get under someone's goat

English

Etymology

Uncertain. Perhaps a blend of get under one's skin +‎ get someone's goat.

Verb

get under someone's goat (third-person singular simple present gets under someone's goat, present participle getting under someone's goat, simple past got under someone's goat, past participle gotten under someone's goat or got under someone's goat)

  1. (transitive, figurative, nonstandard) To irritate or annoy someone; to bother.
    Synonyms: get someone's goat; see also Thesaurus:annoy
    • 2013, Sherlyn Gajewski, Freedom of F-----g Speech Baby, page 105:
      Maybe you would have been warm when you died; You should not have gotten under my goat.

Usage notes

  • The object of the verb is the possessive pronoun used: e.g. to get under his goat = "to irritate him"; this gets under my goat = "this bothers me", etc.
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