Lump In Your Throat

Meaning of Idiom ‘Lump in Your (or one’s) Throat

A lump in one’s throat is a feeling of tightness, constriction, or dryness in the throat caused by strong emotions such as grief; strong emotions that make it difficult to speak. ¹,²,³

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Usage

This idiom is used in the following typical phrases:

• Have a lump in your throat
• Get a lump in your throat
• Bring a lump to one’s throat

Although a lump in one’s throat can describe an actual physical feeling in the throat, it also has a figurative meaning and can be used whether or not such a feeling of tightness in the throat actually occurs.

Examples Of Use

“The ending of that movie gave me a lump in my throat. I was afraid people would see me cry in public!”

“Seeing her again after so many years brought a lump to my throat.”

“I have to admit, I had a lump in my throat at the wedding. It’s about time they made it official.”

Origin

Used since the 1800s, this idiom associates a tightness in the throat caused by strong emotion to an actual physical swelling. ⁴

More Idioms Starting with L

• Like Herding Cats
• Look What the Cat Dragged In
• Losing My Religion
• Like Nobody’s Business
• Lot Riding On Something, a
• Low-Hanging Fruit
• Like Shooting Fish in a Barrel

More Body Part Idioms

• Go Belly Up
• Stand On Someone’s Shoulders
• In One’s Face
• Give Someone the Cold Shoulder
• Know Something Like the Back Of One’s Hand

More Lump Idioms

• Take Your Lumps

More Throat Idioms

• Frog in Your Throat, have a
• Stick In Your (or one’s) Throat
• Jump Down Someone’s Throat

References

1. Heacock, Paul. Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms]. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2010.
2. Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
3. Ayto, John. Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms. Oxford: Oxford U, 2010.
4. Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.