against the grain

Definition

Preventing a smooth, level surface from being formed by raising the nap of the wood or causing larger splinters to form ahead of the cutting tool below the cutting surface.

Example Sentences

• "By going against the grain and going to work nude, you've made yourself a laughing stock."
• "Get the thinkers out into the open like Vidal and Buckley, a really radical idea, against the grain."
• "For Nabiullina, the developments unpick almost a decade of work going against the grain of Putin’s increasing global isolation by opening up the economy."