Reader question:
In this sentence – He is able to get along with some people but always seems to rub the wrong way with others – what does "rub" mean?
My comments:
"Rub the wrong way" is the phrasal verb to be examined here, "rub" referring to the act of stroking the hair of an animal, pet or beast.
The sentence means the person in question gets along with some people but not with others. The way he keeps rubbing the wrong way with them suggests that he has, say, a different personality or a peculiar way of doing things that others find irksome, irritating, annoying.
Now definitions. "Rub the wrong way" obviously comes from the practice of petting an animal, a cat, a dog, a lion etc. Pets love being cuddled and being stroked. When you stroke them along the way their furs are naturally lined up, you make them purr with comfort and pleasure. However, if you stroke them the other way around, going against the natural lie of their furs, you make them bristle, bite, scratch and snarl whichever the case may be – you're rubbing it the wrong way and making them uncomfortable.
It's the same way with all manners of animals, birds, beasts and humans alike. Take donkeys for instance. In China, we have a saying in "顺毛驴子", which refers to people who enjoy being rubbed the right way. If rubbed the wrong way, they might, well, lift a (metaphorical) hoof on you.
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