ruffle feathers

Sen. Fetterman ruffles Dems' feathers with controversial social media post

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ruffle someone's feathers

To make someone upset or bothered
The idiom "ruffle someone's feathers" means to make someone upset or bothered. It is commonly used to describe a situation where someone says or does something that upsets or annoys people. For example, a person's management style can ruffle a few feathers1. The idiom is informal.

ruffle feathers
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ruffle (one's) feathers
To annoy, irritate, or upset someone.
Sarah's just teasing you. Don't let her ruffle your feathers like that!
Harry's bombastic, arrogant demeanor tends to ruffle people's feathers, but he's a decent guy at heart.
See also: feather, ruffle
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

ruffle someone's feathers
Fig. to irritate or annoy someone. I didn't mean to ruffle his feathers. I just thought that I would remind him of what he promised us.
See also: feather, ruffle
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

ruffle feathers
COMMON If someone ruffles feathers, they say or do something which upsets or annoys people. His management style ruffled a few feathers. The tall Texan ruffled some English feathers with his remarks. Note: If a bird's feathers are ruffled, they stand out from its body, for example because it is frightened or angry.
See also: feather, ruffle
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012

ruffle somebody’s/a few ;feathers (informal) annoy somebody by doing something that upsets and disturbs them:

All this talk of a strike has clearly ruffled the management’s feathers. OPPOSITE: smooth (somebody’s) ruffled feathers

This refers to the way the wind disturbs the smooth surface of a bird’s feathers so that they stick out.
See also: feather, few, ruffle
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017

ruffle someone's feathers, to
To irritate someone. The transfer of stiffened, upright feathers from angry birds to human beings took place around 1800. “The Dean ruffled his plumage and said, with some asperity,” wrote Frederic W. Farrar (Julian Home, 1859).
See also: ruffle, to
The Dictionary of Clich;s by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer

See also:
ruffle
ruffle (one's) feathers
ruffle its feathers
ruffle someone's feathers
ruffle someone's feathers, to
break one off
two jumps ahead (of someone or something)
two jumps ahead of
two leaps ahead (of someone or something)
two steps ahead (of someone or something)