not have the heart to

Idioms  

1. Be unable to bring oneself to say or do something, as in He didn't have the heart to tell her the cat had died. [Mid-1600s] Also see have a heart.

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Example Sentences

Penelope did not have the heart to tell her that it had all been a trick, but she and Simon exchanged private, knowing looks.

From Literature

Deontay Wilder believes Anthony Joshua does not "have the heart" to fight him, but says a bout between the former heavyweight world champions is closer than it ever has been.

From BBC

Murphy the bald eagle waited day after day in his modest, yet carefully built nest for his one egg to hatch, but his keepers did not have the heart to break the news to him: The 31-year-old flightless bachelor was sitting on a rock.

From New York Times

George said the children were so hungry he did not have the heart to keep any for himself, and there was nothing else to eat that evening in the camp, a secondary school building in Rivers State, one of 32 Nigerian states hit by catastrophic floods.

From Reuters

Meanwhile, she said she did not have the heart to tell the family because they were "so down and so desperate".

From BBC