See Also: AGILITY, AWKWARDNESS, BODY ORGANS, FATNESS, MUSCLES, PHYSICAL APPEARANCE, SHOULDERS, STRENGTH, STOMACH, THINNESS
A quick simile is about as much space as a master of conciseness like Hemingway devotes to physically describing a character. The woman with the racing yacht curves is Lady Brett from The Sun Also Rises .
The simile in Foy’s novel, Coaster, applies to a sailor.
A variation by Charles Johnson: “Broad as a beer barrel.”
Being an actor as well as a writer, Niven undoubtedly had a special appreciation for any device which would capture audience attention the minute the curtain rises; and so this simile from the first sentence of his autobiography, The Moon’s a Balloon .
The cause for the hot-air balloon appearance is pregnancy.
The simile marks the opening of Kennedy’s espionage novel, The Masakado Lesson.
Imperative |
---|
body |
body |
Noun | 1. | body - the entire structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being); "he felt as if his whole body were on fire" animal, animate being, beast, creature, fauna, brute - a living organism characterized by voluntary movement natural object - an object occurring naturally; not made by man human, human being, man - any living or extinct member of the family Hominidae characterized by superior intelligence, articulate speech, and erect carriage life form - the characteristic bodily form of a mature organism chassis, bod, human body, material body, physical body, physique, build, anatomy, figure, flesh, frame, shape, soma, form - alternative names for the body of a human being; "Leonardo studied the human body"; "he has a strong physique"; "the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak" live body - the body of a living animal or person body substance - the substance of the body articulatory system - the system of joints in the body digestive system, gastrointestinal system, systema alimentarium, systema digestorium - the system that makes food absorbable into the body endocrine system - the system of glands that produce endocrine secretions that help to control bodily metabolic activity lymphatic system, systema lymphaticum - the interconnected system of spaces and vessels between body tissues and organs by which lymph circulates throughout the body musculoskeletal system - the system of muscles and tendons and ligaments and bones and joints and associated tissues that move the body and maintain its form nervous system, systema nervosum - the sensory and control apparatus consisting of a network of nerve cells respiratory system, systema respiratorium - the system for taking in oxygen and giving off carbon dioxide; in terrestrial animals this is accomplished by breathing sensory system - the body's system of sense organs vascular system - the vessels and tissue that carry or circulate fluids such as blood or lymph or sap through the body of an animal or plant cardiovascular system, circulatory system - the organs and tissues involved in circulating blood and lymph through the body head, caput - the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains; "he stuck his head out the window" cervix, neck - the part of an organism (human or animal) that connects the head to the rest of the body; "he admired her long graceful neck"; "the horse won by a neck" torso, trunk, body - the body excluding the head and neck and limbs; "they moved their arms and legs and bodies" leg - a human limb; commonly used to refer to a whole limb but technically only the part of the limb between the knee and ankle arm - a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb fork - the angle formed by the inner sides of the legs where they join the human trunk pressure point - any of several points on the body where the pulse can be felt and where pressure on an underlying artery will control bleeding from that artery at a more distal point |
2. | body - a group of persons associated by some common tie or occupation and regarded as an entity; "the whole body filed out of the auditorium"; "the student body"; "administrative body" social group - people sharing some social relation public - a body of people sharing some common interest; "the reading public" Christendom, Christianity - the collective body of Christians throughout the world and history (found predominantly in Europe and the Americas and Australia); "for a thousand years the Roman Catholic Church was the principal church of Christendom" church - the body of people who attend or belong to a particular local church; "our church is hosting a picnic next week" College of Cardinals, Sacred College - (Roman Catholic Church) the body of cardinals who advise the Pope and elect new Popes governance, governing body, organisation, administration, brass, establishment, organization - the persons (or committees or departments etc.) who make up a body for the purpose of administering something; "he claims that the present administration is corrupt"; "the governance of an association is responsible to its members"; "he quickly became recognized as a member of the establishment" corps - a body of people associated together; "diplomatic corps" constituency - the body of voters who elect a representative for their area electoral college - the body of electors who formally elect the United States president and vice president school - a body of creative artists or writers or thinkers linked by a similar style or by similar teachers; "the Venetian school of painting" college - the body of faculty and students of a college university - the body of faculty and students at a university