Keep one’s chin up

bare your heart (or soul) to someone If you bare you heart (or soul) to someone, you reveal your innermost thoughts and feelings to them.

“Mike couldn’t keep things to himself any longer. He decided to bare his soul to his best friend.”

bear the brunt A person who bears the brunt of something is the one who suffers the most when something bad or unpleasant happens.

“When things go wrong, his assistant always has to bear the brunt of his anger.”

bent out of shape If you get bent out of shape, you become annoyed or upset about something that is usually not that important or cannot be avoided. “Don’t get bent out of shape if you’re delayed. We’ll wait for you.”

beside yourself ( with emotion) If you are beside yourself (with an emotion), you lose your self-control because of the intensity of the emotion you are feeling.

“He was beside himself with grief when he lost his son.”

bored to tears (also: bored to distraction/bored to death/bored silly) If you find something so dull and uninteresting that it makes you sad enough to cry, you are bored to tears.

“I could see that my son was bored to tears by the historical documentary.”

carry the torch for someone If you carry the torch, you have strong feelings for someone with whom you do not or cannot have a relationship.

“He’s been carrying the torch for Julie since their college days, before she married Ted.” wouldn’t be caught/seen dead If someone says that they wouldn’t be caught or seen dead in a particular place or doing something, they mean that they would be too ashamed or embarrassed.

“My seven-year-old son thinks he’s a big boy; he wouldn’t be caught dead holding my hand in front of his friends!”

cheesed off If someone is cheesed off with something, they are annoyed, bored or frustrated.

“Jenny is absolutely cheesed off with her job.”

(have a) chip on your shoulder If someone has a chip on their shoulder, they feel resentful because they feel they are being treated unfairly, especially because of their background, their sex or their colour.

“He’s got a chip on his shoulder because he’s from a workingclass family.”

close to home If a remark or comment is close to home, it is so true, or it affects you so directly, that you feel uncomfortable.

“Alan looks embarrassed. Bob’s comment must have been close to home.”