to get under someone's skin
4
7.4
- idiom
- Informal
:
irritar
- Her constant criticisms really get under my skin.
- try to get under someone's skin
- say anything to get under someone's skin
- seemed to get under someone's skin
Examples
-
I really think Hu has a way of deliberately getting under Bush's skin.
Blog text (22) -
i don't know if you've noticed, but I think I'm starting to get under Ruiz's skin as well.
-
Oh, she gets under my skin so bad.
-
And, finally, he kind of got under my skin.
-
It's getting under his skin.
-
It takes a lot to get under my skin.
-
She's getting under my skin.
-
Could all this erratic behaviour be because this guy got under your skin?
-
At the very least, he already seemed to have gotten under Thorne's skin.
Fiction book (1999) -
Prior to the first presidential debate, strategists were saying that Romney's best tactic was to get under Obama's skin.
Blog text (10)
Synonyms
524
2.8
Cause a person to feel hurt, upset and angry because of your words or actions
271
3.9
Make someone very annoyed or upset
246
1.0
Make someone slightly angry or bothered by small repeated actions
215
6.3
Annoy or upset someone gradually
158
3.2
Make someone very annoyed or upset
144
3.6
Annoy someone again and again to make them react
137
3.0
Make someone feel annoyed because they cannot do something
90
3.9
Make someone feel bad by criticizing or teasing them
78
2.9
Make someone feel annoyed or impatient, often by repeated small actions
63
6.9
Make someone annoyed, often by small things
46
5.0
Make someone very angry
31
7.6
To make someone angry or unfriendly
25
7.1
To annoy someone with small repeated actions
25
7.2
To annoy someone again and again so they feel bothered
25
6.3
Make someone feel annoyed
9
7.2
Upset people by challenging usual views
8
6.8
Make someone angry or annoyed on purpose by teasing them
8
8.0
To make someone feel slightly annoyed
7
4.9
To bother someone again and again until they feel angry
6
7.0
To cause someone to feel very angry
3
9.9
To feel angry or bitter about something unfair that you cannot forget
2
6.8
To make someone feel annoyed
2
6.8
To annoy or upset someone in a way that feels sharp
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 by doing the same small things again and again
To annoy someone so they become defensive
To annoy someone or make them angry
Antonyms
How Annoying
- Informal
158
3.2
- Informal
4
7.4
78
2.9
246
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
get + under + someone's + skin
The sense 'to irritate or annoy someone' is partially inferable from the parts: 'get' (to affect), 'under' (beneath/into) and 'skin' (person's surface) together evoke a metaphor of penetrating someone emotionally. However, the precise idiomatic meaning of persistent emotional irritation is a metaphorical extension not fully predictable from the constituents and can vary across languages, so learners may need prior exposure.
Etymology
The idiom get under someone's skin may come from imagining a small thing or insect that gets under the skin and keeps bothering you. That's why it now means 'to annoy' or 'bother' someone deeply.