Idioms related to medicine

[AExAVF]

There are some idioms which are related to medicine as well as medical terminologies, such as:

Swallow the bitter pill - accepting the consequences of something even if not entirely desirable.

Taking a chill pill - relax or calm down, have a clear mind.  I've heard of this idiom in a video game.

Any more idioms you can think of?

[Rosa]

To rub salt in old wound- bring to remembrance something terrible or cause something that was already bad to become worst.

A dose of one's own medicine- To have the same unpleasant action meted out to you.

Take one's medicine- accepting punishment for your actions without complaining.

[g2narat]

Oh, I can think of a few:

Go under the knife - to undergo surgery

Running a temperature - when someone has a fever

Bundle of nerves - someone who worries a lot

To a native English speaker, these may seem quite obvious, but believe me, to someone who is translating the language in their heads, it sounds pretty weird and strange.

[raytalks]

I can think of two

Laughter is the best medicine - something you say to make someone happier

a bitter pill to swallow - something difficult, that has to be accepted

[wayzteacher]

get a charley horse -  to develop a cramp in the arm or the leg

I develop a charley horse after running for too long.

This one is memorable to me because the first time I heard someone used it I was all confused and have to ask for clarification.

i'm coming down with something - about to get sick(usually use with a cold or flu)

I don't feel very well.  I think I'm down with a cold.

I always share this idiom with my students every time one of them is feeling sick.  They sometimes have a hard time expressing themselves. 

[JessiFox]

Oh, I can think of a few:

Go under the knife - to undergo surgery

Running a temperature - when someone has a fever

Bundle of nerves - someone who worries a lot

To a native English speaker, these may seem quite obvious, but believe me, to someone who is translating the language in their heads, it sounds pretty weird and strange.

Hm..I had never really given any of those a second thought, but I could see how they could be a little strange to someone learning. It is a weird language even without all the idioms =).

[Baburra]

One of my favorite ones is getting a dose of your own medicine. I not only like it for the way it sounds and the way it is put together, but I also love the idea that it connotes, as it often refers to one who has done misdeeds in the past and is now getting his or her comeuppance. I see this mostly in movies and tv shows, but it's way more enjoyable to see in real life.

[MachoMan]

a simple one that I like to think of and use is "on the mend".

Mending is another term for recovering or repairing. Making this idiom quite easy to understand. But for those who are not well versed in the English language, one can see how it may be difficult to understand.

It's a very casual / colloquial way of saying "I'm getting better". :angel:

[sidney]

The medical idioms that I mostly encounter are:

"alive and kicking" - it means that you are well and healthy

"clean bill of health" - it means that a report or certificate of a person or animal is healthy

"in the pink of health" - it means that you are in good mental and physical condition

[VNtomboy]

What about "healthy as a horse"? I never understood why the horse is used as an image of good health though.

[Baburra]

I also remember the song about a spoonful of sugar helping the medicine go down, which I'm pretty sure can still be considered an idiom to some extent. I think it was a song sung by Julie Andrews and although I've never heard it in full or even watched the movie I still know of the saying which I guess is a testament to how much engrained in culture that particular scene is.

[Trellum]

I know one that is very close to my heart and I like it very much (because it's true),  it goes like this: I miss my in laws as much as I miss a bad toothache.  Hahahaha!  Someone told me that one the other day and couldn't do nothing but totally agree and laugh.

I also like ''as pale as a ghost''.  Or ''Back at one's feet''.

[Trellum]

One of my favorite ones is getting a dose of your own medicine. I not only like it for the way it sounds and the way it is put together, but I also love the idea that it connotes, as it often refers to one who has done misdeeds in the past and is now getting his or her comeuppance. I see this mostly in movies and tv shows, but it's way more enjoyable to see in real life.

I love to give a dose of their own medicine to those who try to be obnoxious with me just because   I love that one!  It's one of my favorite health and medicine related idioms,  I have used it a lot already   I also like ''drop dead'' lol, I use it quite often as well. I say things like: When i saw that I almost felt like dropping dead.  Yes, I'm an overly  dramatic person.

[VNtomboy]

What about "an apple a day keeps the doctor away"? 

[NATASHA]

I think that most of them are covered here and there are a few that I like; take a chill pill

go under the knife

I honestly cant seem to think of any others.

[goop]

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.  It is better to prevent something bad from happening rather than having to deal with the problem and all of its consequences. 

[lingose]

I like 'green around the gills', to look sick. It sounded so strange to me when I first heard it. Also, 'just what the doctor ordered', as in something that's just right for the situation.

Most of the other ones I can think of have been mentioned already, but I guess these would fit the bill:  nothing but skin and bones, come down with something, as fit as a fiddle...

Most of these and all the other ones mentioned here sound pretty weird to us non-native speakers haha.

[czarina84]

On ‎4‎/‎8‎/‎2015‎ ‎1‎:‎53‎:‎56‎, VNtomboy said:

What about "healthy as a horse"? I never understood why the horse is used as an image of good health though.

I think "sick as a dog" makes a nice companion piece to this.

[agentzero]

On 9/17/2014, 1:30:23, wayzteacher said:

get a charley horse -  to develop a cramp in the arm or the leg

 

I develop a charley horse after running for too long.

 

This one is memorable to me because the first time I heard someone used it I was all confused and have to ask for clarification.

 

i'm coming down with something - about to get sick(usually use with a cold or flu)

 

I don't feel very well.  I think I'm down with a cold.

 

I always share this idiom with my students every time one of them is feeling sick.  They sometimes have a hard time expressing themselves. 

 

 

Wow, I never heard of charlie horse, such an odd one. I'm so glad I was able to learn that one, I was beginning to get way too over confident in my English.

One I'd like to add is to kick the bucket which means somebody died. Like, James kicked the bucket - James died. Never understood that why is that one used though.