GIVE (ONE’S) RIGHT (BODY PART) FOR/TO DO (SOMETHING), GIVE (SOMEONE) A HARD TIME, GIVE (SOMEONE) A PIECE OF (ONE’S) MIND: American English Idioms #93

GIVE (ONE’S) RIGHT (BODY PART) FOR/TO DO (SOMETHING)

The idiom “give (one’s) right body part” to do something means to sacrifice one’s time, effort, or something else, in order to achieve the goal. One might say that they gave their left arm to get through the semester.

GIVE (ONE’S) RIGHT (BODY PART) FOR/TO DO (SOMETHING) idiom is a metaphorical hyperbole that means to be willing to make great sacrifices for something. It can also refer to the physical act of giving up one’s right hand, which is typically considered the part of the body that people use most. The idiom is typically used when one is about to do something that isn’t expected or accepted by society.

This idiom means to make a sacrifice to accomplish something. One’s right arm might be given (given up) for instance, if someone were to donate a limb for an experimental surgery that might allow them to become self sufficient and independent.

In the sense of a physical sacrifice for a greater good, one may give their right arm to do something. This phrase is often used in academia as a euphemism for faculty who agree to work longer hours without pay, and has been recently seen in relation to adjunct faculty and how much they should be paid.

This idiom is a metaphor for doing something difficult or even dangerous in order to get a desired result. The idiom can be seen as a way to sacrifice oneself in order to get what one wants or needs.

GIVE (SOMEONE) A HARD TIME

A hard time is a difficult or unpleasant experience. Consequently, to give someone a hard time means to make their life difficult. This idiom is often misused to mean “to make somebody angry”.

A person might give someone else a hard time if they are trying to be difficult, or if they are not cooperative. They may also give someone a hard time if they are disparaging them.

The phrase “give someone a hard time” is an idiom that means to give someone trouble, anxiety, or anger. The connotation behind giving someone a hard time is that they are not deserving of the hardship.

Idiomatically, giving someone a hard time denotes causing someone stress or distress; more literally, it can mean to make them spend time doing laborious work.

While the use of the phrase “give someone a hard time” is often interpreted as an indication that one is being teased, it also has a more sinister meaning. The use of the phrase can indicate that one is trying to intimidate or struggle with somebody. For example, if one person is harassing another and issuing threats, they may use this term to describe their actions.

If you give someone a hard time, it means that you are being very demanding and unfriendly with them. For example, if an employee is late to the meeting, their boss might yell at them and give them a hard time.

GIVE (SOMEONE) A PIECE OF (ONE’S) MIND

To give someone a piece of one’s mind means to confront and express one’s anger and disapproval to the person in question.

People will often use the phrase “give someone a piece of one’s mind” when they are frustrated with another person and want to tell them exactly how they feel. It can also be used to express that the speaker is angry and disappointed in the other person, and is usually more of a threat than an actual promise to do anything.

If someone is fed up with someone else, they might give them a piece of their mind. This means that the person will tell the other person what they think of them in no uncertain terms. This can be done by screaming at them, writing them nasty messages on social media, or talking to them about it in person.

A person can give someone a piece of their mind by talking to them about the things they are angry about.

To give someone a piece of one’s mind can mean to give them a verbal lashing, to give them an earful. It means to reprimand someone in a loud, harsh, or critical manner. When I found out you’d stolen my bike yesterday, I gave you a piece of my mind about how it’s not okay to take things that don’t belong to you and made you promise never again.