wear one's heart on one's sleeve

English

WOTD – 14 August 2006

Alternative forms

• with one's heart on one's sleeve

Pronunciation

• Audio (AU)

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Verb

wear one's heart on one's sleeve (third-person singular simple present wears one's heart on one's sleeve, present participle wearing one's heart on one's sleeve, simple past wore one's heart on one's sleeve, past participle worn one's heart on one's sleeve)

1. (idiomatic) To be very transparent, open, or forthright about one's emotions.
   • c. 1603–1604 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Othello, the Moore of Venice”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act I, scene i], line 64:

     Iago: For when my outward action doth demonstrate
     The native act and figure of my heart
     In compliment extern, 'tis not long after
     But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve
     For daws to peck at: I am not what I am.

   • 1840 May 22, Thomas Carlyle, “Lecture VI. The Hero as King. Cromwell, Napoleon: Modern Revolutionism.”, in On Heroes, Hero-Worship and The Heroic in History, London: Chapman and Hall, […], published 1840, →OCLC, page 202:

     Such a man must have reticences in him. If he walk wearing his heart upon his sleeve for daws to peck at, his journey will not extend far!

   • 1915, Gilbert Parker, chapter 18, in The Money Master:

     There was something very direct and childlike in Virginie Poucette. She could not pretend; she wore her heart on her sleeve.

   • 1978, Lou Reed (lyrics and music), “Street Hassle”, in Street Hassle:

     I'm not being smart or trying to be cold on my part / And I'm not gonna wear my heart on my sleeve / But you know people get all emotional

   • 2011, “Feel So Close”, performed by Calvin Harris:

     I feel so close to you right now, it's a force field / I wear my heart on my sleeve, like a big deal

Synonyms

• (to be emotionally transparent): to be an open book

Related terms

• hearts on sleeves
• to wear on one's sleeve

Translations

to be transparent or forthright about one's emotions

• Catalan: parlar amb el cor a la mà
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 坦率 (zh) (tǎnshuài), 开诚布公 (kāichéngbùgōng), 披肝瀝膽／披肝沥胆 (zh) (pīgānlìdǎn)

• Dutch: het hart op de tong hebben
• Finnish: olla kuin avoin kirja
• French: parler à cœur ouvert (fr)
• German: sein Herz auf der Zunge tragen (de)
• Korean: 솔직하다 (ko) (soljikhada)
• Occitan: parlar dab lo còr a la man
• Polish: mieć serce na dłoni
• Russian: душа́ нараспа́шку (ru) (dušá naraspášku) /lit:soul open wide/
• Spanish: ir con el lirio en la mano (rare)
• Vietnamese: ruột để ngoài da