ruff Idiom

ruffle your feathers

annoy you, bother you, get your dander up Don't let that insult ruffle your feathers. Don't let it upset you.

ruff neck

a round the way guy that keeps it real and knows the streets

ruffle one's feathers

Idiom(s): ruffle one's feathers

Theme: ANNOYANCE

to upset or annoy someone. (A bird's feathers become ruffled if it is angry or afraid.)
• You certainly ruffled Mrs. Smith's feathers by criticizing her garden.
• Try to be tactful and not ruffle people's feathers.

Ruffle a few feathers

If you ruffle a few feathers, you annoy some people when making changes or improvements.

Take by the scruff of the neck

If you take something by the scruff on the neck, you take complete control of it.

ruffle feathers|feather|feathers|ruffle|ruffle one

v. phr. Insult or disturb slightly; offend. The author ruffled some feathers by his portrait of his hometown.

take by the scruff|scruff|take

v. phr. 1. To assert authority over a person. Tim's mother took him by the scruff and told him to get cleaned up. 2. To punish a person. The boss took us by the scruff when he found us chatting idly by the coffee machine. 3. To assume firm control over a job or a situation that has been causing some difficulty. Someone had better take the post office by the scruff; there are too many customer complaints pouring in.

ruffle

ruffle
ruffle feathers
Informal to disturb, irritate, or annoy (someone)

ruffle someone's feathers

ruffle someone's feathers
Annoy or offend someone, as in Calling him a tightwad really ruffled his feathers. This term alludes to the stiffened, upright feathers of an angry bird. [Mid-1800s]