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 interior, all gilt and glitter, set one's teeth on edge, but that did not alter the outward effect.

From Glories of Spain by Wood, Charles W. (William)

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)

Half a dozen musicians at the further end were making unearthly discords: shrieking and wailing instruments set one's teeth on edge and went down one's back like cold water.

From Glories of Spain by Wood, Charles W. (William)

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