his heart sank into his boots
Preserved but no longer current.
In Latin, Cor illi in genua decidit. In French, Avoir la peur au ventre. The last two phrases are very expressive: Fear makes the knees shake, and it gives one a stomach ache ; but the English phrase suggests that his heart or spirits sank as low as possible short of absolutely deserting him.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “his heart sank into his boots” mean?
In Latin, Cor illi in genua decidit. In French, Avoir la peur au ventre. The last two phrases are very expressive: Fear makes the knees shake, and it gives one a stomach ache ; but the English phrase suggests that his heart or spirits sank as low as possible short of absolutely deserting him.
Is “his heart sank into his boots” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.