18 Feb The Five Senses
Senses allow us to observe and understand the world around us. There are five main ways we can do this: through sight (with our eyes), touch (with our fingers), smell (with our nose), taste (with our tongue) and hearing (with our ears).
Here you have some interesting facts about them:
Smell:
- People have approximately 10 million smell receptors in the cavity behind the nose.
- A majority of people know the difference between 4,000 to 10,000 different smells.
- The sense of smell improves when you are hungry.
Sight:
- The eye has six muscles that help it to move
- Having two eyes helps us judge depth.
- Eyelids protect and clean the eye.
Touch:
- The skin is the largest human organ.
- The skin has different receptors that can feel pressure, moisture, temperature, vibration and pain.
- We feel pain to protect our body.
Taste:
- People have 8,000 taste buds on their tongue.
- Children have more taste buds than adults.
- Foods like onions, garlic, spicy foods and hot temperature foods can dull the sense of taste. Alcohol, smoking and caffeine also have the same effect.
Hearing:
- Your ears are responsible for your balance.
- They are the size of a penny.
- Your ears are always listening, even during your deepest sleep.
CURIOUS IDIOMS ABOUT SENSES
Sight:
- In the blink of an eye – in an instant.
- Out of sight, out of mind – an expression used to suggest that one is likely to forget someone/something when they are/it is no longer present/visible.
- To see things eye to eye – to agree on things.
- To turn a blind eye – to pretend not to notice.
Smell:
- To follow your nose – to follow your instincts.
- To smell a rat – to suspect a trick/lie.
- To sniff around/out – to investigate/discover something through investigation.
- To turn your nose up at something – to show distaste for something in a way which implies it is beneath you.
- Under someone’s nose – directly in front of someone.
Hearing:
- Ears are burning – to hear your name being talked about/to be subconsciously aware that you are being criticized.
- Nothing between your ears – not very clever (no brain).
- Out on your ear – disgraced and dismissed.
- To bend someone’s ear – to talk to someone at length/to pester someone for a favour.
- To keep your ear to the ground – to keep well informed on happenings and trends.
Taste:
- A bad taste in your mouth – A strong feeling of disgust after an experience.
- An acquired taste – a thing you come to like after a long period of time.
- In poor taste – vulgar/offensive/thoughtless.
- To give someone a taste of their own medicine – to treat someone badly in the same way they treated you.
- To taste blood – to achieve an initial success which leads you to wanting more.
Touch:
- “Touch wood!” – a superstitious expression said after a confident statement to ward off bad luck (usually while touching something that is made from wood).
- To hit a nerve – to upset/provoke someone by talking about a particular subject.
- To keep in touch – to remain in contact.
- To touch base – to briefly renew contact with someone to check that they are all right/show that you are all right.
- Touch-and-go – a phrase used to describe the uncertainty leading up to an outcome.
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