rub someone the wrong way
To bother, disturb, irritate, or annoy.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“His constant complaining rubs me the wrong way.”
“I tried to be friendly, but his arrogant attitude really rubbed me the wrong way.”
“Although the new manager was technically competent, his dismissive tone during meetings rubbed the entire team the wrong way.”
The expression derives from the physiological response of a cat to being stroked in a direction contrary to that of its fur. The friction caused by such contact is regarded as an irritation by the animal, a domestic inconvenience that the idiom has since extended to human social friction.
- 01
a little of something goes a long way
Only a small amount of something is usually required to produce a great effect.
- 02
all the way to Egery and back
The long way; a roundabout route; a long distance to travel.
- 03
as if someone owns the place
Alternative form of like someone owns the place.
- 04
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.
- 05
beat someone round the ears
To beat (a person) with blows about the head.
- 06
bless someone with
To give or bestow, as a gift from God.
- 07
bring someone to their knees
To defeat and make submit to orders.
- 08
by the way
Irrelevantly, off-topic.
Last updated August 10, 2026