Definition
To annoy or irritate one.
Origins
As an analogy to a state in a multispeed internal combustion engine in which improperly synchronized inputs and outputs in the transmission during a gear shift (as by driver error or a mechanical fault) lead to literal grinding of gears against each other as they're forced to mesh at different speeds from one another. The noise produced is harsh and grating, and damage to the transmission can accumulate with repeated occurrences.
In Context
- "It really grinds my gears when inconsiderate people litter."
- "Yes it has a clickbaity title, and yes, this show will grind the gears of thousands – but it should. It will open everyone’s eyes to the segregated world of dating[.]"
Also Said As
- chap someone's hide
- get someone's goat
- aggravate
- annoy
- nettle
- rankle
- ruffle
- sting
- antagonize
- bother
- disgruntle
- botherate
- bug
- get
- grate
- burn up
- bedevil
- cheese off
- devil
- exasperate
- frustrate
- get up
- grotch
- hack off
- hassle
- irk
- irritate
- jazz
- molest
- mommick
- nark
- nerve
- pee off
- peeve
- persecute
- pique
- piss off
- provoke
- rile
- rile up
- roil
- storm
- test someone's patience
- tick off
- trouble
- try one's patience
- vex
- wind up
- Idioms:
- boil someone's piss
- chap someone's hide
- get on someone's nerves
- get on someone's tits
- get on someone's wick
- get someone's back up
- get someone's dander up
- get someone's goat
- get someone's Irish up
- get someone's nanny
- get someone's nanny-goat
- get under one's goat
- get under someone's skin
- give someone the shits
- grind one's gears
- harsh one's mellow
- put someone's back up
- raise someone's hackles
- rub someone the wrong way
- rub up the wrong way
- ruffle someone's feathers
- tee off
- torque off