ruffle feathers

ruffle someone's feathers

to make someone annoyed. He wasn't asked to speak at the conference, and I know that ruffled his feathers a bit.

See also: feather, ruffle

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ruffle (someone's) feathers

to make someone annoyed or upset. Her spokeswoman wouldn't say whether the lawsuit has ruffled the singer's feathers. He tries not to ruffle feathers, and people seem to like to work with him.

Usage notes: sometimes used in the form smooth ruffled feathers to make someone feel less annoyed or upset: The candidate went out of her way to smooth ruffled feathers.

Etymology: based on the idea of a bird whose feathers are not smooth because of fear or excitement

See also: feather, ruffle