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

Most of us aren’t like Tommy Lee, who is quoted as saying that the very first thing he looks at on a woman is her toes.

Robert Louis Stevenson said, “It’s a pleasant thing to be young, and have ten toes.”

But what if a character has missing or rheumatic toes, or an athlete develops gangrenous toes? Maybe a barefoot protagonist’s toe ring traps her foot in a crevice near the beach, and she needs rescue by _____. (Story prompt?)

Emotion Beats and Physical Manifestations

Even when covered, toes reveal underlying emotions.

Anguish
curling one’s toes

Anticipation, eagerness
bouncing on one’s toes

Attentiveness
angling entire body, including toes, toward the object of attention

Attraction
well-groomed toenails
crossing legs while one is seated, and angling toes toward object of attraction

Boredom
tapping toes

Disgust, irritation
curling up one’s toes

Deference, humility, submissiveness
angling toes inward (pigeon-toed posture)

Discomfort
tapping one’s toes
curling one’s toes

Embarrassment
curling one’s toes

Fear, flight-or-fight response
orienting toes and body in direction of escape route

Happiness
bouncing on one’s toes
pointing one’s toes upward

Humiliation
angling one’s toes inward (pigeon-toed posture)

Irritation due to restless legs syndrome (RLS)
curling and wiggling one’s toes

Nervousness
tingling toes

Rejection of another person
tapping one’s toes
orienting toes and body away from the person

Worry
tapping one’s toes

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

Adjectives

Descriptors are like paintbrushes in the hand of a skilled wordsmith. A touch here, a dab there, a swish somewhere else, and soon a masterpiece of imagery blossoms in readers’ minds.

At least that’s the intent.

But be careful not to overdo. A well-placed adjective will augment your story. Too many will bore readers.

As you scan this list, exercise caution with opinion adjectives, and note that some of the words would be apt descriptors for toenails rather than toes.

A and B
abnormal, absent, accident-prone, additional, adjacent, adorable, adroit, agile, apish, awkward, babyish, bad, bandaged, bare, beautiful, bent, bestial, big, birdlike, bizarre, bloated, bloodless, bloody, bonny, bony, booted, bothersome, bristly, brittle, broad, bud-like, bumpy

C
callused, carefree, careful, cautious, chilly, clammy, clawed, clean, close-packed, clumsy, clunky, coarse, cold, compact, confined, corpulent, cracked, cramped, crinkled, crippled, crooked, crumpled, crusty, curly, cute

D and E
dainty, deformed, delectable, delicate, delicious, dinky, dirty, discolored, diseased, distended, doughy, dry, dusty, elastic, elongated, embryonic, enormous, exposed, extra, extra-long

F
feeble, feminine, filthy, fishy, fissured, flaky, flashy, fleshy, flexible, foul-smelling, freakish, frozen, funky, funny, furry, furtive, fuzzy

G and H
gangly, gangrenous, garish, gentle, giant, gleaming, glittering, glossy, gnarled, gooey, gouty, grass-stained, greasy, grimy, grotesque, grubby, grungy, gungy, hairy, hard, heavy, hesitant, hideous, hirsute, horned, humongous, hurt

I to L
icy, immature, immobilized, inept, inflamed, inquisitive, irregular, itty-bitty, juvenile, knobby, kooky, large, leprous, limber, lithe, little, long, loud, lumpy

M and N
malformed, malodorous, mangled, mangy, manicured, masculine, massive, meaty, mephitic, missing, moccasined, moist, monstrous, mucky, muddy, nailless, naked, narrow, nasty, naughty, needle-like, nervous, nice, nimble, noxious, numb

O to Q
odd, odiferous, odoriferous, oily, outlandish, overlapping, oversized, painful, painted, paralyzed, peculiar, pedicured, perfect, petite, pilose, pitted, pliant, plump, powerful, presentable, prominent, pudgy, puffy, pungent, putrescent, quirky

