cause (one) qualms

cause (one) qualms

To cause one to feel some or certain hesitations, apprehensions, uneasiness, or pangs of conscience (about something or someone). Lying always causes me qualms, so I doubt I'll be able to tell my boss that I'm sick just to get a long weekend. I thought Jonathan's promotion was a done deal, but his latest interview seems to have caused the board of directors some qualms.

See also: cause, qualm

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

cause qualms

(about someone or something) Go to qualms (about someone or something).

See also: cause, qualm

*qualms (about someone or something)

an uneasy feeling of one's conscience about someone or something. (*Typically: cause ~; have ~; have no ~; give someone ~.) Do you have any qualms about telling a little white lie to Mary about her not getting an invitation to the party?

See also: qualm

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.