flesh and blood

noun

1. offspring or relatives.

   one's own flesh and blood.

2. the human body or nature.

   more than flesh and blood can endure.

Word History and Origins

Origin of flesh and blood¹

First recorded in 1200–50

Idioms and Phrases

Human beings, especially with respect to their failings or weaknesses. For example, I can't do everything—I'm only flesh and blood . [c. 1600]

one's own flesh and blood . One's blood relatives, kin, as in She can't cut her own flesh and blood out of her will . [c. 1300]

Example Sentences

“They are of us and among us, our own flesh and blood. But they sold their conscience.”

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He especially reveled in cross-examining Bovino, finding it amusing that while the other Border Patrol agents who testified wore suits and ties, the sector chief sported his uniform, which Ortega joked made him look like “the abstract concept of la migra had personified into flesh and blood.”

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"As I was approaching the exit, I felt myself being struck by the bullet…I could see the flesh and blood breaking away from my face."

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Often, it's the first time a medical student works with real flesh and blood - an experience that can't be replicated from a textbook.

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Behind the headlines and beyond the numbers, flesh and blood people are cut off from basic necessities, including food, clean water, and medical care.

Read more on Salon