Discussion:
"To wear one's heart on one's sleeve"
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occam
2024-12-03 11:41:03 UTC
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The expression "to wear one's heart on one's sleeve" has always struck
me as odd. Why sleeve, and not some other part of one's apparel? Given
that feelings are normally associated with the heart, "breast pocket"
would be more appropriate?

This reminded me of an incident that occurred quite a while ago. I met
an Italian gentleman (friend of a friend). He was *very* well dressed,
with smart jacket, waistcoat, silk tie, etc. I noticed that his
tailor's label was sewn on the sleeve of his jacket. I asked him why -
had he forgotten to remove it? He said "No, I don't want to offend my
tailor by removing it. He will scold me."

[I have since noticed the same custom elsewhere in Europe - mainly in
Italy and France.]
LionelEdwards
2024-12-03 12:02:13 UTC
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Post by occam
The expression "to wear one's heart on one's sleeve" has always struck
me as odd. Why sleeve, and not some other part of one's apparel? Given
that feelings are normally associated with the heart, "breast pocket"
would be more appropriate?
According to Iago it is an easy place for daws to peck at it.
occam
2024-12-03 12:21:28 UTC
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Post by LionelEdwards
Post by occam
The expression "to wear one's heart on one's sleeve" has always struck
me as odd.  Why sleeve, and not some other part of one's apparel? Given
that feelings are normally associated with the heart, "breast pocket"
would be more appropriate?
According to Iago it is an easy place for daws to peck at it.
'it' - The heart or the sleeve?
J. J. Lodder
2024-12-04 10:54:44 UTC
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Post by occam
Post by LionelEdwards
Post by occam
The expression "to wear one's heart on one's sleeve" has always struck
me as odd. Why sleeve, and not some other part of one's apparel? Given
that feelings are normally associated with the heart, "breast pocket"
would be more appropriate?
According to Iago it is an easy place for daws to peck at it.
'it' - The heart or the sleeve?
Yes, strange indeed.
The corresponding Dutch expression is far more logical:
'het hart op de tong dragen',

Jan
Snidely
2024-12-04 22:09:30 UTC
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Post by J. J. Lodder
Post by occam
Post by LionelEdwards
Post by occam
The expression "to wear one's heart on one's sleeve" has always struck
me as odd. Why sleeve, and not some other part of one's apparel? Given
that feelings are normally associated with the heart, "breast pocket"
would be more appropriate?
According to Iago it is an easy place for daws to peck at it.
'it' - The heart or the sleeve?
Yes, strange indeed.
Is it also a reference to chivalrous tokens, eg a scarf given by the
fair maiden?
Post by J. J. Lodder
'het hart op de tong dragen',
(GT translates the phrase to the phrase, I had to strip off words to
confirm that I wasn't seeing a faux ami.)
Post by J. J. Lodder
Jan
/dps
--
"That's a good sort of hectic, innit?"

" Very much so, and I'd recommend the haggis wontons."
-njm
Snidely
2024-12-04 23:29:42 UTC
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Post by J. J. Lodder
Post by occam
Post by LionelEdwards
Post by occam
The expression "to wear one's heart on one's sleeve" has always struck
me as odd. Why sleeve, and not some other part of one's apparel? Given
that feelings are normally associated with the heart, "breast pocket"
would be more appropriate?
According to Iago it is an easy place for daws to peck at it.
'it' - The heart or the sleeve?
Yes, strange indeed.
Is it also a reference to chivalrous tokens, eg a scarf given by the fair
maiden?
Shakespeare would know of the sport of jousting; France's Henry II died
only about 100 years before Iago was written into Bill's tragedy.

/dps
--
There's nothing inherently wrong with Big Data. What matters, as it
does for Arnold Lund in California or Richard Rothman in Baltimore, are
the questions -- old and new, good and bad -- this newest tool lets us
ask. (R. Lerhman, CSMonitor.com)
Snidely
2024-12-05 01:56:04 UTC
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Post by J. J. Lodder
Post by occam
Post by LionelEdwards
Post by occam
The expression "to wear one's heart on one's sleeve" has always struck
me as odd. Why sleeve, and not some other part of one's apparel? Given
that feelings are normally associated with the heart, "breast pocket"
would be more appropriate?
According to Iago it is an easy place for daws to peck at it.
'it' - The heart or the sleeve?
Yes, strange indeed.
Is it also a reference to chivalrous tokens, eg a scarf given by the fair
maiden?
Shakespeare would know of the sport of jousting; France's Henry II died only
about 100 years before Iago was written into Bill's tragedy.
Maybe only 50 years.
/dps
--
Hurray or Huzzah?
J. J. Lodder
2024-12-05 10:57:06 UTC
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Post by Snidely
Post by J. J. Lodder
Post by occam
Post by LionelEdwards
Post by occam
The expression "to wear one's heart on one's sleeve" has always struck
me as odd. Why sleeve, and not some other part of one's apparel? Given
that feelings are normally associated with the heart, "breast pocket"
would be more appropriate?
According to Iago it is an easy place for daws to peck at it.
'it' - The heart or the sleeve?
Yes, strange indeed.
Is it also a reference to chivalrous tokens, eg a scarf given by the fair
maiden?
Shakespeare would know of the sport of jousting; France's Henry II died only
about 100 years before Iago was written into Bill's tragedy.
Maybe only 50 years.
But it was already obsolete by then.
Henry VIII and Francois I prefered to play tennis instead.
Safer, and a lot cheaper,

