a thorn in the/someone's flesh/side
idiom
: a person or thing that repeatedly annoys someone or something or causes problems
He's been a thorn in my side for years.
a thorn in the side of the industry
Examples of a thorn in the/someone's flesh/side in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The concept of meme stocks has been a thorn in the side of short sellers — traders who bet that stocks will fall by borrowing shares and selling them high with the belief that they can be repurchased later at a lower cost.
—
Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
Veteran left-winger George Galloway was elected to represent the constituency of Rochdale by a majority of nearly 6,000 votes, pledging to be a thorn in the side for Labour over the Gaza war.
—Luke McGee, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024
The issue of security has been a thorn in the side of López Obrador, said Guadalupe Cabrera, a security expert from George Mason University.
—Karol Suárez, The Courier-Journal, 11 Mar. 2024
It’s been a rough few years for the commercial real estate industry with rising interest rates, increasing operational costs, fewer available loans, and the rise of the hybrid work trend—something that’s proven to be a thorn in the side of office owners.
—Will Daniel, Fortune, 5 Mar. 2024
For the past decade, Navalny and his Anti-Corruption Foundation have been a thorn in the side of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
—Joe Rubin, Sacramento Bee, 20 Feb. 2024
Alinejad is a journalist and dissident with a large online following who has long been a thorn in the side of the regime.
—Corky Siemaszko, NBC News, 30 Jan. 2024
Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, one of five Lions to earn All-Pro honors, was a thorn in the side of the San Francisco secondary with five catches for 73 yards at halftime.
—José M. Romero, The Arizona Republic, 28 Jan. 2024
The deal could exacerbate tensions between the speaker and the House Freedom Caucus, a group of archconservatives who have been a thorn in the side of GOP leadership for nearly a decade.
—Marianna Sotomayor, Washington Post, 18 Jan. 2024
Rocio Fabbro, Quartz, 29 Mar. 2024
Veteran left-winger George Galloway was elected to represent the constituency of Rochdale by a majority of nearly 6,000 votes, pledging to be a thorn in the side for Labour over the Gaza war.
—Luke McGee, CNN, 1 Mar. 2024
The issue of security has been a thorn in the side of López Obrador, said Guadalupe Cabrera, a security expert from George Mason University.
—Karol Suárez, The Courier-Journal, 11 Mar. 2024
It’s been a rough few years for the commercial real estate industry with rising interest rates, increasing operational costs, fewer available loans, and the rise of the hybrid work trend—something that’s proven to be a thorn in the side of office owners.
—Will Daniel, Fortune, 5 Mar. 2024
For the past decade, Navalny and his Anti-Corruption Foundation have been a thorn in the side of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
—Joe Rubin, Sacramento Bee, 20 Feb. 2024
Alinejad is a journalist and dissident with a large online following who has long been a thorn in the side of the regime.
—Corky Siemaszko, NBC News, 30 Jan. 2024
Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, one of five Lions to earn All-Pro honors, was a thorn in the side of the San Francisco secondary with five catches for 73 yards at halftime.
—José M. Romero, The Arizona Republic, 28 Jan. 2024
The deal could exacerbate tensions between the speaker and the House Freedom Caucus, a group of archconservatives who have been a thorn in the side of GOP leadership for nearly a decade.
—Marianna Sotomayor, Washington Post, 18 Jan. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'a thorn in the/someone's flesh/side.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“A thorn in the/someone's flesh/side.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/a%20thorn%20in%20the%2Fsomeone%27s%20flesh%2Fside. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
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