have one's heart in one's boots
The idiom "have one's heart in one's boots" is often used to express feelings of deep sadness or fear.
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🇬🇧 UK Voice:
Definition
C1General
(informal, UK)To feel extremely sad or disheartened.
Example
- After hearing the bad news, he had his heart in his boots.
- She had her heart in her boots when she realized she didn't get the job.
C1General
(informal, UK)To feel very afraid or terrified.
Example
- His heart was in his boots as he waited for the exam results.
- She had her heart in her boots when she heard the strange noise in the middle of the night.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "have one's heart in one's boots":
fill one's bootskick one's heelsput the boot inlose one's bottleone's blood runs cold