Idioms

Idioms using the word heart

to feel in (one's) heart of hearts- in a person's deepest feelings. I feel in my heart of hearts that I shouldn't marry that man. (I feel strongly that I shouldn't marry him.)

take it to heart- worry about, feel it is serious (usually feel bad about it). When Nancy's boss said she wasn't a good employee, Nancy took it to heart. (She felt very bad and serious.)

from the bottom of (one's) heart- to really mean what a person says. You are so wonderful. I mean it from the bottom of my heart. (I really, really think you are wonderful.)

heartfelt- (adjective) warm feelings, sincere. My grandma gave me a heartfelt welcome when I arrived. (Grandma was really happy to see me. I could see she felt good.)

with all (one's) heart- completely, a person really means what he is saying (or doing). I love you with all my heart. (I really love you very much.)

to get to the heart of (something)- to find out the real reason for something, get to the center or find out what really happened. Who caused this problem? We need to get to the heart of it immediately. (We need to find out what happened.)

to feel a hole in (one's) heart- a feeling of sadness (usually because someone is gone.) When James died, Susan felt like she had a hole in her heart. (Susan was very sad.)

to have a heart of gold- to be very kind. She was a wonderful and kind person. She had a heart of gold. 

to have a heart of stone- to be very unkind, to not care about people or things. He didn't care about anybody. He had a heart of stone. 

heart to heart- have a private conversation and say anything. I had a heart to heart talk with my daughter about dating. (Only the two of us talked. And we talked freely.)

Questions and Answers
1. Melissa gave her mother a

hug when she went to visit her. She was so happy to see her.
2. My boyfriend Steven left me and I felt like I had
.
3. Kevin doesn't care about anyone. He has a
.
4. Jon and I went to a quiet dinner and had a
talk about what we will do in the future.
5. I know that your girlfriend found another man. But don't worry about it. Don't
.
6. It is important that the police
the murder case. Nobody knows who killed that man.
7. Margie always helps me and brings me cakes. She has
.
8. Joe told Annie he loved her
. He really meant it.
9. Sarah
that she should quit her job.
10. John loved Angie with
. He loved her so much it was impossible to love her more.













Check your answers
1. heartfelt
2. a hole in my heart
3. heart of stone
4. heart to heart
5. take it to heart
6. get to the heart of
7. a heart of gold
8. from the bottom of his heart
9. felt in her heart of hearts
10. all his heart


Idioms using animals

Think about the animals you know. What are their characteristics?
For example, mules (like the picture on the left) are very stubborn. They don't want to do anything. They won't change their minds easily.
In English, we can compare a person to an animal's characteristic by using "as + adjective (characteristic) + as a(n) animal." So, if Sue is very stubborn, we could say:

"Sue is as stubborn as a mule."

Look at the names of animals below. What do you know about them? Is a bee clever? No, but it is busy. It's always working hard. How about a horse?

bee	fox
horse	bird
bear	rabbit
dog	mule
pig	mouse

Now use the names of the animals above to guess the idiom.
as clever as a

as busy as a  
as stubborn* as a  
as strong as a  
as quiet as a 
as free** as a  
as hungry as a  
as devoted*** as a  
as quick as a  
as fat as a  
* stubborn- will not change its mind
** free- in this case, free means it can do anything it wants
***devoted- always your friend, no matter what happens

Sentences
1. Leslie is always doing something. She is as
2. John can pick up a piano. He is as
3. Cassie never says anything. She is as
4. I don't have to work this week. I'm as
5. His secretary was always helping him. She was as


 Answers:
as clever as a fox as busy as a bee as stubborn* as a mule as strong as an ox as quiet as a mouse as free** as a bird as hungry as a bear/lion as devoted*** as a dog as quick as a rabbit as fat as a pig
1. busy as a bee
2. strong as an ox
3. quiet as a mouse
4. free as a bird
5. devoted as a dog