Ever wondered what ‘pouring your heart out’ meant? Or what it meant to “take heart”? We list out the top heart phrases in common use and break down what they mean.
1. ‘Eat Your Heart Out‘
Meaning: Like it or lump it.
Dreaming of that shiny new car day and night, fretting and sighing every moment you’re away from it? Pining for a loved one who’s away?
Then you’re eating your heart out for them.
But this seemingly sentimental cardiac idiom has a far less noble connotation as well.
When you wish to convey that you have a privilege or accomplished a feat beyond the other person’s means, you ask them to eat their heart out.
For instance: I’m off work this Wednesday, and I’m going to a movie. Eat your heart out, Fred!
But going by how readers of HeartCopy are people with broad hearts, we know you won’t use it in this sense except strictly tongue-in-cheek while bantering with friends!
2. ‘Cross My Heart‘
Meaning: Swear the truth.
How do you take an oath and declare that what you’re saying is for real? In other words, how do you pledge and promise without using either of those words? Just say ‘cross my heart’ at the end (or beginning, for that matter!) of all that you’re claiming to be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Used mostly by children, the full version though will shock you: ‘cross my heart and hope to die’!
For example: I told Ramya nothing; cross my heart and hope to die!
Of course just the same, you can also ask the other person to say ‘cross my heart’ when you think they’re spinning a yarn that’s hard to buy.
For example: Cross your heart; are you telling the truth?
Just remember never to take literally, nor hold anyone steadfastly to, any part of the idiom, especially the full version!
3. ‘Pour Your Heart Out‘
Meaning: Confide freely.
When you’ve been holding something back for long, and meet that one friend with whom you’re so close that you can share everything, and to whom you feel comfortable confiding your most intimate thoughts and feelings, what’s the first thing you do?
You pour your heart out!
Think of what you do when a container becomes full but there’s more to come. You guessed it – you pour it out.
So when your heart is brimming with joy or sadness, complaint or gratitude, and ecstasy or misery, find someone you feel safe confiding in, and pour your heart out is what you do.
Only, this idiom suggests that for this to happen, your heart needs to be liquid, and we’d say that’s very appropriate, because only a fluid heart can be poured.
4. ‘Get to the Heart of the Matter‘
Meaning: Touch the most important aspect of an issue.
There are times when you drop hints, use euphemisms, broach a subject, make allusions, dilly-dally, side-step, beat around the bush and generally hope to be understood without targeting the meat of the issue with precision and clarity.
But instead if you are direct, pointed, unequivocal, clear and ask the right questions, and trying to pry out the most important truth, you’re getting to the heart of the matter.
And that’s what wise people do to save time and spare complications.
5. ‘Take Heart‘
Meaning: Muster courage.
There are two ways of dealing with a setback. You may sit, sulk, fret and whine, and generally linger at rock-bottom and be miserable until the cows come home.
Or – you may take heart.
Taking heart means to dig into your inner wells of resolve and steel to mine out some courage and pluck, to pull yourself up, put on some armour and soldier on ahead through the forest of life.
Just goes on to show that you may have given your heart to something, but sometimes it’s important to take heart, too!
