touch a nerve
To make a remark or perform a deed which produces a strong response, especially an emotional response such as anxiety or annoyance, because it calls to mind something which has been a source of concern or embarrassment.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“I think I touched a nerve when I asked about his job.”
“You touch a nerve whenever you bring up my old car.”
“She did not mean to be rude, but her comment about the budget clearly touched a nerve with the manager.”
“Mentioning the failed project during the meeting touched a nerve, as the team spent months working on it before it was canceled.”
“The documentary about social inequality touched a nerve with many viewers who feel the current system is unfair to their families.”
“By questioning the legitimacy of the inheritance, the lawyer inadvertently touched a nerve, causing the usually composed heir to react with sudden, defensive hostility.”
The idiom is an allusion to the sensation experienced when a surgeon or dentist physically disturbs an exposed nerve. It captures the precision of an unintended contact, where a brief physical encounter results in a sharp and immediate reaction from the patient.
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bundle of nerves
A person with an especially nervous, excitable, or fearful disposition.
- 02
common touch
The personal quality of showing understanding of and sympathy for the concerns of ordinary people; rapport with and acceptance by ordinary people, usually in a celebrity or leader.
- 03
everything one touches turns to gold
Everything someone uses or does succeeds or becomes better.
- 04
everything one touches turns to shit
Everything someone uses or does fails or becomes worse.
- 05
get on someone's nerves
To annoy or irritate someone; to bother someone.
- 06
golden touch
Synonym of Midas touch (“the ability to achieve financial reward (or, more generally, success) easily and consistently”).
- 07
hold one's nerve
To stay calm facing nervousness.
- 08
human touch
The ability of a person to deal with others in a personable and empathetic way.
Last updated August 10, 2026