Warming the cockles

[Napoleon]

About the expression 'It'll warm the cockles of your heart' ... what are these cockles, and what are they for?

[Kit]

Short answer is nobody's really sure - see World Wide Words http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-coc2.htm for precisely this question

[xyzzyplugh]

best shot; cockles are little chambers resembling heart chamber. I haven't researched, but remember this from a while back.

[snotmonkey]

i'm with mick, i seem to remember it has something to do with th efrench word for the lower part/chambers of the heart. but i could be wrong