Body Idioms — costar un ojo de la cara, meter la pata

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to use and understand 12 common Spanish idioms based on body parts, recognizing their figurative meanings and deploying them naturally in conversation and writing.

Introduction

Every language uses the human body as raw material for its most vivid idioms. In Spanish, body idioms are everywhere — in conversations, headlines, jokes, and literature. Understanding them is not just about vocabulary; it is about accessing the cultural imagination of the Spanish-speaking world. A learner who hears metiste la pata and looks for a leg to step on has missed the joke entirely. At B2, body idioms are your ticket to sounding like a real speaker rather than a textbook.

Core Concept

Twelve Essential Body Idioms

Idiom	Literal translation	Real meaning	Example
costar un ojo de la cara	to cost an eye from the face	to cost a fortune	La reparación me costó un ojo de la cara.
meter la pata	to put the paw in	to put your foot in it / to blunder	Metí la pata cuando pregunté si estaba embarazada.
dar en el clavo	to hit the nail on the head	to be exactly right	Con esa análisis, diste en el clavo.
no tener pelos en la lengua	to have no hairs on the tongue	to speak one's mind bluntly	Mi abuela no tiene pelos en la lengua.
tomar el pelo	to take someone's hair	to pull someone's leg / to tease	¿Me estás tomando el pelo?
romper el hielo	to break the ice	to break the ice (same as English!)	Hizo una broma para romper el hielo.
costar un riñón	to cost a kidney	to cost a fortune (very common in Spain)	Ese hotel cuesta un riñón.
hablar por los codos	to talk through one's elbows	to talk non-stop	Mi prima habla por los codos.
no ver más allá de las narices	to not see beyond one's nose	to be short-sighted / narrow-minded