People who are about to get married may begin to feel nervous as the day nears. We use this expression in situations that make us nervous or afraid - from leading a big meeting at work to singing on stage in front of strangers.īut we commonly use it in connection with weddings. To get cold feet means to become afraid to do something you had already decided to do. Getting cold feet is no fun – outdoors or in conversation. Speaking of hands, the hands and feet are some of the first body parts to feel the cold. She is a classic case of cold hands, warm heart. But she is always ready to help and is very kind. But they just don’t show their feelings very easily. This means that a person may be very kind and warm. We could describe these people with the expression cold hands, warm heart. Some people keep their feelings to themselves until they know you better. However, not everyone who doesn’t show their feelings is a cold fish. Cold fish do not offer much of themselves to anyone. They would not be insulted…if they could be insulted.īut calling a person a “cold fish” is an insult.Ī cold fish is a person who is unfriendly, unemotional and shows no love or warmth. So, calling a striped bass or rainbow trout a “cold fish” is fine. Let’s go back to fish!Īs we said earlier, most are cold-blooded. Killing for no reason is often called cold-blooded. The person killed someone without any understandable cause - not in self-defense, fear or even anger. And they often do terrible things, on purpose.įor example, the police might look for someone they call a cold-blooded killer. Cold-blooded people are hard to get close to. People who show no emotions or feelings are often described as cold-blooded. There are some people in the world you could call cold-blooded. Mammals, on the other hand, are warm-blooded - well, for the most part. This means they are unable to control their own body temperature. Reptiles, amphibians and most fish are cold-blooded animals. Other similar adjectives often get a hyphen, like cold-blooded. Pretty little words covered your dark and crooked heart In 2010, the Zac Brown Band released a song with the exact same name. He's a coldhearted snake, look into his eyes, In the 1988 song, Cold Hearted, Paula Abdul sings about the coldhearted man who broke her heart. There are many songs about coldhearted men or coldhearted women who, without feeling, broke the hearts of their lovers. This would be one that shows no love or sympathy. Just as it sounds, a coldhearted person is distant and, well, cold. The most straightforward example is the adjective coldhearted. Perhaps that is why we have so many expressions that combine the word “cold” with body parts.

And now, the VOA Learning English program Words and Their Stories.Ĭold weather has a great effect on how our minds and our bodies work.

Cold heart meaning