(one's) back is up



(one's) back is up

One is angry, hostile, defensive, or irritable, often due to a particular cause. John's back is up now. You shouldn't have brought up the subject of college. It's election season, so my dad's back is up all the time.
See also: back, up

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
JaydaJAY-dəEnglish (Modern)
Aikin['eikin]
Gunn-Norwegian
Anna['ænə]
Kirillkee-REELRussian
SÉArlaitSHAHR-latIrish