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Glite Dictionary
to jump down someone's throat

to jump down someone's throat

4 8.2
To suddenly speak angrily and criticize someone for a small mistake
  • idiom
  • Informal
translation icon : gritarle a alguien
  • Before you jump down my throat, understand where I am coming from.

Examples

  • Now, I have, of late, been trying not to jump down people's throats when ridiculous beliefs arise, so I took a page from my friend Dixon's notebook and started asking questions: Who is doing this?

    Blog text (8)

  • Well, don't jump down my throat.

    Fiction book (2001)

  • "Well, they had no call to jump down my throat like that.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • Or have been in the field a lot longer, and I know that they could really jump down my throat about some things.

    Academic text (2006)

  • And when I brought up the idea of having a baby, you jumped down my throat.

    Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)

  • Before you jump down my throat about there being no such thing as "black names" or "white names," just humor me for a moment, okay?

    Blog text (17)

  • Don't jump down my throat.

    Raising Buchanan (2019)

  • Whenever I criticize an author, I usually get people jumping down my throat about "not being qualified to make those comments because I haven't published a book."

    Blog text (22)

  • Frankly, I think I have the right to an opinion on how I'm going to categorize religions, and I'm sick of people jumping down my throat because they disagree with my opinion.

    Blog text (2)

  • Before you jump down someone's throat, try to understand their perspective.

Synonyms

to overreact
vsto jump down someone's throat
229 3.8

Show more feeling or anger than a situation needs

is a sudden angry response that is often disproportionate to a minor issue
to lash out
vsto jump down someone's throat
71 5.6

Suddenly say angry things about someone by speaking or writing

is a sudden angry response usually aimed at a minor matter
to come down
vsto jump down someone's throat
  • Informal
37 5.9

To criticize someone strongly

is an angry reaction often sudden and aimed at minor faults or comments
to bristle at
vsto jump down someone's throat
8 7.4

Show sudden anger or annoyance because of something someone says

is a quick angry reaction often aimed at someone over minor remarks
to rip someone's head off
vsto jump down someone's throat
  • Offensive
1 8.5

Shout at someone in a very angry way and threaten them

is a sudden angry reaction that often sounds more violent or threatening
to bridle at
vsto jump down someone's throat
1 8.4

To feel offended when someone says or does something you dislike

is a direct angry response rather than just showing offence
to pop off
vsto jump down someone's throat
  • Informal
1 8.1

To suddenly say something angry without warning

is an abrupt angry reply usually triggered by a small issue
to call down
vsto jump down someone's throat
  • Informal
1 6.8

Tell someone angrily that they did something wrong

is an immediate angry reply usually triggered by a small remark or action
to snap someone's head off
vsto jump down someone's throat
  • Offensive
8.0

To speak to someone in a sudden angry way without good reason

is a sudden angry reply often triggered by a small issue
to eat someone's head off
vsto jump down someone's throat
  • Informal
9.1

To speak angrily to someone and criticize them

is an immediate angry attack usually over a small or trivial cause
to bridle up
vsto jump down someone's throat
  • Informal
9.1

To react angrily and show offended pride when criticized

is an immediate angry verbal attack usually focused on the other person
to chap someone's hide
vsto jump down someone's throat
  • Informal
9.3

To scold someone angrily for something they did

is a sudden angry reaction often over small matters rather than planned scolding
to get on someone's grill
vsto jump down someone's throat
  • Slang
9.9

To tell someone angrily that you do not like what they did

is a sudden angry reaction usually over a small issue rather than planned confrontation
to throw brickbats
vsto jump down someone's throat
  • Literature
8.9

Attack someone with strong words in public

is a sudden angry reply often aimed at one person rather than public attacks

Antonyms

to support
∞ 1.0

Give help to a person or idea

praise
161 1.0

Words or actions that show admiration for someone

How Angry

to berate
36 7.2
to jump down someone's throat
  • Informal
4 8.2
to snap at
22 4.3
to criticize
701 3.3
to point out
∞ 1.8

Surface Forms

jump down someone's throat infinitive
jumped down someone's throat past
jumped down someone's throat past participle
jumping down someone's throat present participle
jumps down someone's throat third person singular

Morphology

jump + down + someone's + throat

The components ('jump', 'down', 'someone's', 'throat') evoke a physical attack on a body part, so a learner who knows the words will likely sense an aggressive or attacking meaning, but they will not reliably infer the specific sense of a sudden verbal reprimand or criticism. The expression is a metaphorical extension from physical assault to verbal attack and is partly culture-dependent, making the relation only partially predictable.

Etymology

The idiom jump down someone's throat comes from the picture of someone suddenly jumping at another person's throat, as if to attack. So it now means to react with 'sudden anger' or 'sharp criticism'.