NERVE idioms (body idioms)

Contents

What is a nerve?

A nerve is a group of fibres inside the body that transmits impulses from the brain to different organs in the body. The plural is ‘nerves’.

Let’s look at some popular body idioms that contain the word ‘nerve’.

bag of nerves
meaning – very nervous
example – I get my results today, I’m a bag of nerves.
get on one’s nerves
meaning – annoy/irritate someone
example – My boyfriend got on my nerves, so I locked him in the conservatory.
have a nerve
meaning – someone is arrogant, brash, cheeky
example – My son has a nerve. He asked for lunch money. but my husband already gave him some.
hit a nerve
meaning – provoke a reaction (anger, sadness etc.) by talking/reading about a sensitive subject
example – The people protested when the government stole public money. They hit a nerve.

Here’s some real life picture examples.