heart misses a beat, one's

Idioms and Phrases

Also, one's heart skips a beat or stands still . One is startled, frightened, or very excited. For example, Her heart missed a beat when she heard her name called out in the list of finalists , or When the bear appeared in front of us, my heart skipped a beat , or My heart stands still at the very thought of flying through a thunderstorm . All these hyperbolic expressions can also be used with make , meaning “to cause one to be startled” as in That blast from the ship's whistle made my heart skip a beat .