gets under someone's skin
Provokes lasting irritation
To get under someone's skin is to irritate or annoy them persistently: His constant humming really gets under my skin.
The image suggests something burrowing in where it doesn't belong.
Less commonly, the phrase can mean affecting someone deeply in a positive way—a person or song that gets under your skin becomes hard to forget.
- preoccupationAbsorbing mental focus
- obsessionPersistent, intrusive preoccupation
- annoyanceState of being bothered
- idiomFixed phrase, opaque meaning
- vexationFrustrated annoyance
figure of speech · frustration · tension · infatuation · captivation · fascination · colloquialism · under the skin · rubs the wrong way · provocation · pestering · antagonism · pet peeve · aggravation · perturbation · resentment · exasperation · displeasure
gets under someone's skineasily forgotten
gets under someone's skincharms
Attracts or delights
endears · pleases · delights · ingratiates · captivates