warm the cockles of someone's heart

== English == === Etymology === Either from: the similarity of a closed cockle (“European bivalve mollusk of the family Cardiidae”) to a heart; or a corruption of Latin cochleae (“ventricles”) in cochleae cordis (“ventricles of the heart”). The term cockles of [someone’s] heart is first attested in 1671: see the quotation. === Pronunciation === enPR: wôrm thə kŏk′əlz əv sŭm′wənz härt′ (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /wɔːm ðə ˈkɒk.əlz əv ˌsʌm.wənz ˈhɑːt/ (General American, Canada, cot–caught merger) IPA(key): /woɹm ðə ˈkɑk.əlz əv ˌsʌm.wənz ˈhɑɹt/ (General American, without the cot–caught merger) IPA(key): /woɹm ðə ˈkɔk.əlz əv ˌsʌm.wənz ˈhɑɹt/ (Canada, without the cot–caught merger) IPA(key): /woɹm ðə ˈkɒk.əlz əv ˌsʌm.wənz ˈhɑɹt/ (Australian) IPA(key): /woːm ðə ˈkɔk.əlz əv ˌsɐm.wənz ˈhɐːt/ (New Zealand) IPA(key): /woːm ðə ˈkɒk.əlz əv ˌsɐm.wənz ˈhɐːt/ (Scotland) IPA(key): /wɔɹm ðə ˈkɔk.əlz əv ˌsʌm.wənz ˈhaɹt/ (India) IPA(key): /wɔʳm d̪e ˈkɔk.elz ov ˌsəm.wonz ˈhaːʳt/ Hyphenation: warm the cock‧les of some‧one’s heart === Verb === warm the cockles of someone's heart (third-person singular simple present warms the cockles of someone's heart, present participle warming the cockles of someone's heart, simple past and past participle warmed the cockles of someone's heart) (intransitive, idiomatic, dated) Especially of food or drink (particularly an alcoholic beverage): to cause someone to feel deeply warm and comfortable; to comfort, to satisfy. (figurative) To provide someone with a deep feeling of contentment or happiness. Synonyms: warm someone's cockles, warm someone's heart; see also Thesaurus:gladden ==== Related terms ==== ==== Translations ==== === References === === Further reading === “warm the cockles of one’s heart” under “cockle1, n.”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022. “warm the cockles of someone‘s heart”, in Collins English Dictionary, 2011–present; from Michael Agnes, editor, Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th edition, Cleveland, Oh.: Wiley, 2010, →ISBN. “warm the cockles of someone’s heart, idiom”, in Merriam-Webster.com Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.