against the grain
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Opposed to one's inclination or preference, as in We followed the new supervisor's advice, though it went against the grain. This metaphor refers to the natural direction of the fibers in a piece of wood, called its grain; when sawed obliquely, or “against the grain,” the wood will tend to splinter. [c. 1600] For a synonym, see rub the wrong way.
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Words nearby against the grain
against, against all odds, against one's better judgment, against one's will, against the clock, against the grain, against the tide, Aga Khan, Aga Khan III, Aga Khan IV, agal
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
How to use against the grain in a sentence
Everything he had said he stuck to; doing it, too, with a sorrowful and against-the-grain air.
Aletta|Bertram Mitford