The word sick and ill are similar in meaning: feeling or being unwell, but they have clear differences in usage. We can say “I’m going to be sick” to mean I’m going to vomit, but not “I’m going to be ill.“ We can say “I’m sick of you!” to mean I’m very angry with you, but you can’t say “I’m ill of you!“ Here are some expressions that can only be used with sick:
As sick as a dog
Meaning: to be very ill; to vomit a lot
– She’s as sick as a dog from that long trip. I don’t think she will come to the office today.
As sick as a parrot
Meaning: to be very disappointed
– Graham was sick as a parrot when he heard Manchester had lost the match.
Be worried sick
Meaning: to be very worried
– It’s almost midnight, but Julie hasn’t come home yet. I’m worried sick about her.
Sick to one’s stomach
Meaning: feeling of nausea
– She was sick to her stomach after knowing that her husband had lost all his money on gambling.
Sick to death of something
Meaning: to extremely bored of something
– I’m sick to death of the constant talk about the workers strike.
Sick and tired of something
Meaning: be very angry and bored of unpleasant thing that has been happening for too long
– You’ve been giving me the same old excuses for months and I’m sick and tired of hearing them!
Call in sick
Meaning: to call the office/school to tell that someone is sick and can’t come in
– Four of our office staff called in sick today.
Sick joke
Meaning: a joke intended to be humorous, but actually in a very bad taste
– He always tell sick jokes about the Chinese people.
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