Teeth are an important part of our body. We use them to chew food and to smile. But did you know that people also talk about teeth in special ways when they speak? Sometimes, they use phrases that don’t really mean what they sound like. These phrases are called idioms.
Idioms about teeth are fun and easy to remember. You might hear them in stories, on TV, or when people are talking. They help make language more colorful. In this article, we will learn some idioms that include the word “teeth.” These phrases don’t talk about real teeth. Instead, they share a message or idea in a clever way. Let’s look at some and see what they really mean.
Idioms about Teeth
1. By the skin of your teeth
Meaning: Just barely
Give an Instance: I caught the bus by the skin of my teeth. / He passed the test by the skin of his teeth.
Substitute Meaning: Just made it / Almost missed it
2. Bite your tongue
Meaning: Stop yourself from saying something
Give an Instance: I wanted to tell her the secret, but I bit my tongue. / He bit his tongue so he wouldn’t yell.
Substitute Meaning: Stay quiet / Hold back words
3. Show your teeth
Meaning: Fight back or stand up for yourself
Give an Instance: He showed his teeth when the team was unfair. / She showed her teeth during the tough game.
Substitute Meaning: Defend yourself / Push back
4. Armed to the teeth
Meaning: Fully prepared or well-equipped
Give an Instance: The campers were armed to the teeth with gear. / He came armed to the teeth for the science fair.
Substitute Meaning: All set / Very ready
5. Kick in the teeth
Meaning: A big disappointment or unfair thing
Give an Instance: Losing the prize felt like a kick in the teeth. / Not getting picked was a kick in the teeth.
Substitute Meaning: Letdown / Harsh news
6. Cut your teeth
Meaning: Learn something for the first time
Give an Instance: She cut her teeth on small plays before the big one. / I cut my teeth writing short stories.
Substitute Meaning: Start learning / First try
7. Get your teeth into
Meaning: Get really involved in something
Give an Instance: He got his teeth into the science project. / She got her teeth into the new book.
Substitute Meaning: Focus hard / Dive in
8. Sweet tooth
Meaning: Love for sugary foods
Give an Instance: I have a sweet tooth for ice cream. / She always wants cookies she has a sweet tooth.
Substitute Meaning: Crave sweets / Love candy
9. Fight tooth and nail
Meaning: Fight very hard
Give an Instance: They fought tooth and nail for the trophy. / She fought tooth and nail to keep her spot.
Substitute Meaning: Try hard / Give it your all
10. Long in the tooth
Meaning: Getting older
Give an Instance: That computer is long in the tooth. / My backpack is getting long in the tooth.
Substitute Meaning: Old / Worn out
11. Sink your teeth into
Meaning: Start something with energy
Give an Instance: She sank her teeth into the art project. / I sank my teeth into the new game.
Substitute Meaning: Get excited / Start strong
12. Set your teeth on edge
Meaning: Make someone feel annoyed
Give an Instance: That squeaky sound sets my teeth on edge. / Her chewing set his teeth on edge.
Substitute Meaning: Bother / Annoy
13. Grit your teeth
Meaning: Be brave and deal with something hard
Give an Instance: I gritted my teeth and finished the race. / He gritted his teeth during the dentist visit.
Substitute Meaning: Be strong / Tough it out
14. Bare your teeth
Meaning: Show anger or threat
Give an Instance: The dog bared its teeth when scared. / She bared her teeth during the game.
Substitute Meaning: Look tough / Show you’re mad
15. Give one’s eyeteeth
Meaning: Be very eager or willing
Give an Instance: I’d give my eyeteeth to meet that player. / He’d give his eyeteeth to skip the test.
Substitute Meaning: Really want / Be super willing
16. Pull teeth
Meaning: Very hard to do
Give an Instance: Getting him to do homework is like pulling teeth. / Talking to her was like pulling teeth.
Substitute Meaning: Not easy / Very tough
17. Sink one’s teeth
Meaning: Begin with energy
Give an Instance: She sank her teeth into the mystery book. / He sank his teeth into building the robot.
Substitute Meaning: Dive in / Start with effort
18. Have teeth
Meaning: Be strong or powerful
Give an Instance: The new rule has teeth. / That law has real teeth to it.
Substitute Meaning: Strong / Serious
19. Toothless
Meaning: Weak or without power
Give an Instance: That plan was toothless. / The rule felt toothless no one followed it.
Substitute Meaning: Weak / No power
20. In the teeth of
Meaning: Even though something is hard
Give an Instance: He ran in the teeth of the wind. / She kept going in the teeth of fear.
Substitute Meaning: Despite / Facing something tough
21. Lie through your teeth
Meaning: Tell a big lie
Give an Instance: He lied through his teeth about the broken window. / She lied through her teeth and said she did her homework.
Substitute Meaning: Totally lied / Made it up
22. Show some teeth
Meaning: Be firm or strong
Give an Instance: The teacher showed some teeth during class. / He showed some teeth at the meeting.
Substitute Meaning: Act tough / Be strict
23. Bite the bullet
Meaning: Do something hard
Give an Instance: I bit the bullet and got my shot. / She bit the bullet and apologized.
Substitute Meaning: Do it anyway / Face it
24. Like pulling hen’s teeth
Meaning: Nearly impossible
Give an Instance: Getting him to clean was like pulling hen’s teeth. / That answer was like pulling hen’s teeth.
Substitute Meaning: Super hard / Not likely
25. All teeth and no bite
Meaning: Looks scary but not really
Give an Instance: The dog barked a lot but didn’t bite just all teeth and no bite. / He talks tough but won’t act.
Substitute Meaning: Just talk / Not dangerous
26. Look a gift horse in the mouth
Meaning: Complain about a free gift
Give an Instance: Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth it’s a free treat! / She got a free snack and still complained.
