to get under one's skin
25
7.2
- idiom
- Informal
:
sacar de quicio
- But after a while, it kind of, you know, gets under your skin.
- it really gets under my skin
- let him get under my skin
- try to get under your skin
Examples
-
He always knows how to get under my skin with his annoying comments.
-
Don't let this kid get under your skin.
-
It's starting to get under my skin.
-
And she let him get under her skin.
-
And somehow it gets under my skin.
-
"I let it get under my skin," said Monica.
Fiction book (1990) -
Flesh and Bone is a film that gets under my skin.
Blog text (34) -
I had to admit Jennifer had gotten under my skin.
-
This guy really gets under your skin, doesn't he?
-
Now I tried to answer Everett calmly and not let him get under my skin.
Fiction book (1990)
Synonyms
246
1.0
Make someone slightly angry or bothered by small repeated actions
158
3.2
Make someone very annoyed or upset
144
3.6
Annoy someone again and again to make them react
78
2.9
Make someone feel annoyed or impatient, often by repeated small actions
63
6.9
Make someone annoyed, often by small things
43
4.2
Annoy someone and make them angrier
31
7.6
To make someone angry or unfriendly
25
7.1
To annoy someone with small repeated actions
10
8.0
To continue to make someone feel angry or hurt
9
6.7
Annoy someone more and more over time
8
2.6
To keep criticizing or telling someone to do things in an annoying way
8
6.8
Make someone angry or annoyed on purpose by teasing them
8
7.7
To annoy someone by teasing them repeatedly
7
4.9
To bother someone again and again until they feel angry
7
5.9
Make someone very annoyed by doing the same thing again and again
4
7.4
To annoy someone a lot by small things another person does
3
7.6
To bother someone again and again so they feel upset or tired
3
9.9
To feel angry or bitter about something unfair that you cannot forget
2
6.8
To make someone feel annoyed
1
7.1
To do or say something on purpose to annoy someone
1
9.1
To make someone angry
1
7.9
To make someone angry or upset
1
9.9
To make someone very annoyed or angry
1
7.9
To annoy someone or make them feel defensive
1
9.8
To make someone feel very annoyed or upset
To annoy someone so they become defensive
To annoy someone by doing the same small things again and again
To annoy someone or make them angry
Antonyms
How Annoying
- Informal
158
3.2
- Informal
25
7.2
- Informal
85
3.7
246
1.0
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase uses a clear bodily metaphor — something getting 'under' the 'skin' evokes a sense of irritation or emotional intrusion, so a learner who knows the literal words can plausibly infer a relation to being bothered. However, the idiomatic sense of persistent annoyance (rather than a purely physical effect) is metaphorical and not fully predictable from the parts, so it requires some prior exposure for certainty.
Etymology
Get under one's skin comes from the image of something small getting under the skin and making you itch or feel uncomfortable. So it means 'to irritate or annoy someone persistently'.