(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.

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

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