Idioms & Phrases: One's Heart was In His throat

The idiom one's heart is in his throat means experiencing extreme nervousness, fear, or anxiety, often causing physical sensation of light-heartedness or pounding heart.  It describes a moment of high tension, such as waiting for bad news, watching a horror movie or anticipating a scary event. Often used to describe a sudden rush of fear such as being heart in mouth while witnessing something dangerous. 

In Chapter 41 of Far From The Madding Crowd, Thomas Hardy use this idiom with slight variation. While leaving for Union House to meet Fanny Robin, Troy inadvertently opened the case at the back of his watch, and the small coil of hair stowed in it fell in the eyes of Bathsheba. Then followed heated exchange between the husband and wife. "Troy had driven her to extreme bitterness: her heart was big in her throat," are the words used by the novelist, to present the mental turbulence of Bathsheba. 

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