lump in the throat
7
4.9
- idiom
:
nudo en la garganta
- The camera had landed on Sarah again, and she felt a lump in her throat.
Examples
-
I get a lump in my throat every time I see the flag.
-
Tim swallowed back a lump in his throat and tried again to clear the tears from his eyes.
Fiction book (2002) -
I had a lump in my throat.
-
"I guess so," Luke said, trying to hide the sudden lump in his throat.
Fiction book (1991) -
Amy spoke past the lump in her throat as her eyes filled with tears.
Fiction book (1991) -
He'll be all right." Mary Ann felt a sudden lump in her throat.
Fiction book (1990) -
I choked back a lump in my throat, but it was no use.
Academic text (1996) -
When I started thinking about it, I felt a lump in my throat and tears welled in my eyes.
Fiction book (1996) -
Quinn could feel a lump in his throat too big to swallow, which was ridiculous.
Fiction book (1995) -
I felt a lump in my throat as I watched the heartfelt movie ending.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A feeling of a lump or tightness in the throat when nothing is there
Antonyms
How Strong
16
4.6
7
4.9
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning — a tight, uncomfortable sensation in the throat from strong emotion — is directly and predictably built from the constituents 'lump' (a small mass) + 'in' (location) + 'throat' (the anatomical channel). This bodily-image metaphor is transparent and cross-linguistically common (e.g., French, Spanish), so a B1 learner who knows the words would readily infer the intended emotional sensation.
Etymology
The idiom lump in the throat gives a clear picture: imagine a small lump stuck in your throat, so your voice catches and you feel like crying. That's why it means 'a tight, uncomfortable feeling in the throat because of strong emotion'.