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Words and Their StoriesLearning Expressions with VOA
Processed with VS1Describe irritation and small recurring annoyances, while separating a phrase’s meaning from uncertain origin stories.
VOA source audio
Source: VOA Learning English · Words and Their Stories
View original article & transcriptIf someone “gets your goat,” they annoy or upset you. A “pet peeve” is a small, often repeated thing that bothers you; “irk,” “vex,” and “aggravate” are verbs for annoying someone. The VOA article presents competing explanations for “get your goat” and explicitly says the horse-racing story lacks evidence. A “goatee” is a style of facial hair, a separate literal word connected to the animal.
Cultural note: The source says the phrase’s origin is uncertain and calls the unsupported horse-racing account folk etymology; do not repeat that story as fact. “Pet peeve” refers to an annoyance, not the person who causes it. “Get someone’s goat” and “vex” can sound sharper than a neutral description such as “that bothers me.”
Keep exploringA small habit can get on your nerves, but the idiom’s colorful origin stories are not necessarily history.
Phrase guide · 4 expressions
Original explanations and examples, created for learners. Save a card for later or hear the phrase spoken by your browser.
Choose a direct or idiomatic way to say that something bothers you.
Meaning
Annoy or upset someone.
Tone & use
Informal and idiomatic. It can sound accusatory, so a neutral alternative is “bother.”
Example
“It gets my goat when the meeting starts late without anyone sending an update.”
Meaning
Bother or annoy someone.
Tone & use
A concise, slightly formal verb; it describes a reaction and does not prove that the other person meant to cause it.
Example
“The repeated schedule changes irked several volunteers.”
Name a recurring annoyance without labeling a person.
Meaning
A particular thing that someone finds especially annoying, often because it happens repeatedly.
Tone & use
The “peeve” is the behavior or situation, not the person. “One of my pet peeves is…” introduces a personal preference.
Example
“One of my pet peeves is when people block the doorway while checking their phones.”
Separate current meaning from an unverified origin story.
Meaning
A popular explanation or reshaping of a word that is not supported by its actual history.
Tone & use
A language-history term. Use it for an explanation that sounds plausible but lacks historical evidence.
Example
“The museum guide marked the colorful phrase-origin story as folk etymology because no early records supported it.”
Knowledge check
Choose the expression that best fits each situation.
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