bone in the throat

Definitions

A source of continuing annoyance; a hindrance.

idiomatic

Examples

“For an unbelieving face⟳, whether the dull dining countenance of a mayor, or the keen searching countenance of a barrister, is a sad bone in the throat of utterance.”

“The inability to deduct losses from commercial or residential rentals from other real estate income has been a bone in the throat of real estate development companies.”

“The act . . . gave the USDA "authority to set⟳ nutritional standard for all foods regularly sold in schools during the day." That was a bit of a bone in the throat for parents who think⟳ their children should be governed by the smallest bureaucracy possible.”

“[E]ven though Obamacare relies on the typical American mix⟳ of private sector profit and government regulation, it remains a bone in the throat of American politics.”

CEFR level