English Idioms relating to

FEELINGS - EMOTIONS - REACTIONS

People who have ants in their pants are very restless or

excited about
Ants in one's pants something
"I wish he'd relax. He's got ants in his pants about something
today!"
If you bare your heart or soul to someone, you reveal your
innermost
thoughts and feelings to them.
Bare your heart (or soul) to someone
"John couldn't keep things to himself any longer. He decided to
bare
his soul to his best friend."
A person who bears the brunt of something is the one who
suffers the
most when something bad or unpleasant happens.
Bear the brunt (of something)
"When things go wrong, his assistant always has to bear the
brunt of
his anger."
If you are beside yourself (with an emotion), you lose your
self-control
Beside yourself (with an emotion)
because of the intensity of the emotion you are feeling.
"He was beside himself with grief when he lost his son."
If you carry the torch, you have strong feelings for someone
with whom
you do not or cannot have a relationship..
Carry the torch
"He's been carrying the torch for Julie since their college days,
before she
married Ted."
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
Wouldn't be caught/seen dead
too ashamed or embarrassed.
"My seven-year-old son thinks he's a big boy; he wouldn't be
caught
dead holding my hand!"
If something causes a stir, it creates an atmosphere of
excitement
Cause a stir
or great interest.
"The arrival of the actress caused quite a stir in the village."
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
Wouldn't be caught/seen dead
too ashamed or embarrassed.
"My seven-year-old son thinks he's a big boy; he wouldn't be
caught
dead holding my hand!"
Cheesed off If someone is cheesed off with something, they are annoyed,
bored
or frustrated.
"Julie is absolutely cheesed off with her job.
 If someone has a chip on their shoulder, they feel resentful
because
A chip on your shoulder
they feel they are being treated unfairly, especially because of
their background, their sex or their colour.
If a remark or comment is close to home, it is so true, or it
affects you
Close to home so directly, that you feel uncomfortable.
"Alan looks embarrassed. Bob's comment must have been
close to home!"
To say that someone is coming apart at the seams means
that they are
Come apart at the seams extremely upset or under severe mental stress.
"Bob has had so many problems lately, he's coming apart at the
seams."
If you cork something up (feelings, emotions), you fail to show
or
express them.
Cork something up
"It would be better for her if she showed her grief and didn't
cork up her
feelings."
If you cut someone to the quick, you hurt their feelings or
offend
them deeply.
Cut to the quick
"Alan was cut to the quick when Jack expressed doubts about
his
sincerity."
If you are out of your depth, it means you are in a situation
Out of your depth.
which is too difficult for you, or which you know little about.
Someone who is on the edge of their seat is very interested in
something and finds it both extremely exciting and nerve-
On the edge of one's seat wracking.
"Look at Bob! He's on the edge of his seat watching that rugby
match."
If you feel on top of the world, you feel wonderful or ecstatic
about
something.
Feel on top of the world
"I've been feeling on top of the world since I got the results - I'm

qualified!"
A person who keeps their feet on the ground continues to act
Keep one's feet on the ground in a sensible and practical way, even if they become
successful.
If a situation or feeling reaches fever pitch, it becomes very
intense
Fever pitch and exciting.
"Reaction to the affair has reached fever pitch all over the
country."
If you feel like a fish out of water , you feel uncomfortable
A fish out of water because of an unfamiliar situation or unfamiliar surroundings.
"As a non-golfer, I felt like a fish out of water at the clubhouse."
This refers to a mistake made by a speaker which is considered
to reveal
Freudian slip
their true thoughts or feelings.
"So you got the job - I'm so sad - sorry, I mean glad!"
Have one's 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."

If you get a grip on yourself, you make an effort to control

your
Get a grip on yourself 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."
This expression means that you get rid of a strong emotion or
desire
Get something out of your system by expressing it openly or trying to fulfil it.
"Tell your parents how you feel - it's better to get it out of your
system!"
If you get worked up about something, you become upset,
annoyed
Get worked up (about something) or excited, often unnecessarily.
"It's his first day at school tomorrow and he's all worked up
about it!"
If someone becomes very emotional and starts behaving in a
crazy way,
they go bananas.
Go bananas
"If you announce that you're going to drop out of school, your
parents
will go bananas!
If a person goes off the deep end, they become so angry or
upset
that they cannot control their emotions
Go off the deep end
"Mary will go off the deep end if her kids leave the kitchen in a
mess
again. "
If you go to pieces, for example after a terrible shock, you are so
upset
Go to pieces or distressed that you cannot lead your life normally.
"Jack nearly went to pieces when his son died in a plane
crash."
If you groan inwardly, you feel like expressing despair,
disapproval
or distress, but you remain silent.
Groan inwardly
"On his return, when Pete saw the pile of files on his desk, he
groaned
inwardly."
If you have a gut feeling about something, you have a strong intuition
which you cannot explain, but you are sure that you are right.
Gut feeling "As I read the story, I had a gut feeling that the postman was
lying ...
and I was right!"
A person who is hard (or 'tough') as nails is unsentimental
and
Hard as nails
shows no sympathy.
"Don't expect any sympathy from him. He's as hard as hails."
To say you're going to have kittens is a dramatic way of
expressing
worry, anxiety or fear.
Have kittens
"His mother nearly had kittens when Alex announced that he
wanted
to be a trapeze artist."
When a person falls passionately in love with another, they are
said
Head over heels in love 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!"

