Avoir un coeur d’artichaut, literally “to have an artichoke heart”, dates back to the 19th century. The full expression was Coeur d’artichaut, une feuille pour tout le monde (“Artichoke heart, a leaf for everyone”). The artichoke, which center is called “heart”, can feed many mouths, one leaf at a time. It gives all of us a bit of food, but never the whole thing. In everyday life, avoir un coeur d’artichaut describes a person who gives a bit of love to many people.
French with Valerie 