set someone's heart racing

Meaning: To excite or alarm someone.

Language: English

Literally: (Already vivid in English)

Example: “The sound of footsteps behind her set her heart racing.”

Category: Body & Senses

Origin: Both fear and attraction speed the heartbeat, which is why the phrase covers either. It is common in English from the 19th century.

Equivalents in other languages

forget one's own head — To be extremely forgetful.
take to one's heels — To run away.
drag one's feet — To delay deliberately.
be tone-deaf — To be unable to tell musical notes apart; also, to have no sense of how others feel.
throw dust in someone's eyes — To mislead someone by distracting them.
up to one's ears in debt — Deeply in debt.

any old how — Carelessly, with no attention to doing it properly.
where the sun doesn't shine — Somewhere hidden; also a rude way of naming the body.
without a fight — With no resistance at all.
pave the way — To prepare the ground so that something can happen later.
catch someone off guard — To surprise someone who is not prepared.
all at once — Suddenly, with no warning.

Firma — Actually means 'signature'. Metti la tua firma = Put your signature here.
Magazzino — Actually means 'warehouse' or 'storeroom'. A magazine (periodical) is una rivista.
Conveniente — Actually means 'affordable', 'good value', or 'suitable'. È conveniente = It's a good dea…