Expressions Using Our Head and Shoulders

01And now, words and their stories from VOA Learning English.

02Many English expressions and idioms use parts of the body to describe things unrelated to the body.

03For example, a green thumb means to be good at growing vegetables, flowers, and other plants.

04And if something costs an arm and a leg, it is very expensive.

05Well, today we talk about your shoulder.

06This part connects your arm to your body.

07And the shoulder finds its way into many expressions.

08For starters, let's talk about shoulder as a verb.

09If you shoulder something, you accept it as your responsibility.

10You give support.

11Or you take the blame.

12Here is an example.

13Since he was the leader of the project, he shouldered the blame for its failure.

14And this is a great place to start.

15This idea of taking responsibility and giving support leads us to some other shoulder expressions.

16For example, during difficult times in our lives, it is often necessary to have a shoulder to lean on.

17Or a shoulder to cry on.

18When we lean on someone's shoulder, we ask for their help.

19When we cry on someone's shoulder, they are there for support.

20It is important to have at least one friend who has a good shoulder to cry on.

21These friends are great because they don't ask questions.

22They just listen and let us cry.

23You can also put your head on someone's shoulder.

24This means you are getting comfort and support from that person.

25We call people who give us a shoulder to lean on, or cry on, our support system.

26There is another way our shoulders give us support.

27If you are successful in your career, but others have come before you, you can say you are standing on the shoulders of giants.

28This means you have not succeeded on your own.

29You have learned from others in the same field, who had earlier successes.

30This expression is often used in science.

31This is an area where discoveries are often built upon the works of others.

32Because this expression uses the word giant, we often use it when talking about very well-known people.

33For example, in the world of science, the giants may include Isaac Newton or Albert Einstein.

34Now, from our shoulders, let's move up to our heads.

35Our heads are centered between our shoulders.

36So it should not be surprising that we have a couple of expressions that use both.

37If you have a good head on your shoulders, you are thoughtful and smart.

38You do the right thing.

39And people can count on you.

40When you have a good head on your shoulders, you often achieve success in life.

41This quality, people say, often puts you head and shoulders above the rest.

42This means you are much better than those in a similar field or competition.

43Let's hear it used in an example.

44You have applied for a job.

45You have more education and much more experience than the job requires.

46You also have special skills that make you even more desirable.

47You feel these factors put you head and shoulders above the other candidates.

48Here's another example.

49You are preparing to run in a race.

50You have clocked the fastest time.

51And you have trained more than all the other runners.

52That certainly makes you head and shoulders above the rest.

53And that's all the time we have for this Words and Their Stories.

54Until next time, I'm Ana Mateo.

55You have a great day.