Good Health

Good Health 

fit as a fiddle Healthy, very fit, in good physical condition. There are several possible derivations of this expression, one of which holds that a properly tuned fiddle looks and sounds so impressive that it is a compliment for a person to be compared to it. Two other possibilities claim that the original expression was fit as a fiddler in which fiddler was a nickname applied either to a boxer with fancy footwork or to the person who played the fiddle at lively Irish dances, most of which lasted from dusk to dawn without any breaks. In both cases, the fiddler would have to be physically fit and have great stamina to last throughout the event. Similar expressions are fine as a fiddle and face made of a fiddle, the latter used to describe someone who is exceptionally attractive.

I arrived at my destination feeling fit as a fiddle. (Harrington O’Reilly, Fifty Years on the Trail, 1889)

in fine feather See ELATION.

in fine fettle See ELATION.

in the pink In excellent health; robust. This familiar expression, derived as a shortening of the phrase in the pink of condition ‘the most perfect state of something, ’ probably developed its current figurative sense as an allusion to the rosy complexion of a healthy person.

I am writing these lines to say I am still in the pink and hoping you are the same. (John B. Priestly, Good Companion, 1929)

right as a trivet Stable, solid, sound; in good health or spirits, fine, very well; thoroughly or perfectly right.

“I hope you are well, sir.” “Right as a trivet, sir,” replied Bob Sawyer. (Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers, 1837)

The allusion is to a literal trivet, a three-legged stand or support, which stands firm on nearly any surface.

right as ninepence Perfectly well, in excellent health or spirits, in fine fettle, in good condition or shape.

I thought I was as right as ninepence. (Rolf Boldrewood, A Colonial Reformer, 1890)

The ninepence was originally a British shilling minted under Queen Elizabeth I and intended for circulation in Ireland. The coin so depreciated in value, however, that it was used as a nine-penny piece in England. Considering the unhealthy background of the nine-pence, the expression’s current meaning is somewhat ironic.

sound as a bell Healthy, fit, in fine fettle; secure or stable. The phrase appeared in Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing (III, ii):

He hath a heart as sound as a bell.

This expression is based on the fact that even the slightest imperfection markedly affects the tone of a bell. Although the expression may refer to the quality and condition of an inanimate object, it is more often applied to the soundness of the human mind and body.

A single man … with prospects, an’ as sound as a bell … is not to be had every day. (Pall Mall Magazine, July, 1898)

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

good health - the state of being vigorous and free from bodily or mental disease healthiness physical condition, physiological condition, physiological state - the condition or state of the body or bodily functions haleness, wholeness - a state of robust good health vim, vitality, energy - a healthy capacity for vigorous activity; "jogging works off my excess energy"; "he seemed full of vim and vigor" blush, rosiness, flush, bloom - a rosy color (especially in the cheeks) taken as a sign of good health glow, freshness - an alert and refreshed state radiance - an attractive combination of good health and happiness; "the radiance of her countenance" sturdiness - the state of being vigorous and robust condition, shape - the state of (good) health (especially in the phrases `in condition' or `in shape' or `out of condition' or `out of shape') health problem, ill health, unhealthiness - a state in which you are unable to function normally and without pain