get (one's) goat
get (one's) goat
To annoy or anger one. That guy just gets my goat every time he opens his mouth.
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
get someone's goat
Fig. to irritate someone; to annoy and arouse someone to anger. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get your goat. Jean got Sally's goat and Sally made quite a fuss about it.
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
get someone's goat
Annoy or anger someone, as in By teasing me about that article I wrote, he's trying to get my goat, but I won't let him . The origin of this expression is disputed. H.L. Mencken held it came from using a goat as a calming influence in a racehorse's stall and removing it just before the race, thereby making the horse nervous. However, there is no firm evidence for this origin. [c. 1900]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
get someone's goat
INFORMALIf someone or something gets your goat, they annoy you. If there's one thing that gets my goat, it's some fashion critic telling us what we can and can't wear. It was a bad performance, but what really got the media's goat was the manager's refusal to take the blame. Note: This expression may be connected with the early 20th century practice in America of putting goats in the same stable as racehorses, since the goats seemed to have a calming effect. If someone stole the goat, the horse would be upset and its performance would be affected.
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012
get someone's goat
irritate someone. informal 1998 Andrea Ashworth Once in a House on Fire It got his goat when he caught me…with my nose stuck in a book turned the wrong way up.
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
get somebody’s ˈgoat
(informal) annoy somebody very much: That woman really gets my goat. She does nothing but complain. ♢ It really gets my goat when people smoke in non-smoking areas.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017
get someone’s goat
tv. to irritate someone. Don’t let Mary get your goat. She’s just irritable today.
McGraw-Hill's Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
get someone's goat, to
To annoy someone, to make a person lose his or her temper. This term is definitely American in origin, but its precise provenance has been lost. H. L. Mencken was told that it came from the practice of putting a goat inside a skittish racehorse’s stall in order to calm it down. Removing the goat shortly before the race would upset the horse and reduce its chances of winning, a ruse supposedly planned by a gambler who had bet on the horse’s losing. This explanation seems more far-fetched than a possible connection of the term with the verb “to goad.” In any event, it came into use about 1900.
The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer
get one's goat
To make angry. Many racehorses develop a strong attachment to their stable mascots—dogs, cats, chickens, and, especially, goats. The mascots provide a calming effect— they're the horse's security blankets. One will live in or close to “its” horse's stall and will accompany the horse to racetracks across the country. Horses become very upset when their mascots aren't around, so crafty stablehands would steal away a rival horse's pal. Thus deprived, the horse would become angry when someone got its goat.
Endangered Phrases by Steven D. Price Copyright © 2011 by Steven D. Price