to get off one's chest
9
6.0
- idiom
- Informal
:
desahogarse
- You sound like you got something you need to get off your chest.
- want to get off your chest
- need to get off my chest
- like to get off your chest
Examples
-
There's something I have to get off my chest before we die.
-
Guys, there's something I need to get off my chest.
-
Got something I gotta get off my chest with you, man.
-
You still had a few things to get off your chest.
Fiction book (1994) -
Anything else you want to get off your chest?
Blog text (1) -
I'm not leaving until I get off my chest what I need to say.
-
Moe, there are some things I gotta get off my chest.
-
I've really been meaning to get off my chest.
-
Well, there's a couple of things that I'd like to get off my chest.
-
I need to meet with you because I have something important to get off my chest.
Synonyms
149
2.9
Begin to talk honestly about your thoughts and feelings
24
4.1
Help people stop feeling angry or worried by talking about the problem
14
3.5
Do something active, like go for a run, to feel less angry or stressed
8
6.4
Talk openly about your deepest feelings when you feel upset
6
4.9
To remove a heavy load from someone, physical or emotional, often by talking
5
8.1
To tell someone your private feelings or secrets openly
2
6.0
To speak to someone in private about something sensitive
1
6.5
To express strong feelings such as anger or sadness
1
7.0
To tell someone about worries or problems
To tell someone or write down your thoughts to feel better
Talk to someone to let out strong feelings or worries
Antonyms
How Relieved
- Informal
9
6.0
- Informal
149
2.9
∞
1.0
27
5.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
The parts 'get off' (to remove or take away) and 'one's chest' (a body region) create an image of removing something from the chest, so learners can partly infer a sense of relief or removal of a burden. However, understanding that this specifically means 'talk about a worry to feel relieved' requires grasping the bodily-weight metaphor and idiomatic mapping, which is not fully predictable for a B1 learner.
Etymology
Get off one's chest comes from the picture of something heavy sitting on your chest, and to get it off your chest is to lift that weight away. When you talk about a worry or secret, it is like lifting that weight, so you feel 'relieved'.