English Reference
Idiom idiom

make someone's teeth itch


To bother or unsettle a person; to put someone on edge.

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


SIMPLE

His humming really makes my teeth itch.

CONTEXTUAL

The way she chews with her mouth open makes his teeth itch every time they eat together.

COMPLEX

There was something about the man's false cheerfulness that made her teeth itch, a subtle wrongness she could not name but could not ignore.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    absence makes the heart grow fonder

    One feels more love or affection for those one loves when parted from them.

  2. 02

    another nail in someone's coffin

    An event that increases the likelihood of or causes further failure.

  3. 03

    answer someone's prayers

    To be or do exactly what someone has been wishing or asking for.

  4. 04

    answer to someone's prayers

    Exactly what someone has been wishing or asking for.

  5. 05

    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.

  6. 06

    arm to the teeth

    To equip thoroughly with weapons.

  7. 07

    bane of someone's existence

    Someone or something that poses a significant problem to someone.

  8. 08

    bare one's teeth

    To show aggression.

Last updated August 10, 2026