If someone has a change of heart, they change their attitude

or
Change of heart 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."
To say that you don't or couldn't give a hoot, means that
you don't care at all about something.
Couldn't give a hoot! "She wears eccentric clothes but she's couldn't give a hoot
about
what others think."
If you hope against hope, you continue to hope even when
the
situation looks bad
Hope against hope
"The whole building was destroyed by fire. John's parents are
hoping
against hope that he escaped in time."
If you get hot under the collar, you feel annoyed, indignant or
embarrassed.
Hot under the collar "If anyone criticizes his proposals, Joe immediately gets hot
under
the collar."
If you say or do something in the heat of the moment, you
say or
do it without pausing to think, at a time when you are
In the heat of the moment experiencing
unusually strong emotions such as anger, excitement, etc.
"I was so angry that in the heat of the moment I said things that
I regretted later."
If you keep your fingers crossed, you hope that something
will be
Keep your fingers crossed successful.
"I'm doing my driving test tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed
for me."
If you react to a situation in a sensible way, without
exaggerating
the importance or seriousness of the facts, you keep things in
Keep (something) in proportion
proportion.
"Yes, we've got a problem, but let's try to keep things in
proportion."
If a person keeps a stiff upper lip, they contain their emotion
Keep a stiff upper lip and do not let other people see their feelings.
"When she heard the bad news, she kept a stiff upper lip."
To say that you could "cut the atmosphere with a knife"
Cut the atmosphere with a knife
means that the atmosphere is extremely tense or unfriendly.
If you know someone or something inside out, you know them
Know someone/something inside out.
very well.
When a person licks their wounds, they try to recover their
confidence or spirits after a defeat, failure or disappointment.
Lick one's wounds
"Poor Harry is licking his wounds after being dropped off the
team."
If you look on the bright side, you view a mostly unpleasant
situation
in a positive and optimistic way and see the favourable aspects.
Look on the bright side
"OK. You know nobody, But there's a bright side - you'll make
lots of
new friends!"
 This expression means that if someone loves you, they must
love
Love me, love my dog everything about you, including everyone and everything that
you
love.
If you have a lump in your throat, you have a tight feeling in
your
A lump in your throat throat because of a strong emotion such as sadness or
gratitude.
"The speech was so touching that I had a lump in my throat."
Something that makes your flesh crawl fills you with disgust
or
Make one's flesh crawl
makes you feel very nervous.
"Just talking about snakes makes my flesh crawl."
When you have mixed feelings about something, you react to
it
with conflicting emotions; you are happy and unhappy at the
Mixed feelings same time.
"I had mixed feelings about leaving the company. I was excited
about
my new job but sad to be leaving my colleagues."
If a person is nice as pie, they are surprisingly very kind and
Nice as pie friendly
"After our argument, she was nice as pie!"
If you have no hard feelings, you feel no resentment or
bitterness
No hard feelings about something.
When Jack was promoted instead of Steve, he said to Steve :
"No hard feelings I hope."
If you do not give a hang about something, you are totally
indifferent
Not give a hang about to it and do not care at all about it.
something "I'm not interested in football so I don't give a hang about which
team
wins."
If a person's nose is out of joint, they have been upset,
embarrassed
or offended by somebody or something.
Nose out of joint
"When he discovered that he wasn't on the invitation list, that
really put
his nose out of joint.'
If you open or reopen old wounds, you revive memories of
an
unpleasant event, situation or dispute that took place in the
Open/reopen old wounds
past.
"He carefully avoided the subject so as not to open old
wounds."
Someone who is as pleased (or as proud) as punch is
delighted
As pleased (or as proud) as punch or feels very satisfied about something.
"Danny was as proud as punch when he won the tennis
match."
If you pour your heart out to someone, you express your
feelings
and troubles freely.
Pour your heart out
"When she needs to pour her heart out to someone, she goes
to visit
her grandmother."
 If something preys on your mind, it troubles you so much that
you
Prey on someone's mind
keep thinking about it.
"The vision of the house on fire kept preying on her mind."
If someone prolongs the agony, they make an unpleasant or
tense
situation last longer than necessary.
Prolong the agony
"Please don't prolong the agony. Just tell me whether I've been

accepted or not."

A person who is as proud as a peacock is extremely proud.

Proud as a peacock
"When his son won first prize, Bill was as proud as a peacock."