R
rank, raw, reluctant, reptilian, resilient, restive, restless, rheumatic, rigid, ringed, rotten, rough, rubbery, rudimentary, ruptured

Sa to Sn
sandaled, sandy, sassy, saucy, saurian, scabby, scabrous, scaly, scratchy, scuzzy, sensitive, sharp, shiny, shoed, short, shriveled, skeletal, skinny, skittish, slender, slick, slimy, slippered, slippery, small, smelly, sneakered

So to Sw
soaked, sodden, soft, soggy, sore, sparkling, spiked, spindly, split, spongy, squashed, squished, stained, stealthy, sticklike, sticky, stiff, stinky, stockinged, stony, stout, straight, strong, stubby, stumpy, sturdy, succulent, supple, sweaty

T and U
tangled, tar-covered, tasty, teeny, tender, tentative, thick, thin, timid, tiny, tired, tough-skinned, tremendous, tubby, twisted, ulcerated, uncomfortable, underdeveloped, unequal, uneven, unmistakable, unnatural, unprotected, unwashed, upturned, useless

V to Y
varnished, vestigial, vulnerable, warm, warped, waxen, weak, webbed, wee, weird, wide, wiry, witchy, withered, wizened, wrinkled, youthful

Similes and Metaphors

Each of the following phrases evokes a mental image. Take that image and mold it until it becomes your own.

bony appendages as long as fingers

clutching and scrabbling like gorilla toes

crackling like popcorn in the microwave

gripping the rocks like nimble fingers

like blistered ballerina pointes with blackened nails

like green lima beans peeking out of holey shoes

like nailless upturned thumbs

like a baker’s dozen of walnuts, bulbous and brown

prehensile digits as hairy as a hobbit’s toes

scratchier than ostrich claws

spindly toothpicks, cracking with every step

with a fishy pong, like raccoon paws after clawing through the bait bucket

Colors

Some of the colors in this list would make excellent descriptors for toenails.

See also: 1000+ Ways to Describe Colors. Consider nail polish, appliques, and decals in your descriptions.

A to Y
anemic, ashen, black, black-and-blue, blue, brown, crimson, dark, fair, grey, maroon, neon, pale, pink, purple-and-yellow, rosy, ruddy, scarlet, sooty, tanned, white, yellow, yellowed

Scents

When characters step on or stick their toes into things, scent is often transferred. Do any of the following spark ideas?

A to W
antiseptic spray, booze, coffee grounds, cow manure, cuticle remover, foot powder, gnome blood, gunpowder, hay, insecticide, kitty litter, mint, mosquito repellant, motor oil, nail polish, patchouli, potpourri, rotten cheese, stinky socks, strawberry patch, vinegar, wet cement, wet dog

See also: 200+ Ways to Incorporate Scent.

Shapes

A character with arthritis might require extra-wide shoes to accommodate bulbous toes. A ballerina’s misshapen toes might attract horrified glances as she walks barefoot on the beach. Or a teenager’s toenails might be clipped straight across, giving her toes a square appearance.

A to W
arched, blocky, blunt, bulbous, conical, curved, flat, misshapen, rectangular, rounded, square, tapered, triangular, wedge-shaped

Verbs (1): Transitive Verbs Whose Subject Could Include Toe or Toes

Transitive verb: a verb that takes one or more direct objects. For example:

Hermione’s toes brushed Harry’s leg. He felt a jolt — like electricity. Magic, or something else?

B to N
bang (against, into), brush (against, into), capture, caress, clasp, climb (down, up), clutch, creep (across, over, through), dance (across, over), dig (into), emerge (from, out of), fit (into), grip, grope (for), hang (out of, over), hit, hold, inch (over, down, up), jut (out of), kick, nestle (against, in)

P to T
peek (out of), poke (out of, through), press (against, down on, into), probe, prod, protrude from, reach for, release, remain on, rest (against, on), scrape (against), show through, sink into, skim, soak in, squeeze into, squish into, touch, trap

Verbs (2): Intransitive Verbs Whose Subject Could Include Toe or Toes

Intransitive verb: a verb that doesn’t take a direct object. For example:

Pinocchio’s toes grew … and grew … and grew … and soon they were even longer than his nose.

