Dictionary.com

wear one's heart on one's sleeve

Save This Word!

To express affection or sentiment too openly or ostentatiously: “You have to play it cool with a girl like Heidi; you mustn't wear your heart on your sleeve.”

QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

Words nearby wear one's heart on one's sleeve

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Other Idioms and Phrases with wear one's heart on one's sleeve

wear one's heart on one's sleeve

Also, pin one's heart on one's sleeve. Openly show one's feelings, especially amorous ones. For example, You can't help but see how he feels about her; he wears his heart on his sleeve. This expression alludes to the former custom of tying a woman's favor to her lover's sleeve, thereby announcing their attachment. Shakespeare had it in Othello (1:1): “But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve for daws to peck at.”

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
FEEDBACK