(Discover even more words in The Writer’s Body Lexicon.)

A Few Opinions About Knees

Mary Quant believed that a woman is as young as her knees. Dwight D. Eisenhower said, “Ankles are nearly always neat and good-looking, but knees are nearly always not.”

These sometimes-not-so-shapely joints have also been described in a more abstract manner.

Emilio Zapata: “It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.”

Ross Perot: “Failures are like skinned knees, painful but superficial.”

And Rod Stewart injected a bit of humor into his opinion of knees: “Surely if God had meant us to do yoga, he would have put our heads behind our knees.”

This post includes options for both literal and figurative representations of knees.

Emotion Beats and Physical Manifestations

Emotion beats, when viewed in context, show how characters feel. If you pay attention to a person’s knees, you might notice one or more of the following:

Approval of or interest in another person

crossing one’s knees so that they point toward the person

Alarm, fear

weak knees

knees that shake

walking with locked knees

sitting or lying with knees pulled toward one’s chest

Amusement

slapping one’s knee(s)

Anxiety

weak knees

knees that tremble

Craving, yearning

weak knees

Defeat

rubbery knees that may twitch or buckle

Defensiveness

squeezing knees together while one is seated

Determination

leaning forward with one hand on a knee

firm stance, knees locked, hands on hips

Eagerness

leaning forward with one hand on a knee

Elation

sinking to one’s knees

Embarrassment, humiliation, shame

rubbery knees

squeezing one’s knees together

sitting or lying with knees pulled toward one’s chest

Gratitude

kneeling to pray

Grief

weak knees

Infatuation, love

rubbery knees

Insecurity

standing knock-kneed

Nervousness

bouncing a knee while one is seated

crossing legs while one is seated, and grasping one knee in both hands

Overwhelm

sitting or lying with knees pulled toward one’s chest

Relief

knees that collapse

Resignation

sitting with elbows on one’s knees

Restlessness, impatience

leaning forward in chair with hands on one’s knees, as though signaling a desire to leave

Uncertainty

repetitive bending and straightening of knees

If you need additional beats, consult a body language dictionary. (As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.)

Adjectives

Adjectives, literal and figurative, can show or tell. Chubby knees show readers that a character failed at the latest fad diet. Helpless knees tell everyone the character is vulnerable. Choose with care, mindful of POV and opinion adjectives.

A

active, adorable, agile, ample, ancient, angular, aproned, armored, arthritic, artificial, awkward

B

baby-plump, baby-soft, bad, baggy, bare, bashed-up, battered, beautiful, beefy, big, blobby, bloody, blotched, bonny, bony, boyish, braw, brawny, brittle, broad, bulbous, bumpy, busted

C

callused, capacious, charred, chubby, clad, clean, clumsy, cold, colossal, contrite, craggy, cramped, crippled, crooked, cute

D and E

dainty, damp, deformed, dependable, devout, dimpled, dirt-stained, dirty, disobedient, disproportionate, dusty, dysfunctional, elastic, elephantine, exquisite

F and G

fat, fawning, feeble, feminine, flaccid, flaky, flappy, fleshy, flexible, floppy, fragile, frail, functional, furrowed, fuzzy, gaunt, gawky, giant, gimpy, gnarled, good, gouty, graceful, greasy, grimy, gross, grubby

H and I

hairless, hairy, half-bent, half-turned, hard, healthy, heavy, hefty, helpless, hidden, high, hirsute, horsey, hot, huge, humble, impotent, ineffectual, infected, inflamed, insubstantial, iron-shod

J to L

jeaned, knobbly, knobby, knock-kneed, knotty, lame, lanky, large, leaden, lean, limber, limp, little, long, loose, low, lumpy

M and N

mangled, manly, masculine, massive, meaty, middle-aged, mighty, misshapen, moist, motionless, mountainous, muddy, muscular, mushy, naked, nervous, nice, nimble, non-existent, nubby, nude, numb

