頭が切れる
sharp-witted, brilliant, astute
→ That lawyer is so sharp-witted that he resolves even intricate cases splendidly.
頭が上がらない
to be no match for, cannot stand up to, in awe of
→ He cannot stand up to his former mentor and holds him in immense deference.
頭を抱える
to clutch one's head, to be at one's wit's end
→ With sales continually plunging, business managers are clutching their heads in distress.
頭を冷やす
to cool off, to calm one's anger down
→ After a fight, it's best to take a breather and let your head cool down.
首を突っ込む
to poke one's nose into, to meddle in
→ You should never poke your nose into the private family affairs of others.
首を長くする
to wait eagerly with bated breath, to look forward to
→ Fans are craning their necks and eagerly anticipating the premiere of the new movie.
首をひねる
to tilt one's head in doubt, to be puzzled
→ No matter how many times I pondered, I couldn't find the answer and tilted my head in doubt.
首を縦に振る
to nod one's assent, to agree, to consent
→ No matter how many times I begged, he flatly refused to nod his assent.
肩を並べる
to stand shoulder to shoulder, to equal, to rival
→ Through relentless efforts, she finally stood shoulder to shoulder with the elite players.
肩を持つ
to side with, to take someone's side, to favor
→ Whenever we have a quarrel, mother invariably takes my younger brother's side.
のどから手が出る
to want something with all one's heart, dying to have
→ I am so dying to possess that limited-edition item that my throat aches.
手が足りない
short of hands, undermanned
→ With a flood of orders at year-end, we are desperately short of hands.
手が回らない
unable to attend to, cannot stretch to cover
→ With each day so hectic, I simply cannot stretch my hands to enjoy my hobbies.
手を切る
to sever ties, to wash one's hands of, to break off
→ He made up his mind to sever all ties with that shady group.
手に余る
beyond one's power, too much to handle
→ This project is far too intricate and is simply too much for newcomers to handle.
手に負えない
unmanageable, out of control, beyond control
→ Typhoon damage is so staggering that the local fire brigade alone cannot manage it.
手も足も出ない
completely helpless, at one's wit's end, outmatched
→ The adversary was so overwhelmingly formidable that I was completely helpless.
手を焼く
to have a hard time with, to be at a loss with
→ I am having a terribly hard time with my son who is in his rebellious phase.
足が早い
perishable, spoiling quickly; fast-selling
→ Food spoils quickly in the summer, so let's put it into the refrigerator.
足が出る
to exceed the budget, to run in the red
→ We went over the allocated budget and ended up in the red.
足が棒になる
one's legs turning into lead, legs stiff with fatigue
→ After standing on my feet all day long, my legs felt like stiff wooden sticks.
足を引っ張る
to drag down, to hold back, to sabotage progress
→ A single individual's blunder can end up dragging down the entire team.
