against the grain
10
6.6
- idiom
- Informal
:
a contracorriente
- His decision to pursue a career in art went against the grain of his family's expectations for him to enter medicine.
- go against the grain
- read against the grain
- cut against the grain
Contrarian geniuses like to think against the grain.
- Contrarian geniuses like to think against the grain.
- You know, the idea that it's not all about white privilege goes very much against the grain now.
- But you are kind of working against the grain of human wiring, like we are wired a certain way.
- And if you look at any network and break out shows, they were taking risks and going against the grain.
- And so, like, I write as a defence attorney, OK, I'm going to take something that would go against the grain of the audience.
- I started to notice that my intuition was always guiding me right when I was going against the grain, doing things that no one else thought were a good idea.
- And if you look at any network and breakout shows, they were taking risks and going against the grain.
- I think don't be afraid to go against the grain and sort of challenge the expectations on you.
- And if we go against the grain of what guilt and shame and fear and often anger tell us to do, it's remarkable how quickly we can start doing better.
- But I think this will be a low scoring game again, against the grain, against the public.
- Still, though, you're going against the grain and you're at Columbia.
- But it's like you're going against the grain trying to secure something rare.
- They were went against the grain of all of the classical paintings.
Examples
-
His effort, against the grain of his own sharp physical decline, demanded courage and fortitude.
Academic text (2007) -
So there are solutions and people are trying to have them implemented, but it goes against the grain of society.
-
For Britain, it seems to go against the grain.
-
I guess I was kind of scared going against the grain.
Fiction book (2000) -
This is totally remarkable stuff because it goes against the grain of the way one would like to think about it.
-
I think you are so brave to do something that goes against the grain of our culture.
Blog text (30) -
We're going to do something today that goes completely against the grain for me and that is a no makeup makeup routine.
-
I think don't be afraid to go against the grain and sort of challenge the expectations on you.
-
In life, I have learned that you must go against the grain and take some very unpopular stances.
Blog text (30) -
I started to notice that my intuition was always guiding me right when I was going against the grain, doing things that no one else thought were a good idea.
Synonyms
77
6.2
Different from what most people do or accept
52
7.3
Not following the usual rules or customs
8
7.4
To do something very different from what most people expect or usually do
3
7.5
Opposing the main values and ways of life of most people
1
7.2
In a way that is different from what most people do
How Different
37
7.8
43
4.5
- Informal
10
6.6
77
6.2
∞
2.2
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase builds on the literal sense of 'against' (contrary to) plus 'grain' (the natural direction or texture, e.g., of wood), so its figurative meaning of acting contrary to the normal/expected is a metaphorical extension of the parts. However, that metaphor requires mapping 'grain' to a directional, natural tendency—knowledge that a B1 learner may not automatically have—so the relation is partially clear but not fully predictable.
Etymology
Against the grain comes from working with wood: the grain is the lines you see in wood, and cutting or planing 'against' those lines makes the wood rough and hard to work. So the phrase now means doing something 'different' or 'uncomfortable' compared with what is usual.