Idiom
Go against the grain
To go against the grain is to do something different from what is normal or expected, or something that feels wrong to you.
How people use it
There are two common uses. First, it can mean acting differently from most people: She went against the grain and studied art instead of law. Second, it can mean something feels wrong or unnatural to you: It goes against the grain to throw away good food. The tone is neutral and fits speech and writing. In the first use it is often admiring; in the second it describes discomfort. You can also say against the grain on its own.
Also said: against the grain.
Examples
- Grace went against the grain and took a gap year to work on a farm.
- It goes against the grain for Omar to leave a job half finished.
- The band went against the grain by releasing their album only on vinyl.
Where it comes from
The phrase comes from woodworking. Wood has a grain, the direction its fibers run, and cutting or planing against it is harder and leaves a rough surface. Shakespeare used against the grain in Coriolanus, written in the early 1600s, for acting against your true feelings. The sense of going against the crowd came later.
Check yourself
1. If an artist goes against the grain, what is she doing?
Answer: Doing things differently from most people. Going against the grain means acting differently from what is expected.
2. What does "It goes against the grain to waste food" mean?
Answer: Wasting food feels wrong. In this use, against the grain means it feels wrong or unnatural to you.
Similar idioms
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