warm the cockles of someone's heart
Especially of food or drink (particularly an alcoholic beverage): to cause someone to feel deeply warm and comfortable; to comfort, to satisfy.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“A hot cup of tea always warms the cockles of my heart.”
“After walking home in the freezing rain, a bowl of hot soup really warmed the cockles of my heart.”
“The sight of the family gathered around the fireplace, sharing stories and laughter, truly warmed the cockles of his heart on that bitter winter evening.”
first recorded 17th c.
The expression is first attested in 1671. Its origins are generally attributed to one of two anatomical observations, neither of which is particularly romantic. The first suggests a corruption of the Latin *cochleae cordis*, referring to the ventricles of the heart. The second proposes a visual comparison between a human heart and the shape of a closed cockle, a European bivalve mollusk of the family Cardiidae.
The underlying root is the Proto-Indo-European *ḱḗr, which serves as the ancestor for various terms related to the heart. Whether one is referring to a Latin ventricle or a common mollusk, the mechanism of warming remains the same.
- 01
absence makes the heart grow fonder
One feels more love or affection for those one loves when parted from them.
- 02
all heart
Motivated by positive emotions, especially as productive of exceptionally generous or kind behavior.
- 03
another nail in someone's coffin
An event that increases the likelihood of or causes further failure.
- 04
answer someone's prayers
To be or do exactly what someone has been wishing or asking for.
- 05
answer to someone's prayers
Exactly what someone has been wishing or asking for.
- 06
apple of someone's eye
The object of somebody's affections; a person (or sometimes a thing) that someone strongly prefers; a favorite, a loved one.
- 07
bane of someone's existence
Someone or something that poses a significant problem to someone.
- 08
bash someone's face in
To beat someone violently.
Last updated August 10, 2026