one's back is up en · X
Pronunciation
- (Australia) audio
Etymology
From the way a cat, when angry, raises or arches its back.
Meanings
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(idiomatic) One is offended or angry.
And I want you to be nice to Patty. For some reason her back is up.
2011, Jeannie Watt, The Baby Truce, →ISBN, page 84:My back is up, and I cannot hear the thought of wooing him any farther, nor would do it, though he were as pig a gentleman (look you) as Lucifer himself.
1835, William Hayley, The Life and Letters of William Cowper:Now my back is up. “Yes, the witch,” I hiss.
2014, Kristin Butcher, Cabin Girl, →ISBN: