go against the grain

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Verb

go against the grain (third-person singular simple present goes against the grain, present participle going against the grain, simple past went against the grain, past participle gone against the grain)

1. (idiomatic) To defy convention; to do something in a manner that is unusual or out of the ordinary.

   His method certainly goes against the grain, but it is unquestionably effective.

Synonyms

• run counter

Translations

to defy convention

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 顛覆傳統／颠覆传统 (diānfù chuántǒng)

• Finnish: olla epätavallinen
• Polish: iść pod prąd
• Portuguese: ir contra a corrente (literally: to swim up against the current) OR nadar contra a maré (to swim up against the tide)
• Russian: please add this translation if you can
• Spanish: a contracorriente

See also

• against the grain