a red flag to a bull

A willfully infuriating or aggravating provocation; something that incites great anger or annoyance. An allusion to matadors' practice of waving red flags at a bull during a bullfight, though the color of the flag actually makes no difference to the animal. John's gone to gloat about his success over his brother, which is a red flag to a bull if I've ever seen one. You do realize that bringing your new girlfriend to your ex-wife's house is like a red flag to a bull, right?

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Zaccheus	-	Biblical Latin
Kendall	['kendl]
Bran (2)	BRAHN	Welsh, Welsh Mythology
Parker	['pa:kə]
Douglas	DUG-ləs	Scottish, English
Hrothgar	-	Anglo-Saxon (Latinized)