English Reference
Idiom idiom

get up on the wrong side of the bed


To feel irritable; to be in a bad mood; to have a bad day from the start, for no particular reason.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

You seem grumpy today, did you get up on the wrong side of the bed?

CONTEXTUAL

My coworker snapped at everyone during the morning meeting, so I suspect he got up on the wrong side of the bed.

COMPLEX

Although the morning began with perfect weather, his irritable demeanor suggested he had gotten up on the wrong side of the bed.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    as it gets

    As it is possible to be.

  2. 02

    bark up the wrong tree

    To take the wrong approach to a situation; to follow a false lead; to attempt to solve a problem using mistaken assumptions about its true nature.

  3. 03

    bed blocker

    An elderly hospitalized person who is too infirm to return home but not sufficiently ill to necessitate continued hospitalization, creating a situation in which his or her hospital stay is prolonged while authorities or relatives search for a suitable placement amid the scarce resources of nursing homes or other long-term care facilities.

  4. 04

    bed in

    To allow or help to settle in; to make (someone) feel at home.

  5. 05

    bed of roses

    A pleasant or easy situation; an untroubled existence.

  6. 06

    been there, done that, got the T-shirt

    Alternative form of been there, done that, bought the T-shirt.

  7. 07

    bright side

    A consoling aspect of a difficult situation.

  8. 08

    butter one's bread on both sides

    To profit from two things at the same time, especially when those things seem contradictory or incompatible.

Last updated August 10, 2026