against the grain
Not as expected
Against the grain means contrary to one's natural inclination or the usual direction.
Wood has a grain—the alignment of its fibers—and cutting against it is harder and produces rougher results.
The phrase extends to anything that goes against natural tendencies or established patterns: It goes against the grain to ask for help.
To rub someone the wrong way is a related idea.
- dissentingExpressing disagreement formally
- defiantOpenly resisting control
- rebelliousResisting authority or control
- stubbornRefusing to change course
- counterculturalOpposing mainstream society
march to a different drummer · iconoclastic · unorthodox · autonomy · subversive · maverick · nonconformist · square peg · free will · contrarian · skeptical · unconventional · authenticity · fibrous · challenging · radical · bucking · buck the trend
- shavingrazor, razors, shave, blade, blades
- social conformityconformist, peer pressure, herd mentality, groupthink, follow the crowd
- independencefreedom, liberty, Independence Day, autonomy, sovereignty
- Meat Cuttingslicing, dicing, trimming, boning, filleting
- swimming upstreamsalmon run, spawning, fish ladder, migration, current
against the graingo with the flow
Accept situations without resistance
in harmony · harmoniously · in agreement · conforming · in step
against the grainsmoothly
Without friction or difficulty
naturally · effortlessly · easily · like clockwork · path of least resistance
against the grainnatural
Not artificially produced
instinctive · intuitive · second nature · comfortable · easy