Appearance

Idioms

Appearance

be the spitting image of someone / be the spit = be identical to someone
“You’re the spitting image of your mother!”
“He’s the spit of his father!”

like peas in a pod = be very similar
“The two sisters are like peas in a pod.”

like chalk and cheese / bear no resemblance to = not be similar at all
“The twins are like chalk and cheese!”
“He bears no resemblance to his father at all.”

Age

getting on a bit / knocking on a bit = getting old
“My parents are knocking on a bit now, but they’re still healthy and active.”

on the wrong side of … = be older than (a certain age).
“He’s on the wrong side of 40.”

(You can also be on the right side of a certain age, which means you’re younger than that age.)

be pushing … = be almost (a certain age)
“I know she looks like a teenager, but she’s pushing 30 you know!”

not look your age = appear younger than you are
“She really doesn’t look her age.”

(We also say “act your age” to mean that you behave in a way that’s right for your age: “Act your age! You’re at secondary school now – not at infants’ school.”

not look a day over … = look young for your age
“She looks so good for her age. She doesn’t look a day over 60!”

Beauty

a head-turner = so beautiful / handsome that people turn their heads to look at you
“Both their daughters are head-turners.”

eye-catching = so beautiful / handsome that people notice you immediately
“The woman who works in the shop is so eye-catching.”

easy on the eye = nice to look at (this is a little old-fashioned)
“He’s very easy on the eye, isn’t he.”

drop-dead gorgeous = very beautiful / handsome
“Her new boyfriend is drop-dead gorgeous.”

tall, dark and handsome = a stereotypical description of a handsome man
“So the fortune-teller told me I’d meet a tall, dark and handsome stranger.”

the picture of … (health / loveliness) = look exactly like someone who is healthy / lovely, etc
“You’re the picture of loveliness this morning!”

not much to look at = not very attractive
“Her new boyfriend isn’t much to look at, but he’s a seriously nice guy.”

not a pretty sight = unattractive
“I’m not a pretty sight in the morning.”

look like the back end of a bus = very ugly
“Frankly, I look like the back end of a bus before I put my makeup on!”

Body size

a beanpole = very thin (bean poles are poles put in the ground for beans to grow up)
“He was like a beanpole all the way through school.”

as thin as a rake = be very thin
“She’s lost a lot of weight and now she’s as thin as a rake.”

to balloon = become fat quickly
“Since she moved to the city, she’s ballooned in weight. She says it’s because she always takes public transport and never walks anywhere.”

a bit on the large side = be a bit overweight
“He’s been a bit on the large side ever since he stopped smoking.”

Clothes And Style

have good dress sense / have a sense of style = to know what clothes to wear
“His wife has very good dress sense. She always looks great.”

be a slave to fashion = follow fashion and buy a lot of clothes
“My children have become slaves to fashion since they started secondary school.”

be dressed to kill = wear clothes to impress people
“You’re dressed to kill today. Have you got an important meeting?”

look like you’ve been dragged through the hedge backwards = look scruffy and untidy
“You can’t go out like that! You look like you’ve been dragged through the hedge backwards!”

Life stages

1

Watch some films, read, memorize vocabulary and have some fun doing quizes.

• Foetus: at this time, a baby is growing inside it’s mum’s womb
• Infant: a baby or very young child
• Toddler: a child who has only recently learnt to walk
• Childhood: the period of life when they are a child
• Teenager: a person who is between 13 and 19 years old
• Adolescence: the time in a person’s life when he or she develops from a child into an adult
• Puberty: the period of a person’s life during which their sexual organs develop and they become capable of having children
• Middle age: the period of your life when you are neither young nor old, between the ages of about 45 and 60
• Retirement age: stopping work because you have reached a particular age
• Elderly/ Old age: people who are old

2

3

APPEARANCE

Body

Face

Hair

Eyes

Complexion

Special features

Height - wzrost

medium height - średniego wzrostu

quite tall - dość wysoki

rather short - raczej niski

short - niski

small - mały

tall - wysoki

Build - budowa

chunky - przysadzisty, krępy

emaciated - wychudzony

fat - gruby

fit - wysportowany

gaunt - wychudzony

long-legged - długonoga

muscular - muskularny, umięśniony

obese - otyły, z nadwagą

overweighed - z nadwagą, zbyt gruby

overweight - z nadwagą, zbyt gruby

plump - pulchny

round-shouldered - przygarbiony

skinny - wychudzony

slender - smukły

slim - szczupły

stocky - krępy

thin - chudy

well-built - dobrze zbudowany

almond-shaped - w kształcie migdała
black - czarne
blue - niebieskie
bright - błyszczące
brown - brązowe
deep-set - głęboko osadzone
expressive - pełne wyrazu
green - zielone
hazel - piwne
puffy - podpuchnięte
slanted - skośne

chubby - pucołowata

clean-shaven - gładko ogolona

freckled - piegowata

long - pociągła

oval - owalna

puffy - spuchnięta

round - okrągła

spotty - z pryszczami

square - kwadratowa

triangular - trójkątna

wrinkled - pomarszczona

clean - czysta

dark - ciemna

delicate - delikatna

fair - jasna

healthy - zdrowa

pale - blada

radiant - promienna

tanned - opalona

auburn - kasztanowe
bald - łysy
balding - łysiejący
blond - blond, blondyn
blonde - blondynka
brunette - brunet, brunetka
bushy - bujne
coarse - grube, mocne
curly - kręcone
dark - ciemne
dark-haired man - szatyn
dark-haired woman - szatynka
dyed - farbowane
fair - jasne
fine - cienkie
ginger - rude
greasy - przetłuszczające się
grey - siwe
grizzled - szpakowaty, siwiejący
long - długie
medium-length - średniej długości
natural - naturalne
oily - tłuste
red - rude
short - krótkie
shoulder-length - o długości do ramion
spiky - sterczące
straight - proste
thick - gęste
thin - rzadkie
wavy - falujące

acne - trądzik
bags under the eyes - podkrążone oczy
bandy legs - krzywe nogi
beard - broda, zarost
beauty spot - pieprzyk
birthmark - znamię
braid - warkocz
broad shoulders - szerokie barki
bun - kok, koński ogon
bunch - kitka, kucyk
bushy eyebrows - krzaczaste brwi
chignon - kok
contact lenses - soczewki kontaktowe
creases - zmarszczki
crooked bite - krzywy zgryz
cross-eye - zez
dandruff - łupież
dimples - dołeczki
false eyelashes - sztuczne rzęsy
freckles - piegi
fringe - grzywka
high forehead - wysokie czoło
highlights - pasemka
knock-kneed legs - krzywe nogi
midget - karzeł
mole - pieprzyk
moustache - wąsy
overweight - nadwaga
parting - przedziałek
pigtail - kucyk, warkoczyk
pimples - pryszcze
plait - warkocz
ponytail - kucyk, koński ogon
scar - blizna
sideboards - bokobrody
sideburns - bokobrody
sidelocks - pejsy
spots - krosty
stubble - mały zarost
tattoo - tatuaż
wig - peruka
wrinkles - zmarszczki
wry smile - krzywy uśmiec

Check yourself