nerve (redirected from living on nerves)

*lot of nerve 

1. Fig. great rudeness; a lot of audacity or brashness. (*Typically: have ~; take ~.) He walked out on her, and that took a lot of nerve! You have a lot of nerve! You took my parking place!

2. Fig. courage. (*Typically: have ~; take ~.) He climbed the mountain with a bruised foot. That took a lot of nerve. He has a lot of nerve to go into business for himself.

See also: lot

*on someone's nerves

Fig. annoying someone. (*Typically: be ~; get ~.) Our noisy neighbors are beginning to get on my nerves. That radio is getting on my nerves.

bundle of nerves

a very nervous person. I was a bundle of nerves before my dental appointment.

See also: bundle

get enough nerve up (to do something) and get enough courage up (to do something); get enough guts up (to do something); get enough pluck up (to do something); get enough spunk up (to do something); get the nerve up (to do something); get the courage up (to do something); get the guts up (to do something); get the pluck up (to do something); get the spunk up (to do something)

Fig. to work up enough courage to do something. I hope I can get enough nerve up to ask her for her autograph. I wanted to do it, but I couldn't get up enough nerve. I thought he would never get up the courage to ask me for a date.

See also: enough, get, up

nerves of steel

Fig. very steady nerves; great patience and courage. I was scared to death, but Fred, who has nerves of steel, faced the thugs bravely.

See also: steel

What (a) nerve! and Of all the nerve!

Inf. How rude! Bob: Lady, get the devil out of my way! Mary: What a nerve! Jane: You can't have that one! I saw it first! Sue: Of all the nerve! I can too have it!

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a battle/war of nerves

a situation in which two competing groups of people try to defeat each other by frightening and threatening each other without taking action This has become a battle of nerves with neither side seeming willing to back down.

See also: battle

be a bundle of nerves  (British, American & Australian informal) also be a bag of nerves (British informal)

to be very nervous You should have seen me before the interview. I was a bundle of nerves.

See also: bundle

get/grate on somebody's nerves  (informal)

to annoy someone, especially by doing something again and again If we spend too much time together, we end up getting on each other's nerves. The telephone hadn't stopped ringing all morning and it was starting to grate on my nerves.

See also: get

hit/touch a (raw) nerve

to upset someone by talking about a particular subject I think I hit a nerve with my comments about divorce. She suddenly looked distressed and I knew I'd touched a raw nerve.

See strain every nerve

See also: hit

live on your nerves  (British & Australian)

to always be very anxious She doesn't sleep or eat well. I get the feeling she's really living on her nerves.

See also: live

nerves of steel

if someone has nerves of steel, they are very brave You'd have to have nerves of steel to play in front of a crowd this size.

See live on nerves

See also: steel

strain every nerve

to try extremely hard to do something I was straining every nerve to catch what they were saying but they were sitting just a bit too far away from me.

See also: every, strain

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get on your nerves

to annoy someone a lot Sometimes watching TV really gets on my nerves because of all the commercials.

See also: get

lose your nerve

to fear doing something Jim lost his nerve and wouldn't try to ski down the hill.

See also: lose

touch a (raw) nerve also hit a (raw) nerve

to cause an emotional reaction This film touched a nerve with many people who were already feeling very uneasy about the state of the world. Any talk of raising the cost of college tuition hits a raw nerve with students.

See also: touch