In the English language, the heart is often used to denote the seat of passion, compassion, courage and intelligence. Of all the parts of the body, the heart is the one that throbs most pervasively through our daily conversation.
If, for example, we are deeply saddened, we might say that we are heartsick, heartbroken, downhearted, heavy-hearted or discouraged. At the heart of discouraged beats the Latin cor, “heart,” giving the word the literal meaning of “disheartened.” Or if we wish to emphasize our sincerity, we might say heartfelt, with all my heart, from the bottom of my heart or in my heart of hearts.
If something pleases us greatly, we might drag out heart’s delight or it warms the cockles of my heart. The latter is a somewhat redundant statement; a cockle is a bivalve mollusk of the genus Cardium (Latin “heart”) that takes its name from its shape, which resembles that of a human heart.
It was once the custom for a young man to attach to his sleeve a gift for his sweetheart or to wear her name embroidered on his sleeve, thus displaying his feelings for the world to see. Seizing on this practice, William Shakespeare gave the world the expression to wear one’s heart on one’s sleeve, meaning “to show one’s emotions.” In “Othello,” Iago says: “For when my outward action doth demonstrate/The native act and figure of my heart/ In compliment extern, ’tis not long after/But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve.”
Using the definitions that follow, identify each common word and expression that contains the word heart. Answers repose at the bottom of this column.
1. to take seriously
2. please be merciful
3. beloved person
4. be reassured
5. to desire earnestly
6. to be frightened
7. discouraged
8. incomplete, as in an effort
9. complete, as in an effort
10. substantial, as a meal
11. mental anguish
12. the central issue
13. brave, courageous
14. cowardly
15. uninvolved
16. to swear to be telling the truth
17. characterizing a good person
18. characterizing a cruel person
19. entertainment idol
20. to give up
21. to regret deeply and painfully
22. one who shows extravagant sympathy
23. to memorize
24. indigestion
25. to play hard
26. just what one likes
27. a change of mind
28. to reassure
29. the essential emotion, as of a nation
30. youthful in attitude
31. very sad
32. characterizing an intimate conversation
33. thoroughly evil
34. cheerful, free from anxiety
35. suspenseful
36. showing empathy
37. to be well-intentioned
38. deeply satisfying
39. to strive mightily
40. intimately connected
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Answers: 1. to take to heart; 2. have a heart; 3. sweetheart, heart of one’s heart; 4. take heart; 5. to have one’s heart set on; 6. to have one’s heart in one’s mouth; 7. disheartened; 8. half-hearted; 9. whole-hearted; 10. hearty; 11. heartache; 12. heart of the matter, at the heart of; 13. lion-hearted; 14. faint of heart, chickenhearted; 15. heart isn’t in it; 16. to cross one’s heart; 17. heart of gold, good-hearted; 18. heartless, heart of stone, hard-hearted; 19. heart throb; 20. to lose heart; 21. to eat one’s heart out; 22. a bleeding heart; 23. learn by heart; 24. heartburn; 25. to play one’s heart out; 26. after one’s own heart; 27. change of heart; 28. to put one’s heart at rest; 29. the heartbeat; 30. young at heart; 31. heartrending; 32. heart-to-heart; 33. blackhearted; 34. light-hearted; 35. heart-stopping; 36. heart goes out to; 37. to have one’s heart in the right place; 38. to one’s heart’s content; 39. to put one’s heart into it; 40. close to one’s heart
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