meaning - Origin of 'put your hand on your heart' - English …
WEBMar 28, 2015 · The term "hand on heart" goes back at least as far as the 16th century. The OED has this: to put one's hand on one's heart, to put one's hand on one's heart and variants: to adopt a position of honesty and sincerity. Also hand on heart: honestly, truly. Among the attestations are:
What is the origin of the saying, "faint heart never won fair lady"?
WEBDec 8, 2015 · Faint heart neuer wonne faire Lady. [1614 W. Camden Remains concerning Britain (ed. 2) 306] And later in 1754A.D., it was phrased in today's recognizable English: Then, madam, we will not take your denial. ‥Have I not heard it said, that faint heart never won fair lady. [1754 Richardson Grandison I. xvi.] Thus is the origin of this saying.
By heart as from memory - English Language & Usage Stack …
WEBOct 17, 2017 · It is an old figurative meaning of heart related to memory: By heart: Most of the modern figurative senses were present in Old English, including "memory" (from the notion of the heart as the seat of all mental faculties, now only in by heart, which is from late 14c.). (Etymonline) The expression learning by heart is traced back to the Middle Ages.
Our heart or our hearts - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange
WEBSep 15, 2023 · 1. Google ngrams show that both 'our heart goes out to' and 'our hearts go out to' are used, the latter being much the more common, emphasising the level of concern rather than the unity of those concerned. But with metaphorical usages especially, the distributive singular is common. 'The boys wanted to get something off their chest but …
What is the origin of the phrase “it warms the cockles of my heart”?
WEBJan 13, 2018 · The cockles of your heart, on the other hand are the ventricles and thus, by extension, the innermost depths of one's heart or emotions. The word comes from the Latin phrase cochleae cordis , meaning "ventricles of the heart," while the shellfish cockle comes from the Latin conchylium , meaning conch shell.
meaning - Difference between "mind" and "heart" in Gunslinger's …
WEBJan 22, 2020 · On the other hand, I interpreted "I kill with my heart" as not forgetting the purpose for fighting as a gunslinger, the savior of the world. These phrases are a bit poetic, so there may not be any clear-cut answer, but it would be helpful if …
pronunciation - Why "thine heart" but "thy whole heart"? - English ...
WEBJun 4, 2021 · 4. It's a phonetic rule, but the phonetics may have changed between the original writing and the present - for example, at the time of writing, "heart" may not have had the initial aspiration (h), and a modern ear may well have heard "art". – Jeff Zeitlin. Jun 4, 2021 at 19:09. So no difference in pronunciation between thine heart and thine ...
expressions - clutching one's chest / at one's chest - English …
WEBjoeav. 519 6 13. 4. Clutching X usually means grasping X firmly in your hand. Obviously you can't actually hold your own chest in your hand - but to clutch at X works because that conveys the sense of convulsively/eagerly grabbing, pawing at something (with outstretched fingers, which figuratively would "enclose X in the hand*, even though it's ...
Die hard or die heart? - English Language & Usage Stack Exchange
WEBJan 20, 2014 · 1. Informal, after the expression die hard, esp., in contrast, not as a synonym/ variant. See UD dieheart: One who is ridiculously overwhelmingly passionate about a specific thing, person, place, verb, or adverb. One willing to die for said cause, and as a result their heart would stop beating.
Do 'learn by heart' & 'learn by rote' mean the same?
WEBNov 27, 2013 · @Damkerng T (below) has suggested that learning 'by rote' is only one method of learning 'by heart'. If that idea has substance it suggests that 'by heart' is a more general term and that 'by rote'is a subset of it. Could it be that 'by heart' refers to an end-result e.g. I know the 23rd psalm 'by heart'.