What does ‘wear your heart on your sleeve’ mean?
To “wear your heart on your sleeve” means to show your feelings openly. Brewer's traces this to a passage in Shakespeare's Othello (I.i): 'I will wear my heart upon my sleeve for daws to peck at.'
Origin
- Brewer's traces this to a passage in Shakespeare's Othello (I.i): 'I will wear my heart upon my sleeve for daws to peck at.'
How to use it
- Used both admiringly and warningly.
- Example: He wears his heart on his sleeve, so everyone knew he was hurt.
Source:
Last verified: 2026-07-18
- Definitions and origins are drawn from public-domain reference works, primarily Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898), with modern usage notes clearly marked.