(Discover even more words in The Writer’s Body Lexicon.)
People tend to overlook elbows. However, this oft-ignored body part can influence how we act and react.
Chronic plaque psoriasis on the elbows might exacerbate social anxiety disorder or self-esteem issues. Ulnar nerve entrapment could stall the career of a golfer or baseball player. A teenage girl might panic at a “horrific” boil or wart when she tries on her sleeveless prom dress.
This post provides ways to include elbows in your storyline. You’ll also find replacements for a few clichés and idioms.
Emotion Beats and Physical Manifestations
Judicious inclusion of elbows can show emotion. However, ensure clear context. Some beats may indicate more than one emotion.
Aggrievement, distress, grief
elbows pulled close to one’s body
self-hugging, with a firm grip on one’s elbows
Anger, displeasure, exasperation
standing with arms crossed
elbows bent outward as one stands akimbo
Anxiety, apprehension, concern
rubbing one’s arms and elbows
closed stance with one hand clutching opposite elbow
Attraction, fascination, fixation
touching another person’s elbow, hand, or shoulder
Contentment, gratification, satisfaction
elbows bent outward as one stands akimbo
elbows propped on desk, fingers steepled in in front of one’s smiling face
Curiosity, inquisitiveness, interest
bent elbow propped in opposite hand, index finger on one’s lips
elbows snugged close to body while character peers at object of curiosity
Disappointment, dissatisfaction, regret
self-hugging, with a firm grip on one’s elbows
elbows tucked in while clasping one’s wrist
Discomfiture, humiliation, mortification
self-hugging, with a firm grip on one’s elbows
elbows on desk, head propped in hands
Dread, foreboding, trepidation
elbows pulled close to body
Guilt, remorse, shame
slumped posture with scrunched shoulders, elbows pulled close to one’s body
Insecurity, self-doubt, unease
self-hugging, with a firm grip on one’s elbows
elbows snugged close to body, chin propped on one’s partial fists
Resignation, stoicism, tolerance
one’s elbows snugged close to body, palms up, head back
sitting with elbows on one’s knees, chin propped on fists
If you need additional beats, consult a body language dictionary. (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)
Adjectives
When describing body parts, maintain a vigilant watch for opinion adjectives, which can influence point of view. Other descriptors may also affect POV. For instance, the character of focus will be aware of frost-bitten elbows, but the condition might not be obvious to others.
A and B
abraded, accident-prone, angry, angular, armored, arthritic, ashy, awkward, banged-up, bare, beefy, bent, bloodstained, bloody, blubbery, bony, bristly, brittle, broken, bulbous, bulging, bumpy, burnt, busy
C
cadaverous, calcified, callous, callused, cancerous, careless, chafed, chapped, charred, chubby, clad, clumsy, cold, concealed, cool, cracked, cramped, creaky, creased, crinkly, crooked, crumpled, crusty
D and E
dainty, damaged, deadly, death-dealing, decrepit, defensive, deformed, delicate, dimpled, dirty, disfigured, dislocated, distended, dodgy, doughy, dry, enormous, etiolated, exasperated, exposed
F and G
fang-sharp, fat, feeble, flaccid, flaky, flayed, flexible, flimsy, fractured, fragile, frangible, frost-bitten, frozen, furrowed, fuzzy, gangrenous, gaunt, gawky, gnarled, greasy, grimy, grotesque, grubby
H to K
hairy, hard, hirsute, hooked, hostile, huge, hurt, ill-proportioned, immense, immobile, immobilized, infected, inflamed, inflexible, injured, inner, irregular, itchy, jagged, knobbly, knotty
L to O
leathery, lethal, limber, limp, loose, lumpy, maimed, malformed, mangled, massive, meaty, misproportioned, moisturized, motionless, mucky, muddy, mutilated, necrotic, needle-sharp, numb, odd, oily, outer, out-of-joint, outstretched
P
padded, painful, paralyzed, pimply, pitted, pliant, plump, pockmarked, pointed, pointy, powerful, prickling, prodigious, prominent, protective, protruding, pudgy, puffy, puny
R
ragged, rash-riddled, raw, rawboned, razor-sharp, reptilian, resilient, rheumatic, rickety, rigid, rock-hard, rough, rubbery, rugged, rumpled, runty
Sa to Sk
saggy, satin-covered, saurian, savage, scabrous, scalded, scaly, scarred, scorched, scraped, scrawny, sensitive, sharp, shattered, silken, skeletal, skinless, skinned, skinny
Sl to Sw
slack, slender, slimy, slippery, smooth, soft, solid, sore, spiky, spindly, splintered, stabilized, stationary, sticky, stiff, still, stray, supple, swollen
T to W
tender, thick, thorny, tingly, tough, trick, tumid, twisted, ugly, uncomfortable, underdeveloped, undersized, ungainly, unpadded, unprotected, unusual, unwashed, useless, vulnerable, weak, weedy, well-upholstered, wide, withered, wooden, wrinkled, wry
Similes and Metaphors
Many clichés began as similes and metaphors like the following. Can you leverage these to create your own unforgettable phrases?
