cockle
Small edible bivalve
A cockle is a small edible saltwater clam with a distinctive ribbed, heart-shaped shell.
The shells wash up on beaches and have long been collected for decoration.
The phrase warm the cockles of your heart means to give you a feeling of deep contentment or affection—the cockles here being an old anatomical term for the heart's ventricles, which resemble the bivalve's shell.
As a verb, cockle means to pucker or wrinkle: The paper cockled from the humidity.
Sand-dwelling hinged shellfish
- musselEdible two-shelled mollusk
- oysterPearl-bearing edible mollusk
- scallopFan-shaped edible shellfish
- whelkMarine gastropod with coiled shell
periwinkle · quahog · softshell · steamer · mollusk · shellfish · bivalve · invertebrate
Gathering bivalves from sand
- rakingDragging tines across ground
- gatheringCollection of people meeting
- foragingSeeking wild food sources
- dredgingExtracting underwater sediment
mudflat · estuary · tides · seashore · waders · bucket · sieve · quota
Draw into wrinkles
- crinkleSmall fold or rustle
- creaseLine from folding
- rumpleTo disorder by crushing
- corrugateForm into folds
furrow · ridge · gather · pleat · ruffle · texture · bumpy · uneven
Evoking tender positive feelings
- comfortingGiving emotional ease
- cozyWarm and snug
- gladdeningMaking someone pleased
- cheeringVocal encouragement given
delighting · pleasing · satisfying · contented · nostalgic · sentimental · touching · tender
clam
Sand-dwelling hinged shellfish
- musselEdible two-shelled mollusk
- oysterPearl-bearing edible mollusk
- scallopFan-shaped edible shellfish
whelk · periwinkle · quahog · softshell · steamer · mollusk · shellfish · bivalve · invertebrate · gastropod
clamming
Gathering bivalves from sand
- rakingDragging tines across ground
- gatheringCollection of people meeting
- foragingSeeking wild food sources
dredging · mudflat · estuary · tides · seashore · waders · bucket · sieve · quota · regulations
pucker
Draw into wrinkles
corrugate · furrow · ridge · gather · pleat · ruffle · texture · bumpy · uneven · grooved
heartwarming
Evoking tender positive feelings
- comfortingGiving emotional ease
- cozyWarm and snug
- gladdeningMaking someone pleased
cheering · delighting · pleasing · satisfying · contented · nostalgic · sentimental · touching · tender · affectionate
cardiac
Pertaining to the heart
heartstrings · emotions · feelings · affection · sentiment · warm · joy · delight · gladness · innermost
cockleflatten
Make level or smooth
smooth · iron out · smooth out · straighten · lie flat
- cockle shellsSmall edible bivalve casings
- warm the cockles of someone's heartCause profound emotional contentment
- warmed the cockles of someone's heartCaused profound emotional contentment