A to P
ache, bend, bleed, blister, bloat, bulge, burn, clench, click, contract, crack, cramp, dislocate, fester, freeze, gleam, grow, itch, line up, overlap, prickle, pulsate

R to W
relax, roll up, separate, shiver, slant, slip, smart, splay, spread, squirm, stiffen, sting, stir, swell, throb, tingle, tremble, turn up, twitch, wriggle

Verbs (3): Transitive Verbs Whose Object Could Include Toe or Toes

For example:

Jocelyn dipped her toes into the lake. “No way I’m gonna go swimming in this. It’s too cold.”

The doctor smeared the lacerated toe with a smelly liquid and then tousled Bixby’s hair. “There you go, young man. This will kill the bad bugs and take away some of the sting.”

A to D
amputate, bandage (with), bang (on), bathe (in, with), bite, buff, burn, bury, catch (in with), char, clench, count, cover (with), crush, curl (around, into, up, down), curve (toward), decorate, dip, display, douse, drag (across, into, over, through), drench, dry, dunk

E to P
expose, extend, feel, find, flex, force (into, through), free (from), grasp, graze, grip, hurt, immerse, injure, lop off, maneuver, manicure, mash, move, pamper, pat, pinch, place (in, on), plant (against, in), play with, point (away from, down, up, forward, inward, outward, toward), polish, position, pull back, push (out, through, toward)

R to W
raise, roll up, saturate, scratch, scrunch, scuff, sever, smash, smear (with), smother (with), smudge, snag, soak, splash, splatter, squash, squish, stabilize, stretch (out), stub (on), stuff (into), suck, swaddle, tap, tense, tickle, trail (across, over), tuck in, turn (away from, down, up, forward, inward, outward, toward), wiggle, wound, wrap, wrench

Nouns

Sometimes a body part causes repetition in a story — repetition that aggravates readers. Try to reword your text. One of the following nouns might help.

Several of these words also refer to fingers. Ensure clear context if you decide to use them.

A to W
appendages, dactyls, digits, foot appendages, hoof pegs, phalanges, phalanxes, piggies, pointes, sand sifters, tire kickers, water testers

Props

Pick through this list for ideas to enhance your storyline.

A to I
amputation, athlete’s foot, ballet shoes, ballet slippers, blister, buffing block, bunion, callus, cement, chilblain, claw toes, cobblestones, corn, corn plasters, cramping, diabetic neuropathy, divergent toes, dry skin, extra toe(s), fan toes, frostbite, gangrene, grape stains, hammer toe, heavy rock, hot pavement,
ice cube

L to W
large rock, mallet toe, missing stair, missing toe(s), moccasins, nail polish, numbness, peeling skin, plastic surgery, prosthetic, sandals, steel-toe boots, stiletto heels, tar and feathering, tattoo, tight shoes, toe cap, toe extension, toe ring, toe sleeve, toe spacer, toe tag, wart, webbed toes

Clichés and Idioms

Try to eliminate clichés unless they appear in dialogue or suit the style of your narrator, especially if you discover excessive repetition of toe or toes.

Replace with words that won’t make your editor scowl.

from head to toe: completely, entirely, totally

on one’s toes: active, alert, focused; organized, prepared, ready

to dip one’s toes into: attempt, begin, try, undertake

to go toe-to-toe: argue, clash, confront, fight

to make one’s toes curl: discomfit, disconcert, embarrass

to step on someone’s toes: hamper, hinder, interfere

to toe the line/mark: comply, conform, obey

toe in the door (a): break, chance, opportunity, prospect

toes up: dead, deceased, lifeless