get under (one's) skin
1. To become a source of irritation. I just can't stand Dean's voice, so everything he says gets under my skin. Why do you let your brother get under your skin like that? I bet he'd stop antagonizing you if you didn't react to him. Don't worry, it's only Thanksgiving morning—plenty of time left for the family to get under your skin!
2. To be a source of obsession. I can't get that beautiful girl I met earlier off my mind. She's just gotten under my skin. I know this level has gotten under your skin, but you just keep dying. Why not take a break and come back to the game a little later? When you're a collector, it gets under your skin when you realize there's a piece out there that you don't have.
3. To gain a rich, thorough understanding of one. A: "How did you know he would make that decision?" B: "Oh, I feel like I've gotten under his skin since we've been spending so much time together lately." The documentary filmmaker likes to get under his subjects' skin long before the filming process actually begins. I was hoping to get under the singer's skin, but the special on her was pretty superficial, unfortunately.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.