Provençal expression

a lou cor sus la man

Character

Literal translation

He has the heart on the hand.

Meaning

he wears his heart on his sleeve

Explanation

This expression, matching its French and English equivalent exactly, describes a generous person, quick to give and to help without calculation or restraint. The image places the cor, the heart, the traditional seat of feeling and generosity, directly on the man, the hand, the organ of giving and action, as if the inner organ of feeling were exposed on the outside, available and offered to everyone. The construction underscores the absence of any barrier between generous intent and its execution: nothing holds the hand back, since the heart is already there. It belongs to a set of body-based expressions that tie a moral quality to a specific part of the anatomy to make it concrete and immediately perceptible, like a la bounta sus la figuro for kindness. It is said in ordinary register, to praise someone's generosity without reservation, often in implicit contrast with those who give with calculation or reluctance.

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Other expressions on the same theme

es marrit coume la grelohe's as nasty as hail s'es leva dóu pèd gauchehe got up on the wrong side of the bed fai la bèbohe's sulking, pouting saup lou viéure dóu moundehe has good manners, knows how to behave es groussié coume un pan d'òrdihe's as coarse as barley bread sucra la baloto manto sugarcoat the pill