Hate, a powerful and often overwhelming sentiment, has found its place in the colorful spectrum of idioms. In this exploration, we’ll dive into the intriguing world of phrases that vividly capture the essence of disdain and resentment.
Idioms for Hate
Cut like a knife
Meaning: To cause emotional pain or hurt deeply.
In a Sentence: His words cut like a knife when he criticized her work in front of everyone.
Burning bridges
Meaning: Irreparably damaging a relationship or connection.
In a Sentence: By spreading those rumors, she was effectively burning bridges with her closest allies.
Cold shoulder
Meaning: Deliberate act of ignoring or excluding someone.
In a Sentence: After the argument, she gave him the cold shoulder for days.
Poison pen
Meaning: Writing malicious or spiteful content.
In a Sentence: Her poison pen was evident in the scathing letter she sent to her former friend.
Out of sorts
Meaning: Feeling irritable or not quite oneself.
In a Sentence: Ever since the argument, she’s been out of sorts, snapping at everyone around her.
Under one’s skin
Meaning: Annoying or bothering someone.
In a Sentence: His constant criticism really gets under my skin.
Rub the wrong way
Meaning: To irritate or annoy someone.
In a Sentence: His condescending tone always rubs me the wrong way.
Grind one’s gears
Meaning: To cause irritation or frustration.
In a Sentence: The constant noise from the construction site really grinds my gears.
Stick in one’s craw
Meaning: To be deeply offensive or objectionable.
In a Sentence: His arrogant attitude tends to stick in my craw.
Eat one’s heart out
Meaning: To feel intense jealousy or longing.
In a Sentence: When she saw his new car, she could only eat her heart out.
Ruffle feathers
Meaning: To upset or disturb a situation.
In a Sentence: Bringing up that topic always seems to ruffle feathers at the family gatherings.
Drive up the wall
Meaning: To irritate or annoy intensely.
In a Sentence: His constant humming is enough to drive anyone up the wall.
Hit below the belt
Meaning: To unfairly attack someone in a sensitive area.
In a Sentence: Bringing up her past mistakes during the argument was a low blow, hitting below the belt.
Throw shade
Meaning: To express contempt or disrespect.
In a Sentence: She didn’t appreciate her colleague constantly throwing shade about her work.
Get on one’s nerves
Meaning: To irritate or annoy someone.
In a Sentence: The constant tapping of his pen really gets on my nerves during meetings.
Burn the midnight oil
Meaning: To work late into the night.
In a Sentence: To meet the deadline, they had to burn the midnight oil for several nights.
Hit the roof
Meaning: To react with extreme anger or frustration.
In a Sentence: When he found out about the broken vase, he hit the roof.
Stir the pot
Meaning: To provoke or instigate trouble.
In a Sentence: Bringing up that controversial topic at the dinner table is sure to stir the pot.
Kick up a fuss
Meaning: To create a commotion or make a big deal out of something.
In a Sentence: She kicked up a fuss when she realized her order was wrong.
Give the cold shoulder
Meaning: To intentionally ignore or snub someone.
In a Sentence: He decided to give her the cold shoulder after the argument.
Blow a fuse
Meaning: To lose one’s temper or become extremely angry.
In a Sentence: His constant interruptions made her blow a fuse during the meeting.
Water off a duck’s back
Meaning: Unaffected by criticism or negative remarks.
In a Sentence: No matter what they said, his confidence remained intact; it was like water off a duck’s back.
Rub salt in the wound
Meaning: To make a situation even more painful or difficult.
In a Sentence: Bringing up her failed project felt like rubbing salt in the wound.
Bite the hand that feeds you
Meaning: To harm someone who has helped or supported you.
In a Sentence: By betraying his closest ally, he was essentially biting the hand that feeds him.
Drive someone nuts
Meaning: To irritate or annoy someone to the point of frustration.
In a Sentence: The constant beeping of the alarm clock drove her nuts every morning.
Have a bone to pick
Meaning: To have a complaint or grievance.
In a Sentence: After the disagreement, she definitely had a bone to pick with her coworker.
