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

Can Legs Whisper?

Her legs whispered to him, inviting him to follow, promising …

Would you want to continue reading? To discover what those legs whispered?

So would readers.

Although legs can’t whisper, writers can anthropomorphize them and other body parts to echo the personalities and motivations of their owners.

This post presents several word lists that have the potential to add new dimension to your writing.

Clever Comparisons (Similes) Paint Meaningful Pictures

Legs could be compared to any of the following. (See also the list of nouns for legs.)

A to E
alien appendages, bad meat, boa constrictors, bricks, cacti, cement, chair legs, chimneys, cinder blocks, cottage cheese, cracked plaster, cucumbers, dough, driftwood, elephant limbs, endless promises, exclamation points

F to N
fish scales, flippers, gelatin, ground beef, ham hocks, hamburger, Humpty Dumpty appendages, impassable roads, jelly, lead, limp rags, limp strings with a knot in the middle, lobster claws, neoliths, newfound treasure

O to R
overcooked noodles, petrified turkey skin, pincushions, play dough, plucked chicken, plump parentheses, pretzels, pudding, putty, pythons, raw meat, road maps, rubber

S to Y
scrub brushes, sculpted marble, spaghetti, sticks of butter, stone, Stonehenge markers, the tour de force of a personal trainer, the Washington Monument, unexplored terrains, Venus flytraps, works of art, Yeti limbs

The A to Z of Adjectives for Legs

In addition to the adjectives in this list, many words that describe skin can also describe legs.

A and B
aching, aged, agile, angular, athletic, awkward, bandy, bare, battered, beautiful, beefy, bent, black-and-blue, blemished, blistered, bowed, brawny, bristly, bronzed, bruised, buff, bulky, bumpy, bushy

C and D
chiseled, chunky, clumsy, cold, compliant, corpulent, crooked, curvaceous, curvy, deformed, delicate, dexterous, dimpled, dirty, discolored, disfigured, distorted, double-jointed, downy

E and F
elastic, emaciated, energetic, exhausted, exposed, fat, fatigued, feeble, feminine, fish-netted, flabby, flaccid, flaky, flamingo, fleecy, fleshy, flexible, furry

G to K
gaitered, gangling, gaunt, girlish, glossy, gnarled, gnomish, graceful, graceless, gremlin, hairy, hard, heavy, hefty, hunky, insubstantial, knotted

L and M
lanky, leaden, lean, limber, lissome, listless, lithe, long, lumbering, lumpy, manly, masculine, meaty, mighty, misshapen, muddy, muscular

N to R
naked, nimble, nylon-clad, painful, pale, pasty, peeling, pixie, plump, podgy, portly, powerful, pudgy, puffy, reedy, restless, rickety, robust, rough, rounded, rugged

S
satiny, scabby, scarred, scraggy, scrawny, shaggy, shaky, shapely, shaved, shiny, short, silky, sinewy, sinuous, skeletal, skinny, sleek, slender, slim, smooth, soft, solid, sore, sparrow, spidery, spindly, sprightly, spry, stained, steady, stocky, stout, straight, strapping, streaked, strong, stubbly, stubborn, stubby, stumpy, sturdy, sunburnt, supple, suppliant, svelte, swollen

T and U
tangled, tanned, tattooed, tender, thick, thin, tired, toned, translucent, trim, tubby, twiggy, twisted, unshaven, unshorn, unstable, unsteady

V
veined, velvety, vigorous, voluptuous, wan, warped, weak, weary, weather-beaten, weathered, weedy, wet, willowy, wiry, wispy, wobbly, wounded, wrinkled

Y and Z
yielding, zealous, zesty, zonked

Movement and Feeling Complement Descriptions

Legs move in a variety of ways, and they have the potential to gladden or distress a character. They might:

A to D
ache, admit, allow, bounce, break, buckle, burn, chafe, clench, cling, close, coil, collapse, contort, crack, cross, crumble, crumple, curl, dangle, disobey, drag, drape, draw up, droop, drop

E to J
entwine, extend, fail, fall asleep, fidget, flag, flop, fold, fracture, free, freeze, give out, give up, give way, go numb, grip, hang, hang over, itch, jerk, jiggle, judder

L to R
lift, lock, loop, loosen, lower, melt, move, obey, open, paralyze (with fear), part, plant, position, prickle, pulsate, pulse, quiver, raise, reach, react, refuse to cooperate, relax, release, reposition, resist, respond, rustle

S
seize (up), separate, shake, shatter, shift, sink, slacken, smart, smolder, spasm, splay, splinter, spread, spring, squeeze, squirm, stick (out, up), stiffen, sting, straighten, stretch, surrender, suspend, sway, swell, swing, swish

T to Y
tauten, tense, throb, tighten, tingle, tire, trail (behind), tremble, tuck, turn to jelly, twist, twitch, uncross, vibrate, weaken, wear out, whisper, wiggle, wriggle, yield

Nouns Can Flatter or Offend

Shrewd word choices convey an instant impression.

Some nouns from this list (in singular form) can double as adjectives.

A to C
anorexic breadsticks, ax handles, baseball bats, beanpoles, bird legs, broomsticks, carrot sticks, celery stalks, chicken legs, chopsticks, cinnamon sticks, columns

D to L
dowels, fence posts, fire hydrants, fire pokers, flagpoles, four-by-fours, furniture spindles, gams, gun barrels, kindling, knitting needles, lampposts, logs

M to R
matchsticks, oars, overstuffed sausages, pegs, pencils, pillars, pipe-cleaners, planks, pogo sticks, poles, railroad/railway ties, rails, rebar, reeds, rods

S
shanks, skyscrapers, spikes, stalks, steel rods, stems, sticks, stilts, stork legs, stovepipes, straight pins, straws, stumps, swizzle sticks

T to W
tent poles, timbers, toothpicks, towers, turkey legs, turrets, twigs, twin snorkels, whittled wood, wooden dowels

Props Augment Descriptions

A character’s choice or avoidance of the following objects enhance narrative.

A to T
ankle bracelets, boots, casts, hose/hosiery, leg warmers, nylons, pants, prostheses, shoes, shorts, skirts, slippers, socks, tensor bandages, toe rings

Knees May Demand Their Own Descriptions

Many of these adjectives for knees could apply to legs as well.

A to W
angular, arthritic, baggy, bloody, bony, chubby, chunky, dimpled, dimply, fleshy, knobby, pointed, pointy, plump, pudgy, sharp, skinned, stiff, withered

Ditto for Movement Verbs

Knees (or legs) might:

B to S
bang, bend, bulge, bump, flex, jut out, knock, nudge, poke, pop out of joint, protrude, puff out/up, stick out

Knees Can Be Replaced by Noun Stand-Ins

A character’s knees may hide beneath long skirts, pants, fishnet stockings, or waders. When exposed, they could be referred to as:

B to P
bulges, bumps, knobbles, knobs, lumps, nubbins, nubs, patellae

And Now You Might Say You Have a Leg to Stand on When You Edit Your WIP