to put up someone's back
- phrasal verb
- UK
:
irritar
- His constant criticism really puts up my back during meetings.
Examples
-
The way he always critiques my work tends to put up my back.
-
Try not to put up her back with unnecessary comments.
-
He didn't mean to put up your back, but his joke was misunderstood.
-
Don't put up my back!
-
He always puts up her back with his jokes.
-
His constant interruptions really put up my back during the discussion.
-
Be careful not to put up her back by bringing up sensitive topics.
Synonyms
246
1.0
Make someone slightly angry or bothered by small repeated actions
245
1.9
To make fun of someone in a way that annoys them
165
4.8
To start a fight or argument by annoying someone
144
3.6
Annoy someone again and again to make them react
93
5.8
To mock someone again and again to make them angry or upset
90
3.9
Make someone feel bad by criticizing or teasing them
48
4.8
To make people feel strong emotions like anger or fear
43
5.8
Cause someone trouble by making things difficult for them
31
7.6
To make someone angry or unfriendly
25
7.2
To annoy someone again and again so they feel bothered
8
6.8
Make someone angry or annoyed on purpose by teasing them
7
4.9
To bother someone again and again until they feel angry
4
7.4
To annoy someone a lot by small things another person does
2
8.2
To offend someone and make them feel annoyed or hurt
1
7.1
To do or say something on purpose to annoy someone
1
7.9
To make someone angry or upset
1
9.1
To make someone angry
1
9.9
To make someone very annoyed or angry
1
7.9
To annoy someone or make them feel defensive
1
8.7
Tease someone to make them react
1
9.8
To make someone feel very annoyed or upset
To make someone angry or ready to argue
To annoy someone or make them angry
To annoy someone by doing the same small things again and again
To tease or nag someone in a way that annoys them
Antonyms
How Annoyed
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to make someone annoyed or defensive' is not the straightforward compositional result of 'put' + 'up' + 'back' and the phrase is idiomatic in usage (normally phrased 'put someone's back up'). There is a metaphorical link—'get one's back up' meaning become defensive—so learners might partially infer the sense, but the specific idiomatic use is not fully predictable without exposure.
Etymology
Put up someone's back comes from the image of animals, like cats, that raise their fur and arch their back when they feel threatened. That's why to put up someone's back means 'to make someone annoyed or defensive'.