stick in one's craw, to

stick in one's craw

Also, stick in one's throat. 1. Be unable to say something, as in I meant to apologize but the words stuck in my craw. [Early 1600s] 2. Be so offensive that one can't tolerate it, as in That obscene art exhibit stuck in my throat. [Late 1600s] See also: craw, stick

stick in (one's) craw

To cause one to feel abiding discontent and resentment.See also: craw, stick

stick in one's craw, to

To be so offensive or disagreeable that one cannot swallow it. This expression is the modern version of stick in one’s gizzard, gullet, or crop, all referring to portions of an animal’s digestive system. Their figurative use dates from the late seventeenth century. Jonathan Swift recorded one in Polite Conversation (1738): “Don’t let that stick in your gizzard.” Dickens used still another in a letter in 1843: “Your dedication to Peel stuck in my throat.” More recently Martin Cruz Smith wrote, “Doesn’t it stick in your craw that you got absolutely nowhere in the investigation?” (Wolves Eat Dogs, 2004).See also: stick