big as basketballs
bigger than one’s scabby knees
crooked as a praying mantis leg
jutting like an angry emu’s wings
more wrinkly than an elephant’s butt
pointy as arrows
protruding like hang-glider sails
twin cacti
twin spears
weapons of destruction
Colors
The color of a character’s elbows will normally be similar to that of skin and arms. This list presents a few idea-starters.
B to Y
black-and-blue, bleached, blotchy, bronzed, brown, bruised, creamy, crimson, dark, freckled, grey, mottled, pink, red, rosy, sooty, white, yellow-and-purple
Find more options in 1000+ Ways to Describe Colors.
The Writer’s Lexicon series
and additional resources on my Facebook page.
Scents
In addition to topical applications of substances such as liniment or moisturizing cream, a character’s elbows will mirror the scents associated with skin and arms.
Shapes
An elbow doesn’t provide much opportunity for shape descriptions. It’s the pointy joint that connects upper and lower arms. However, you might find opportunities to describe an elbow’s shape as:
A to W
angular, aquiline, blunt, conic, conical, flat, hooked, irregular, jaggy, malformed, misshapen, pointed, pointy, round, shapely, sharp, spikey, triangular, V-shaped, warped
Verbs and Phrasal Verbs (1): Transitive
Watch for body parts that perform independent actions. Does an elbow bang into a wall, or does its owner bang it into a wall? Choose with care, always mindful of the mental image you will evoke in editors and readers.
B and C
bang (against, into), barge into, bash (against, into), block, brace (against, up), brush (against), bump (against, into), buoy, clout, collide with, cover, crush
D to H
descend (into, onto), dig into, emerge (from, out of), fend off, flop (against, into, onto), force through, graze (against), grind (against, into), hang over, hit, hold up
I to N
injure, jab (into), jostle, knock against, land on, lean on, lie on, lodge (in, on), nudge
P
pinion, plough (into, through), plunge into, poke (through), press (against), prod, prop (on, up), protect, protrude (from, into, through), push (against, into, through)
R
ram (into), remain (above, by, next to, under), rest on, rub (against)
S
save [someone or something] (from), scrape against, settle on, shove, sink (into, onto), slam (against, into), slide (from, off, into, onto), slip (from, into, off), smack (against, into), smash (into), spear, split through, stab, stay on, strike, support
T to W
threaten, thrust (against), thud (against, into), thump (against, into), thwack, touch, wallop, wedge (against, under), whack
Verbs and Phrasal Verbs (2): Intransitive
An elbow can ache, protrude, or twitch — without requiring independent action that might prompt reader chuckles.
