# to eat one's body parts (to regret)



## Maroseika

There is *Russian *expression - кусать локти, literally - bite one's elbows, meaning *to regret about missed opportunity. *
I know similar metaphors from some other languages:

*English *- to eat one's heart out
*Spanish *- comerse las uñas (eat nails)
*French *- se mordre les doigts (bite fingers)

Anything to add?


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## Ghabi

Hi! The English expression isn't really about regret (and is only used as an imperative) so I suppose it's different from the Russian expression?

In Cantonese we do have a similar expression: pound one's chest. Say, there was a big sale in the department store and I didn't go and thus missed all the good bargains, then I may have said something like: it's really chest-pounding!


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## origumi

In *Hebrew *one אוכל את הלב _eat his heart out_ as in English, for example feeling jealousy.

We regret by מוסר כליות _pain/suffering in the kidneys_.


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## Frank78

In German we have "sich in den Arsch beißen" (to bite into your ass) when you are angry about yourself and a missed opportunity.

Another idiom with a body part comes to my mind:

sich auf die Zunge beißen (to bite on your tongue) - avoid saying a thought aloud


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## biala

origumi said:


> In *Hebrew *one אוכל את הלב _eat his heart out_ as in English, for example feeling jealousy.
> 
> We regret by מוסר כליות _pain/suffering in the kidneys_.



However when a person regrets, he sometimes "eats himself" - אוכל את עצמו.


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## origumi

biala said:


> However when a person regrets, he sometimes "eats himself" - אוכל את עצמו.


This would show more frustration than regret, I think.

Also:

לכסוס אצבעות one *bites his fingernails *when very worried
אתם שותים את דמי *drink one's blood *means publicizing hostile information in order to harm somebody (or alike, hard to translate)
אתה אוכל לי את הראש *eat one's head *is when X talks too much and Y gets annoyed or bored from the talking (relatively new expression)

These seem off topic, so enough said.


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## biala

אבן שושן מגדיר "אכל את עצמו" כ"האשים את עצמו", סבל ממוסר כליות


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## ahmedcowon

In Arabic like in French, we use "he bites his fingers":

يعض أصابعه /ya3oḍḍo aṣābi3ahu/


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## Skatinginbc

In Chinese, pounding one's chest 拊膺/捶胸 or stamping one's feet 顿足 is to express deep sorrow and, sometimes, extreme regret.  
Eating one's fingers and biting one's tongue 啖指咬舌 means "frightened", biting/gritting one's teeth 咬牙切齒 "extreme anger or hatred", clenching tight one's tooth roots 咬定牙根 "to deal with a difficult situation in a determined way", eating one's heart 吃心 "take something seriously, try very hard"...


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## aruniyan

no regretting, but in Kannada(South Indian Language),
*nan thalai thin baedaa*= *don't eat my head* = do not pester/disturb me.


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## ancalimon

In Turkish:

Başımın etini yedin  : You have eaten the meat of my head. (you have talked too much and now I have a headache)
Ciğerimi ye : Eat my liver (we sometimes say this after something when we really want someone to do it) (do xxx and eat my liver)
Dilini ısır : Bite your tongue (you have said something bad. Bite your tongue so that it doesn't happen)
Parmaklarını yersin : you would eat your fingers (the food is so tasty that you would eat your fingers)
Kendini yiyip bitirmek: To eat oneself and finish it (to be very unhappy)
İçim içimi yiyor : My inside is eating my inside (I don't know what is going to happen. I'm very worried)
Gözünün yağını yiyeyim : I would eat the oil of your eye (Do xxx for me and I will be very grateful)
Dilini yerim : I would eat your tongue (When someone (usually a small kid or maybe your girlfriend or boyfriend) says something nice, or is cute we might say this)
Taşşağını yiyeyim (vulgar): I would eat your balls (You may hear someone close say this when he is proud of you)


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## Paulfromitaly

In Italian: Mangiarsi le mani (eat one's hands).


