Emotions color our world and shape how we express ourselves. In English, there are many phrases, called idioms, that use the word “emotional” or convey feelings in unique ways. These idioms help us describe our emotions in a fun and interesting manner. Let’s explore some of these expressions!
Emotional Idioms
Here are 20 emotional idioms in English.
1. Wear your heart on your sleeve
Meaning: Show your emotions openly
Example: He always wears his heart on his sleeve during movies.
2. Butterflies in your stomach
Meaning: Feel nervous or excited
Example: I got butterflies in my stomach before the speech.
3. A lump in your throat
Meaning: Feeling too emotional to speak
Example: She had a lump in her throat at the farewell.
4. Over the moon
Meaning: Extremely pleased or happy
Example: He was over the moon with his new bike.
5. On cloud nine
Meaning: Very happy
Example: She’s been on cloud nine since getting engaged.
6. A storm in a teacup
Meaning: A small problem exaggerated
Example: It’s just a storm in a teacup, don’t worry.
7. Face like thunder
Meaning: Looking very angry
Example: Dad had a face like thunder after seeing the mess.
8. Cry over spilt milk
Meaning: Complain about past loss
Example: No use crying over spilt milk now.
9. Lose your cool
Meaning: Become angry or agitated
Example: She lost her cool in the meeting.
10. Hot under the collar
Meaning: Feeling or showing anger
Example: He got hot under the collar during the debate.
11. Burst into tears
Meaning: Start to cry suddenly
Example: She burst into tears at the goodbye.
12. Keep a stiff upper lip
Meaning: Remain resolute and unemotional
Example: He kept a stiff upper lip during the crisis.
13. Fire in your belly
Meaning: Passionate motivation
Example: She has a fire in her belly about animal rights.
14. Heart sinks
Meaning: Feel disappointed or discouraged
Example: My heart sank when I saw the grade.
15. Jump for joy
Meaning: Show happiness with a physical leap
Example: He jumped for joy when he won the lottery.
16. Cool as a cucumber
Meaning: Very calm under pressure
Example: She was cool as a cucumber during her presentation.
17. Kick up a fuss
Meaning: Make a scene
Example: The toddler kicked up a fuss in the store.
18. See red
Meaning: To become very angry
Example: I saw red when I found the broken vase.
19. Walk on air
Meaning: Feel elated
Example: She’s been walking on air since the promotion.
20. Tears of joy
Meaning: Cry because you are very happy
Example: There were tears of joy at the wedding.
