go against the grain

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (General Australian):

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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.

   • 2024 September 5, Beth Gillette, “24 Fall Hair Colors Every Celebrity Is Asking for Rn”, in Cosmopolitan‎^[1]:

     Blondes do have more fun, Mrs. [Kelly] Rowland!! Go against the grain this fall and opt for a fully opaque, bright-as-hell platinum dye job. Although it’s unexpected for a season filled with dark colors, the cool undertones are a masterful way to manipulate your way into a fall ’do while going lighter.

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