> is "sick to the stomach" a normal saying in American English?
Yes.
See e.g. https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/sick_1#sick_idmg_8 ("sick to your stomach", second star)
> feeling that you want to vomit
and https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sick_to_one%27s_stomach
> *(chiefly US)* Nauseated, queasy or vomiting, sick.
In the US it's both, actual nausea or intense (negative) emotional reaction. The latter stems from the feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you're extremly angry, disgusted, or anxious, so in a sense they're referring to the same thing. But I hear it more commonly about actual nausea.
Australian English has things in common with both UK and US English and I'd say both meanings would be understood here.
"I felt sick to my stomach before my performance" - I was very nervous.
"I felt sick to my stomach after eating my friend's cooking" - My friend's food made me feel nauseated.
I'm British, and both of your examples interpret 'the worst thing ever to exist' to me (they also sound/read weird).
The first makes me think something else before the performance really disgusted them, not that they were nervous.
The second would be their friends' food being the worst thing to ever exist, not that it physically made them sick.
I think it's because in either instance, you do not need to add 'to my stomach' for the sentence to function. If 'sick' is used instead of the noun/adjective, you'd still get the meaning from context; performance = nervousness, and food = nausea.
I think that "sick" is mostly a stomach thing in the UK, based on how I've seen British people use it.
In the US, "sick" can pretty much refer to any feeling of poor health that isn't due to injury. "I feel sick" might mean a headache, fever, cough, etc., but the phrase "sick to my stomach" refers to nausea or to negative emotion strong enough to potentially cause nausea.
I've definitely said that I'm sick to my stomach when I feel nauseous. For example, realizing the bun I was eating was moldly made me feel sick to my stomach.
english native: ‘sick to the stomach’ is usually more of an idiom or metaphor than a literal thing, but it’s definitely used. i would say that ‘smelling my cousin’s feet made me sick to the stomach’, even if i didn’t actually throw up
To me, "sick to the stomach" is definitely more connected to a visceral emotional response.
It's a feeling of physical sickness without physical cause, in response to imagining,witnessing, or remembering something disturbing.
1000th american english speaker chiming in to say i’ve mostly heard it referring to nausea, and in the context where it is used to refer to fear or anxiety, ive only ever interpreted it as ‘fear to the point of nausea’
I’m a British English speaker but lived in the US for 20 years. My Midwestern in laws say sick to the stomach to mean nausea/vomiting all the time. I assume this difference is because feeling sick means all sorts of things in the US (like a cold, etc…) but specifically means nausea in the UK (everything else is feeling ill.) At least, that’s what it meant where I grew up! So yes, its a common American English phrase.
English native here. So I would actually not consider this correct. Normally "sick to your stomach" is more a reaction to something happening, rather than a reaction to eating something.
If you eat something bad, you probably "get sick" or "feel sick", whereas if, for example, somebody tells you your car got hit by a falling tree and is beyond repair, you would likely be "sick to your stomach".
I wonder if I'm alone here, maybe I've been using it wrong my whole life :D
I'm English, and I wouldn't use it in that context either - obviously there's a lot of variety in UK dialects, but it's not one I've come across. If I used it, it would be for an emotional reaction rather than a food/illness issue.
Although I don't think I'd use the phrase anyway, I'd probably use I've got butterflies if it's a smaller issue, or I feel sick for a larger issue.
I think what you think.
"He felt sick to his stomach when he opened the door to the police" or "I'm sick to my stomach of all politicians being crooks"
In British English, I’ve always heard it as a metaphorical emotional response. E.g. she saw two police officers at the front door and was sick to her stomach with worry about the news that they were bringing
Doesn't "stomach ache" mean pain or general discomfort in your stomach while "sick to my stomach" means queasy/feeling like you're going to throw up? I'm also American and I've never heard those two used interchangeably before.
I kind of agree, if I were feeling pukey sensations I would say "I'm feeling nauseous/queasy" whereas I would use "stomach ache" more for cramps and discomfort. I don't think I've ever used "sick to my stomach" in any physical context but maybe that's just me.
I definitely used it in a physical context when I was a little kid, these days I'd be more likely to use nauseous or queasy. But it always referred to nausea, if I had a stomach ache I would have said something like "my stomach hurts". It seems a little childish to me but not particularly weird.
As a native British English speaker, it's a common phrase, but not usually in this context. It's generally an idiom, used to mean that someone is upset, worried etc.
See for example this [definition](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/sick-to-stomach)
I've never heard it used to mean literally sick, and it doesn't sound like a correct usage of the phrase to me, although of course it may be a regional thing.
