cotton-picking attitude
- noun
- /ˈkɑtənˌpɪkɪŋ ˈætɪtjud/
- Offensive
:
[término ofensivo para describir una actitud irritante]
- His cotton-picking attitude during the meeting frustrated everyone and made productive discussion impossible.
Examples
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His cotton-picking attitude during the meeting made it hard for anyone to remain calm.
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I'm tired of your cotton-picking attitude every time we discuss this topic.
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She apologized later for her cotton-picking attitude at the party.
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I can't stand his cotton-picking attitude anymore!
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Her cotton-picking attitude really annoys everyone at work.
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I'm fed up with your cotton-picking attitude whenever we try to collaborate on this project.
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After reflecting on her behavior, she realized her cotton-picking attitude had driven her friends away.
Synonyms
1
9.9
A stubborn attitude of refusing to do what others want
A rude, spiteful way of speaking that uses mean, cutting remarks
A consistently unfriendly and angry way of acting
A rude, immature way of behaving like a teenager
A rude, annoying way of behaving that makes other people feel uncomfortable
A very bad, annoying way of behaving that upsets other people
Antonyms
How Annoying
Surface Forms
Morphology
cotton-picking + attitude
The sense 'irritating or contemptuous manner' is not derivable from the literal parts 'cotton' (a plant/fibre) and 'picking' (the action of harvesting), which would suggest a literal agricultural action to a learner. 'Cotton-picking' here functions as an idiomatic pejorative/intensifier with dialectal and historical connotations, so its meaning is not compositionally predictable and would be opaque to a B1 learner who only knows the constituents.
Etymology
Cotton-picking attitude may come from the hard, dirty work of picking cotton in the American South, where people used 'cotton-picking' as a strong, angry word to insult someone. So, calling someone that uses the harsh picture of that work to say they are 'irritating' or rude.