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body count
1. The number of people killed in a particular incident, especially soldiers killed in a military effort. The body count is uncertain after the earthquake, but we expect the number to rise as rescue efforts continue. The body count in the latest fight against insurgents is the highest yet.
2. The number of people who participate or are involved in a given activity or situation. I have a body count of about 24 people so far, so it looks like we're still waiting for a few more to join the tour.
body English
An often involuntary or unconscious movement of the body to try and manipulate or influence the course of an object that is already in motion. I always find bowlers' body English humorous, as they contort their bodies to try to will the ball toward the pins.
body language
Any gesture, posture, or movement of the body or face to nonverbally communicate emotions, information, or emphasis. His voice was calm and steady, but his body language was quite hostile and threatening. Many US presidents develop signature body language that one can easily recognize when they are speaking in public.
body of water
An area of the earth that is covered by water. The oceans are the largest bodies of water on the planet.
sell (one's) body
To have sexual intercourse or perform sexual acts for money; to prostitute oneself. Things had become so desperate for Jacob that he even considered selling his body just to earn enough to eat each day.
body check
In ice hockey, a form of contact in which one player hits ("checks") another with his body. That was a heck of a body check! Great job keeping their players out of our end.
body blow
1. A strong hit to one's body. Everyone in the audience gasped when the seasoned boxer took a body blow from his opponent and dropped to his knees in agony.
2. By extension, a large disappointment or setback. Olivia's dreams of becoming a professional ice skater took a body blow when she tore a ligament in her right knee. The scandal was a body blow to the politician's career, and he retired to the private sector.
body politic
the people of a country or state considered as a political unit. The body politic was unable to select between the candidates.
enough to keep body and soul together
Fig. very little; only enough to survive. (Usually refers to money.) When he worked for the library, Marshall only made enough to keep body and soul together. Maria's savings were just enough to keep body and soul together while she looked for another job.
*in a body
Fig. as a group of people; as a group; in a group. (*Typically: arrive some place ~; go ~; leave ~; reach some place ~; travel ~.) The tour members always traveled in a body.
keep body and soul together
Fig. to manage to keep existing, especially when one has very little money. (Compare this with keep the wolf from the door.) We hardly had enough to keep body and soul together. I don't earn enough money to keep body and soul together.
know where all the bodies are buried
Fig. to know all the secrets and intrigue from the past; to know all the relevant and perhaps hidden details. He is a good choice for president because he knows where all the bodies are buried. Since he knows where all the bodies are buried, he is the only one who can advise us.
Over my dead body!
Inf. Fig. a defiant phrase indicating the strength of one's opposition to something. (A joking response is "That can be arranged.") Sally: Alice says she'll join the circus no matter what anybody says. Father: over my dead body! Sally: Now, now. You know how she is. Bill: I think I'll rent out our spare bedroom. Sue: over my dead body! Bill (smiling): That can be arranged.
put weight on some part of the body
to subject an injured body part, as a foot or knee, to the weight of standing, to test its strength. My doctor told me I can put weight on my broken leg next week.
warm body
a person; just any person (who can be counted on to be present). See if you can get a couple of warm bodies to stand at the door and hand out programs. You mean among all these warm bodies nobody knows calculus?
over my dead body
(spoken) I will never let this happen
a€?Wouldn't it be cool if Dad's band played at your party?a€? a€?Over my dead body!a€? Usage notes: said in reaction to what someone else has said
not have a type of bone in your body
to have none of the characteristic described He was friendly and kind and didn't have a mean bone in his body.
a body blow
(mainly British) something that causes serious difficulty or disappointment Losing the court case was a body blow to animal rights campaigners. Her hopes of competing in the Olympics were dealt a body blow when she fell and injured her back.
body and soul
if you do something or believe something body and soul, you do it or believe it completely She dedicated herself to her research, body and soul.
See keep body and soul togetherhe/she doesn't have a [jealous, mean, unkind etc.] bone in his/her body
something that you say in order to emphasize that someone is not jealous, mean, unkind etc. He'd never deliberately hurt someone's feelings - he doesn't have a mean bone in his body.
See be cut to the bone, chill to the bone, be chilled to the boneover my dead body
if you say that something will happen over your dead body, you mean that you will do everything you can to prevent it 'Josh says he's going to buy a motorbike.' 'Over my dead body!' If they cut down those trees, they'll do it over my dead body.
keep body and soul together
to just be able to pay for the things that you need in order to live We can barely keep body and soul together on what he earns.
body blow
An action that causes severe damage, as in This last recession dealt a body blow to our whole industry. This term comes from boxing, where since the 18th century it has been used to refer to a punch that is landing between the opponent's chest and navel. [c. 1900]
body English
Movements of the body that express a person's feelings, as in His body English tells us just how tired he is. This expression originated about 1900 in such sports as bowling and ice hockey, where a player tries to influence the path of a ball or puck by moving his body in a particular direction. (It was based on the earlier use of English to mean "spin imparted to a ball.")
keep body and soul together
Stay alive, support life, as in He earns barely enough to keep body and soul together. This expression alludes to the belief that the soul gives life to the body, which therefore cannot survive without it. Today it most often is applied to earning a living. [Early 1700s]
over my dead body
In no way, under no circumstances, as in Over my dead body will you drop out of high school. This hyperbolic expression is often used jokingly. [Early 1800s]
body count
1. n. the total of dead bodies after a battle. The body count at Hill 49 was three.
2. n. the total number of casualties after some kind of shake-up. The pink slips are coming out every day. The body count on Monday was twenty-three.
3. n. a count of people present. The body count was about forty-five at the meeting.
body shake
n. a shakedown of the body; a skin-search. (see also
shakedown.)
They give everybody who passes through these doors a body shake. Over my dead body!
and OMDB exclam. & comp. abb. [You won’t do it] if I can stop you from doing it! You’ll do it OMDB.
warm body
n. just anyone who can be counted on to stay alive. See if you can get a couple of warm bodies to stand at the door and hand out programs.
take the body
Sports To play in a rough physical way, dealing out many body checks, as in hockey.
over my dead body
Used to express dramatic refusal.