bristle

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bristle at (something)

To show sudden displeasure or anger at some provocation. I bristled at the suggestion that I trade offices with someone else in the department. He bristled at our criticism of his novel and stormed out of the room. Joey's very sensitive, so I'm not surprised he bristled at your teasing.
See also: bristle

bristle with anger

To react with sudden anger. I bristled with anger when I found out that we had lost the deal. We were only trying to give him constructive criticism of his novel, but he bristled with anger and stormed out of the room. Joey's very sensitive, so I'm not surprised he bristled with anger when you guys started teasing him.
See also: anger, bristle

bristle with indignation

To react with sudden anger or resentment. I bristled with indignation when she suggested that I let her take over the project. We were only trying to give him constructive criticism of his novel, but he bristled with indignation and stormed out of the room. I tried to get Becky to switch offices with you, but she bristled with indignation at the very suggestion.
See also: bristle, indignation

bristle with rage

To show sudden anger. I bristled with rage when I saw that someone had hit my car overnight. You need to be careful here—if she thinks you're questioning her parenting, she'll definitely bristle with rage. Of course I bristled with rage when Jon accused me of stealing money from the cash register!
See also: bristle, rage
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

bristle at something

Fig. to show sudden anger or other negative response to something. (Alludes to a dog or cat raising the hair on its back in anger or as a threat.) She bristled at the suggestion. I knew Lily would bristle at the appearance of Max.
See also: bristle

bristle with rage

 and bristle with anger; bristle with indignation
Fig. to demonstrate one's anger, rage, or displeasure with a strong negative response. (Alludes to a dog or cat raising the hair on its back in anger or as a threat.) She was just bristling with anger. I don't know what set her off. Walter bristled with rage as he saw the damage to his new car.
See also: bristle, rage
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
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References in periodicals archive ?
It's an almost-magical detangling brush that brings out hair's natural shine through a combination of Intelliflex and natural boar bristles. It provides the stimulation for hair to produce its natural oils, which are distrubuted evenly through smoothened hair.
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The behaviour was first noted at the zoo a few years ago, when a female hamadryas baboon was seen using a bristle from an old broom to floss.
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* Identifying materials that reduce bacterial contamination of toothbrush bristles may improve oral health.
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To analyze the real working conditions of a drill string in a downhole, the following assumptions are made: (1) the bristles on the drill string are rigid, (2) the bristles on the wellbore rock are elastic, and (3) drill string rolling friction will not occur.
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A group of bristles resembles a conical brush, with the bristles diverging from the base.
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The well-designed synthetic bristles make it easy to achieve a professional finish with waterbased paints.
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The inventor of the brush, dentist Paul Scheier, says he was motivated to come up with a brush that was more than just "bristles on a stick."
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Hairs and bristles on thorax brown; 4 dc, acr absent; scutellum with 2 pairs of bristles.
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Choose nylon bristles, not pure bristle, because they resist splitting and bending better than natural material.
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So traditional bristles break up or drop out of the brush and one way or another they can end up in the food process and contaminate the food.
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