warm the cockles of someone's heart

English

Etymology

First documented use in 1671. Corruption of Latin cochleae (“ventricles”) in cochleae cordis (“ventricles of the heart”). Earlier attempt to explain the etymology no longer noted in reference works: Possibly due to resemblance of cockles to hearts.

Pronunciation

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Verb

warm the cockles of someone's heart (third-person singular simple present warms the cockles of someone's heart, present participle warming the cockles of someone's heart, simple past and past participle warmed the cockles of someone's heart)

1. (idiomatic) To provide happiness, to bring a deeply-felt contentment.
   • 1671 John Eachard:

     This contrivance of his did inwardly rejoice the cockles of his heart.

   • 1871, H F. Manley, A Continental Tour, Together with Notes and Anecdotes of Diplomatic Life:

     My sandwiches had gone the way of all good sandwiches, and no wine remained to warm the cockles of my heart, for my flask had long been emptied

   • 1989, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, translated by H. T. Willetts, August 1914, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, →ISBN, page 214:

     “Surname?” ¶ “Blagodarev.” ¶ A handy name, easy to get hold of, and the ready way he gave it warmed the cockles of the heart.

Synonyms

• (to provide happiness): warm someone's heart

Related terms

• heart-warming

Translations

to provide happiness to someone

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 令人滿意／令人满意 (lìng rén mǎnyì), 讓人開心／让人开心 (ràng rén kāixīn), 讓人快樂／让人快乐 (ràng rén kuàilè)

• Finnish: lämmittää jonkun sydäntä
• French: faire chaud au cœur (fr), mettre du baume au cœur (fr), réchauffer le cœur
• German: Herz wärmen
• Italian: allargare il cuore
• Japanese: 心を温める (こころをあたためる, kokoro o atatameru)
• Korean: 마음을 따뜻하게 하다 (ma'eumeul ttatteuthage hada), 훈훈하게 하다 (hunhunhage hada)
• Polish: lać miód na serce impf
• Portuguese: aquecer o coração
• Russian: согрева́ть се́рдце impf (sogrevátʹ sérdce), согре́ть се́рдце pf (sogrétʹ sérdce)
• Swedish: värma om hjärtat