Milena: I wish Coach would get off of our backs. Next, Gwen and Milena discuss their cross country coach who just reprimanded the whole team. Here, James uses the phrase heart of gold to describe Lily, who performed a generous and charitable act by serving the homeless on Christmas Day. James: Wow, you really do have a heart of gold. Lily: I did! I wasn’t able to visit my family, but I spent the day serving food at the local homeless shelter. James: Hey Lily, how was your break? Did you have a good Christmas? James and Lily are classmates and have just returned from winter break. Below are two examples of situations in which using the phrase heart of gold would be appropriate. Heart of gold can be used in a variety of circumstances to describe good-hearted people. How can heart of gold be used in a sentence? In this quote, the soldier is saying that he admires and respects the king by saying that he believes he is a fine man with a heart of gold.

He asks one of the soldiers what he thinks about King Henry, and the soldier replies, “The king’s a bawcock, and a heart of gold, a lad of life, an imp of fame.”Ī bawcock is another phrase from the era that means a fine man. He wanders around in the darkness to spy on the soldiers and get a sense of their morale. It was first seen in William Shakespeare’s play Henry V.Īccording to No Sweat Shakespeare, the author uses the phrase in a scene in which King Henry has disguised himself as a soldier in Act 4 Scene 1. What is the origin of the phrase heart of gold?Īccording to Writing Explained, the phrase originated in the late 1500s, and comes from gold being a precious metal that was highly valued both in its day, and now. Someone may be gruff and mean on the outside, but they could have a heart of gold if they are kind to those who are close to them. The phrase is also often used for someone who may have a tough exterior or who others may not expect to be soft on the interior. If someone is a kind-hearted, generous person, they could be said to have a heart of gold.

Heart of gold is an idiomatic expression that means to have a kind, generous disposition, according to Merriam-Webster.

Pure hearts stay gold