Concetti Chiave
- The term "guts" signifies determination, bravery, and courage beyond its literal meaning of "digestive tract."
- Describing an object as having "guts" implies it possesses substance or integrity.
- "Spilling your guts" means revealing personal matters, typically to someone you trust.
- A "gut feeling" is an intuitive sense or belief not based on logical reasoning.
- Examples illustrate how "guts" can apply to actions, speeches, and personal revelations.
Guts
The definition of guts goes far beyond the literal meaning of "digestive tract." When you say a person has guts, you're saying that the person is determined, brave, and courageous. When you use guts to describe an object, you're suggesting that the object is one of substance or integrity.
Ex: It takes a lot of guts to get up and speak in front of a group of people the first time you do it. The first time I taught a class, I was queasy with worry.
Ex: Mr. Wiley, the retiring social studies teacher, gave our commencement address at graduation this year, and his speech was great. It was very strongly worded, and had a lot of guts to it.
When you spill your guts, you are revealing something personal about yourself, especially about your problems or worries. You would usually only do this with a close friend. When you have a gut feeling, you are experiencing a strong feeling or belief about something that cannot be explained by logic or observation. A gut feeling is something you somehow "know" without any real reason.
Ex: As the party wound down, I finally found Martin. He was spilling his guts to an old friend of his, talking about how much he hated his job and how he wanted a change but was that he wasn't qualified to do anything else.
Ex: When his son, Roger, came home and explained that the dent in the car was the result of a "hit and run" driver who "must have hit the car while it was parked," Frank had a gut feeling that the boy was lying to him.