Substitute Meaning: Be thankful / Don’t be picky
27. Grin and bear it
Meaning: Smile and get through it
Give an Instance: I didn’t like the test but had to grin and bear it. / He smiled and kept quiet.
Substitute Meaning: Deal with it / Get through
28. Tooth and nail
Meaning: With full effort
Give an Instance: She worked tooth and nail on the project. / They fought tooth and nail to win.
Substitute Meaning: Tried really hard / Full effort
29. A kick in the teeth
Meaning: A mean surprise
Give an Instance: Getting no ice cream was a kick in the teeth. / It rained on our trip a real kick in the teeth.
Substitute Meaning: Bad shock / Big letdown
30. Sink your teeth deep
Meaning: Focus hard
Give an Instance: He sank his teeth deep into the puzzle. / She got deep into her book.
Substitute Meaning: Work hard / Stay focused
31. To the teeth
Meaning: Fully armed or ready
Give an Instance: He was ready to the teeth with his supplies. / She came to the test ready to the teeth.
Substitute Meaning: Fully prepared / All set
32. Have your teeth in something
Meaning: Be fully involved
Give an Instance: She had her teeth in the school project. / I had my teeth in the painting contest.
Substitute Meaning: Very into it / Fully working
33. Dig your teeth in
Meaning: Keep trying hard
Give an Instance: He dug his teeth in and solved the puzzle. / I dug in to finish reading.
Substitute Meaning: Keep at it / Don’t quit
34. Tooth fairy moment
Meaning: A small sweet surprise
Give an Instance: Getting a note from my friend was a tooth fairy moment. / The teacher’s praise felt magical.
Substitute Meaning: Special treat / Tiny joy
35. Get your teeth checked
Meaning: Get ready or fix things
Give an Instance: It’s time to get your teeth checked be prepared. / She got her act together.
Substitute Meaning: Get things in order / Check everything
36. A mouth full of teeth
Meaning: Talk too much
Give an Instance: He had a mouth full of teeth during lunch. / She never stops talking.
Substitute Meaning: Talkative / Can’t stay quiet
37. Teeth-chattering
Meaning: Very cold or scary
Give an Instance: That movie was teeth-chattering scary. / The weather made my teeth chatter.
Substitute Meaning: Super cold / So scary
38. Sink your baby teeth
Meaning: Start something new
Give an Instance: He sank his baby teeth into school plays. / She tried a new game.
Substitute Meaning: First try / Begin now
39. Talk through your teeth
Meaning: Speak without meaning it
Give an Instance: He said “sorry” through his teeth. / She talked through her teeth and rolled her eyes.
Substitute Meaning: Fake it / Not honest
40. Smile full of teeth
Meaning: Big happy smile
Give an Instance: He had a smile full of teeth after the win. / Her birthday gift made her grin wide.
Substitute Meaning: Huge smile / Really happy
41. Clench your teeth
Meaning: Hold back feelings
Give an Instance: She clenched her teeth and stayed calm. / I clenched my teeth when I got mad.
Substitute Meaning: Stay quiet / Keep it in
42. Talk tooth to tooth
Meaning: Speak closely
Give an Instance: They spoke tooth to tooth about the secret. / We whispered tooth to tooth.
Substitute Meaning: Quiet talk / Close chat
43. Shine your teeth
Meaning: Smile big
Give an Instance: She shined her teeth in the photo. / He smiled and showed all his teeth.
Substitute Meaning: Bright smile / Happy face
44. Teeth-grinding
Meaning: Annoying or stressful
Give an Instance: That homework was teeth-grinding hard. / Waiting in line was teeth-grinding.
Substitute Meaning: Tough / Very annoying
45. Bite with baby teeth
Meaning: Try with little strength
Give an Instance: He tried to argue, but it was just a baby teeth bite. / She made a weak point.
Substitute Meaning: Not strong / Soft try
Find the Idioms about Teeth
Last Friday, the fifth-grade class at Oakwood Elementary had a surprise visitor. The new science teacher, Mr. Denton, brought in a pet turtle. Everyone was excited, but some students started acting up. Max had a sweet tooth and kept sneaking candy from his desk. When Mr. Denton looked his way, Max bit his tongue and stayed quiet.
Later, the class had a hard quiz. Emily was nervous but gritted her teeth and focused. She just passed by the skin of her teeth. Jason, who usually jokes around, sank his teeth into the test and did well. Mia wanted to complain, but she remembered not to look a gift horse in the mouth it was still a chance to learn.
At recess, two kids argued about who won a game. They fought tooth and nail until the teacher stepped in. “It’s not worth it,” she said. “Grin and bear it.” Back inside, Ben was in trouble again. He lied through his teeth about throwing the ball inside. Ms. Lee was tired of that and showed her teeth this time. “No more games,” she warned.
After lunch, the students returned for a group project. Lila got her teeth into the planning right away. The group worked hard, and by the end of the day, everyone had a smile full of teeth.
Instructions for Students:
Read the story again. Find and underline or list all the idioms about teeth used in the passage.
Answer Key
- Sweet tooth
- Bit his tongue
- Gritted her teeth
- By the skin of her teeth
- Sank his teeth into
- Look a gift horse in the mouth
- Fought tooth and nail
- Grin and bear it
- Lied through his teeth
- Showed her teeth
- Got her teeth into
- Smile full of teeth
Conclusion
Idioms about teeth can sound funny at first, but they carry strong and clear meanings. These phrases help people share ideas in a simple, colorful way. You don’t need to talk about real teeth just about moments in life when things are hard, sweet, or serious.
Once you learn these idioms, you will notice them in books, shows, and even at school. They help make speaking and writing more fun. Try using some next time you tell a story or write a sentence. It’s an easy way to sound more natural and keep others interested.