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## apmoy70

ancalimon said:


> In Turkish:
> 
> ...Dilini ısır : Bite your tongue (you have said something bad. Bite your tongue so that it doesn't happen)


We have it in Greek too:
*«Δάγκωσε τη γλώσσα σου»* ['ðaŋɡose ti 'ɣlosa su] --> _bite your tongue_ (with exactly the same meaning)


ancalimon said:


> İçim içimi yiyor : My inside is eating my inside (I don't know what is going to happen. I'm very worried)


And that:
*«Με τρώνε τα σωθικά μου»* [me 'trone ta soθi'ka mu] --> _my innards are eating me up_ (said when fear or worry consumes us)

Also:
*«Καταπίνω τη γλώσσα μου»* [kata'pino ti 'ɣlosa mu] --> _to swallow my tongue_ (cat gets my tongue)


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## ahmedcowon

biala said:


> However when a person regrets, he sometimes "eats himself" - אוכל את עצמו.



"He eats himself" is used in Arabic to mean "he's so jealous"



origumi said:


> אתם שותים את דמי *drink one's blood *means publicizing hostile information in order to harm somebody (or alike, hard to translate)
> אתה אוכל לי את הראש *eat one's head *is when X talks too much and Y gets annoyed or bored from the talking (relatively new expression)



Used in Arabic with the same meanings



ancalimon said:


> In Turkish:
> 
> Parmaklarını yersin : you would eat your fingers (the food is so tasty that you would eat your fingers)



Also used with the same meaning


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## Encolpius

ancalimon said:


> In Turkish:
> 
> Başımın etini yedin  : You have eaten the meat of my head. (you have talked too much and now I have a headache)
> Ciğerimi ye : Eat my liver (we sometimes say this after something when we really want someone to do it) (do xxx and eat my liver)
> Dilini ısır : Bite your tongue (you have said something bad. Bite your tongue so that it doesn't happen)
> Parmaklarını yersin : you would eat your fingers (the food is so tasty that you would eat your fingers)
> Kendini yiyip bitirmek: To eat oneself and finish it (to be very unhappy)
> İçim içimi yiyor : My inside is eating my inside (I don't know what is going to happen. I'm very worried)
> Gözünün yağını yiyeyim : I would eat the oil of your eye (Do xxx for me and I will be very grateful)
> Dilini yerim : I would eat your tongue (When someone (usually a small kid or maybe your girlfriend or boyfriend) says something nice, or is cute we might say this)
> Taşşağını yiyeyim (vulgar): I would eat your balls (You may hear someone close say this when he is proud of you)



Oh, you really have so many expressions.....even bizarre


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## swintok

aruniyan said:


> no regretting, but in Kannada(South Indian Language),
> *nan thalai thin baedaa*= *don't eat my head* = do not pester/disturb me.



In Ukrainian it's Не їж мені печінку /Ne yizh meni pechinku/ = Don't eat my liver.  It's used when you want to tell off someone who is repeatedly disturbing or pestering you.  Often said by mothers to children asking the same question over and over again.


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## ThomasK

In Flemish dialects one can *zijn kas opeten*, and then one could imagine  'kas' refers to 'chest', though it contains little meat... 

*Op zijn nagels bijten*, bite [on] one's fingernails, is what one does when one is anxious, scared, worried about something. 

So far I don't see anyone around here eating some part of the body, but I ought to have a closer look, I imagine. I might be in touch again...


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## ancalimon

ThomasK said:


> In Flemish dialects one can *zijn kas opeten*, and then one could imagine  'kas' refers to 'chest', though it contains little meat...



Kas means muscle in Turkish. Kasık means groin.  Göğüs (<kös) means chest.


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## ESustad

In English, "to put your foot in your mouth" means to say a faux pas or something regrettable.


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## ThomasK

Are you suggesting there could be a link? I just checked, and I cannot find a trace. I did discover that 'kas' might also mean 'safe full of money'...


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## ancalimon

ThomasK said:


> Are you suggesting there could be a link? I just checked, and I cannot find a trace. I did discover that 'kas' might also mean 'safe full of money'...



I don't know of a relation. Just wanted to share.  By the way, "Kas" does not mean "safe". The word for "money safe" is "Kasa"


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## ThomasK

Don't worry, I think it all very enriching, often intriguing...


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## arielipi

Also in hebrew
לאכול את זה leechol et ze eat it - it is used when one doesnt know how to deal with something.


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## rusita preciosa

Just a couple additions in Russian: 
*локти кусать *(to bite [own] elbows) – to regret something afterward
*выесть мозги *(to eat out [someone’s] brains) – to persistently ennoy someone (this one is a more modern expression)


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