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Interactions - Sympathy

Discover how English idioms like "strike a chord with" and "in cold blood" relate to sympathy in English.

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English idioms related to Interactions
milk of human kindness

the compassion and sympathy that is shown to others

Ex: She has the milk of human kindness; she never ignores someone in need. 
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flesh and blood

used to emphasize that a person is just a normal human being with similar feelings or weaknesses as others

Ex: He may be famous, but he's still flesh and blood. 
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to [tug|pull] at {one's} heartstrings

to make a strong impression on someone, in a way that they feel a strong sense of love or sympathy for a person

Ex: The child's letter to his missing dog tugged at everyone's heartstrings. 
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to [harden] {one's} [heart]

to no longer have kind feelings for a person

Ex: After years of lies, she hardened her heart against him. 
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cold comfort

sympathy, help, or encouragement that is barely enough to improve a person's situation or make them feel any better

Ex: The apology was cold comfort after he had already lost his job. 
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in cold blood

in a way that is absolutely cruel and shows no sympathy or mercy of any kind

Ex: The villagers were killed in cold blood. 
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to [kiss] it better

to soothe someone who is injured, usually a child, by kissing the injured spot

Ex: She kissed it better when her son scraped his knee. 
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{one's} heart [bleed]

used to convey intense sadness or empathy one feels for someone or something in a tragic or distressing situation

Ex: My heart bleeds for the families who lost everything in the fire. 
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to [get] {sth} off {one's} chest

to finally talk about what has long been bothering or concerning one

Ex: I need to get something off my chest before we continue. 
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have (a|some) heart
have a heart
[sentence]

used to ask a person to stop their unkind or indifferent behavior and offer some help or show some sympathy instead

Ex: Have a heart—she's been standing in the rain for an hour. 
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in {one's} shoes

in a similar or identical situation to someone else, particularly a difficult or unpleasant one

Ex: I wouldn't know what to do in her shoes. 
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{one's} [heart] [go] out to {sb}

used to show one sympathizes with and feels sorry for someone else's suffering

Ex: My heart goes out to the families who lost their homes. 
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to [strike|touch] a chord with {sb}

to make someone feel strong emotions such as enthusiasm or sympathy

Ex: Her speech about loneliness struck a chord with many people. 
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heart of stone

a personality marked by emotional coldness and lack of sympathy

Ex: You'd need a heart of stone not to feel sorry for those children. 
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woe [is] {sb}

said to show sympathy for a person's difficult or unlucky situation

Ex: Woe is him—he missed the train and lost his wallet on the same morning. 
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to [touch] {one's} heart

to make a person emotional, particularly by causing them to feel sympathy for someone

Ex: Her kindness to the old man touched my heart. 
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