get someone's goat
To annoy or infuriate someone.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“His constant whistling really gets my goat.”
“Slow internet speeds always get my goat.”
“Does it get your goat when people leave the lights on?”
“The way my neighbor parks his car across two spaces really gets my goat.”
“It really gets her goat when the bus driver pulls away just as she reaches the stop.”
“The store's new policy of charging for paper bags really gets his goat every time he shops.”
“I try to stay calm, but seeing litter in the park always gets my goat.”
“It really gets the manager's goat when employees arrive late for the morning meeting without calling first to explain why.”
“It truly gets my goat when people interrupt others during a serious discussion, as it shows a complete lack of respect for the speaker.”
disputed origin
The origin is uncertain, though it has been suggested the phrase may be derived from the French *prendre la chèvre*, literally to take the goat. A popular but unproven story also attributes the idiom to the theft of a goat kept as a military unit mascot. No specific dates or individuals are recorded in the primary etymological accounts.
- 01
another nail in someone's coffin
An event that increases the likelihood of or causes further failure.
- 02
answer someone's prayers
To be or do exactly what someone has been wishing or asking for.
- 03
answer to someone's prayers
Exactly what someone has been wishing or asking for.
- 04
apple of someone's eye
The object of somebody's affections; a person (or sometimes a thing) that someone strongly prefers; a favorite, a loved one.
- 05
as it gets
As it is possible to be.
- 06
bane of someone's existence
Someone or something that poses a significant problem to someone.
- 07
bash someone's face in
To beat someone violently.
- 08
bash someone's head
To beat up someone violently.
Last updated August 10, 2026