| bare your heart (or soul) to someone | If you bare you heart (or soul) to someone, you reveal your innermost thoughts and feelings to them.
Mike couldn't keep things to himself any longer. He decided to bare his soul to his best friend. |
| bear the brunt | A person who bears the brunt of something is the one who suffers the most when something bad or unpleasant happens.
When things go wrong, his assistant always has to bear the brunt of his anger. |
| bent out of shape | If you get bent out of shape, you become annoyed or upset about something that is usually not that important or cannot be avoided.
Don't get bent out of shape if you're delayed. We'll wait for you. |
| beside yourself (with emotion) | If you are beside yourself (with an emotion), you lose your self-control because of the intensity of the emotion you are feeling.
He was beside himself with grief when he lost his son. |
bored to tears
(also: to distraction/to death/silly) | If you find something so dull and uninteresting that it makes you sad enough to cry, you are bored to tears.
I could see that my son was bored to tears by the historical documentary. |
| carry the torch for | If you carry the torch, you have strong feelings for someone with whom you do not or cannot have a relationship.
He's been carrying the torch for Julie since their college days, before she married Ted. |
| wouldn't be caught/seen dead | If someone says that they wouldn't be caught or seen dead in a particular place or doing something, they mean that they would be too ashamed or embarrassed.
My seven-year-old son thinks he's a big boy; he wouldn't be caught dead holding my hand in front of his friends! |
| cheesed off | If someone is cheesed off with something, they are annoyed, bored or frustrated.
Jenny is absolutely cheesed off with her job. |
| chip on your shoulder | If someone has a chip on their shoulder, the feel resentful because they feel they are being treated unfairly, especially because of their background, their sex or their colour.
He's got a chip on his shoulder because he's from a working-class family. |
| close to home | If a remark or comment is close to home, it is so true, or it affects you so directly, that you feel uncomfortable.
Alan looks embarrassed. Bob's comment must have been close to home. |
| come apart at the seams | To say that someone is coming apart at the seams means that they are extremely upset or under severe mental stress.
Bob has had so many problems lately, he's coming apart at the seams. |
| cork up something | If you cork up your feelings or emotions, you fail to show or express them.
It would be better if she showed her grief and didn't cork up her feelings. |
| cut to the quick | If you cut someone to the quick, you hurt their feelings or offend them deeply.
Alan was cut to the quick when Joe expressed doubt about his sincerity. |
| deep down | If you talk about how someone is, or feels, deep down, you are describing what they are like or what they really feel deep inside, behind the outward appearance.
He appears to be indifferent to his success, but deep down he's very happy. |
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Feelings - Emotions - Reactions
(page 2 : fish out of water → change of heart)
| fish out of water | If you feel like a fish out of water, you feel uncomfortable in unfamiliar surroundings.
As a non-golfer, I felt like a fish out of water at the clubhouse. |
| fit of pique | Someone who reacts by showing their resentment or annoyance when their pride has been wounded, or they feel insulted, is said
to have a fit of pique.
She left the table in a fit of pique. |
| Freudian slip | A Freudian slip is a mistake made by a speaker which is considered to reveal their true thoughts or feelings.
So you got the job - I'm so sad ... Sorry, I mean 'glad'! |
| have your heart in the right place | A person who has their heart in the right place has kind feelings and good intentions, even if the results are not too good.
The old lady's cake wasn't wonderful but she's got her heart in the right place! |
| get a grip on yourself | If you get a grip on yourself, you try to control your feelings so as to be able to deal with a situation.
After the initial shock, Lisa got a grip on herself and called an ambulance. |
| get something out of your system | This expression means that you get rid of a strong emotion or desire by expressing it openly or trying to fulfill it.
Tell you parents how you feel - it's better to get it out of your system. |
| get worked up | If you get worked up about something, you become upset, annoyed or excited, often unnecessarily.
It's his first day at school tomorrow and he's all worked up about it. |
| go bananas | If someone becomes very emotional and starts behaving in a crazy way, they go bananas.
If you announce that you are going to drop out of school, your parents will go bananas! |
| go off the deep end | If a person goes off the deep end, they become so angry or upset that they cannot control their emotions.
Eva will go off the deep end if her kids leave the kitchen in a mess again. |
| go to pieces | If you go to pieces, for example after a terrible shock, you are so upset or distressed that you cannot lead a normal life.
Jack nearly went to pieces when his son died in a car crash. |
| groan inwardly | If you groan inwardly, you feel like expressing despair, disapproval or distress, but you remain silent.
On his return, when Pete saw the pile of files on his desk, he groaned inwardly. |
| guilty pleasure | Enjoying something which is not generally held in high regard, while at the same time feeling a bit guilty about it, is called a guilty pleasure.
Reading gossip magazines is a guilty pleasure for many women… and some men too! |
| hard as nails | A person who is (as) hard as nails is unsentimental and shows no sympathy.
Don't expect any sympathy from him. He's as hard as nails. |
| head over heels in love | When a person falls passionately in love with another, they are said to be head over heels in love.
Tony's only interest at the moment is Maria. He's head over heels in love with her! |
| change of heart | If someone has a change of heart, they change their attitude or feelings, especially towards greater friendliness or cooperation.
He was against charity, but he had a change of heart when he saw the plight of the homeless.
| couldn't give a hoot! | To say that you don't or couldn't give a hoot means that you don't care at all about something.
She wears eccentric clothes but she couldn't give a hoot about what others think. |
| hot under the collar | If you get hot under the collar, you feel annoyed, indignant or embarrassed.
If anyone criticizes his proposals, Joe immediately gets hot under the collar. |
| keep a stiff upper lip | If a person keeps a stiff upper lip, they contain their emotion and do not let other people see their feelings.
When she heard the bad news, she kept a stiff upper lip. |
| lick one's wounds | When a person licks their wonds, they try to recover their confidence or spirits after a defeat, failure or disappointment.
Poor Harry is licking his wounds after being dropped from the team. |
| look on the bright side | If you look on the bright side, you view a mostly unpleasant situation in a positive and optimistic way and the see the favourable aspects.
OK. You know nobody. But look on the bright side - you'll make lots of new friends! |
| love me, love my dog | This expression means that if someone loves you, they must love everything about you, including everyone and everything you love.
Harry didn't like Sally's best friend, but Sally said : 'love me, love my dog!' |
| lump in your throat | If you have a lump in your throat, you have a tight feeling in your throat because of a strong emotion such as sadness or gratitude.
The speech was so touching that I had a lump in my throat. |
| makes your ears burn | If something makes your ears burn, you are embarrassed by what you hear, especially if the conversation is about you.
The comments I overheard made my ears burn. |
| makes your flesh crawl | Something that makes your flesh crawl fills you with disgust or makes you feel very nervous.
Just talking about snakes makes my flesh crawl! |
| mixed feelings | When you have mixed feelings about something, you react to it with conflicting emotions; you are happy and unhappy at the same time.
I had mixed feelings about leaving the company. I was excited about my new job but sad to be leaving my colleagues. |
| no hard feelings | If you have no hard feelings, you feel no resentment or bitterness about something.
When Alan was promoted instead of Steve, he said to Steve : 'No hard feelings I hope.' |
| not give a hang | If you do not give a hang about something, you are totally indifferent to it and do not care at all about it.
I'm not interested in football so I don't give a hang about which team wins. |
| not turn a hair | If someone does not turn a hair, they show no emotion in circumstances where a reaction is expected.
When the police came to arrest him, he didn't turn a hair. |
| nose out of joint | If something puts your nose out of joint, it offends or annoys you.
When he discovered he wasn't on the invitation list, that really put his nose out of joint! |
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