bare one's breast

English

Pronunciation

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Verb

bare one's breast (third-person singular simple present bares one's breast, present participle baring one's breast, simple past and past participle bared one's breast)

1. To make oneself vulnerable.

   Synonyms: bare one's soul, pour one's heart out

   Near-synonym: wear one's heart on one's sleeve

   • 1869, Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad:

     […] he bared his breast to whizzing javelins, to hissing arrows, to any and every weapon that promised death and forgetfulness, and rest.

   • 1854-55, William Makepeace Thackeray, The Newcomes, Chapter 59

     I'm going to be angry with you. Pitch into old Frank Henchman—hit away, my young one.' And Frank put himself into an attitude as of one prepared to receive a pugilistic assault. He bared his breast, as it were, and showed his scars, and said, "Strike!"'

2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see bare,‎ breast.

Related terms

• beat one's breast