verb phrase🎓 English idiom

wear your heart on your sleeve

to show your emotions openly

What it means

To show your emotions openly rather than hiding them. It describes someone whose feelings, especially affection, are easy for others to see.

Examples

  • He wears his heart on his sleeve, so you always know how he feels.
  • She's not afraid to wear her heart on her sleeve when she's in love.
  • Wearing your heart on your sleeve can leave you vulnerable to being hurt.
  • Unlike his guarded brother, Tom wears his heart on his sleeve.

Where it comes from

The phrase appears in Shakespeare's Othello (1604) and may also refer to a medieval custom of knights tying a lady's token to their sleeve in tournaments.

Related idioms

#on cloud nine#the apple of my eye#down to earth#tie the knot

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