your heart misses a beat

(one's) heart misses a beat

One feels a flutter in one's chest or stomach from fear, nervousness, or excitement. My heart missed a beat when I saw that the doctor was calling with the results from the test. I swear, my heart missed a beat the first time I saw my wife. My heart misses a beat every time I'm called into my boss's office.See also: beat, heart, miss

your ˌheart misses a ˈbeat

used to say that you have a sudden feeling of fear, excitement, etc: For a moment she thought she saw the dead man’s face looking in through the window and her heart missed a beat.See also: beat, heart, miss