A matter of body language?

A matter of body language?

Watching all those FIFA cup matches, it struck me how we use the names of some parts of our body to express action or activity. That means we use them as verbs and not only as nouns.

I am not a teacher of English, so I shall stay away from explaining about transitive or intransitive verbs and only stick to what I have found. I have made extensive use of Merriam Webster, Collins and Oxford dictionaries and borrowed some examples for easy understanding. Now, for the narrative.

Ishan headed (led) the investment-promotion team in a multinational company. The company had paid the annual bonus, so he took his whole team to a nearby restaurant for celebration. Everyone bellied up (walk to or toward something) to the bar and drank like crazy. Ishan was fine with it till it was time to pay and he was disappointed that although everyone had received bonus, he had to foot the bill (pay the bill) because he was the senior most.

Nursing a hangover, he headed for (went to/towards) the office next morning. Armed (equipped) with all the latest reports and papers, he entered the office, hoping to share with his boss, how the company had earned huge profits in the last quarter.

But the scene there was different and unexpected. The whole staff had gathered around his desk and everyone was shouting at the top of their voice. His senior colleague, Rohit, was heading (take charge/lead) the noisy session. Ishan elbowed his way (reach somewhere by pushing others) into the crowd to know the reason. It seemed there had been misuse of funds and the company owner had ordered deduction from the salary from the employees.

Ishan then noticed his boss eyeballing (staring at) and signalling him from across the glass panes of his cabin.  

As he went in, his boss angrily threw a stack of papers in front of him. Ishan stared at the report headed (to place something at the beginning or top of something to introduce/ categorize) by the company-owner’s name. The boss accused him of misuse of funds and said that after help from Rohit he had fingered the culprit (lineup of suspects that fits the description of someone who committed a crime by the police to identify the culprit). Ishan noticed his own name heading (stand as the first or leading member) the list of fraudsters.

The boss started shouting. Ishan tried to butt in (interrupt), to explain that there must have been a mistake, the report was wrong and that he had the correct figures. But the boss was not interested in his explanations and asked him to hand the work over (give control of) to someone who would handle his job, and leave the premises. 

As he came out of the cabin, the crowd directed their anger at him. He breasted (confronted, move forward resolutely) the crowd and tried to show them the reports he had prepared, but they would not listen. His own colleagues not trusting him was too much for him to stomach (to bear). He wanted to shin up (climb something quickly) the drainpipe to escape, but so annoyed were they, that they muscled (pushed) him out of the office. 

Confused and stunned that nobody in the team had backed (supported) him, he walked about on the roads for hours. He crossed the church headed (the uppermost extremity or projecting part) by a spire and wandered into an alley. 

Some boys were playing football where the road necked (narrowed). Had he been feeling good, he would have stood and admired the skills of the young street players. But today he felt a tiny headache creeping up when he saw young boys heading or chesting the ball (striking the ball with their heads/chest).

There at the end of the road he saw a car parked in a dark spot. Eyeing (look closely with interest) the familiar looking figures suspiciously, he went closer and found his girlfriend necking (caressing amorously) Rohit. He felt as if someone had kneed him in the groin/bollocks (kicked him in the groin), as sick as he always felt when gutting a fish (manually removing the organs from the abdomen of the fish). He tried to scream and shout, but no words came out and he could only mouth (move the mouth as if saying something) the expletives.

He legged it, (run very quickly, usually in order to escape from someone), got out on the main road and thumbed a ride (begged a ride) home.

His mother was watching television and he pussy footed (move cautiously/stealthily) around so as not to catch her attention.

He sat down on his bed and went over the events in the office. Then it struck him that he had caught Rohit nosing around (searching for something, such as private or hidden information in usually a quiet or secret way) his papers a couple of days ago.  It looked like Rohit had forged the report and palmed it off (persuade someone to accept something by deception) as his, to the boss.

That worthless Rohit who bummed (borrow without intending to return, sponge on others) not only project reports, but also drinks and what not from him, had backstabbed him.  

Ishan made himself strong black coffee and sat down to write a letter to the company owner. The honest and resolute worker that he is, he knuckled down (work energetically or seriously) to prepare a report about the dark deeds of Rohit.

He explained that had he himself been in the wrong, he would have shouldered (owned up) the blame and faced the music (accept responsibility for something done wrong), but he was innocent. He mentioned the times Rohit had backed out (withdraw from a commitment) from projects and had suggested underhand deals. Rohit had even threatened that if he did not toe the line (conform to the standard), he would be skinned (punished).

With his thoughts off his chest, he fingered (caress) the resignation letter, put it in an envelope and went to bed hoping that the worst day in his life was over. The next morning, he rose fresh and determined.

He went into the office, slapped the letter on the boss’s table and cheerfully went out. It was no use staying in an organization where the employer did not back (support) hard-working employees.

Too intense ‘body’ language, isn’t it? Can you think of any more verbs associated with these body parts?  If so, please share your ideas in the comments section.                                                                                                                                     -Anupama S Mani