Rub Someone (Up) the Wrong Way - Idiom of the Day for IELTS Speaking & Writing

Rub Someone (Up) The Wrong Way is one of the idioms that show fluency, natural expression, and a deeper understanding of the English language. Learning these idioms regularly will not only enrich your vocabulary but also boost your IELTS Speaking and Writing scores. 

While answering the questions, you can seamlessly include these idioms in your response. By indulging in the exercises, you will have a better grasp of the idiom and it will also elevate your IELTS preparation. However, you need to know how to use them correctly and learn the meaning to achieve a higher band score in the IELTS Exam.

What is the Meaning of the Idiom ‘Rub Someone (Up) The Wrong Way’?

Knowing what the idiom means is the first step to later use it naturally in various contexts. Therefore, get familiar with both the meaning of the idiom to enhance your vocabulary bank. As you learn how to use the IELTS Vocabulary accurately, you would give your performance in the IELTS exam an extra edge. 

The table below depicts various factors related to the idiom, ‘Rub Someone (Up) The Wrong Way’, such as its meaning, synonyms, and example sentences.

Strategies to Incorporate ‘Rub Someone (Up) the Wrong Way’ in IELTS Speaking & Writing

Idiomatic expressions like this one, ‘Rub Someone (Up) the Wrong Way’, can boost your IELTS Band Score. This is because it adds authenticity and a natural tone to your responses. Therefore, you must practice them so that you can use them when they are needed in sentences. By utilizing a few tricks, you will enhance your skills from context-based learning and sentence practice to self-evaluation. Below are some of the strategies which you can incorporate so that the idiom ‘Rub Someone (Up) The Wrong Way’ can be used in the IELTS Speaking & Writing sections.

• Avoid repeating the same idioms in your answers otherwise, it might start sounding unnatural or seem rehearsed in a way, especially in the speaking sections. So, try experimenting with different topics so that you would understand how to use the idiom.
• Underline idioms when you read Band 8+ model answers so that you can analyze how natural they sound and then try to reuse similar patterns in your own answers.
• In IELTS Writing, your idioms must fit the idea naturally which should support your points rather than standing out as a distraction. 
• You need to use the idiom in appropriate situations, mostly in the writing section. Some idioms may be inappropriate for formal contexts so you need to first understand which one would be the best fit.
• During practice sessions for the IELTS Speaking, another useful idea is to record yourself using idioms and play the recording back. You can listen for overuse, awkward phrasing, and pronunciation issues, which will give you insight into what to work on.
• Keep an idiom diary or create mind maps to write idioms alongside their meanings, sentences, one or two possible synonyms for them. This will help you to recall it easily.
• Incorporate idiom practice with different IELTS Grammar structures and common IELTS topics to frame answers with a more natural transition.

Check out the video to learn the top IELTS Speaking Idioms for Band 9.

Exercises for the Idiom ‘Rub Someone (Up) the Wrong Way’

1 The team leader was so stressed about the delay in their performance that he started __________________ during the show.

2 We can’t keep __________________ just to save time because it is affecting the quality of the project.

3 Her remarks during the meeting kept __________________ where no one wanted to talk to him after that.

4 We are __________________ with this constant noise from the construction site outside our house. 

Describe a time when someone annoyed you.
You should say:

• who the person was
• what they did
• how you reacted
• and explain why it annoyed you.

I remember the way one of my coworkers tried to 1 __________. We had a group presentation to work on, and all she did was look down upon ideas without contributing anything valuable. Her remarks were mostly negative and became very personal at times, which made the whole team feel uneasy.

At first, I tried to keep calm, but after a few days, I could sense that I was 2 __________. Her attitude was downward dragging team morale, and I felt compelled to do something.

One day during brainstorming, she cut me off midway through a sentence and just dismissed the entire point. Over and out! I really didn't want her to 3 __________. After that, she kept at arm's length from me.

Looking back, I think she really 4 __________ so that she can just feel more important, but that of course does not translate well in a team setting.

Describe a time when you accidentally offended or annoyed someone.
You should say:

• who the person was
• what you said or did
• how they reacted
• explain how you felt about rubbing them the wrong way.

Answer to the Exercise for the Idiom ‘Rub Someone (Up) The Wrong Way’

Well done on completing the exercises! Let’s dive into the answers and compare them with yours to check if you understood the meaning correctly. Remember to note the mistakes so that you can improve on them consistently.

EXERCISE 1

EXERCISE 2

Remember that the more you practice using idioms, the easier it will be for you to place them into different sentence structures. To do so, you need to fully understand the idiom ‘Rub Someone (Up) The Wrong Way’ and learn how to use them in context. With regular practice sessions, your language proficiency will increase, making you move confidently towards getting a Band 8+.

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Also Check: 

• Five Ways to Improve Your Vocabulary
• 1200 Common Words in IELTS Listening
• IELTS Vocabulary Words List for Band 8 or 9
• How to Build Vocabulary for the IELTS Exam: Practical Tips
• IELTS Exam Preparation Tips for Band Score of 8+