Meaning
Describes a person whose nature is kind, generous and fundamentally good, with gold standing for purity and value and the heart for inner character. Warm, affectionate register, often softening a criticism since it usually follows a 'but'. Warm and affectionate; typically offsets a stated flaw, as in 'difficult, but with a heart of gold'. Regional use: General English (Shakespearean origin).
Origin
In Henry V, Act 4 Scene 1 (c. 1599), Pistol praises the king, who is moving among his troops disguised on the eve of Agincourt: 'The King's a bawcock and a heart of gold, a lad of life, an imp of fame.' The Folger text fixes the scene; some popular lists misplace the line in Act 3 Scene 1. No Sweat Shakespeare calls this the phrase's first use, and it is widely credited as a Shakespeare coinage, though gold-for-goodness metaphors were already conventional in English writing. It is now a stock compliment, very often in the pattern 'a bit of a grump, but with a heart of gold'.
Research Sources
References used to check this entry’s meaning, history, or documented forms.
Variants
- a heart of gold
- a heart of pure gold
- a heart of solid gold
- hearts of gold
Usage Examples
- Our neighbour is rather gruff, but she has a heart of gold and always minds our dog.
- Behind that stern classroom manner there beats a heart of gold.
- The volunteers who cleared everyone's driveways have hearts of gold.