grind one's gears
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grind one's gears
Where it comes from
As an analogy to a state in a multispeed internal combustion engine in which improperly synchronized inputs and outputs in the transmission during a gear shift (as by driver error or a mechanical fault) lead to literal grinding of gears against each other as they're forced to mesh at different speeds from one another. The noise produced is harsh and grating, and damage to the transmission can accumulate with repeated occurrences.
verb grinds one's gears · grinding one's gears · ground one's gears
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To annoy or irritate one.
It really grinds my gears when inconsiderate people litter.
Similar: chap someone's hide, get someone's goat, aggravate, annoy, nettle, rankle, ruffle, sting, burn someone's ass, antagonize, bother, disgruntle
Talk about this word "grind one's gears." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/grind%20one's%20gears. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. grind one's gears. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/grind%20one's%20gears "grind one's gears." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/grind%20one's%20gears.Cite this
@misc{grind_one_s_gears_2026,
title = {grind one's gears},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/grind%20one's%20gears},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
