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archaeopteryx's avatar

Idioms that mean "to tell [someone] everything." or "to tell one's innermost feelings and secrets"..?

Asked by archaeopteryx (1004points) September 24th, 2011

I have been looking for common idioms in English language and culture that convey the meaning of “expressing oneself, or telling [someone] about one’s innermost feelings and secrets.. etc.”.

I know the idiom “let [your] hair down” though, but I feel it’s a little feminine (since mostly females let their hair down, ya know..). So I think I could use your help with that, since all/most of you are native speakers of the language.

Thanks very much in advance.

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24 Answers

Lightlyseared's avatar

Spill the beans

AshlynM's avatar

Bare your heart.

Freudian Slip.

zensky's avatar

To let the cat out of the bag.

.

zensky's avatar

To give the game away.

Jeruba's avatar

bare your soul
come clean
let it all hang out
tell all
open up, open up all the way

@zensky, “letting the cat out of the bag” means to reveal a particular secret, to speak out of turn and let something slip that you shouldn’t. It’s not the same as opening up to someone.

zensky's avatar

It’s close and all the good one’s were taken. I was going to say bare your soul, too, but saw you typing and knew you’d write that one.

augustlan's avatar

Wear your heart on your sleeve.

choreplay's avatar

emotional strip tease

harple's avatar

It’s not an idiom, but the word “divulge” is a useful one…

snowberry's avatar

spill your guts

dreamwolf's avatar

pick up sticks (gamer slang)

Brian1946's avatar

Purging your vault or pouring your core.

flutherother's avatar

Pour out your heart.

intrepidium's avatar

Laying all your cards on the table

mazingerz88's avatar

Open the floodgates?
Expose oneself
Hang the banner?
Sending smoke signals?
Straight from the horse’s mouth?
Be transparent or letting someone see through you
Showing the man behind the curtain
Opening one’s inner sanctum
Dropping one’s pants
Letting the barbarians in
Taking one’s mask off
Singing
Rolling everything out in the open
Opening the corral

ucme's avatar

Howay, spit it arl oot man!

Ela's avatar

Showing one’s true colors.

fizzbanger's avatar

Purge the layers.
Unveil one’s innards.
Divulge one’s soul.
Expose one’s guts.
Knock down one’s walls?

Sunny2's avatar

Share your soul.

MagsRags's avatar

strip down to your skivvies

open the floodgates

Gabby101's avatar

“let your light shine” can be a way of saying “express yourself,” especially to someone who is shy or timid and likes to stay in the background.

Sunny2's avatar

Actually, I think the usual phrase I was thinking of is ”Bare your soul.”
Memory isn’t always accurate..

talljasperman's avatar

Mind-melding.

Response moderated (Off-Topic)

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