Dictionary

wear on one's sleeve en · VERB

Etymology

This phrase may derive from a mediaeval custom at jousting matches. Knights are said to have worn the colours of the lady they were supporting, in cloths or ribbons tied to their arms. The term does not date from that period though, and is first recorded in Shakespeare's Othello, 1604, in which the treacherous Iago's plan was to feign openness and vulnerability in order to appear faithful.

Meanings

1. (transitive) To express (an emotion, belief, or stance) overtly and make it an important part of one's public life.
   • But religion is the one thing they encourage you to wear on your sleeve. 2008 June 25, Neela Banerjee, “Religion and Its Role Are in Dispute at the Service Academies”, in New York Times:
   • While he may wear his idealism and good-heartedness on his shirt sleeve, his passion is exuded more as an intellectualized than as a deeply felt quality. In modulating his voice, that is, Canin has chosen a character whose temperance might be admirable among the living but is less engaging when encountered in literature. 2008 June 28, Art Winslow, “Ethan Canin's "America, America"”, in Chicago Tribune, archived from the original on 21 May 2009:

Forms

Relateds

to wear one's heart on one's sleeve

Translations (3)

cmn 襟懷坦蕩 /襟怀坦荡 (express an emotion, belief, or stance overtly) · fi ilmaista avoimesti (express an emotion, belief, or stance overtly) · pl mieć serce na dłoni (express an emotion, belief, or stance overtly)