied the faces pressing ever
closer, he saw that they were scowling and jeering, and he leaned
forward to lock the door. Corpus:
usbooks/09. Text: B9000001151. He looked at Autumn,
scowling angrily. `I don't like surprises, Autumn.
I want to know what's in that head of yours before I walk into a
meeting." Corpus: ukbooks/08. Text:
B0000000115. What business have
you there?" he demanded, scowling with unbelievable ferocity, an
expression no doubt chosen to accord with the painted frown lines on his face.
Corpus: ukbooks/08. Text: B0000001221. scratch one's chin/beard (deliberation) Do you want a lift,
Ralph?" <p> Brand scratched his chin as if considering the
invitation. No, I think I'll hang around
for a bit. (Corpus: ukbooks/08. Text:
B0000000034.) Er - any other white rock band
from the Whigs, John Curley? <p> The Whigs' bassist scratches his chin
thoughtfully. <p> Well, there was The Prairie League, of course (Corpus:
ukmags/03. Text: N0000000812.) HJD 2440 He paused and scratched
his chin reflectively. "Only one thing still bugs me, though ...
" G3P 1598 The old man scratched his beard
thoughtfully. scratch one's
head (bewilderment; deep thought) You think they'll ever catch the
killer?" Hard to say." He scratched his
head. `Guess it depends on luck. Most of life does. (Corpus: usbooks/09. Text: B9000001059.) Photograph DRUNKEN pop star Liam
Gallagher scratches his head as he tries in vain to remember the words
of his new song. (Corpus: today/11.
Text: N6000951003.) Dr Skinner scratches his head, as
bemused as the rest of us by Fergie's antics.
(Corpus: times/10. Text: N2000960328.) Hasler is a driven trainer, one of
the most ferocious workers in the game and such a pleasant and even character
that coach Bob Fulton scratches his head to remember a time when `Dessie lost his temper.
(Corpus: oznews/01. Text: N5000950922.) shake one's
head (rejection, amazement, sympathy) Again and again and again, people from
the far Left and the far Right are agreed that Palme Dutt was a great genius who made and used policy so
brilliantly that Stalin himself would shake his head in wonder. (Corpus: times/10. Text: N2000960405.) Mrs. Halcyon continued, shaking her
head somberly as she stared at the light dancing
on the surface of the swimming pool. <p> Poor Catherine," she
intoned softly. `Her family knew everything (Corpus: usbooks/09. Text:
B9000000463.) A0N 351 "What do these
papers say?" "Who can tell? They are in English," Donald said
contemptuously. Beside the Cross one of the men had torn a paper into little
bits and scattered them, to a groaning catcall from the crowd. The other man shook
his head, held up his paper, and shouted out, "Can anybody read
this?" A5Y 1291 PC. 1. Is this your
car? YOUTH. No, my dad owns
it. [PC. 1.] pursed his lips and shook his head sympathetically. shrug (one's
shoulders)[xvi]
(indifference) Police morale is low. Increasingly their
response to crime is to shrug their shoulders. Only 29 percent of crimes are solved. (Corpus: npr/07. Text: S2000930310.) the photo of your home in the
estate agent's window is thick with dust.
<p> Only one couple has been to view and
your agent says the market is slow.
<p> You could shrug and let things
take their course. Or you could take control of your own move. (Corpus: today/11. Text: N6000950222.) Does she think young people rejected for
jobs because, unlike her, they do not speak proper and have never been taught
to speak proper, can just shrug their shoulders and say: `Never mind,
Jean Aitchison says variety is the spice of
linguistic life (Corpus: times/10. Text:
N2000960203.) In the States we would refuse to pay
those prices but here in the UK people just seem to shrug their shoulders
and accept it. (Corpus: sunnow/17. Text: N9119980615.) stamp (one's
foot) (impatience,
irritated determination) This put one's grandson into a foul
temper. `I want Will! I want Will!" he screamed, stamping his foot.
`Why can't I have Will?" (Corpus:
today/11. Text: N6000950909.) In moments of indignation she
stamps her foot like an impatient governess. (Corpus: times/10. Text: N2000960106.) You act like a five-year-old.
You expect me to hand you everything on a silver platter, and when you don't
get it, you stamp your little foot and cry. (Corpus: usbooks/09. Text: B9000001254.) I would cry and he would stamp
his foot and really carry on[:] Why won't they let
me go back, why won't they let me go back (Corpus: oznews/01. Text:
N5000950606.) straighten
one's back (sudden determination) I look like a fucking manatee,
I thought. Booze. Must cut that out.