O and P

obedient, obsequious, old, osteoarthritic, padded, painful, pampered, penitential, perverse, pesky, pimply, pious, pitiful, pliant, plump, pockmarked, pointed, ponderous, porcine, porky, powerful, powerless, pretty, prosthetic, pudgy, puffy

Q and R

quailing, ragged, rash-covered, raw, rebellious, recalcitrant, reluctant, reptilian, restless, reverent, rheumatic, rickety, rigid, rocklike, rough, rubbery, rugged, ruined, rusty

Sa to Sl

salt-encrusted, sandy, scabby, scaly, scarred, scented, scorched, scrawny, self-willed, sensitive, servile, sexy, shaky, sharp, shiny, shivery, shrunken, silken, sinewy, skeletal, skinny, slack, sleek, slender, slimy, slippery

Sm to Sy

small, smooth, soaked, soapy, sodden, soft, soggy, solid, sore, spindly, stable, stalwart, steel, sticky, stiff, still, stockinged, stocky, stolid, straight, strong, stubborn, sturdy, submissive, subservient, supple, sweaty, swift, sycophantic

T and U

temperamental, tense, thick, thin, ticklish, tired, titanium, traitorous, tremulous, trick, trousered, ugly, uncertain, unclad, uncooperative, undependable, uneven, unprotected, unreliable, unresponsive, unstable, unsteady, untiring, useless

V to Y

vulnerable, warm, wayward, weak, weary, wee, well-cut, well-developed, well-rounded, wet, wide, willful, withered, wobbly, worn-out, wrinkled, young

Similes and Metaphors

Watch everything and everyone around you. Pay attention to visual media. Note phrasing in books. Your attentiveness will inspire new figures of speech. When stuck, leverage the following as springboards.

• juddering like an airplane in a hurricane
• like a penitent’s knees as she pleads for compassion
• limber as a well-oiled grandfather clock
• limper than grannie’s overcooked pasta
• lumpier than a bag of spring potatoes
• protruding like pregnant broomsticks
• slavish knees unbefitting a nobleman
• trembling like the gut of a convict on his way to the noose
• weak as a politician’s promise

Colors

Knees, like elbows, are usually similar to that of skin and arms. This list presents a few idea-starters:

A to Y

ashen, berry-stained, blue, bruised, fair, freckled, golden, grass-stained, pale, pallid, pink, purple, red, scarlet, speckled, sun-browned, sunburnt, swarthy, tanned, waxen, white, yellow

See also 1000+ Ways to Describe Colors

Scents

Knees will absorb scent from the environment, especially after prolonged exposure. Do you see any story ideas in this list?

B to H

baby powder, barnyard, bubble bath, ex-(girlfriend, boyfriend, husband, wife, lover), freshly mown grass, garden weeds, greasy rags, hand sanitizer, hay, horse lather, hospital ward

L to T

liniment, locker room, lotion, meadow, moss, over-chlorinated swimming pool, saddle, smelly exercise mat, smoke, soap, stale towels, subway seat, sweaty office chair, topsoil

Shapes

Adjectives such as chubby, angular, or wide will usually suffice for knee shapes. However, you might find some of the following more suitable for your WIP.

B to T

blocky, bowed, concave, conical, egg-shaped, elliptical, flat, globe-shaped, oval, oviform, ovoid, rectangular, round, spherical, spheroid, square, sunken, triangular

The Versatility of Verbs and Phrasal Verbs

Knees move, cause sensations in their owners, and evoke emotions in others. Some verbs could appear in all three of the following sections, but to maintain brevity, I chose a single section for most verbs.

For example, let’s consider hold:

Jake’s knees held on to the horse like grappling hooks.

Sherri’s knees held, even after she piled twenty more pounds onto her back.

Barak held on to his knees and doubled over with laughter.

