Get something off your chest means to tell someone about a problem or feeling that has been bothering you, so that you feel better. Picture someone who has kept resentment, a worry or a confession to themselves for a long time: they finally say it out loud and feel relieved. The idiom is conversational; in an essay, write talk openly about a problem instead.
When would you say get something off your chest?
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get something/it off your chest; get + worries/feelings + off your chest; I need to get this off my chest
- I finally told my manager about the extra hours, and it felt good to get it off my chest.
- If something is bothering you, call me tonight and get it off your chest.
- She wrote a long letter to her ex just to get her feelings off her chest.
What changed
First versionI told my sister about the argument just to get it from my chest.
RevisionI told my sister about the argument just to get it off my chest.
From can seem logical if you picture taking a weight from somewhere, but the idiom always uses off: the weight is lifted off and taken away. The rest of the sentence was correct; only the preposition changed.
Speak your mind means to say exactly what you think, even if someone may not like it: She always speaks her mind in meetings. Get something off your chest is about relief: you have kept quiet for a long time and finally say what has been troubling you. I've been angry for weeks, and I need to get this off my chest.
Your turn
I felt much lighter after I talked to my tutor and got my worries ___ my chest.
Show the answer
off — The idiom needs off: got my worries off my chest. From may look possible, but it is not part of the idiom, and native speakers don't say it.
Think of a time when you kept quiet about a problem for a long time and then told someone everything. Write who you told and how you felt after the conversation.
After months of silence, I told my best friend about my problems at work and felt much lighter once I got them off my chest.
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