Just as love itself comes in various forms, so do the expressions we use to convey its intricate emotions. From affairs of the heart to romantic escapades, let's explore how idioms add a colorful dimension to the universal language of love. Whether you're a language enthusiast or a hopeless romantic, this post is sure to captivate your heart and enrich your vocabulary.
1. Double date:
“Hazel and Matthew went on a double date with John and Mary to their local Italian restaurant.”
2. Match made in heaven:
“Balint and Nora are really well suited. They are a match made in heaven.”
3. On the rocks:
“Philippa and David are not talking to each other. I think their relationship is on the rocks.”
4. Puppy love:
“I had my first girlfriend when I was 12. It was just puppy love.”
5. Head over heels:
“I have never seen Andre so happy. He is head over heels in love with his new girlfriend.”
6. Lovey-dovey:
“Mary and Tony are always holding hands and kissing in public. They are so lovey-dovey.”
7. Love rat:
“Mik had an affair with his wife’s best friend. He is such a love rat.”
8. Have the hots:
“I have the hots for my neighbor. I am going to ask them out on a date”
9. From the bottom of my heart:
You can use this when you are trying to say how sincerely and seriously you feel about something. As an example, if you are really grateful about something that someone has done for you, you can thank them from the bottom of your heart.
10. With all my heart:
This is similar to something being from the bottom of your heart, but it means giving a task everything you have got. As an example, you can sing with all your heart. This idiom is very similar to an adjective you can use as you can do something “wholeheartedly”.
11. I have a soft spot in my heart for you:
This can sometimes be shortened to simply having a soft spot for someone, but it means that you are fond of them in some way. This is not normally in a romantic way, but more as an indication that maybe you have some shared history or that they did something endearing to you at some point in the past. It also normally means you will likely overlook some of that person’s more obvious flaws!
12. Pouring my heart out:
To pour your heart out might sound quite unpleasant, but what it really means is that you open up emotionally by telling someone your story and how you really feel without holding anything back.
13. Wearing your heart in your sleeve
This is both a fashion mistake and an idiom. If you wear your heart on your sleeve, it means you are very open about how and what you feel. This might be an idiom that is particularly common in England, as we English are prone to being reserved and closed off about our feelings and keen to avoid wearing our hearts on our sleeves.
14. I don't have the heart to do that:
You can use this idiom if you’re asked to do something that you feel would be cruel, or doing anything that you feel might upset or offend someone.
15. To be young at heart:
Being young at heart means you might act in a way that is thought of as a lot younger than your age. As an example, someone in their 50s who still occasionally acts like they’re in their 20s by going water-skiing could be described as young at heart. This does not necessarily have to be actions but can simply be the way people feel, talk or even think.
16. Tugging at the heart strings:
If you are being made to feel sad or sympathetic towards someone, it might be that they are tugging at your heartstrings. This means that something is working to get you into that emotional state. This can also apply to films or music that are purposefully trying to make you feel this way.
17. Cross my heart and hope to die
If you make a promise to someone, you can then express how seriously you take that promise by saying that you cross your heart and hope to die. This is also something that you normally say if you’re about eight years old, so it might not be something you hear very often unless you work with children! The follow up to “cross my heart and hope to die” is sometimes “stick a needle in my eye”. Childhood can be a dark place.
18. Find it in your heart:
Someone might ask if you can find it in your heart. Unless you are attending a lecture at medical school, this is when someone is asking you to reconsider something or trying to persuade you to do something and change your mind about something. They could indeed be pouring their heart out, begging you from the bottom of their heart to find it in your heart to change your mind. They might even be trying to tug at your heartstrings to get you to do this. Incidentally, if you do change your mind, you can say that you've had a change of heart. You might find that you didn’t have the heart to do it anyway and this person will probably end up having a soft spot in their heart for you because of it.
19. Heart-throb:
A “heart-throb” is someone who many people find attractive. This might be used to describe a popular actor or musician with many female fans.
20. Lovebirds:
This usually refers to two people that are very obviously in love. Much like the birds of the same name, these people are overly affectionate and spend all of their time together.
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21. Puppy love:
“Puppy love” refers to a youthful romance. Mostly, it is used to describe teenagers or adolescents, although some adults can behave in a similar childish way when they are in love.
22. Take someone’s breath away:
This describes the feeling that you get when you are amazed by the way someone looks or acts. Although you aren’t literally gasping for air, you may feel, temporarily, lightheaded due to excitement.
23. Tie the knot:
When someone “ties the knot,” they are getting married. This is a very casual way to refer to the act of marriage.
