carry a torch for someone

carry a torch for (one)

To be in love with one, especially secretly or unrequitedly. I've carried a torch for her since high school, but I've never been able to tell her how I feel. Susan carried a torch for him for years after they broke up. Please tell me she's not still carrying a torch for that loser, Brian. She deserves so much better!

See also: carry, for, torch

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

carry a torch for someone

If you carry a torch for someone, you are in love with them but they do not love you. Note: The torch referred to in these expressions is a long stick with burning material at one end which provides a light. This kind of torch is sometimes used in processions or parades. What makes a woman so special that a man will carry a torch for her all his life? Note: The verb hold is sometimes used instead of carry. He never saw the woman again. And he went through the rest of his life holding a torch for her.

See also: carry, for, someone, torch

Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012