touch a nerve
verbEtymology
An allusion to the sharp sensation felt when a dentist or surgeon physically disturbs an exposed nerve.
Definitions
To make a remark or perform a deed which produces a strong response, especially an…
To make a remark or perform a deed which produces a strong response, especially an emotional response such as anxiety or annoyance, because it calls to mind something which has been a source of concern or embarrassment.
- The president's supporters . . . are trying to exert greater control over universities, touching a nerve among an increasingly defiant student movement.
The neighborhood
- antonymstrike a chord
Vish — recursive loop
No curated loop yet for touch a nerve. Loops are being traced one word at a time while the ingestion pipeline matures.
sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA