Meaning & use
body english
Last updated
Meanings
noununcountableinformalAmericansport
Twisting or leaning your body as though to steer a ball or object that has already left your hand and cannot be changed.
Grammar: Not used with an or an: he used body english, not a body english.
Patterns
- use body english
- put body english on something
He leaned hard to the left, using body english to nudge the bowling ball toward the pin.
Everyone at the pool table groaned when she added body english after the shot.
The golfer twisted with body english as if he could bend the ball back onto the green.
noununcountableinformalAmericanfigurative
Movements and gestures of the body used to help get a message across, in addition to or instead of words.
Grammar: Used loosely, often with humor: her body english said she was bored.
Patterns
- read someone's body english
- with body english
His body english made it clear he wanted to leave the party.
She told the story with so much body english that we all laughed.
Common combinations
- use body english
- Players often use body english on shots they cannot change.
- add body english
- He added body english, but the ball still missed the pocket.
- lots of body english
- The pitcher showed lots of body english after the wild throw.
- a little body english
- She gave the ball a little body english as it rolled.
Synonyms and how they differ
- body language
- Body language is the usual, neutral term for gestures that show feelings, while body english is mainly about trying to influence a moving ball.
- gesturing
- Gesturing describes deliberate hand and arm signals, whereas body english is usually unplanned leaning or twisting.
- English
- On its own, English in this sense means spin put on a ball in billiards, and it is narrower than body english, which is about the player's movement.
Word family
- English noun
- spin given to a ball, especially in billiards
- body language noun
- messages sent by the way you move and sit
Commonly confused: body english or body language?
body english vs body language
Body language means the signals your posture and gestures send, while body english is the leaning you do to guide a ball already in motion.
Practice
After the shot, Dana twisted her whole body to the right, trying to steer the ball with ___.
Choose one answer.
Body english is the twisting people do as if they could steer a ball in flight. Body language is about signals, and armor and weight do not mean this.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “body english”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.