(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
TannerTAN-ərEnglish
IntanEEN-tahn (Indonesian)Indonesian, Malay
MaraĴAmah-RAH-zhahEsperanto
SakkeSAHK-keFinnish
Ragnhei&Eth;R-Ancient Scandinavian
Josaphat-Biblical