body English

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.
See also: body, English
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

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.")
See also: body, English
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
See also:
  • don't play (around) with me
  • stack the odds against (someone or something)
  • stack the odds in the favor of (someone or something)
  • don't monkey around with me
  • can't help it
  • morning tent
  • numbers game
  • a numbers game
  • a/the numbers game
  • stack the odds in (someone's or something's) favor
References in periodicals archive
Made with Remy Martin Louis XIII Cognac and Grand Marnier Cuvee du Cent Cinquantenaire and topped with Dom Perignon Champagne, the drink is garnished with the gem stick and has sold at a rate of six to 10 cocktails per year since Body English opened in May, 2004.
The company has designed plans for around 420 homes at the former Seaham Colliery site in County Durham after being appointed by regional development agency One NorthEast, Easington Council and regeneration body English Partnerships.
I use one hand to balance the sheet, and my other hand (along with a little body English) to move it to the sawhorses or saw table for cutting.
Bosses at conservation body English Heritage confirmed they had withdrawn their objections to the demolition of the landmark buildings as the design for the new pounds 320 million stadium in north London was unveiled.
The editor can help steer a decision subtly through the artful use of body English, or intervene forcefully to get the train back on the track.
A rock-and-roll singer at the dawn of time, Holly was tethered to a microphone and was extremely laconic in his use of body English. He wrote "That'll Be the Day," "Peggy Sue," "Johnny B.
Many years ago, we made do with four basic casts: over to left and right; back to the rear; and come in, each with an arm motion plus a vocal or whistle command, and perhaps a little body English for emphasis.
Monument conservation body English Heritage, which looks after Beeston Castle, in Cheshire, will be reviewed to give the public a greater say in the future of the nation's built historical legacy.
EMI said it welcomed reports that the architectural preservation body English Heritage planned to list Abbey Road, a step that would make it very hard for any developer to do anything radical to the site.
The incident happened at the Body English nightclub at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino when Hilton's new boyfriend Doug Reinhardt took the microphone off her, only for the song to continue playing, reports China Daily.
Adrian Barlow, boss of trade body English Apples and Pears, said: "It is vital these varieties are retained."
The land is now owned by government regeneration body English Partnerships.
The agency will bring together national regeneration body English Partnerships, the Housing Corporation - which funds social housing landlords - and key Government functions.
Their hometown is a badge of honor they wear, one they proudly display should they be forced off the road by a misogynistic drunk in the tony suburb of Grosse Pointe, as in "Twin Pines Savior," or backed up against the wall during an escalating confrontation with a tyrannical bully deep in the state's northern woods, as in "I'm from Detroit." Physical threats and character aspersions mean little to Borri's proud protagonists beyond the opportunities they provide for flexing a little muscle and throwing a little body English into even the most benign situations.
Government body English Nature is licensing scientists to catch 50 Daubenton's bats for a study into how a strain of rabies - virus EBLV-type 2 - is incubated and transmitted in bats.