What does It Mean to ‘Get Something off One’s Chest’?
And how does it relates to two other phrases — ‘Make a clean breast of (something)’ and ‘to come clean’
To get something off your chest means —
- to relieve yourself by talking to someone;
- to reveal or discuss something that has caused you emotional discomfort;
- to share your suppressed feelings so that you feel like some weight has been lifted from your heart.
We have two more phrases with the same meanings and those are “to make a clean breast of” and “to come clean”.
To make a clean breast of something or to come clean means —
- to make a confession;
- to admit that you did something wrong;
- to accept that you have made a mistake.
In these phrases, the words ‘chest’ and ‘breast’ are placeholders for the heart, because the heart is the seat of all feelings, emotions, and secrets. If you have a bad or uncomfortable experience, it feels like a burden on your chest until you share it with someone.
Similarly, whenever you make a mistake, it feels uncomfortable until you make a confession. It is as if, after making a confession, you have purified your heart.
Let’s see some examples —
At last, I mustered enough courage to propose to her. I sleep better now knowing that I have gotten it off my chest.
Finally, I gathered enough courage to propose to her. I get better sleep now because my heart is unburdened by unexpressed feelings.
I guarantee you; you would feel much better if you made a clean breast of the incident.
I assure you that you would feel much better if you told someone about the incident.
He eventually gave in and came clean before the police.
He finally yielded before the police and told them everything.
I hope you found this story interesting. If you did, buy my full course on Udemy or watch it for free on Skillshare by signing up here. This course covers nearly 380 idioms with their origins and backstories.
Hi, I am Gauri Shanker, a Vocab teacher and enthusiast. I teach vocabulary in a fun and engaging way. You can check out my courses here.
