Designing Your Character & Other Handy Things 2

Body Language Phrases

Eyes, Brows and Forehead
arched a sly brow:  sly, haughty
blinked owlishly:  just waking, focusing, needs glasses
brows bumped together in a scowl:  worried, disapproving, irritated
brows knitted in a frown: worried, disapproval, thoughtful
bug-eyed:  surprised, fear, horror
cocky wink and confident smile:  over confidence, arrogant, good humor, sexy humor
eyes burned with hatred: besides hatred this might suggest maniacal feelings
eyes flashed: fury, defiance, lust, promise, seduction
eyes rolled skyward: disbelief, distrust, humor
forehead puckered:  thoughtful, worried, irritation
frustration crinkled her eyes
gaze dipped to her décolletage: sexual interest, attraction, lust
gimlet-eyed/narrowed eyes: irritation, thoughtful, mean, angry
gleam of deviltry:  humor, conniving, cunning
kept eye contact but her gaze became glazed: pretending interest where there is none/bordom
narrowed to crinkled slits:  angry, distrust
nystagmic eyes missed nothing (constantly shifting eyes):  Shifty
pupils dilated:  interested, attraction to opposite sex, fear
raked her with freezing contempt
slammed his eyes shut:  stunned, furious, pain
squinted in a furtive manner:  fearful, sneaky
stared with cow eyes:  surprised, disbelief, hopeful, lovestruck
subtle wink:  sexy, humor/sharing a joke, sarcasm
unrelenting stare: distrust, demanding, high interest, unyielding

Place To Place, Stationary Or Posture
ambled away:  relaxed, lazy
barged ahead:  rude, hurried
battled his way through the melee:  desperate, anger, alarm
cruised into the diner:  easy-going, feeling dapper, confident
dawdled alongside the road:  lazy, deliberate delay for motives, unhurried, relaxed
dragged his blanket in the dirt:   sadness/depressed, weary
edged closer to him:  sneaky, seeking comfort, seeking protection, seeking an audience
he stood straighter and straightened his tie:  sudden interest, sexual attraction
held his crotch and danced a frantic jig: demonstrates physical condition – he has to pee
hips rolled and undulated:  sexy walk, exaggerating for sex appeal
hovered over them with malice/like a threatening storm: here it's malice, but one may hover for many reasons.
hunched over to look shorter:  appear inconspicuous, ashamed of actions, ashamed of height
leaped into action feet hammering the marbled floor:  eager, fear, joyous
long-legged strides:  hurried, impatient
lumbered across:  heavy steps of a big man in a hurry
minced her way up to him: timid, sneaky, insecure, dainty or pretense at dainty
paced/prowled the halls:  worried, worried impatience, impatient, diligently seeking pivoted on his heel and took off:  mistaken and changes direction, following orders, hurried, abrupt change of mind, angry retreat
plodded down the road:  unhurried, burdened, reluctant
practiced sensual stroll:  sexy, showing off
rammed her bare foot into her jeans: angry, rushed
rocked back and forth on his heels: thoughtful, impatiently waiting
sagged against the wall:  exhausted, disappointment
sallied forth:  confident, determined
sashayed her cute little fanny:  confident, determined, angered and determined
shrank into the angry crowd:  fear, insecure, seeking to elude
sketched a brief bow and assumed a regal pose: confident, mocking, snooty, arrogant skidded to an abrupt halt: change of heart, fear, surprise, shock
skulked on the edges of the crowd: sneaky, ashamed, timid
slithered through the door:  sneaky, evil, bad intentions
stormed toward her, pulling up short when: anger with a sudden surprise
swaggered into the class room:  over confident, proud, arrogant, conceited
tall erect posture:  confidence, military bearing
toe tapped a staccato rhythm:  impatience, irritation
tottered/staggered unsteadily then keeled over:  drunk, drugged, aged, ill
waltzed across the floor:  happy, blissful, exuberant, conceited, arrogant

Head Movement
cocked his head:  curiosity, smart-alecky, wondering, thoughtful
cocked his head left and rolled his eyes to right corner of the ceiling:  introspection
droop of his head: depressed, downcast, hiding true feelings
nodded vigorously: eager
tilted her head to one side while listening:  extreme interest, possibly sexual interest