If you put your foot in your mouth, you do or say something

that
Put one's foot in one's mouth offends, upsets or embarrasses someone else.
"She really put her foot in her mouth when she mentioned the
housewarming party - Andy hadn't been invited!"
If you are in a stressful situation, having to answer a lot of
questions or
wait for a decision, you are on the rack.
On the rack
"The suspect was put on the rack by the police but he did not
confess
to anything."
If your behaviour or attitude makes someone cry, you reduce
them
to tears.
Reduce to tears
"The teacher criticized her presentation so harshly that she was

reduced to tears."
If something sends a shiver down your spine, it makes you
feel
Send a shiver down one's spine
anxious, nervous or excited.
"That song always sends a shiver down my spine."
If you have a soft spot for someone or something, you
particularly
Have a soft spot
like them.
"My grandfather has always had a soft spot for fast cars."
If something speaks volumes, it expresses a reaction or
opinion
very clearly, with no need for words.
Speak volumes
"The happy smile on the child's face when he opened the box
spoke
volumes about my choice of gift."
If you put somebody on the spot, you put them in a difficult
situation,
for example by asking embarrassing or difficult questions which
they
On the spot
cannot avoid.
"When the reporter was asked to reveal his source, he was
really put
on the spot."
To let off steam means to say or do something to relieve
Let off steam.
your feelings about something.
If someone is or gets steamed up about something, they
become
Steamed up
very angry, excited or enthusiastic about it.
"Calm down - there's no need to get all steamed up about it! "
 When someone is in a stew about something, they are worried
and
agitated.
In a stew
"When she was organizing the wedding reception, Laura got
into a stew
over the seating arrangements."
If something you say strikes a raw nerve, it upsets someone
because
they are very sensitive about the subject.
Strike (or hit) a raw nerve
"Julie has just lost her job. You struck a raw nerve when you
mentioned
unemployment."
Pleasant but unimportant words that lovers say to each other
are
Sweet nothings
called sweet nothings.
"He whispered sweet nothings in her ear as they danced."
If you take a fancy to someone or something, you develop a
Take a fancy fondness or begin to like them.
"I think John has taken a fancy to the new intern!"
If something takes a load or weight off somebody's mind, it
brings
great relief because a problem has been solved.
Take a load/weight off somebody's mind
"When the company closed down, finding a new job took a load
off
Tom's mind."
A person who is on tenterhooks is in a state of anxious
On tenterhooks suspense
or excitement.
When someone says they can thank their lucky stars, they
are
Thank one's lucky stars
expressing heartfelt gratitude or feeling particularly fortunate.
"I can thank my lucky stars I wasn't on the train that crashed."
To say 'that's the last straw' expresses exasperation at the
last in a
series of unpleasant events which makes the situation
That's the last straw!
intolerable.
"After a harassing day of negotiating, the traffic jam was the last
straw!"
If you consider someone to be the most wonderful person in
the world,
Think the sun rises and sets on
it is said that you think the sun rises and sets on that person.
someone
"She adores her husband. She thinks the sun rises and sets on
him."
If you think the world of someone, you like or admire them
very much.
Think the world of someone
"She's a wonderful grandmother - the children think the world of
her."
If something such as a feeling or reaction is thinly veiled, it is
barely
Thinly veiled hidden.
"His disappointment was thinly veiled when he saw what he
had won."
If you say someone is a thorn in your side, you mean
A thorn in your side
that they continually irritate or annoy you.
If you are tongue-tied, you have difficulty in expressing
yourself
Tongue-tied because you are nervous or embarrassed.
"At the start of the interview I was completely tongue-tied,
but little by little I relaxed."
 To say that something or someone tugs at the heartstrings
means
that they cause others to feel a great deal of pity or sadness.
Tug at the heartstrings
"The hospital's plea for donors tugged at the heartstrings of
millions
of viewers."
If someone does not turn a hair, they show no emotion in
not turn a hair circumstances when a reaction is expected.
"When the police came to arrest him, he didn't turn a hair."
If you are over the moon, you are absolutely delighted.
Over the moon
"We were all over the moon when we heard the good news."
To say that two people are on the same wavelength means
On the same wavelength that they understand each other well because they share
the same interests and opinions.<
If a person is weak at the knees, they are temporarily barely
able
Weak at the knees to stand because of emotion, fear or illness.
"The shock of the announcement made me go weak at the
knees."
If you wear your heart on your sleeve, you allow others
to see your emotions or feelings.
Wear your heart on your sleeve
"You could see she was hurt - she wears her heart on her
sleeve."
When someone is so excited that they talk non-stop, they are
wound up.
Wound up
"Claire had so much to tell us after her trip that she was wound
up."
When someone's feelings or thoughts are very clear, you can
say
Written all over (someone's) face that they are written all over their face.
"Her affection for her grandson was written all over the old
lady's face."