in bad shape A person who is 

in bad shape is in poor physical

condition.
I really am in bad shape.  I must do more exercise.
back on your feet If you are back on your feet, after an illness or an
accident, you are physically healthy again.
My grandmother had a bad 'flu but she's back on her
feet again.
back into shape To get yourself back into shape, you need to take
some exercise in order to become fit and healthy
again.
Eva decided she'd have to get back into shape before
looking for a job.
bag of bones To say that someone is a bag of bones means that
they are extremely thin.
When he came home from the war he was a bag of
bones.
full of beans A person who is full of beans is lively, active and
healthy.
He may be getting old but he's still full of beans.
black out If you black out, you lose consciousness.
When Tony saw the needle, he blacked out.
blind as a bat Someone whose vision is very poor, or who is unable
to see anything, is (as) blind as a bat.
Without his glasses, the old man is as blind as a bat.
blue around the gills If a person looks blue around gills, they look unwell or
(also: green or pale) sick.
You should sit down.  You look a bit blue around the
gills.
feel blue To feel blue means to have feelings of deep sadness
or depression.
I'm going to see my grandmother. She's feeling a bit
blue at the moment.
kick the bucket To kick the bucket is a lighthearted way of talking
about death.
He will inherit when his grandfather kicks the bucket.
cast iron stomach If you can eat all sorts of food and drink what you like,
without any indigestion, discomfort or bad effects, it is
said that you have a cast-iron stomach.
I don't know how you can eat that spicy food.  You
must have a cast-iron stomach.
clean bill of health If a person has a clean bill of health, they have a
report or certificate declaring that their health is
satisfactory.
All candidates for the position must produce a clean
 bill of health.
off colour If you are off colour, you look or feel ill.
What's the matter with Tom? He looks a bit off colour
today.
dead as a doornail This expression is used to stress that a person is very
definitely dead.
At the end of the winter they found the old man as
dead as a doornail.
(like) death warmed If you look like death warmed up, you look very ill or
up tired.
My boss told me to go home.  He said I looked like
death warmed up.
die with one's boots A person who dies with their boots on dies while still
on leading an active life.
He says he'll never retire.  He'd rather die with his
boots on!
dogs are barking When a person says that their dogs are barking they
mean that their feet are hurting.
I've been shopping all day. My dogs are barking!
   

fight tooth and nail If you fight

tooth and
nail for
something,
you fight with
energy and
determinatio
n.
The
Transport
Minister
fought tooth
and nail to
have the
proposed
road safety
law
accepted.
first out of the gate If you
are first out
of the
gate, you are
the first to
make a start
 at something
that others
have also
accepted to
do.
Sandra was
so
enthusiastic
about the
project that
she was first
out of the
gate.
fly by seat of pants If you fly by
the seat of
your
pants, you
do
something
without any
knowledge
or
experience,
using only
your instinct
and hoping
that you will
succeed.
Without any
formal
training, he
decided to
fly by the
seat of his
pants and
try his luck
in New York.
go the extra mile If you go the
extra
mile, you do
more than
what is
expected of
you.
You can
count on
Tom; he's
always
willing to go
 the extra
mile.
go to great lengths  (or pains) When trying
to achieve
something, if
you go to
great
lengths, you
do
everything
that is
possible in
order to
succeed.
The two
parties went
to great
lengths to
reach an
agreement.
go into overdrive If someone
or
something g
oes into
overdrive,
they begin to
work very
hard or start
to perform
intensely.
At the start
of every new
collection
my
imagination
goes into
overdrive.
going places To say that
someone
is going
places mean
s that they
show talent
and ability
that will no
doubt lead to
a successful
future.
 Even at
college it
was obvious
that Paul
was going
places.
keep nose to grindstone A person
who keeps
their nose to
the
grindstone is
someone
who
concentrates
on working 
or studying
hard.
She was so
determined
to get into
the college
of her choice
that she kept
her nose to
the
grindstone
all year.
hang in there This
expression is
used to
encourage
someone to
persevere
and not give
up in spite of
the difficult
circumstanc
es.
I know the
atmosphere
is very
tense, but
just hang in
there and
things will
eventually
calm down.
hang on by fingernails When
 you hang on
by the
fingernails, y
ou succeed
in continuing
to do
something in
a very
difficult
situation.
The
restaurant is
losing more
and more
customers;
the owner is
just hanging
on by his
fingernails.
have one's heart set on Someone
who has
their heart
set
on somethin
g is
determined
to obtain
something
they want
very much.
From an
early age
Tiger had
his heart set
on becoming
a
professional
golfer.
hell-bent on something If you
are hell-bent
on doing
something,
you are
recklessly
determined
to do it, even
if it is
dangerous
or stupid.
 Although he
is still weak,
he's hell-
bent on
playing the
match.
hitch one's wagon to a star Someone
who hitches
their wagon
to a star has
great
ambitions
and is very
determined
to reach their
goal.
At an early
age she
decided to
hitch her
wagon to a
star and
become
famous.
a long row to hoe A difficult
task,
assignment
or
undertaking
that will take
a long time
is a long row
to hoe. 
Getting
through
medical
school is
going to be
a long row to
hoe.
   
make headway If you make headway, you make progress in what you
are trying to achieve.
Investigators have made little headway in their search
for the causes of the catastrophe.
mean business If someone means business, they are serious about
what they announce.
 The boss says that in future any missing material will be
reported to the police, and he looks as though he means
business.
never say die You can say 'never say die' to encourage someone to
persevere in their efforts and not give up or abandon
their project.
Keep going - it's too soon to give up. Never say die!
paddle your own If you paddle your own canoe, you do what you want to
canoe do without help or interference from anyone.
He decided to paddle his own canoe and set up his own
business.
pound the Someone who pounds the pavement walks the streets or
pavement goes from company to company, usually in search of
employment.
(You can also pound the pavement in an effort to raise
funds or gain support for a cause.)
Charlie is out there pounding the pavement since he lost
his job.
pull out all the If you pull out all the stops, you do everything you can to
stops make something successful.
We'll have to pull out all the stops to get the store ready
for the opening day.
punch above If you punch above your weight, you try to perform at a
one's weight level that is beyond your ability.
She submitted her idea for the 'invention of the year'
award, knowing that she was punching above her
weight.
reach for the If you reach for the moon, you are very ambitious and try
moon to achieve something even if it is difficult.
His parents were hardworking people who encouraged
their children to reach for the moon.
raise/lower your If you raise/lower your sights, your raise or lower your
sights expectations, or you are more or less ambitious.
He had to lower his sights and accept a less well-paid
job than what he hoped for.
sink your teeth If you sink your teeth into something, you do it with a lot
into of energy and enthusiasm.
When Julie got promoted, she immediately sank her
teeth into her new job.
sky's the limit To say the sky's the limit means that there is no limit to
the possibility of success or progress for someone or
something.
"How successful do you think the project will be?"
"Who knows ... the sky's the limit!"
stand one's If you stand your ground you maintain your position and
ground refuse to yield or give way.
He claimed innocence and stood his ground in spite of
the repeated accusations.
stick to one's If you stick to your guns, you show determination when
guns faced with opposition.
The government stuck to its guns in spite of the
criticism.
stop at nothing Someone who would stop at nothing would do anything,
even something illegal or immoral, to obtain what they
want.
He's stop at nothing if there was a possibility of making
money.
wait in the wings If someone is waiting in the wings, they are waiting for
an opportunity to take action, especially to replace
someone else in their job or position.
There are many young actors waiting in the wings ready
to show their talent.