to get on someone's nerves
7
4.9
- phrasal verb
- Informal
:
sacar de quicio a alguien
- She always talks loudly, and it's really starting to get on my nerves.
- get on each other's nerves a little
- starts to get on people's nerves
- ever get on anyone's nerves
Examples
-
They're getting on my nerves!
-
I just thought I'd spend the evening with someone who gets on my nerves.
-
And you are getting on my nerves!
-
You getting on my nerves.
-
I tell you, we sure got on each other's nerves!
Fiction book (2001) -
Don't you think I might get on your nerves a little bit?
-
Because you're starting to get on my nerves.
-
You're starting to get on my nerves.
-
You're getting on my nerves.
-
It was hot enough that swimming didn't help, and we were getting on each other's nerves.
Fiction book (1997)
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To annoy or disturb someone
449
2.0
To disturb or interrupt someone and make them feel annoyed
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
85
3.7
To annoy someone by bothering them repeatedly
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
34
3.2
To annoy someone by asking for things again and again
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
6.7
Annoy someone more and more over time
8
6.8
Make someone angry or annoyed on purpose by teasing them
8
7.1
To annoy someone deeply
8
8.0
To make someone feel slightly annoyed
7
5.9
Make someone very annoyed by doing the same thing again and again
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
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
7
5.9
- Informal
7
4.9
246
1.0
∞
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase literally suggests affecting someone’s 'nerves' and thus causing discomfort, so a learner who knows 'get', 'on' and 'nerves' can often infer it means to bother or irritate someone. However, the use of 'nerves' as a metaphor for patience/peace of mind and the fixed phrase 'get on someone's nerves' make the connection partially idiomatic rather than purely compositional, so prior exposure helps solidify the exact meaning and usage.
Etymology
Get on someone's nerves may come from a simple image: imagine someone keeps pressing a very sensitive spot in your body — the nerves — so you feel bothered and tense. So when someone gets on your nerves today, it means 'to annoy or irritate'.