Straight from the Heart Online Trivia | Idioms and Proverbs

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. There is an old adage to describe the open display of one's emotions. It is said that you "wear your heart on your", what?

Answer: Sleeve

This idiom could have started at medieval jousting tournaments, where knights wore the colours of the lady they were supporting on their arm. However, there is no direct evidence to support this. The earliest use of the phrase "wear my heart on my sleeve" comes from Shakespeare's "Othello", in 1604.
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."

2. The phrase "a man after my own heart" originates from a very old source. Which book that has sold more copies worldwide than any other provides the first example of this idiom?

Answer: The Bible

A man after my own heart refers to a kindred spirit, someone who thinks and feels the same way you do. The Bible (King James version) is the first publication to use it. From Samuel 13:14 "But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee".

3. Which hearty phrase refers to someone who is cruel and unfeeling?

Answer: Heart of stone

This term is derived from the Old English "stoany-harted". It was first recorded in 1569 by Thomas Underdown in his translation of "Ethiopian History of Heliodorus". "There is no man so stoany-harted, but he shal be made to yeelde with our flatteringe allurmentes". Later, in 1596, Shakespeare used it in a soliloquy by Falstaff in his play "Henry IV", changing the spelling to read stony-hearted.

4. If something or someone is "tugging at your heartstrings", how does it make you feel?

Answer: Sympathetic

Tugging at the heartstrings creates strong feelings of sympathy and enhances the desire to help in some way. The exact origin is unknown, but it is thought to date back to a time when doctors believed that the heart was braced by tendons or nerves, thus, heartstings.

This term is also used in a derogatory way, often in political arenas when politicians are accused of tugging at the heartstrings to get money.

5. Which heart idiom is an expression of excitement, when one sees the object of one's romantic affection?

Answer: Be still my beating heart

This phrase was originally used in different forms in poetry from the Romantic period. The earliest use of the full line comes from William Mountfort's "Zelmane", in 1705. "Ha! Hold my Brain; be still my beating heart".

6. There is an old saying to describe when people are away from someone or something for long periods of time. What does "absence make the heart" do?

Answer: grow fonder

Roman poet Sextus Propertius gets credit for the earliest form of this idiom in his work "Elegies". "Always toward absent lovers loves tide stronger flows".
The expression used today comes from Thomas Haynes Bayly's(1797-1839) song "Isle of Beauty" which was published posthumously in 1850. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder, Isle of Beauty, Fare thee well".

7. The expression "my heart's content", comes from the play "Henry VI", written in 1593, and it is believed that the writer coined the phrase. Which writer are we talking about?

Answer: William Shakespeare

HENRY VI.
"Her sight did ravish; but her grace in speech,
Her words y-clad with wisdom's majesty,
Makes me from wondering fall to weeping joys;
Such is the fulness of my heart's content.
Lords, with one cheerful voice welcome my love."
In the play, the king was referring to Queen Margaret. Shakespeare used similar words in "The Merchant of Venice", in 1596. "I wish your Ladyship all hearts content". Shakespeare lived from 1564-1616. He is considered by many to be the greatest dramatist of all time. He is also known as "The Bard of Avon".

8. If something you see or hear about makes you feel happy inside, it is said to do what?

Answer: Warm the cockles of your heart

While there is no proven origin of this idiom, it is thought to have started in the seventeenth century in Britain. Cockles are a type of bivalve mollusk, once a staple part of the diet of many Brits. They are shaped like the ventricles of the human heart. It is believed that surgeons came up with the expression, perhaps some sort of a joke.

9. There is an old saying for just about everything. This one focuses on having the courage to go after that which you desire. "Faint heart never won", what?

Answer: Fair Lady

The exact origin of this phrase is unknown, but it came to fame in the comic opera "Iolanthe" by Gilbert and Sullivan. The original production began 25 November 1882, at the Savoy Theatre in London and ran for 398 performances. The famous phrase appears in the song "If you go in you're sure to win", from Act II.
"If you go in
You're sure to win
Yours will be the charming maidie
Be your law
The ancient saw
Faint heart never won fair lady".

10. There is one old fashioned expression involving the heart which is perhaps the most well known and favourite of all. What, "is where the heart is"?

Answer: Home

This idiom is attributed to the Roman military commander and naturalist Pliny the Elder(AD 23- August 25 79). He wrote "Natural History" which served as a major source of reference for centuries. He died in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius, which destroyed the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

Source: Author johnnycat777

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor agony before going online.
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Straight from the Heart Trivia Quiz

This multiple choice quiz covers old idioms or sayings relating to the most important organ in the body. So take heart!

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