Verbs (1): Transitive Verbs Whose Subject Could Include Knee or Knees

B to L

bang (against, into), bear, beat (against), bounce (against, off, over), brace against, buckle under, bump (against, into), catch, collide with, connect with, crack against, dig into, disappear into, encircle, fit (into, through), hold (onto), hook over, hug, lean (against, on, over)

M to R

meet (with), nudge, peek through, point (at, toward), poke (into, through), press (against, into, through), project (out of, through), protrude (out of, through), push (against, into, through), ram (against, into, through), rest (atop, against, on)

S to W

scuff against, settle (against, into), sink into, slam (against, into), slide into, spear, strain (against, toward), strike, support, sustain, thud against, touch, wedge (against, in)

Verbs (2): Intransitive Verbs Whose Subject Could Include Knee or Knees

A to F

ache, act up, appear, bang together, bend, bleed, bloat, blow out, bob, bow, buckle (together), bulge, burn, chafe, click, clunk, collapse, contort, cramp, creak, crumple, dance, disappear, fail, falter, freeze, function

G to R

give out, grind (together), heal, hold, jerk (up), jut, knock (together), lock (up), loosen, pop (back, out), pump, quake, quiver, rattle (together), recover, relax

S to W

sag, seize, shake, shiver, spasm, splinter, spread (apart), stiffen, straighten, strengthen, swell, swivel, throb, tire, tremble, twinge, twitch, weaken

Verbs (3): Transitive Verbs Whose Object Could Include Knee or Knees

A to C

aim, angle (in the direction of, toward), bandage, bang, blow, blow out, bother, bounce, brace, break, bring (down, up), bruise, burn, caress, clench, cling to, close, clutch, cover (with), crawl on, cross, crouch on, crush, curl, curse, cut

D to O

damage, discover, dislocate, drape (in, with), draw (in, up), drive (into, through), drop, elevate, examine, expose, extend, feel, flex, fold, force (against, into, through), free, graze, grip, hold onto, hurt, injure, jiggle, lacerate, land on, lift, lower, move, open, operate on

P to W

patch up, perfume, poke, prod, pull (apart, together), pump, punch, raise, relax, rest, rub, scrape, scrub, shatter, shift, skin, slap, sprain, stiffen, swing, thrust (against, into, forward, toward, up), tighten, trap, turn (up), twist, wound, wrench

Nouns That Could Replace Knees

Most often knees is the best word choice. However, you might prefer one of the following:

B to P

bulges, bumps, knobbles, knobs, lumps, nubbins, nubs, patellae (kneecaps)

Props Can Support Your Storyline

A well-chosen prop adds depth to narrative. How creative can you get with items from this list?

A to D

activity that requires standing or sitting for extended periods, acupuncture, arthritis, arthrogram, ballet, ballroom dancing, a bandage, the beach, a bicycle, bursitis, cartilage, a cello, a cold compress, depilatory cream

F to K

fishnet stockings, football, a fracture, golf, gravel, a gym workout, a harp, hiking, hockey, holey jeans, horseback riding, inflammation, an injury, jogging, a knee brace, knee pads, knee-high boots, knee-high socks

L to P

a lawn chair, a lesion, ligaments, line dancing, a marriage proposal, martial arts, a maxi dress with thigh-high slit, a mini skirt, a motorcycle, an MRI, mud, a nail, a park bench, pavement, a prayer mat

R to Y

a razor, a religious service, road rash, rugby, a rupture, sand, shorts, a spider, a steering wheel, a strain, surgery, sutures, a tack, a tattoo, an uncomfortable chair, a yoga mat

Clichés and Idioms

Some of these phrases function well in dialogue or certain types of fiction. However, replace them if they don’t suit the voice of your narrative.

• knee-deep: buried, inundated, mired, swamped
• knee-high to a grasshopper: short, young
• knee-jerk: automatic, autonomic, involuntary
• knee-mail: prayer, supplication
• knee-slapping: hilarious, hysterical, uproarious
• on one’s knees: humble, self-effacing, submissive
• out at the knees: destitute, impoverished, poor
• the bee’s knees: excellent, first-rate, superb
• to bend the knee: submit, swear fealty, yield
• to bring to their knees: defeat, overthrow, rout, trounce
• to put over one’s knee: paddle, spank, tan, thrash
• weak-kneed: indecisive, irresolute, vacillating
• with knees a-knocking: afraid, nervous, uneasy