I straightened my back, inflated my chest, shoulders relaxed, head
erect. Better. (Corpus: usbooks/09.
Text: B9000001079.) Then Peter came to her and
said `I am now not asking you to marry me", and her life fell away.
<p> It was the end of her innocence. <p> She straightened her back and carried on with her
duties. (Corpus: oznews/01. Text:
N5000951022.) H7F 370 Grout turned
away, straightened his back and brought his head up, ignoring Ashton
pointedly as he walked proudly away. tap
one's fingers (impatience, idleness) We don't have all day,"
Ms. mcguire said, tapping
her fingers on the desk impatiently.
(Corpus: usbooks/09. Text: B9000001399.) Taking another breath, she
sticks her head into the oven. She stands for several moments tapping her
fingers furiously on top of the stove. She speaks from inside the oven
<f> Oh, please. Please <f> After a few
moments, she reaches for the box of matches with her head still in the
oven. (Corpus: usbooks/09. Text:
B9000001423.) APY 1250 Parking was not
allowed at that kerb, but no one would stop him. He sat tapping his fingers on the wheel,
waiting for her. tear
one's hair (out) (desperation) But it is the angels hovering
in the sky above who express the full anguish of the scene they have just
witnessed: some weep into their hands; some cry out loud; some tear their
hair out and others writhe and twist in torment. (Corpus: ukbooks/08. Text: B0000001133.) A YOUNG Asian boy has begun tearing
out his hair after racial taunts by fellow pupils at a crisis-hit primary
school. (Corpus: sunnow/17. Text:
N9119980403.) They didn't foul, didn't dive
in; they just chased and harried and frustrated until the home side and 120,000
fans were tearing their hair. And, when the chance came, they broke away
and scored. (Corpus: sunnow/17. Text:
N9119980610.) Tony Ballard, of Allison &
Humphreys, which regularly advises the BBC, as well as many independent
producers, says exasperated clients `look at the regulations and tear their
hair and ask: `What on earth does this mean (Corpus: times/10. Text:
N2000951128.) throw
up one's hands (horror; hopelessness, defeat) Oh, this is so unprofessional.
I really should be ashamed, but ... She threw
up her hands in mock resignation, a somewhat stiff, self-conscious
gesture. (Corpus: usbooks/09. Text:
B9000000418.) Sabrina shrugged. `You could
try your Prime Minister." <p> The Prime
Minister?" Broodendyk replied in amazement then threw
up his hands in defeat. Okay, I get the picture. (Corpus: ukbooks/08. Text: B0000000336.) What's his current
worth?" Whitlock asked. <p> Siobhan threw up her hands in
desperation. It's impossible to say.
(Corpus: ukbooks/08. Text: B0000000336.) `I'm not that desperate,"
she assured him. `I can wait. But not too long."
Okay, I'm warned." He threw up his hands in surrender. (Corpus:
ukbooks/08. Text: B0000000926.) Asked if she ever contemplated
`hostessing" in Thailand she throws her hands
up in horror. (Corpus: sunnow/17. Text:
N9119980512.) toss
one's head (anger, annoyance, defiance) Randall tossed his head
like an impatient animal at his father's touch. (Corpus: usbooks/09. Text:
B9000000538.) Daisy, from the back of the
room showed her disgust by rolling her eyes and tossing her kinky head
of hair. (Corpus: ukbooks/08. Text: B0000000115.) BMW 1726 Paula
pursed her lips and tossed her head, looking annoyed. G0N 971 Ursula tossed
her head in irritation and bustled across to join her. JXV 3234 She tossed
her head defiantly, and just for a moment saw a flicker of something in his
eyes before it was gone so fast that she knew she must have imagined it. turn
up one's nose (at) (disapproval) YOU may turn up your nose
at the thought of snipping 10p vouchers off boxes of washing powder and the
like - but last year moneywise coupon clippers
knocked £100 million off their collective shopping bill. (Corpus: today/11.
Text: N6000920310.) Bloodhound turns up his
nose at new slippers. A BLOODHOUND
walked five miles to fetch his master's discarded old slippers from a dustbin,
rather than bring him a new pair bought as a Christmas gift. (Corpus: times/10.
Text: N2000960102.) In Lesbia
Magazine, the film critic Catherine Gonnard turned
up her nose at the stereotypes, saying I've never known how to unclog a
sink, I don't smoke, I hate wearing keys on my belt, children and married women
make me run away (Corpus: times/10.
