have one's heart in one's boots

noun

1. 1. the hollow, muscular organ in a vertebrate animal that receives blood from the veins and pumps it through the arteries by alternate dilation and contraction
   2. an analogous part in most invertebrate animals
2. the part of the human body thought of as containing the heart; breast; bosom
3. any place or part like a heart, in that it is near the center; specif.,
   1. the central core of a plant or vegetable: hearts of celery
   2. the center or innermost part of a place or region: the heart of a city
4. the central, vital, or main part; real meaning; essence; core
5. the human heart considered as the center or source of emotions, personality attributes, etc.; specif.,
   1. inmost thought and feeling; consciousness or conscience: to know in one's heart
   2. the source of emotions
   3. one's emotional nature; disposition: to have a kind heart
   4. any of various humane feelings; love, devotion, sympathy, etc.
   5. mood; feeling: to have a heavy heart
   6. spirit, resolution, or courage: to lose heart
6. a person, usually one loved or admired in some specified way: he is a valiant heart
7. something like a heart in shape; conventionalized design or representation of a heart, shaped like this: ♥
8. 1. any of a suit of playing cards marked with such figures in red
   2. this suit of cards
   3. ☆ a card game in which the object is either to avoid winning any hearts or the queen of spades, or to win all the hearts and the queen of spades

transitive verb