What’s the meaning of the phrase ‘Stuck in my craw’?
Something has disturbed my peace of mind. (Or another way of saying ‘I’m annoyed/angry.’)
What’s the origin of the phrase ‘Stuck in my craw’?
The phrase ‘stuck in my craw’ is simply the past tense of ‘stick in one’s craw’ which literally means to stick in one’s throat. This can also be used in the metaphorical sense, a way of saying that something is difficult to utter, affirm, accept or believe.
This is particularly the case if something strikes you as being unfair or unfathomable, or if something unwanted happens repeatedly.
While the precise origin of the phrase is not 100% established, the phrase has been used in the English language for centuries. It is most likely to have originated from the literal sense of food being stuck in a bird’s craw, which is a pouch-like part of a bird’s digestive system, where it stores extra food to eat. When food is stuck there, this causes discomfort and irritation.
Some alternative phrases include: ‘is getting on my nerves’, ‘is doing my head in, ‘is rubbing me the wrong way’, or ‘doesn’t sit right’.