Text: N2000960217.) It is very British to turn
up one's nose at this very `American' desire to bear [sic] the soul, mainly
because we love to wallow in our own low self esteem privately. (Corpus: ukmags/03. Text: N0000000949.) twiddle
one's thumbs (boredom, impatience) Instead of leading Jordanstown to the Sigerson CupFinal, he was suspended and was forced to twiddle his
thumbs from the sidelines. (Corpus:
sunnow/17. Text: N9119980612.) They get nervous <F05>
like twiddle their thumbs and things <F06>Yeah and bite their nails (Corpus:
ukspok/04. Text: S9000001238.) They arrived at midnight on
Sunday after twiddling their thumbs for seven hours in Calcutta
airport. (Corpus: times/10. Text:
N2000960227.) Basically, they've sat around
and twiddled their thumbs. (Corpus: npr/07. Text: S2000910110.) widen
one's eyes /one's eyes widen (surprise, shock, horror) With no more engine power, but 50 kilogrammes less weight, it enhances the original concept
and extends the chthonic Porsche idea into territory only vaguely imagined by
teenage garage-freaks. It widens your eyes. (Corpus: ukmags/03. Text:
N0000000493.) Harriet's eyes widened
in shocked surprise.
`Well,I never!"
(Corpus: ukbooks/08. Text: B0000000115.) Lydia glanced down at what was left and
her eyes widened in horror. `Um, no - " (Corpus: usbooks/09. Text:
B9000001399.) Pamela watched as Lenny read the article,
then scribbled notes in his notebook. His hand froze,
and his eyes widened slightly as he stared at the screen. Look at
this," he breathed. (Corpus: usbooks/09. Text: B9000000909.) wring
one's hands (desperation, sorrow) You wouldn't believe the model
train my father built me, with all sorts of tunnels and levels, even a
waterfall that the train ran under without getting wet. My sister used to wring
her hands and run out of the room every time I switched it through there
because she thought I was going to be electrocuted. (Corpus: usbooks/09. Text: B9000001254.) Singapore's ruling party is
ready to hold snap polls but is desperately trying to find women candidates,
Prime Minister Goh Chok
Tong said in remarks published yesterday. <p> I wring my hands in
desperation. <p> I cannot get women candidates (Corpus: oznews/01. Text:
N5000951115.) The sight of mps wringing
their hands in sorrow while they piously pleaded that they could not make
ends meet on almost £100,000 a year was, frankly, sickening. (Corpus: today/11. Text: N6000920716.) The blub
culture has Harvey Porlock wringing his hands
in despair. (Corpus: times/10. Text:
N2000951104.) The hotel manager, interrupted
in the middle of an early dinner, was wringing his hands, more concerned
about the hotel's reputation than the dead woman. (Corpus: ukbooks/08. Text: B0000000034.) wrinkle
(up) one's brow (concentration, puzzlement) A-moon - as he's known in our
house - can wrinkle up his brow, put on his serious face and ask deep,
searching questions of two-bit celebrities (Corpus: today/11. Text:
N6000940601.) `Did you say the problem was
solved?' It was the turn of the foreign editor to wrinkle his brow.
`Sure. I mean, we know where she is. She hasn't disappeared.' (Corpus: ukbooks/08. Text: B0000001117.) FAP 3015 "The guy is too
greedy. Remember what he said when we called the first time? Something about
getting his money whether Vecchi was still there or
not? Remember?" Connors wrinkled his brow. "Yeah.
Yeah, he did say something like that." FSM 718 "Harry, what
is the matter?" She wrinkled her brow inquisitively, but couldn't
manage to lose her slightly mocking smile, like a mother with a petulant child. wrinkle
one's nose (disapproval, disgust) he noticed the smell in the
shed. He hadn't smelled it outside, but inside it was enough to make him wrinkle
his nose and stifle a few thick coughs. (Corpus: usbooks/09. Text:
B9000000909.) mixed two drinks from a bottle of
moonshine. She held the glass out to Autumn. `Betcha ain't got nothing like
this in San Francisco." <p> Autumn took a
sip and wrinkled her nose at its bite. `Raw." (Corpus: ukbooks/08. Text: B0000000115.) As Juma was
dumped on the floor, the nearest general, a podgy man with the wide face of an
Uzbek, looked at him and wrinkled his nose: the suppurating wound
stank. (Corpus: ukbooks/08. Text:
B0000000124.) As if in answer to his unspoken question,
one of them shouted `Guardians of the Socialist Revolution! The
Militia of the Fatherland Front!" <p> He wrinkled his nose.
Undisciplined, dirty, jeering, disorderly. That was no
way for a true socialist to behave. (Corpus: ukbooks/08. Text: B0000000124.)  E-mail the editors Pour écrire à la rédaction © 2009, Applied Semiotics / Sémiotique appliquée |