put (one's/someone's) back up



Like this video? Subscribe to our free daily email and get a new idiom video every day!

put (one's/someone's) back up

To be or become angry, hostile, defensive, defiant, or irritable, or to instill such a feeling in someone else. John put his back up when his parents brought up the subject of college. Election season always puts my dad's back up.
See also: back, put, up

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Muhsina-Arabic
BartŁOmiejbahr-TWAWM-yayPolish
Ngaio-Maori
BennieBEN-eeEnglish
Yesha'yahu-Biblical Hebrew
Malcolm['mælkəm]