faculty, staff - the body of teachers and administrators at a school; "the dean addressed the letter to the entire staff of the university" representation - a body of legislators that serve in behalf of some constituency; "a Congressional vacancy occurred in the representation from California" colony, settlement - a body of people who settle far from home but maintain ties with their homeland; inhabitants remain nationals of their home state but are not literally under the home state's system of government; "the American colony in Paris" ulama, ulema - the body of Mullahs (Muslim scholars trained in Islam and Islamic law) who are the interpreters of Islam's sciences and doctrines and laws and the chief guarantors of continuity in the spiritual and intellectual history of the Islamic community leaders, leadership - the body of people who lead a group; "the national leadership adopted his plan" militia - the entire body of physically fit civilians eligible by law for military service; "their troops were untrained militia"; "Congress shall have power to provide for calling forth the militia"--United States Constitution membership, rank - the body of members of an organization or group; "they polled their membership"; "they found dissension in their own ranks"; "he joined the ranks of the unemployed" occupational group, vocation - a body of people doing the same kind of work opposition - a body of people united in opposing something immigration - the body of immigrants arriving during a specified interval; "the increased immigration strengthened the colony" inspectorate - a body of inspectors jury - a body of citizens sworn to give a true verdict according to the evidence presented in a court of law panel - a group of people gathered for a special purpose as to plan or discuss an issue or judge a contest etc enrollment, registration - the body of people (such as students) who register or enroll at the same time vote - a body of voters who have the same interests; "he failed to get the Black vote" diaspora - the body of Jews (or Jewish communities) outside Palestine or modern Israel | |
3. | ![]() natural object - an object occurring naturally; not made by man carrion - the dead and rotting body of an animal; unfit for human food roadkill - the dead body of an animal that has been killed on a road by a vehicle; "vultures usually feed on carrion or roadkill" cadaver, corpse, remains, stiff, clay - the dead body of a human being; "the cadaver was intended for dissection"; "the end of the police search was the discovery of a corpse"; "the murderer confessed that he threw the stiff in the river"; "honor comes to bless the turf that wraps their clay" mummy - a body embalmed and dried and wrapped for burial (as in ancient Egypt) | |
4. | body - an individual 3-dimensional object that has mass and that is distinguishable from other objects; "heavenly body" natural object - an object occurring naturally; not made by man chromosome - a threadlike strand of DNA in the cell nucleus that carries the genes in a linear order; "humans have 22 chromosome pairs plus two sex chromosomes" cellular inclusion, inclusion body, inclusion - any small intracellular body found within another (characteristic of certain diseases); "an inclusion in the cytoplasm of the cell" mass - a body of matter without definite shape; "a huge ice mass" subatomic particle, particle - a body having finite mass and internal structure but negligible dimensions | |
5. | ![]() body, organic structure, physical structure - the entire structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being); "he felt as if his whole body were on fire" body part - any part of an organism such as an organ or extremity diaphragm, midriff - (anatomy) a muscular partition separating the abdominal and thoracic cavities; functions in respiration shoulder - the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm articulatio humeri, shoulder joint, shoulder - a ball-and-socket joint between the head of the humerus and a cavity of the scapula serratus, serratus muscles - any of several muscles of the trunk side - either the left or right half of a body; "he had a pain in his side" chest, pectus, thorax - the part of the human torso between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates midriff, midsection, middle - the middle area of the human torso (usually in front); "young American women believe that a bare midriff is fashionable" love handle, spare tire - excess fat around the waistline hip - either side of the body below the waist and above the thigh haunch - the hip and buttock and upper thigh in human beings abdomen, belly, stomach, venter - the region of the body of a vertebrate between the thorax and the pelvis back, dorsum - the posterior part of a human (or animal) body from the neck to the end of the spine; "his back was nicely tanned" behind, buns, buttocks, hind end, hindquarters, keister, nates, posterior, prat, derriere, fanny, rear end, tooshie, tush, fundament, seat, backside, tail end, stern, rump, bottom, bum, can, rear, tail - the fleshy part of the human body that you sit on; "he deserves a good kick in the butt"; "are you going to sit on your fanny and do nothing?" loins - the region of the hips and groin and lower abdomen | |
6. | body - a collection of particulars considered as a system; "a body of law"; "a body of doctrine"; "a body of precedents" | |
