Dictionary Home » The American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms » cry on someone's shoulder

cry on someone's shoulder

cry on someone's shoulder idiom

Tell one's problems to someone so as to gain sympathy or consolation, as in When James had a problem at the office he generally cried on his sister's shoulder. It is also put as a shoulder to cry on, as in When Mom came home, Jane had a shoulder to cry on. [Late 1930s]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.