Hair is the long thin strands that grow out of the skin and head. The plural is ‘hairs’, but we use the singular form to describe someone’s hair e.g. Your hair looks great today.

hair idioms list

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

  • a hair’s breadth
    meaning – a very small margin/amount
    example – I came within a hair’s breadth of dying last year. I was in a car crash.
  • bad hair day
    meaning – a day when your hair is unmanageable, and everything goes wrong
    example – I had a bad hair day yesterday. Hopefully, I don’t today.
  • carrot top
    meaning – a person with red hair
    example – I love being a carrot top, I feel unique and special.
  • get in someone’s hair
    meaning – annoy someone
    example – My little brother is getting in my hair, I’m trying to revise for my exams.
  • hair of the dog
    meaning – drink alcohol when you are hungover
    example – Give Mike a hair of the dog. That will make him feel better.
  • keep your hair on
    meaning – tell someone not to get angry or upset
    example – Keep your hair on, we still have 50 minutes before the concert starts.
  • let one’s hair down
    meaning – relax and have fun
    example – The kids are with grandad so I will let my hair down this weekend.
  • not a hair out of place
    meaning – a person looks very neat/tidy/smart
    example – He’s been out all night and he still hasn’t got a hair out of place.
  • put hairs on one’s chest
    meaning – something is very strong
    example – My mum said if I eat spinach soup everyday it will put hairs on my chest.
  • silver fox
    meaning – a handsome grey-haired man
    example – Rufus was a geek at school, now he’s a silver fox.
  • tear one’s hair out
    meaning – be very agitated, upset, angry, worried, frustrated etc.
    example – It’s been raining for days. The dog is so bored, he’s tearing his hair out.
  • thinning on top
    meaning – losing your hair, going bald
    example – Kaden started to thin on top when he was in his teens.

hair idioms list with pictures

Here’s some real life picture examples.

idiomatic expressions with body parts - hair
hair idioms list - a hair's breadth
hair idioms in English - bad hair day meaning
hair idioms - carrot top meaning
common hair idioms - get in someone's hair meaning
hair idioms list - hair of the dog meaning
hair idioms and expressions - keep your hair on meaning
hair idioms list - let one’s hair down
hair idioms in English - not a hair out of place
hair idioms list - put hair's on one's chest
hair idioms - silver fox meaning
common hair idioms and expressions - tear one’s hair out
hair idioms - thinning on top meaning

You can download a table of ‘hair’ idioms and expressions below.

If you’ve enjoyed this page, don’t forget to check out some more body idioms by clicking on the links below.