a burr under your saddle
a burr under your saddle = a burr in your saddle
a persistent source of irritation - North American informal
Related Idioms and Phrases :
burn your boats = burn your bridges
commit yourself irrevocably
In a military campaign, burning your boats or bridges would make escape or retreat impossible.
burn the candle at both ends
lavish energy or resources in more than one direction at the same time
go to bed late and get up early
burn daylight
use artificial light in daytime
waste daylight
burn your fingers
suffer unpleasant consequences as a result of your actions
1998 - Times - An American buyer remains a possibility, although it is not entirely clear why any would want to risk getting their fingers burnt twice.
burn the midnight oil
read or work late into the night
burn rubber
drive very quickly - informal
1998 - Times - Monsanto is burning rubber on a racetrack to become world leader in life sciences.
go for the burn
push your body to the extremes when practising a form of physical exercise – informal
The burn referred to is the burning sensation caused in muscles by strenuous exertion.
have money to burn
have so much money that you can spend as lavishly as you want
his ears are burning
he or someone is subconsciously aware of being talked about…especially in their absence
The superstition that your ears tingle when you are being talked about is recorded from the mid 16th century. Originally it was the left ear only that was supposed to do so.
slow burn
a state of slowly mounting anger or annoyance - informal
on the back burner = on the front burner
having low {or high) priority – informal
The metaphor here is from cooking on a stove with several burners of varying heat…food cooking at a lower temperature on a back burner receives or requires less frequent attention than that cooking at a high temperature on a front burner. Compare with the mainly North American expression cook on the front burner meaning be on the way to rapid success .
burnt to a cinder = burnt to a crisp
completely burnt through, leaving only the charred remnant
burst his bubble
shatter someone's illusions about something or destroy their sense of well-being.
bursting at the seams
(of a place or building) full to overflowing – informal
go for a Burton
meet with disaster
be ruined, destroyed or killed - British informal
This phrase first appeared in mid 20th century air force slang, meaning be killed in a crash. It has been suggested that it refers to Burton's, the British men's outfitters or to Burton, a kind of ale, but these are folk etymologies with no definite evidence to support them, and the origin of the phrase remains uncertain.
bury the hatchet
end a quarrel or conflict and become friendly
This expression makes reference to a Native American custom of burying a hatchet or tomahawk to mark the conclusion of a peace treaty.
bury your head in the sand
ignore unpleasant realities
refuse to face facts
This expression alludes to the belief that ostriches bury their heads in the sand when pursued, thinking that as they cannot see their pursuers the pursuers cannot see them.
a burr under your saddle
a burr under your saddle :
Idioms Index – Previous Page
