I could barely speak during my presentation because I had a frog in my throat.
word origin — From the 1800s — a strained, hoarse voice was compared to the rough croaking sound a frog naturally makes.
have a frog in your throat, have a heart-to-heart, wear many hats, tighten your belt, not see eye to eye: meanings and examples
Learn these 5 idioms from Idioms set 84. Each entry includes a definition, example sentence, pronunciation, and synonyms. Use the interactive cards above to practice them.
have a frog in your throat · idiom/hæv ə frɔɡ ɪn jʊr θroʊt/
to have a hoarse or strained voice
I could barely speak during my presentation because I had a frog in my throat.
Origin: From the 1800s — a strained, hoarse voice was compared to the rough croaking sound a frog naturally makes.
have a heart-to-heart · idiom/hæv ə hɑrt tu hɑrt/
to have an open and honest conversation
After weeks of arguing, my mom and I finally had a heart-to-heart and sorted everything out.
Origin: From the 1800s — based on the ancient belief that hearts, not minds, contained one's most honest deep feelings.
wear many hats · idiom/wɛr ˈmɛni hæts/
to have multiple roles or responsibilities
As a small business owner, she has to wear many hats—manager, accountant, and customer service all in one.
Origin: From the 1700s — different professions wore different hats, so a person wearing many had many jobs at once.
tighten your belt · idiom/ˈtaɪtən jʊr bɛlt/
to spend less money and reduce expenses
Since we have less money this month, we’ll have to tighten our belts and eat out less.
Origin: From times of hunger — people losing weight had to tighten their belts to keep their trousers from falling down.
not see eye to eye · idiom/nɑt si aɪ tu aɪ/
to disagree or have different opinions
My coworker and I don’t see eye to eye on how to handle the project, so we’re struggling to work together.
Origin: From the Bible (Isaiah 52:8) — to see eye-to-eye originally meant a complete agreement of vision and purpose.