heart in one's mouth, have one's
Be extremely frightened or anxious, as in When the plane was about to take off, my heart was in my mouth. This usage alludes to the heart beating so violently that it appears to leap upward. [Mid-1500s]
RELATED CONTENT
Why Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” Was Pure PoetryPoliticians and political figures often use anaphora in speeches to emphasize their points. A classic example of anaphora comes from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. King uses the anaphoral phrase, “I have a dream,” to start eight consecutive sentences: “I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi . . . will be transformed into an oasis …
Nearby words
heart cherry, heart disease, heart failure, heart goes out to, one's, heart in it, have one's, heart in one's mouth, have one's, heart in the right place, have one's, heart is a lonely hunter, the, heart is set on, heart massage, heart misses a beat, one's
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.