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general::
Phrase(s): *against the grain
1. Lit. across the alignment of the fibers of a piece of wood. (*Typically: be ~; cut ~; go ~; run ~; saw ~.) • You sawed it wrong. You sawed against the grain when you should have cut with grain. • You went against the grain and made a mess of your sanding. 2. Fig. running counter to one’s feelings or ideas. (*Typically: be ~; go ~.) • The idea of my actually taking something that is not mine goes against the grain.
McGrawhill's American Idioms And Phrasal Verbs