Meaning & use
thorn in the side
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Meaning
phraseidiomfigurative
A person or thing that keeps causing someone trouble or irritation over a long period.
Grammar: Takes a possessive: a thorn in my side; also a thorn in the side of the government.
Patterns
- be a thorn in someone's side
- be a thorn in the side of someone
The noisy neighbor has been a thorn in our side for years.
Unpaid taxes remained a thorn in the side of the company.
That small rival firm is a constant thorn in our side.
Common combinations
- a constant thorn in someone's side
- The leak was a constant thorn in her side.
- remain a thorn in the side
- The opposition remained a thorn in the side of the party.
- a persistent thorn in the side
- A persistent thorn in the side of local planners, he kept objecting.
- become a thorn in someone's side
- The old computer has become a thorn in my side.
Synonyms and how they differ
- nuisance
- It can describe a small, short-lived annoyance, whereas thorn in the side suggests a lasting one.
- pest
- It is more informal and often fits a person or animal, with less sense of ongoing harm.
- irritant
- It is a more formal word for something that annoys, but without the picture of a sharp pain.
- bane
- It is stronger and more literary, suggesting a cause of ruin rather than irritation.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: thorn in the side or pain in the neck?
thorn in the side vs pain in the neck
Pain in the neck is more informal and applies to an annoying person or task, while thorn in the side is a bit more formal and suggests long-term trouble.
Practice
The mayor said the old bridge had been a ______ for the council for ten years.
Choose one answer.
A thorn in the side is a long-lasting source of trouble. The other idioms are positive, so they do not fit the bridge problem.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “thorn in the side”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.