I would say that it's a strong exaggeration to the point of hyperbole, which lends itself to the metaphorical usage -- but you can absolutely say "oh my god, I was sick to my stomach after eating those oysters". I am amazed that any native speaker of the language could have avoided hearing it.
As for whether it's a good translation of the phrase in Spanish -- my Spanish isn't good enough to offer an opinion.
Hmm perhaps it is regional usage - I've genuinely never heard it used that way, but how you describe it sounds more like I've heard people say "I was sick as a dog" or similar.
As you say, I can't comment on whether it's a good Spanish translation, though.
In my (British) dialect, I would only use this phrase to evoke a strong, visceral reaction to something disgusting or horrifying. I wouldn’t use it to mean literally nauseous, and if I heard it to mean that I’d think it unusual.
In Ireland it would be purely a metaphorical phrase. You could be "sick to your stomach" from nerves, or because a person revolts you. When you mean literally that you feel sick you'd say "I have a pain in my stomach"
I'm a US English speaker and this is a really common phrase here. I hear it regularly used for both the physical sensation of being nauseated and the emotional response to an unpleasant thing.
Q: "Is this a clunky Duo translation or is "sick to the stomach" a normal saying in American English?"
A: "So, in my opinion, it's not wrong but it's a little bit unusual."
I'm sorry that you can't write without introducing ambiguity you don't intend; I did read, and this is absolutely what you said.
> is "sick to the stomach" a normal saying in American English? Yes. See e.g. https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/sick_1#sick_idmg_8 ("sick to your stomach", second star) > feeling that you want to vomit and https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sick_to_one%27s_stomach > *(chiefly US)* Nauseated, queasy or vomiting, sick.
Thanks for the clarification. It's not a saying I've heard in that context before but good to know.
In the US it's both, actual nausea or intense (negative) emotional reaction. The latter stems from the feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you're extremly angry, disgusted, or anxious, so in a sense they're referring to the same thing. But I hear it more commonly about actual nausea.
Australian English has things in common with both UK and US English and I'd say both meanings would be understood here. "I felt sick to my stomach before my performance" - I was very nervous. "I felt sick to my stomach after eating my friend's cooking" - My friend's food made me feel nauseated.
There is the third "He made me sick to my stomach" - This guy disgusts me
This is the only way I've ever heard it.
I'm British, and both of your examples interpret 'the worst thing ever to exist' to me (they also sound/read weird). The first makes me think something else before the performance really disgusted them, not that they were nervous. The second would be their friends' food being the worst thing to ever exist, not that it physically made them sick. I think it's because in either instance, you do not need to add 'to my stomach' for the sentence to function. If 'sick' is used instead of the noun/adjective, you'd still get the meaning from context; performance = nervousness, and food = nausea.
I think that "sick" is mostly a stomach thing in the UK, based on how I've seen British people use it. In the US, "sick" can pretty much refer to any feeling of poor health that isn't due to injury. "I feel sick" might mean a headache, fever, cough, etc., but the phrase "sick to my stomach" refers to nausea or to negative emotion strong enough to potentially cause nausea.
I thought the green thing was duolingo bird’s ass 😭😭😭
That makes me sick to my stomach.
LMFAOOOOO spread cheeks 💀
I'm from the UK and see nothing wrong with it. You don't hear it too often, but it is a thing people can say.
I've definitely said that I'm sick to my stomach when I feel nauseous. For example, realizing the bun I was eating was moldly made me feel sick to my stomach.
english native: ‘sick to the stomach’ is usually more of an idiom or metaphor than a literal thing, but it’s definitely used. i would say that ‘smelling my cousin’s feet made me sick to the stomach’, even if i didn’t actually throw up
From the UK and definitely hear it used in both contexts, given other answers maybe it's more regional where it's used as in physical sickness?
To me, "sick to the stomach" is definitely more connected to a visceral emotional response. It's a feeling of physical sickness without physical cause, in response to imagining,witnessing, or remembering something disturbing.
1000th american english speaker chiming in to say i’ve mostly heard it referring to nausea, and in the context where it is used to refer to fear or anxiety, ive only ever interpreted it as ‘fear to the point of nausea’
I’m a British English speaker but lived in the US for 20 years. My Midwestern in laws say sick to the stomach to mean nausea/vomiting all the time. I assume this difference is because feeling sick means all sorts of things in the US (like a cold, etc…) but specifically means nausea in the UK (everything else is feeling ill.) At least, that’s what it meant where I grew up! So yes, its a common American English phrase.
