When I think I’m going to write a short post, for a change, the COCA (www.americancorpus.org) tricks me. What can be so special about collocations with stomach – to continue with our body parts? If you take a look at the first twenty adjectives that precede stomach they don’t seem to pose any problems:
But a corpus always has more in store for you than what you expect and I started finding unexpected meanings. Of course there were the usual, literal ones, like the ones below:
Empty stomach
- I don’t want to hear your plans for me — not on an empty stomach.
- The brandy slid straight from my empty stomach into my bloodstream, and my head started to spin a little.
- When you drink on an empty stomach (or too quickly), the liver can’t keep up.
Full stomach
- We took a dip in the ocean afterward (on a full stomach too – don’t tell our moms).
Though literal, did you notice the preposition that goes with the collocations? In Portuguese we say ‘de estômago vazio’ or ‘de estômago cheio’, but in English the corresponding preposition is on: on an empty stomach, on a full stomach.
Flat stomach
- Miranda clutched her flat stomach. “I know better than to eat a heavy meal that late.”
- She liked his lean build (a flat stomach to the day he died, and never performed a sit-up in his life).
Bad stomach
- If you feed upon that food, it will give you a bad stomach.
- I’m not that big an eater anyway, I’ve got a bad stomach, it does this thing where it feels like it’s twisting into a curlicue.
These translate quite literally into Portuguese.
Things are not that easy when you feel nausea. There are a couple of ways of conveying that feeling using a collocation with stomach. For example:
Upset stomach
- She’s suffering from a headache and upset stomach.
- These medicine chests contained simple remedies – plants – for treating common ailments such as an upset stomach.
- Peppermint and ginger teas can also calm an upset stomach.
Queasy stomach
- The swampy heat was not helping her queasy stomach.
- With a queasy stomach and a vague sense of anticipation, I boarded the small commuter to Milwaukee.
- But if the thought of food is too much for your queasy stomach to bear, try E-mergen-C, a ready-made mixture of vitamin C, B vitamins…
Nervous stomach
Although this disorder is related to the colon, it can be referred to as nervous stomach, probably because of the related abdominal pain.
- The doctor says that I have a nervous stomach, and he prescribed me […] some Pepto Bismol.
- Most of these patients had been told they had irritable bowel syndrome, which is commonly referred to as “nervous stomach”.
| Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) or spastic colon is a symptom-based diagnosis. It is characterized by chronic abdominal pain, discomfort, bloating, and alteration of bowel habits. Diarrhea or constipation may predominate, or they may alternate. (Wikipédia) |
Some collocations have a literal meaning, but also a figurative extension. Take a look at the following:
Strong stomach
Weak stomach
- My four-year-old daughter has a weak stomach, and one night she threw up a grand total of fourteen times.
- But did you know that I have a really weak stomach? That I get carsick?
- [was] your refusal to go […] born of strong convictions or simply a weak stomach?
- So they are running into every conceivable problem but the temptation, the expectation that this market will be enormous as Pepsi has found is what drives these firms. But it is risky. You cannot go in if you have a weak stomach.
Did you notice that strong stomach can mean something like being able to tolerate unpleasant things, being corageous while weak stomach may mean not being able to tolerate unpleasant things, being a coward?
Severe stomach
This combination is actually part of a longer collocation. It usually precedes words indicating some condition, like pain, problem etc.
- Impaired blood flow to the intestines can trigger severe stomach pain, usually after eating.
- You mean like a severe stomach pain?
- Within an hour or less, mimicking the very severe stomach problems Todd Sommer experienced…
- Scores of people were stricken with illnesses ranging from debilitating headaches and severe stomach problems to heart palpitations.
Growling stomach
- Her growling stomach reminded her that she also needed food.
- Using food to satisfy a feeling rather than a growling stomach is extremely common.
Sour stomach
- … but he had gone to bed early with a sour stomach.
- And those are just the ads for new products that treat heartburn, or what’s called “acid indigestion,” or “sour stomach.”
These symptoms include heartburn, indigestion, sour stomach, flatulence (gas), nausea, bloating, and belching.
|
| This is also called acid reflux |
Well, that’s it for today. But before we part, here’s an idiomatic expression for you:
butterflies in one’s stomach?
Hope you had great vacation!
Best
Stella
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Stella E. O. Tagnin professora associada do Departamento de Letras Modernas, FFLCH, da USP. Embora aposentada, continua orientando em nível de pós-graduação nas áreas de Tradução, Terminologia, Ensino e Aprendizagem, sempre com base na Lingüística de Corpus. É coordenadora do Projeto CoMET.e-mail: seotagni@usp.br.
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Excelente post!!! A professora Dra. Stella sempre nos ensinando como utilizar a Linguística de Corpus na sala de aula efetivamente. Parabéns, professora!!!