Everyone feels pain sometimes. It can be a stubbed toe, a sore tummy, or even feeling sad when something bad happens. When we feel pain, we often try to talk about it so others understand how we feel. In English, there are special expressions that people use. These are called idioms. Idioms don’t always mean exactly what the words say, but they help us share feelings in a clearer way.
This article is all about idioms for pain. You will learn what each one means and how to use it in a sentence. Some idioms talk about physical pain, while others talk about hurt feelings or tough situations. Once you know them, you can use them in everyday conversations. These idioms will help you talk about pain in a way that others will understand easily.
Idioms for Pain
1. A pain in the neck
Meaning: Someone or something that is very annoying
For Example: My little brother is a pain in the neck when I do my homework. / That buzzing sound is a pain in the neck.
Alternatively: Really annoying / Hard to deal with
2. Feel under the weather
Meaning: To feel sick or unwell
For Example: I didn’t go to school because I felt under the weather. / Dad stayed home from work because he felt under the weather.
Alternatively: Not feeling well / Sick
3. A splitting headache
Meaning: A very bad headache
For Example: After the loud party, I had a splitting headache. / She got a splitting headache from sitting in the sun too long.
Alternatively: Bad headache / Head pain
4. Hurt like crazy
Meaning: Something hurts a lot
For Example: My ankle hurt like crazy when I fell. / That bee sting hurt like crazy.
Alternatively: Really painful / Super sore
5. Break your heart
Meaning: To feel very sad or upset
For Example: It broke my heart when my pet ran away. / She broke her heart over the sad movie.
Alternatively: Made very sad / Deeply upset
6. A sore spot
Meaning: A topic or memory that makes someone upset
For Example: Don’t talk about his lost game it’s a sore spot. / Her missing toy is a sore spot.
Alternatively: Sensitive topic / Upsetting subject
7. A stabbing pain
Meaning: A sharp and sudden pain
For Example: I felt a stabbing pain in my side during gym. / He had a stabbing pain after running too fast.
Alternatively: Sharp pain / Sudden hurt
8. Feel blue
Meaning: To feel sad
For Example: I felt blue when my friend moved away. / She was feeling blue after losing her toy.
Alternatively: Feeling down / Sad mood
9. Shooting pain
Meaning: Pain that moves quickly through the body
For Example: I had a shooting pain in my leg after jumping. / The dentist visit gave me a shooting pain in my tooth.
Alternatively: Quick pain / Sharp hurt
10. On your last leg
Meaning: Very tired or weak
For Example: After the long hike, I was on my last leg. / Grandma said she felt on her last leg after gardening.
Alternatively: Worn out / Nearly out of energy
11. A pain in the butt
Meaning: Something or someone that is very annoying
For Example: Cleaning my room is such a pain in the butt. / His constant talking is a pain in the butt.
Alternatively: Annoying / Irritating
12. Ache all over
Meaning: To feel pain in many parts of the body
For Example: After running a marathon, my legs ached all over. / She felt like she ached all over after the long day at school.
Alternatively: Sore everywhere / Full-body pain
13. Cry over spilled milk
Meaning: To be upset about something that can’t be fixed
For Example: There’s no use crying over spilled milk; we can clean it up and try again. / Don’t cry over spilled milk; the game is over now.
Alternatively: Don’t regret the past / Stop being upset about small things
14. Bite the bullet
Meaning: To do something painful but necessary
For Example: I had to bite the bullet and get a shot at the doctor. / He bit the bullet and went to school with a sprained ankle.
Alternatively: Tough it out / Face something unpleasant
15. Twist the knife
Meaning: To make someone feel worse about their pain or trouble
For Example: When he kept reminding me about my lost game, it felt like he was twisting the knife. / Don’t twist the knife by bringing up her bad grade.
Alternatively: Make it worse / Rub it in
16. Be a thorn in someone’s side
Meaning: To be a constant problem or source of trouble
For Example: That noisy neighbor is a thorn in my side. / His constant teasing was a thorn in her side.
Alternatively: Annoying problem / Ongoing trouble
17. Be in agony
Meaning: To be in great pain or distress
For Example: He was in agony after hurting his foot. / She was in agony when the teacher gave her a big test.
Alternatively: Great pain / Terrible discomfort
18. In a world of hurt
Meaning: To be in serious trouble or pain
For Example: After falling off my bike, I was in a world of hurt. / He was in a world of hurt after his argument with his best friend.
Alternatively: In big trouble / Serious pain
19. Kill two birds with one stone
Meaning: To solve two problems with one action (can also apply to painful situations)
For Example: By finishing my homework and listening to music, I killed two birds with one stone. / The doctor gave me medicine that helped with the headache and my back pain, killing two birds with one stone.
Alternatively: Multi-task / Solve two problems
20. The sting of failure
Meaning: The pain or disappointment after failing at something
For Example: The sting of failure was strong after losing the competition. / He felt the sting of failure after missing the goal.
Alternatively: Feeling disappointed / Pain of not succeeding
21. A bitter pill to swallow
Meaning: Something hard to accept or deal with
For Example: It was a bitter pill to swallow when I didn’t get the part in the play. / Losing the game was a bitter pill to swallow for the team.
Alternatively: Hard to accept / Disappointing
22. A slap in the face
Meaning: Something that feels like an unfair or hurtful surprise
For Example: When she didn’t invite me to the party, it felt like a slap in the face. / His rude comments were a slap in the face.
Alternatively: An insult / Feeling hurt
23. Stab someone in the back
Meaning: To betray or hurt someone when they trust you
For Example: It felt like she stabbed me in the back when she told my secret. / His friend stabbed him in the back by taking credit for his idea.
