Wiktionary
skip a beat
vb. 1 (context literally English) To miss a beat. 2 (context by extension when of a heart English) To experience a strong emotion.
Usage examples of "skip a beat".
Her heart seemed to skip a beat when she saw him pull up in front of the driveway.
All the fanatics, psychopaths and assassins round the globe, they all skip a beat at the mention of his name.
Galen's smile, the one that had made my heart skip a beat since I was old enough to care.
Her heart seemed to skip a beat when she descended the stairs and saw him standing there.
He glanced around quickly, then went through the door, felt his heart skip a beat when he saw the casket in the center of the room.