get under someone's skin
Irritate someone, as in She really knows how to get under my skin with her nagging. This expression no doubt alludes to burrowing or stinging insects that cause itching or similar skin irritations. [Late 1800s]
Obsess someone or affect someone's deep feelings, as in Jean's really gotten under his skin; he misses her terribly. Cole Porter used this sense in his love song, “I've Got You Under My Skin” (1936).
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Words nearby get under someone's skin
Getty, Gettysburg, Gettysburg Address, Gettysburg, Battle of, get under one's skin, get under someone's skin, getup, get-up-and-go, get up one's nerve, get up on the wrong side of bed, get up on the wrong side of the bed
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.