body English

noun

1

: bodily motions made in a usually unconscious effort to influence the progress of a propelled object (such as a ball)

2

: the bodily movements a rider makes to supplement basic steering of a vehicle

… learning to control the howling machine with a combination of throttle and body English …

—Peter Passell

3

: body language

I was beginning to learn his body English. His hand tightened on mine and he indicated that he wanted to leave.

—Harper Lee

Examples of body English in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Pastrnak added some unorthodox body English to the shot. —Kevin Paul Dupont, BostonGlobe.com, 26 Oct. 2022

Word History

First Known Use

1902, in the meaning defined at sense 1