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. 1Heacock, Paul. Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms]. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2010.,2Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.,3Ayto, John. Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms. Oxford: Oxford U, 2010.
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. 4Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
More Idioms Starting with L
- Last Resort
- Loudmouth, be a
- Let Bygones Be Bygones
- Leopard Can’t Change Its Spots, a
- Last One In is a Rotten Egg
- Leave Holding the Bag
- Life of the Party
More Body Part Idioms
More Lump Idioms
More Throat Idioms
Sources
| 1. | ↲ | Heacock, Paul. Cambridge Dictionary of American Idioms]. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2010. |
| 2, 4. | ↲ | Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013. |
| 3. | ↲ | Ayto, John. Oxford Dictionary of English Idioms. Oxford: Oxford U, 2010. |