set one's teeth on edge

Cultural  

1. Something that one finds intensely irritating may be said to “set one's teeth on edge”: “The mayor's sexist remark set my teeth on edge.”

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set one's teeth on edge Idioms  

1. Irritate, annoy, make one cringe, as in That raucous laugh sets my teeth on edge. This expression alludes to the shuddering feeling evoked by a grating noise or similar irritation. It appears in several books of the Bible and was also used by Shakespeare. [c. 1600]

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Example Sentences

It was a noise that set one’s teeth on edge and bristled the hair at the back of one’s neck.

From "1984" by George Orwell

The tone of the Assistant Commissioner’s remarks had been sour enough to set one’s teeth on edge.

From The Secret Agent a Simple Tale by Conrad, Joseph

The noise he made was more like the squeaking of a pencil on a slate; it set one's teeth on edge; the violin itself seemed to squeal with pain.

From The Four Feathers by Mason, A. E. W. (Alfred Edward Woodley)

Five different shades of red on the same hat are enough to set one's teeth on edge.

From The Little Colonel at Boarding-School by Johnston, Annie F. (Annie Fellows)

All she knew about Miss McGill was that she usually wore so many shades of purple and pink and blue that the clashing colours set one's teeth on edge.

From The Little Colonel's Christmas Vacation by Barry, Etheldred B. (Etheldred Breeze)