English native here. So I would actually not consider this correct. Normally "sick to your stomach" is more a reaction to something happening, rather than a reaction to eating something. If you eat something bad, you probably "get sick" or "feel sick", whereas if, for example, somebody tells you your car got hit by a falling tree and is beyond repair, you would likely be "sick to your stomach". I wonder if I'm alone here, maybe I've been using it wrong my whole life :D
English native here and I've heard it used both ways equally! "I'm feeling super sick to my stomach, I think I ate something bad."
Personally I feel like it can be used in both contexts “I ate spoiled milk, I’m sick to my stomach” “25 kids got murdered, I’m sick to my stomach.”
I'm English, and I wouldn't use it in that context either - obviously there's a lot of variety in UK dialects, but it's not one I've come across. If I used it, it would be for an emotional reaction rather than a food/illness issue. Although I don't think I'd use the phrase anyway, I'd probably use I've got butterflies if it's a smaller issue, or I feel sick for a larger issue.
I think what you think. "He felt sick to his stomach when he opened the door to the police" or "I'm sick to my stomach of all politicians being crooks"
This is also a very common saying in British English.
In British English, I’ve always heard it as a metaphorical emotional response. E.g. she saw two police officers at the front door and was sick to her stomach with worry about the news that they were bringing
Same here (US). When referring to it in the literal sense I more commonly say/hear "I have a stomach ache".
Doesn't "stomach ache" mean pain or general discomfort in your stomach while "sick to my stomach" means queasy/feeling like you're going to throw up? I'm also American and I've never heard those two used interchangeably before.
I kind of agree, if I were feeling pukey sensations I would say "I'm feeling nauseous/queasy" whereas I would use "stomach ache" more for cramps and discomfort. I don't think I've ever used "sick to my stomach" in any physical context but maybe that's just me.
I definitely used it in a physical context when I was a little kid, these days I'd be more likely to use nauseous or queasy. But it always referred to nausea, if I had a stomach ache I would have said something like "my stomach hurts". It seems a little childish to me but not particularly weird.
Certainly hasn't been common in my experience as this is the first time I've heard it used in this context.
Are you a native speaker of English?
As a native British English speaker, it's a common phrase, but not usually in this context. It's generally an idiom, used to mean that someone is upset, worried etc. See for example this [definition](https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/sick-to-stomach) I've never heard it used to mean literally sick, and it doesn't sound like a correct usage of the phrase to me, although of course it may be a regional thing.
I would say that it's a strong exaggeration to the point of hyperbole, which lends itself to the metaphorical usage -- but you can absolutely say "oh my god, I was sick to my stomach after eating those oysters". I am amazed that any native speaker of the language could have avoided hearing it. As for whether it's a good translation of the phrase in Spanish -- my Spanish isn't good enough to offer an opinion.
Hmm perhaps it is regional usage - I've genuinely never heard it used that way, but how you describe it sounds more like I've heard people say "I was sick as a dog" or similar. As you say, I can't comment on whether it's a good Spanish translation, though.
In my (British) dialect, I would only use this phrase to evoke a strong, visceral reaction to something disgusting or horrifying. I wouldn’t use it to mean literally nauseous, and if I heard it to mean that I’d think it unusual.
Curious what people think. I agree this is a well-known idiom, but I haven't heard it in a very long time. Is it outdated?
In Ireland it would be purely a metaphorical phrase. You could be "sick to your stomach" from nerves, or because a person revolts you. When you mean literally that you feel sick you'd say "I have a pain in my stomach"
I could mean actually sick, disgusted, nervous. Like a figure of speech
I'm a US English speaker and this is a really common phrase here. I hear it regularly used for both the physical sensation of being nauseated and the emotional response to an unpleasant thing.
its basically a way of saying you feel like you have to vimit...atleast thats how I use it.
Yes but it’s describing something emotional really. I don’t usually see it describing literally being sicn
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Downvoted for wrong advice about the English language; are you a native speaker? This is a common expression in English.
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You are wrong. The expression is not at all unusual in English. It is not helpful to learners to give out misinformation.
Again, you didn’t read my comment. I NEVER said the expression was unusual.
Q: "Is this a clunky Duo translation or is "sick to the stomach" a normal saying in American English?" A: "So, in my opinion, it's not wrong but it's a little bit unusual." I'm sorry that you can't write without introducing ambiguity you don't intend; I did read, and this is absolutely what you said.
“It’s not wrong” I literally said it isn’t wrong. That is not ambiguous.
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Downvoted for wrong advice about the English language; are you a native speaker? This is a common expression in English.