hand on heart
Swearing total truthfulness
Hand on heart signals sincere or solemn declaration, invoking the gesture of placing one's hand over the heart when swearing an oath.
Used to emphasize truthfulness: Hand on heart, I never touched the money.
More common in British than American English, where *hand over heart* or *cross my heart* fills the same role.
- sincereGenuinely felt, not feigned
- honestFree from deception
- tell the truthCommunicate facts honestly
- whole truthComplete, unvarnished account
- pledgeBinding promise given
solemn promise · promise · pinky swear · scout's honor · oath · solemn · swear · truth · genuine · earnest · vow · sworn statement · faithful · loyalty · trust · true confession · devotion · patriotic
- gesturesgesture, applause, tap on shoulder, snap fingers, beckon
- Signs of Respectsalute, bow, handshake, curtsy, hat tip
- pledgesvow, promise, I promise, wedding vows, I vow
- celebrationsgraduation, festival, party, wedding, fireworks
- affectionhug, kiss, care, cuddle, caress
- civic dutyjury duty, voting, tax paying, military service, public service
hand on heartcrossing fingers
Luck-wishing hand gesture
fingers crossed · tongue in cheek · lying through one's teeth · with a straight face · insincerely
hand on hearthalf-heartedly
With little genuine effort
flippantly · casually · offhandedly · insincerely · lip service
hand on heartbehind one's back
under the table · on the sly · cards close to chest · evasively · cagily
hand, hands, handed, handing, handy, handily, handler, handful, handiwork