ICAO General English: 10 Non-Obvious Love Related Phrases – St. Valentine’s Day Vocabulary Party
It’s been a while since I last published my vocabulary party; it was related to Black Friday so it was a few months ago; therefore, Saint Valentines Day turned out to be a perfect source of inspiration. Today I’d like to present a list of 10 non-obvious love-related phrases. Let the vocabulary party begin!
Noun Phrases
- Love seat – a two-seat couch; a settee.
‘A reclining love seat for a movie night.’ - Love handles – the layer of fat around the middle of a person’s body
‘I go jogging every day to get rid of my love handles.’
- Tough love – the fact of deliberately not showing too much kindness to a person who has a problem so that the person will start to solve it
‘Drug Treatment and Testing Orders are tough love.’ - Love bite (British Engish) – A temporary red mark on a person’s skin caused by a lover biting or sucking it as a sexual act. (American English – hickey)/
‘When he pulled away, a shadowy love bite showed at the base of her throat.’
- Love lock – a padlock attached to a bridge by a couple as a symbol of their commitment to each other.
‘They put their love lock on the bridge next to the Louvre.’ - Cupboard love – love shown by someone, typically a child, in order to get something that they want
‘It’s cupboard love I realize; however, they’ll like me as long as I bring them sweets.’
- Love glove – a condom
😉 - Love pill – (1) either a pill which is taken in order to improve libido, (2) a synonym for Ecstasy
Idiomatic Phrases
- Love me, love my dog – If you love someone, you must accept everything about them, even their faults.
‘I’m one of those people who has taken to heart the old saying “love me, love my dog” and I accept all her imperfections.’ - Love sb to bits – (informal) very much; to a great degree.
‘I think he doesn’t realize I love him to bits even though he lets me down from time to time.’
Summary
Which of these words or phrases are new to you? Which are your favorite? Do you know more interesting non-obvious love-related phrases that would fit perfectly in this vocabulary party? Let me know in the comments below or via email – click here to get in touch with me and don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter to receive monthly summaries of my activity and free learning resources. Happy Saint Valentines Day to everyone who celebrate it!