Alternatively: Betray / Hurt by someone
24. A hard pill to swallow
Meaning: Something difficult to accept
For Example: The fact that I lost the contest was a hard pill to swallow. / Her harsh words were a hard pill to swallow.
Alternatively: Tough to accept / Disappointing
25. Cry wolf
Meaning: To say something is wrong when it’s not, causing others to ignore real problems
For Example: If you cry wolf too many times, no one will believe you when you’re really hurt. / She cried wolf about being tired when she wasn’t.
Alternatively: False alarm / Make people ignore real problems
26. Rub salt in the wound
Meaning: To make someone’s pain worse by reminding them of it
For Example: Telling me I messed up again just rubs salt in the wound. / Don’t rub salt in the wound by reminding him of the mistake.
Alternatively: Make it worse / Remind of hurt
27. A knife in the heart
Meaning: A deeply painful emotional experience
For Example: When my friend betrayed me, it felt like a knife in the heart. / His harsh words were like a knife in the heart.
Alternatively: Heartbreaking / Very hurtful
28. In hot water
Meaning: In trouble or facing a difficult situation
For Example: He’s in hot water for breaking the window. / After missing the deadline, she was in hot water with her teacher.
Alternatively: In trouble / Facing consequences
29. Out of the woods
Meaning: No longer in pain or trouble
For Example: After my surgery, I finally felt like I was out of the woods. / The storm passed, and we’re out of the woods now.
Alternatively: Out of danger / Feeling better
30. Burn the bridges
Meaning: To destroy relationships or connections
For Example: By arguing with my friend, I feel like I’ve burned the bridges between us. / Saying those things really burned the bridges with his team.
Alternatively: Ruin relationships / Damage connections
31. A heavy heart
Meaning: Feeling very sad
For Example: He walked home with a heavy heart after hearing the bad news. / She had a heavy heart after saying goodbye to her friends.
Alternatively: Feeling sad / Deeply upset
32. A thorn in the side
Meaning: A small but constant problem
For Example: That homework assignment was a thorn in my side all week. / His constant complaints are a thorn in the side of the team.
Alternatively: Annoying problem / Constant issue
33. A broken heart
Meaning: To feel extremely sad or hurt emotionally
For Example: She had a broken heart after losing her childhood pet. / It broke my heart to hear my friend was moving away.
Alternatively: Very sad / Heartache
34. Wound up tight
Meaning: To feel anxious or stressed
For Example: Before the big test, I was wound up tight. / She was wound up tight before her performance.
Alternatively: Stressed / Nervous
35. Cry your eyes out
Meaning: To cry a lot due to sadness
For Example: She cried her eyes out after her dog ran away. / He cried his eyes out after the argument.
Alternatively: Weep a lot / Cry hard
36. A painful truth
Meaning: A truth that is hard to accept or deal with
For Example: The painful truth was that I didn’t pass the test. / The painful truth is that we need to clean up after the mess we made.
Alternatively: Hard to accept / Tough reality
37. On the edge of tears
Meaning: Almost about to cry
For Example: She was on the edge of tears after hearing the sad news. / I was on the edge of tears when I lost my favorite toy.
Alternatively: About to cry / Very upset
38. A bruised ego
Meaning: To feel hurt or embarrassed by something
For Example: His ego was bruised when his idea was rejected. / She had a bruised ego after her performance didn’t go well.
Alternatively: Feeling hurt / Feeling embarrassed
39. Carry the weight of the world
Meaning: To feel burdened by a lot of problems or stress
For Example: She felt like she was carrying the weight of the world after all the chores. / I felt like I was carrying the weight of the world with that big project.
Alternatively: Feeling stressed / Overwhelmed
40. Lick your wounds
Meaning: To take time to recover from emotional pain
For Example: After losing the game, he needed some time to lick his wounds. / She took a few days to lick her wounds after the argument.
Alternatively: Recover emotionally / Heal from hurt
True/False Quiz: Idioms for Pain
- If someone has a heavy heart, it means they are feeling very happy.
True / False - Saying to bite the bullet means doing something even though it’s hard or painful.
True / False - When someone says they are on their last leg, it means they have lots of energy.
True / False - Crying over spilled milk means getting upset over something that already happened and can’t be changed.
True / False - If someone feels blue, they are probably feeling sad.
True / False - Saying someone stabbed you in the back means they helped you in a kind way.
True / False - Rub salt in the wound means making someone feel better after a mistake.
True / False - If you carry the weight of the world, you feel like you have a lot of stress.
True / False - On the edge of tears means you’re feeling really excited and full of joy.
True / False - Licking your wounds means to take time to feel better after something hurtful.
True / False
Answer Key
- False
- True
- False
- True
- True
- False
- False
- True
- False
- True
Scoring Guide
- 10 Correct Answers: Idioms Master!
- 7–9 Correct Answers: You really get Idioms nice work!
- 4–6 Correct Answers: You’re learning, keep going!
- 0–3 Correct Answers: Let’s learn about Idioms together!
Conclusion
Pain can be hard to talk about. Idioms make it easier. They help us share feelings using simple words that many people understand. These phrases can describe both physical pain, like a sore knee, and emotional pain, like losing a pet or feeling left out.
By learning these idioms, you can express yourself better and understand how others feel too. You’ll hear these phrases in conversations, shows, and books. Try using a few in your own sentences, and soon they’ll become part of how you speak every day. Keep learning, and you’ll grow your word power one phrase at a time.