gnash (one's) teeth

gnash (one's) teeth

To lash out in anger. The boss will definitely start gnashing his teeth once he hears about this printing mishap.See also: gnash, teeth

gnash one's teeth

Fig. to grind or bite noisily with one's teeth. Bill clenched his fists and gnashed his teeth in anger. The wolf gnashed its teeth and chased after the deer.See also: gnash, teeth

gnash one's teeth

Express a strong emotion, usually rage, as in When Jonah found out he was not going to be promoted, he gnashed his teeth. This expression is actually redundant, since gnash means "to strike the teeth together." Edmund Spenser used it in The Faerie Queene (1590): "And both did gnash their teeth." [Late 1500s] See also: gnash, teeth

gnash your teeth

COMMON If someone gnashes their teeth, they show their anger or annoyance about something. If Blythe heard that piece on the radio, I bet he was gnashing his teeth. He naturally gnashes his teeth over the growing number of lawsuits that have made doing business in America increasingly expensive and difficult.See also: gnash, teeth

gnash your teeth

feel or express anger or fury. The gnashing of teeth, along with weeping or wailing, is used throughout the Bible to express a mixture of remorse and rage (for example, in Matthew 8:12: ‘But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth’). 1998 Times Prepare yourself for the usual wailing and gnashing of teeth after tomorrow's retail price index figures. See also: gnash, teeth

gnash your ˈteeth

feel very angry and upset about something, especially because you cannot get what you want: He’ll be gnashing his teeth when he hears that we lost the contract.The basic meaning of gnash your teeth is to bite or grind them together.See also: gnash, teeth