7. | body - the property of holding together and retaining its shape; "wool has more body than rayon"; "when the dough has enough consistency it is ready to bake" gaseousness - having the consistency of a gas property - a basic or essential attribute shared by all members of a class; "a study of the physical properties of atomic particles" viscosity, viscousness - resistance of a liquid to shear forces (and hence to flow) thickness - resistance to flow thinness - a consistency of low viscosity; "he disliked the thinness of the soup" hardness - the property of being rigid and resistant to pressure; not easily scratched; measured on Mohs scale softness - the property of giving little resistance to pressure and being easily cut or molded breakableness - the consistency of something that breaks under pressure unbreakableness - a consistency of something that does not break under pressure porosity, porousness - the property of being porous; being able to absorb fluids | |
8. | body - the central message of a communication; "the body of the message was short" | |
9. | body - the main mass of a thing mass - the property of a body that causes it to have weight in a gravitational field | |
10. | body - a resonating chamber in a musical instrument (as the body of a violin) cavity resonator, resonating chamber, resonator - a hollow chamber whose dimensions allow the resonant oscillation of electromagnetic or acoustic waves | |
11. | body - the external structure of a vehicle; "the body of the car was badly rusted" bodywork - the exterior body of a motor vehicle fuselage - the central body of an airplane that is designed to accommodate the crew and passengers (or cargo) structure, construction - a thing constructed; a complex entity constructed of many parts; "the structure consisted of a series of arches"; "she wore her hair in an amazing construction of whirls and ribbons" | |
Verb | 1. | body - invest with or as with a body; give body to |
Part of the body | Technical name | Related adjective |
---|---|---|
abdomen | - | abdominal |
adenoids | pharyngeal tonsil | adenoid or adenoidal |
alimentary canal | - | |
ankle | talus | - |
anus | - | anal |
appendix | vermiform appendix | appendicular |
arm | brachium | brachial |
armpit | axilla | axillary |
artery | - | arterial |
back | - | dorsal |
belly | venter | ventral |
bladder | urinary bladder | vesical |
blood | - | haemal, haemic, or haematic |
bone | os | osseous, osteal, or osteoid |
brain | encephalon | cerebral |
breast | - | |
buttocks | nates | natal or gluteal |
caecum | - | caecal |
calf | - | |
capillary | - | capillary |
cervix | - | cervical |
cheek | gena | genal |
chest | - | pectoral |
chin | - | genial or mental |
clitoris | - | clitoral |
colon | - | colonic |
duodenum | - | duodenal |
ear | - | aural |
elbow | - | |
epiglottis | - | epiglottal |
external ear | auricle or pinna | - |
eye | - | ocular or ophthalmic |
eyebrow | - | superciliary |
eyelash | cilium | ciliary |
eyelid | - | palpebral |
Fallopian tube | oviduct | oviducal or oviductal |
finger | - | digital |
fingernail | - | ungual or ungular |
fist | - | |
follicle | - | follicular |
fontanelle or (chiefly U.S.) fontanel | - | |
foot | pes | pedal |
forearm | - | cubital |
forehead | - | frontal |
foreskin | prepuce | preputial |
gall bladder | - | |
gland | - | adenoid |
glottis | - | glottic |
groin | - | inguinal |
gullet | oesophagus | oesophageal |
gum | gingiva | gingival |
hamstring | - | popliteal |
hard palate | - | |
hair | - | |
half-moon | lunula or lunule | - |
hand | manus | manual |
head | caput | capital |
heart | - | cardiac |
heel | - | |
hip | - | |
ileum | - | ileac or ileal |
inner ear or internal ear | labyrinth | - |
instep | - | |
intestine | - | alvine |
jaw | - | gnathic or gnathal |
jejunum | - | jejunal |
jugular vein | - | |
kidney | - | renal or nephritic |
knee | genu | genicular |
knuckle | - | |
labia majora | - | labial |
labia minora | - | labial |
large intestine | - | |
leg | crus | crural |
lip | - | labial |
liver | - | hepatic |
loin | lumbus | lumbar |
lung | - | pulmonary |
lymph cell | lymphocyte | - |
lymph node | - | |
midriff | diaphragm | - |
mons pubis | - | |
mons veneris | - | |
mouth | - | stomatic |
nape | nucha | nuchal |
navel or omphalos | umbilicus | umbilical |
neck | cervix | cervical |
nerve | - | neural |
nerve cell | neuron or neurone | neuronic |
nipple or teat | mamilla or papilla | mamillary |
nose | - | nasal |
nostril | naris | narial or narine |
occiput | - | occipital |
ovary | - | ovarian |
pancreas | - | pancreatic |
penis | - | penile |
pharynx | - | pharyngeal |
pubes | - | pubic |
rectum | - | rectal |
red blood cell | erythrocyte | erythrocytic |
ribcage | - | |
scalp | - | |
scrotum | - | scrotal |
shin | - | |
shoulder | - | |
side | - | |
skin | cutis | cutaneous |
small intestine | - | |
soft palate | - | |
sole | - | plantar |
spleen | - | lienal or splenetic |
stomach | - | gastric |
tear duct | lacrimal duct | - |
temple | - | temporal |
tendon | - | |
testicle | - | testicular |
thigh | - | femoral or crural |
thorax | - | thoracic |
throat | - | guttural, gular, or jugular |
thumb | pollex | pollical |
toe | - | |
toenail | - | ungual or ungular |
tongue | lingua | lingual or glottic |
tonsil | - | tonsillar or tonsillary |
torso | - | |
transverse colon | - | |
trunk | - | |
umbilical cord | - | |
ureter | - | ureteral or ureteric |
urethra | - | urethral |
vagina | - | vaginal |
vein | vena | venous |
vocal cords | glottis | glottal |
voice box | larynx | laryngeal |
vulva | - | vulval, vulvar, or vulvate |
waist | - | |
white blood cell | leucocyte | leucocytic |
windpipe | trachea | tracheal or tracheate |
womb | uterus | uterine |
wrist | carpus | - |