A to K
ache, angle, appear, blister, buckle, burn, clunk, collapse, crack, creak, crumple, disarticulate, dislocate, emerge, flake, flop, fracture, give out, hang, heal, hurt, itch, jut out, kink
L to W
lock, peel, pop, prickle, protrude, rupture, sag, shatter, shiver, sink, smart, snap, spasm, splinter, sting, throb, tingle, twinge, twist, twitch, weaken
Verbs and Phrasal Verbs (3): Verbs That Could Take Elbow or Elbows as an Object
The following examples demonstrate how a writer might include some of the verbs in this list.
John grabbed his girlfriend’s elbow when he spied her ex-boyfriend sauntering through the lobby.
Wendy planted her elbows on the bar and flirted with the bartender.
The team’s pitcher strained his elbow and had to rest it for ten games.
A to D
abrade, aim, bang, bash, bend, brace, brandish, break, bruise, bump, burn, bury (in), caress, clasp, claw at, cling to, clutch, crush, cut, damage, disarticulate, dislocate, drop
E to K
expose, extend, finger, flail, flap, flay, flex, fondle, fracture, free (from), gash, grab, grasp, graze, grip, hang on to, hit, hold on to, hyperextend, injure, jerk (away), jostle, knead
L to R
latch onto, lean on, lift, lock, lower, manhandle, massage, moisturize, nudge, nurse, pat, perch on, place (in, on), plant (atop, on), point, position, press, prop up (on), protect, raise, relax, release, rest (on), rub (with)
S
scald, scorch, scrape, scratch, seize, shake, shatter, shield, skin, slam into, slash, slather (with), slide up to, smack, sprain, squeeze, stabilize, straighten, strain, stretch (out), stroke, support (on), swing
T to Y
take (in hand, with), tap, tense, tighten, touch, tug (away), tug on, twist, uncover, wedge (against), whack, wrench, yank (away), yank on
Nouns
Try rewrites if you find excessive repetition of elbow or elbows in your WIP. (See the Clichés and Idioms section for help.) If you’re still left with too many instances, one of following words or phrases might rescue you.
A to S
antecubital fossa, crazy bone, crook of one’s arm, cubital fossa, funny bone, nudger, olecranon, plow, poker, prodder, stabber
Props
Ready for some fun? Props stimulate the imagination and provide opportunities for subplots.
A and B
abnormal hair growth, addiction to painkillers, armor, arthritis, ballet position, beard burn, a boil, a broken hypodermic syringe, bursitis
C to E
calluses, carpet burn, chronic plaque psoriasis, a compress, cortisone shots, eczema, an elbow brace, an elbow sleeve, an elbow support, epicondylitis, an exercise routine
F to R
a fall on the ice, football, golf elbow, gout, gymnastics, a hammock, leeches, lemon juice (for bleaching), lesions, a mountain-climbing injury, a muscle shirt, a narrow doorway, a narrow passage in a cave, papules, peroxide (for bleaching), plastic surgery, psoriasis, a rash, RSI
S to W
a saber duel, saggy skin, scabies, scabs, skin cream, a stampeding crowd, stem-cell injections, steroid abuse, a stole, tattoos, tennis elbow, ulnar nerve compression or entrapment, volleyball, a wart, a wrestling match
Clichés and Idioms
Reduce repetition of elbow and elbows by replacing clichés and idioms like these:
at one’s elbow: adjacent, close, nearby
in/up to one’s elbows: busy, engrossed, harried
like trying to scratch one’s ear with one’s elbow: difficult, hopeless, impossible, unworkable
to bend, crook, lift one’s elbow: booze, imbibe, swill, tipple
to elbow out: can, discharge, fire, lay off, sack
to give elbow room: accept, allow, grant, permit
to give the elbow (1): dismiss (from employment)
to give the elbow (2): reject, spurn (romantically)
to rub elbows with: interact, interrelate, mingle, network, socialize
to use elbow grease: exert oneself, labor, toil
unable to tell one’s butt from one’s elbow: clueless, ignorant, oblivious
The Writer’s Lexicon series
and additional resources on my Facebook page.
Discover more from KathySteinemann.com: Free Resources for Writers
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.