Stir the hornet’s nest
Meaning: To provoke trouble or create a chaotic situation.
In a Sentence: Bringing up that controversial issue at the meeting was like stirring a hornet’s nest.
Grind one’s teeth
Meaning: To express frustration or anger.
In a Sentence: The constant delays made him grind his teeth in irritation.
Go up in smoke
Meaning: To fail or be destroyed.
In a Sentence: All their hard work seemed to go up in smoke when the project was canceled.
Drive someone round the bend
Meaning: To irritate or annoy someone to the point of frustration.
In a Sentence: The constant noise from the construction site was enough to drive anyone round the bend.
Read More:
Summary
| Idiom | Meaning | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Cut like a knife | Cause emotional pain or hurt deeply | His criticism cut like a knife. |
| Burning bridges | Irreparably damage a relationship or connection | Spreading rumors burned bridges with allies. |
| Cold shoulder | Deliberate act of ignoring or excluding | She gave him the cold shoulder after the argument. |
| Poison pen | Writing malicious or spiteful content | The letter was filled with poison pen words. |
| Out of sorts | Feeling irritable or not oneself | She’s been out of sorts since the argument. |
| Under one’s skin | Annoying or bothering someone | His criticism really gets under my skin. |
| Rub the wrong way | Irritate or annoy someone | His tone always rubs me the wrong way. |
| Grind one’s gears | Cause irritation or frustration | The noise from the construction site grinds my gears. |
| Stick in one’s craw | Be deeply offensive or objectionable | His attitude tends to stick in my craw. |
| Eat one’s heart out | Feel intense jealousy or longing | Seeing his new car, she could only eat her heart out. |
| Ruffle feathers | Upset or disturb a situation | That topic always seems to ruffle feathers. |
| Drive up the wall | Irritate or annoy intensely | The constant humming drives me up the wall. |
| Hit below the belt | Unfairly attack someone in a sensitive area | Bringing up her past mistakes was hitting below the belt. |
| Throw shade | Express contempt or disrespect | She didn’t appreciate her colleague throwing shade. |
| Get on one’s nerves | Irritate or annoy someone | The tapping of his pen really gets on my nerves. |
| Burn the midnight oil | Work late into the night | To meet the deadline, they burned the midnight oil. |
| Hit the roof | React with extreme anger or frustration | Finding out about the broken vase made him hit the roof. |
| Stir the pot | Provoke or instigate trouble | Bringing up that controversial topic stirs the pot. |
| Kick up a fuss | Create a commotion or make a big deal out of something | She kicked up a fuss when her order was wrong. |
| Give the cold shoulder | Intentionally ignore or snub someone | He decided to give her the cold shoulder after the argument. |
| Blow a fuse | Lose one’s temper or become extremely angry | Constant interruptions made her blow a fuse. |
| Water off a duck’s back | Unaffected by criticism or negative remarks | No matter what they said, his confidence remained intact. |
| Rub salt in the wound | Make a situation even more painful or difficult | Bringing up her failed project felt like rubbing salt in the wound. |
| Bite the hand that feeds you | Harm someone who has helped or supported you | Betraying his closest ally was biting the hand that feeds him. |
| Drive someone nuts | Irritate or annoy someone to the point of frustration | The constant beeping of the alarm clock drove her nuts. |
| Have a bone to pick | Have a complaint or grievance | After the disagreement, she had a bone to pick with her coworker. |
| Stir the hornet’s nest | Provoke trouble or create a chaotic situation | Bringing up that controversial issue stirred the hornet’s nest. |
| Grind one’s teeth | Express frustration or anger | The constant delays made him grind his teeth. |
| Go up in smoke | Fail or be destroyed | All their hard work seemed to go up in smoke when the project was canceled. |
| Drive someone round the bend | Irritate or annoy someone to the point of frustration | The constant noise from the construction site drove anyone round the bend. |
Conclusion
In the vast landscape of language, idioms for hate add a layer of vividness to our expressions. From cutting like a knife to driving someone round the bend, these phrases paint a picture of the diverse ways we navigate and communicate our deepest emotions.