Fig.: to be extremely frightened or nervous

While walking in the woods, we bumped into a bear. It was scary, my heart was in my throat, but I had to keep my cool for my children

Mentre passeggiavamo nel bosco, ci siamo imbattuti in un orso. Era spaventoso, avevo il cuore in gola, ma mi sono dovuto mantenere calmo per i miei figli

It was my first job interview and my heart was in my mouth when I walked into the personnel office

Avevo il cuore in gola quando sono entrata nell'ufficio personale per il mio primo colloquio di lavoro

The heart is beating so violently that it appears to leap upwards