Go against the grain

Definition

To act contrary to what is expected, normal, or conventional. To resist prevailing opinions or established customs.

Etymology

This phrase originates from woodworking, where cutting or planing wood against its natural grain direction is more difficult and can damage both the wood and tools. The metaphorical use emerged in the 17th century, with Shakespeare using similar imagery in 'Coriolanus' and 'Measure for Measure.'

Kelly Says

Woodworkers know that while going against the grain is usually problematic, it's sometimes necessary for certain techniques like creating decorative patterns or achieving specific structural properties. This mirrors how going against social grain, while difficult, can sometimes lead to innovation and positive change.

Translations

AMአማርኛ
እንቅስቃሴ ላይ መራን
ənəkʷəsəkʷasē lay məran
ARالعربية
مخالفة التيار
mukhālafat al-tayār
BNবাংলা
স্রোতের বিপরীতে যাওয়া
śrōtēr biparītē yāōyā
CACatalà
anar contra corrent
/əˈnaɾ kɔnˈtɾa kɔˈɾent/
CSČeština
jít proti proudu
/jiːt protiv proudou/
DADansk
gå imod strømmen
/ɡo ˈiˌmoð ˈstrœmˀn/
DEDeutsch
gegen den Trend
/ɡeːɡn̩ deːn tʁɛnt/
ELΕλληνικά
πάνε κατά της ροής
páne katá tis roís
ESEspañol
ir en contra de la corriente
ir en kontra de la koriente
FAفارسی
برخلاف جریان
barxilāf jaryān
FISuomi
mentäväksi vastavirtaan
/ˈmentæʋæksi ˈvɑstɑˌʋirtɑːn/
FRFrançais
aller à l'encontre
/a.lɛʁ a.lɛ̃.kɔ̃tʁ/
GUGU
વિરુદ્ધ પ્રવાહમાં જવું
viruddh pravāhamāṁ javuṁ
HAHA
tuka kinyama da ruwa
tuka kinyama da ruwa
HEעברית
ללכת נגד הזרם
lelechet neged hazzerem
HIहिन्दी
धारा के विरुद्ध जाना
dhārā ke viruddh jānā
HUMagyar
szemben az árral
/sɛmbɛn aːr/
IDBahasa Indonesia
melawan arus
məlawan arus
IGIG
igwu megide ụdị mmiri
igwu megide udị mmiri
ITItaliano
andare controcorrente
/anˈdaːre kɔntroˈkɔrrente/
JA日本語
潮流に逆らう
chōryū ni sakarau
KKKK
ағынға қарсы жүру
aɣynɣa qarsy juru
KMKM
ទៅជាមុខនឹងចង្វារ
tŏu chiă mnŏk nĭng chŏngvâr
KO한국어
흐름을 거스르다
heureumeul geoseureuda
MRMR
विरुद्ध वाहिन्यात जाणे
viruddh vāhinyāt jāṇē
MSBahasa Melayu
melawan arus
məlawan arus
MYမြန်မာ
စီးဆင်းမှု့ကို ဆန့်ကျင်ရန်
sīsīn hmūkauk sān kyin ran
NLNederlands
tegen de stroom in
/tɛɣən də strɔm ɪn/
NONorsk
gå mot strømmen
/ɡoː mɔt ˈstrømːən/
PAPA
ਵਿਰੁੱਧ ਵਹਿਣ ਵਿਚ ਜਾਣਾ
virudh vahiṇ vich jāṇā
PLPolski
iść pod prąd
/iɕt͡ɕ pɔt prɔnt/
PTPortuguês
ir contra a corrente
iʁ kõtʁa a kõʁẽtʃi
RORomână
a merge împotriva curentului
/a merdʒe ɨmpotʀiva kurentului/
RUРусский
идти против течения
idti protiv techyeniy
SVSvenska
gå mot strömmen
/ɡoː mɔt ˈstrœmːɛn/
SWKiswahili
kwenda kinyume na mkondo
kwenda kinyume na mkondo
TAதமிழ்
நீரோட்டத்திற்கு எதிராக செல்ல
nīrōṭṭattiṟku etirāka sella
TEతెలుగు
ప్రవాహానికి వ్యతిరేకంగా వెళ్లు
pravāhāniki vyatirēkanga vēḷḷu
THไทย
ไปข้ามกระแสน้ำ
pai kham krasaen nam
TLTL
sumalungat sa agos
sumalungat sa agos
TRTürkçe
akıntıya karşı gitmek
akıntıya karşı gitmek
UKУкраїнська
йти проти течії
yti proty techiyi
URاردو
روک کے خلاف جانا
ruk ke khilāf jānā
VITiếng Việt
đi ngược dòng
đi ngược dòng
YOYO
lọ si pẹlu omi
lọ si pẹlu omi
ZH中文
违背潮流
wéi bèi cháo liú
ZUZU
ukuthatha kungaphambili komfula
ukuthatha kungaphambili komfula

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