English idiom

wear your heart on your sleeve

Register · Neutral CEFR B2

Post

Figurative meaning

To show your feelings openly rather than hiding them.

Why this phrase?

Medieval knights are said to have tied a lady's token to their sleeve.

Example

“He wears his heart on his sleeve, so you always know how he feels.”

Dictionary details

Tags

Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.

blow off steam

to release pent-up energy or emotion through some activity

cut loose

to abandon restraint and behave freely or wildly

drive someone up the wall

to make someone feel extremely annoyed or frustrated

get on someone's nerves

to repeatedly irritate or annoy someone

go bananas

to become wildly excited, angry, or otherwise out of control

green with envy

feeling extremely jealous of what another person has

Source methodology

Meanings, register, CEFR, and examples come from the reviewed dictionary record. Expression notes may describe a reviewed present-day word picture or a background note; they are not presented as verified etymology.

External links

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