what's eating at you
1
7.9
- idiom
- Informal
- What's eating at you, Linc baby?
Examples
-
I could tell something was wrong, so I asked her, "What's eating at you?"
-
During our conversation, he suddenly paused and said, "What's eating at you?"
-
When he seemed upset, I gently inquired, "What's eating at you?"
Synonyms
460
2.0
A question asking why someone is upset or not feeling well
97
7.2
Make someone worry a lot about something and feel bad inside
47
7.1
Gradually make someone feel worse or less confident
20
3.9
To feel a small, constant worry that bothers you
6
6.0
To make someone feel worried for a long time
How Troubled
Surface Forms
Morphology
The verb 'eat' is used metaphorically here ('to gnaw at, bother') and combined with 'at you' to indicate something troubling someone; this gives learners a partial clue to the meaning. However, the idiomatic collocation and transferred sense are not fully predictable from the literal meanings alone, so a B1 learner may need prior exposure to be certain.
Etymology
The phrase what's eating at you may come from the image of something slowly eating at you, like a small worm or rust quietly wearing something away. That's why the question asks what is 'bothering' you.