APPEARANCE

be the spitting image of someone / be the spit = be identical to someone

“You’re the spitting image of your mother!”
“He’s the spit of his father!”

like peas in a pod = be very similar

“The two sisters are like peas in a pod.”

like chalk and cheese / bear no resemblance to = not be similar at all

“The twins are like chalk and cheese!”
“He bears no resemblance to his father at all.”
Age

getting on a bit / knocking on a bit = getting old

“My parents are knocking on a bit now, but they’re still healthy and active.”

on the wrong side of … = be older than (a certain age).

“He’s on the wrong side of 40.”

(You can also be on the right side of a certain age, which means you’re younger than that age.)

be pushing … = be almost (a certain age)

“I know she looks like a teenager, but she’s pushing 30 you know!”

not look your age = appear younger than you are

“She really doesn’t look her age.”

(We also say “act your age” to mean that you behave in a way that’s right for your age: “Act
your age! You’re at secondary school now – not at infants’ school.”
not look a day over … = look young for your age
“She looks so good for her age. She doesn’t look a day over 60!”
Beauty

a head-turner = so beautiful / handsome that people turn their heads to look at you
“Both their daughters are head-turners.”

eye-catching = so beautiful / handsome that people notice you immediately

“The woman who works in the shop is so eye-catching.”

easy on the eye = nice to look at (this is a little old-fashioned)

“He’s very easy on the eye, isn’t he.”

drop-dead gorgeous = very beautiful / handsome

“Her new boyfriend is drop-dead gorgeous.”

tall, dark and handsome = a stereotypical description of a handsome man

“So the fortune-teller told me I’d meet a tall, dark and handsome stranger.”

the picture of … (health / loveliness) = look exactly like someone who is healthy / lovely, etc
“You’re the picture of loveliness this morning!”
not much to look at = not very attractive
“Her new boyfriend isn’t much to look at, but he’s a seriously nice guy.”

not a pretty sight = unattractive

“I’m not a pretty sight in the morning.”

look like the back end of a bus = very ugly

“Frankly, I look like the back end of a bus before I put my makeup on!”

Body size

a beanpole = very thin (bean poles are poles put in the ground for beans to grow up)
“He was like a beanpole all the way through school.”

as thin as a rake = be very thin

“She’s lost a lot of weight and now she’s as thin as a rake.”

to balloon = become fat quickly

“Since she moved to the city, she’s ballooned in weight. She says it’s because she always takes
public transport and never walks anywhere.”

a bit on the large side = be a bit overweight

“He’s been a bit on the large side ever since he stopped smoking.”

Clothes And Style

have good dress sense / have a sense of style = to know what clothes to wear
“His wife has very good dress sense. She always looks great.”

be a slave to fashion = follow fashion and buy a lot of clothes

“My children have become slaves to fashion since they started secondary school.”

be dressed to kill = wear clothes to impress people

“You’re dressed to kill today. Have you got an important meeting?”

look like you’ve been dragged through the hedge backwards = look scruffy and untidy
“You can’t go out like that! You look like you’ve been dragged through the hedge backwards!