soul (redirected from upon my soul)

(I) won't breathe a word (of it). and (I) won't tell a Soul.

Fig. I will not tell anyone your secret. Bill: Don't tell anybody, but Sally is getting married. Mary: I won't breathe a word of it. Alice: The Jacksons are going to have to sell their house. Don't spread it around. Mary: I won't tell a soul.

See also: breathe, word

(Open) confession is good for the soul.

Prov. If you have done something wrong, you will feel better if you confess that you did it. You ought to tell Dad that you broke his radio. Open confession is good for the soul. Sue: I've been so upset about cheating on the exam that I haven't been sleeping nights. Sam: You can do something about it; confession is good for the soul.

See also: good

bare one's soul (to someone)

Fig. to reveal one's innermost thoughts to someone; to tell another person exactly how one feels about someone or something. Mary bared her soul to Jane and Jane told Mary her problems also. You don't have to bare your soul to me. Just tell me why you are crying.

See also: bare

Brevity is the soul of wit.

Prov. Jokes and humorous stories are funnier if they are short. Dale took ten minutes to tell that joke; he obviously doesn't know that brevity is the soul of wit. The comedian was in the middle of a long, tedious story when someone in the audience shouted, "Brevity is the soul of wit!"

See also: wit

can't call one's soul one's own

Fig. working for other people all the time. Jane has to work two jobs and take care of both her aging parents. She can't call her soul her own. Between supporting his family and working off his brother's bad debts, Bob really can't call his soul his own.

See also: call

Don't tell a soul.

Please do not tell anyone this gossip. Bill: Is your brother getting married? Sally: Yes, but don't tell a soul. It's a secret. Mary: Can you keep a secret? John: Sure. Mary: Don't tell a soul, but Tom is in jail.

See also: tell

enough to keep body and soul together

Fig. very little; only enough to survive. (Usually refers to money.) When he worked for the library, Marshall only made enough to keep body and soul together. Maria's savings were just enough to keep body and soul together while she looked for another job.

See also: and, body, enough, keep, together

every living soul

Fig. every person. I expect every living soul to be there and be there on time. This is the kind of problem that affects every living soul.

See also: every, living

God rest someone's soul.

May God bless a previously mentioned person who has died. I remember what my mother, God rest her soul, used to say about that.

See also: god, rest

gripe one's soul

Inf. to annoy someone. That kind of thing really gripes my soul! John, have I ever told you that you gripe my soul?

See also: gripe

heart and soul

Fig. the central core [of someone or something]. Now we are getting to the heart and soul of the matter. This feature is the heart and soul of my invention.

See also: and, heart

keep body and soul together

Fig. to manage to keep existing, especially when one has very little money. (Compare this with keep the wolf from the door.) We hardly had enough to keep body and soul together. I don't earn enough money to keep body and soul together.

See also: and, body, keep, together

not a living soul

Fig. nobody. (See some of the possible variations in the examples.) I won't tell anybody—not a living soul. I won't tell a living soul.

See also: living

not tell a (living) soul

not to reveal something to anyone. Your secret is safe with me. I won't tell a living soul. Promise you won't tell a soul, but I'm engaged.

See also: tell

pour out one's soul

Fig. to confess something [to someone]; to reveal one's deepest concerns. Every time she calls me up, she takes an hour or more to pour out her soul.

See also: out, pour

Punctuality is the soul of business.

Prov. You should be on time for all your business appointments. The office manager insisted on everyone's coming to work on time, not a minute late. "Punctuality is the soul of business," she said.

See also: business

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bare your heart/soul

to tell someone your secret thoughts and feelings (often + to ) We don't know each other that well. I certainly wouldn't bare my heart to her.

See also: bare, heart

be the life and soul of the party  (British, American & Australian) also be the life of the party (American & Australian)

to be the type of person who enjoys social occasions and makes them more enjoyable for other people He's a very sweet man but he's not exactly the life and soul of the party. Give him a few drinks and he's the life of the party!

See also: and, life, party

be the soul of discretion

to be good at not talking about things that other people want to keep secret As regards Nigel, he's the soul of discretion. I'm quite sure he won't mention this to anyone.

See bare heart, sell soul

See also: discretion

body and soul

if you do something or believe something body and soul, you do it or believe it completely She dedicated herself to her research, body and soul.

See keep body and soul together

See also: and, body

God rest her/his soul.  (old-fashioned)

something that you say when you are talking about someone who is dead, to show that you respect them My old father - God rest his soul - now he could drink a pint or two.

See play God, think are God's gift to women, God help

See also: god, her, rest

keep body and soul together

to just be able to pay for the things that you need in order to live We can barely keep body and soul together on what he earns.

See also: and, body, keep, together

like a lost soul

if someone is walking around a place like a lost soul, they are walking slowly without direction or purpose in a way that makes them look sad and lost I found him wandering aimlessly around the hall like a lost soul.

See also: like, lost

put your heart and soul into something/doing something

to do something with a lot of energy and interest He put his heart and soul into running that café.

See also: and, heart, put

sell your soul (to the devil)

to do something bad in order to succeed or get money or power As far as Mike was concerned, he badly wanted the job and he'd sell his soul to the devil to get it.

See go like hot cakes, the hard sell

See also: sell

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bare your soul

to express your secret thoughts and feelings Although people are willing to bare their souls about subjects like rape, grief is still a difficult subject to talk about.

Related vocabulary: lay bare something

See also: bare

God rest somebody's soul

I hope this person's spirit is at peace I mean, Walt Disney - God rest his soul - has been dead for some time, but his presence is still so much a part of that company.

Usage notes: said about someone who is dead

See also: god, rest

sell your soul (to the devil)

to accept immoral behavior in order to succeed If the day comes when I begin to sell my soul like the other managers do, that's the day I'll quit.

Etymology: from the literal idea of exchanging your soul (spirit) with the devil (the origin of evil) to get something you want

See also: sell