Jan
J. J. Lodder
2024-12-05 10:57:06 UTC
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Post by Snidely
Post by J. J. Lodder
Post by occam
Post by LionelEdwards
Post by occam
The expression "to wear one's heart on one's sleeve" has always struck
me as odd. Why sleeve, and not some other part of one's apparel? Given
that feelings are normally associated with the heart, "breast pocket"
would be more appropriate?
According to Iago it is an easy place for daws to peck at it.
'it' - The heart or the sleeve?
Yes, strange indeed.
Is it also a reference to chivalrous tokens, eg a scarf given by the
fair maiden?
That would be a completely different meaning.
Doesn't one's heart refer to the own heart?

'Het hart op de tong dragen' -> Saying directly what is on your mind,
with giving it much thought, not considering if it is wise or not,
or even not thinking at all.
Someone like that may be called a 'flapuit' in Dutch. (lit. flap out)
A dictionary gives
===
flapuit (zn): An obnoxious and foolish and loquacious talker babbler,
chatterbox, chatterer, magpie, prater, spouter. flapuit (zn):
===
So not chivalrous indeed,
Post by Snidely
Post by J. J. Lodder
'het hart op de tong dragen',
(GT translates the phrase to the phrase, I had to strip off words to
confirm that I wasn't seeing a faux ami.)
Post by J. J. Lodder
Jan
Snidely
2024-12-05 13:16:30 UTC
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Post by J. J. Lodder
Post by Snidely
Post by J. J. Lodder
Post by occam
Post by LionelEdwards
Post by occam
The expression "to wear one's heart on one's sleeve" has always struck
me as odd. Why sleeve, and not some other part of one's apparel? Given
that feelings are normally associated with the heart, "breast pocket"
would be more appropriate?
According to Iago it is an easy place for daws to peck at it.
'it' - The heart or the sleeve?
Yes, strange indeed.
Is it also a reference to chivalrous tokens, eg a scarf given by the
fair maiden?
That would be a completely different meaning.
Doesn't one's heart refer to the own heart?
Sure, but the heart is metaphor for an emotional bonding ...love for
another person, passion for a cause, etc.

Wearing the other person's token is a way of saying "my heart is bound
to them", in other words, declaring one's love.

[yeah, yeah, sometimes it's just infatuation]
Post by J. J. Lodder
'Het hart op de tong dragen' -> Saying directly what is on your mind,
with giving it much thought, not considering if it is wise or not,
or even not thinking at all.
Someone like that may be called a 'flapuit' in Dutch. (lit. flap out)
A dictionary gives
===
flapuit (zn): An obnoxious and foolish and loquacious talker babbler,
===
So not chivalrous indeed,
Doesn't seem at all equivalent to wearing ones heart on ones sleeve.
Post by J. J. Lodder
Post by Snidely
Post by J. J. Lodder
'het hart op de tong dragen',
(GT translates the phrase to the phrase, I had to strip off words to
confirm that I wasn't seeing a faux ami.)
Post by J. J. Lodder
Jan
/dps
--
"Maintaining a really good conspiracy requires far more intelligent
application, by a large number of people, than the world can readily
supply."

Sam Plusnet
occam
2024-12-03 12:25:27 UTC
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Post by occam
The expression "to wear one's heart on one's sleeve" has always struck
me as odd. Why sleeve, and not some other part of one's apparel? Given
that feelings are normally associated with the heart, "breast pocket"
would be more appropriate?
This reminded me of an incident that occurred quite a while ago. I met
an Italian gentleman (friend of a friend). He was *very* well dressed,
with smart jacket, waistcoat, silk tie, etc. I noticed that his
tailor's label was sewn on the sleeve of his jacket. I asked him why -
had he forgotten to remove it? He said "No, I don't want to offend my
tailor by removing it. He will scold me."
[I have since noticed the same custom elsewhere in Europe - mainly in
Italy and France.]
Shakespeare and jousting seem to be one source of the heart-on-sleeve
expression:

https://www.merriam-webster.com/wordplay/origin-of-wear-heart-on-sleeve
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