What is a shoulder?

A shoulder is the joint in the upper arm that attaches the arm to the body. The plural is ‘shoulders’.

shoulder idioms list

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

a shoulder to cry on
meaning – a sympathetic person who listens to your problems
example – I needed a shoulder to cry on, but he was only interested in going out with his friends.
a weight off one’s shoulders
meaning – a problem you don’t need to worry about anymore
example – I’ve finally paid off my student loan. It’s a weight off my shoulders.
carry the weight of the world on one’s shoulders
meaning – behave as though you have lots of worries/problems
example – I feel like I am carrying the weight of the world on my shoulders.
give someone the cold shoulder
meaning – ignore someone/be unfriendly on purpose
example – The girlfriend is giving me the cold shoulder. I must have done something wrong.
have a chip on one’s shoulder
meaning – a person with an angry attitude who feels they have been wronged by the world
example – Jamie has had a chip on his shoulder ever since he didn’t get that promotion.
head and shoulders above
meaning – superior, better than
example – We won 7-0, we were head and shoulders above the other team.
look over one’s shoulder
meaning – be afraid that someone might do something bad to you
example – You’d better keep looking over your shoulder, one of these days I’m going to get you.
old head on young shoulders
meaning – a young person who acts/speaks like an older person
example – I trust Calum not to drink and drive, he’s an old head on young shoulders.
rub shoulders with someone
meaning – spend time with someone important or famous
example – We went to the Oscars! We rubbed shoulders with Hollywood’s rich and famous.