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3. move a muscle

move a muscle

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not move a muscle

to stay completely still She sat without moving a muscle as the nurse injected the anaesthetic.

See Move arse!, move up a gear, move in for the kill, change up with the times, come down in the world

See also: move, muscle

move a muscle

Bestir oneself even slightly. This idiom is usually put negatively, either with implied criticism, as in She won't move a muscle to help get dinner, or not, as in When I saw the deer, I stayed quite still, not daring to move a muscle. It was first recorded in 1889.

See also: move, muscle