If your friend says,

my heart bleeds for you

, she means the opposite. She is a cold-hearted person who does not really care about your situation.

In the ever-popular motion picture, "The Wizard of Oz," the Tin Man seeks a heart. He wanted to feel the emotion of love, and was seeking help from the powerful Wizard of Oz to find a heart.

The cowardly lion, in the same movie, did have a heart. But he lacked courage and wanted to ask the Wizard of Oz to give him some. You could say that the cowardly lion was

chicken-hearted

. That is another way of describing someone who is not very brave. A chicken is not noted for its bravery. Thus, someone who is chicken-hearted does not have much courage.

When you are frightened or concerned, your

heart is in your mouth

. You might say, for example, that your heart was in your mouth when you asked a bank to lend you some money to pay for a new house.

If that bank says no to you, do not

lose heart

. Be

strong-hearted

. Sit down with the banker and have a

heart to heart

talk. Be open and honest about your situation. The bank may have a

change of heart

. It may agree to lend you the money. Then you could stop worrying and

put your heart at rest

.

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This VOA Special English program, WORDS AND THEIR STORIES, was written by Marilyn Christiano. I'm Rich Kleinfeldt.