Galling

galling
    adj 1: causing irritation or annoyance; "tapping an annoying
           rhythm on his glass with his fork"; "aircraft noise is
           particularly bothersome near the airport"; "found it
           galling to have to ask permission"; "an irritating
           delay"; "nettlesome paperwork"; "a pesky mosquito";
           "swarms of pestering gnats"; "a plaguey newfangled safety
           catch"; "a teasing and persistent thought annoyed him";
           "a vexatious child"; "it is vexing to have to admit you
           are wrong" [syn: {annoying}, {bothersome}, {galling},
           {irritating}, {nettlesome}, {pesky}, {pestering},
           {pestiferous}, {plaguy}, {plaguey}, {teasing},
           {vexatious}, {vexing}]
    

Gall \Gall\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Galled} (g[add]ld); p. pr. &
   vb. n. {Galling}.] [OE. gallen; cf. F. galer to scratch, rub,
   gale scurf, scab, G. galle a disease in horses' feet, an
   excrescence under the tongue of horses; of uncertain origin.
   Cf. {Gall} gallnut.]
   1. To fret and wear away by friction; to hurt or break the
      skin of by rubbing; to chafe; to injure the surface of by
      attrition; as, a saddle galls the back of a horse; to gall
      a mast or a cable.
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            I am loth to gall a new-healed wound. --Shak.
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   2. To fret; to vex; as, to be galled by sarcasm.
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            They that are most galled with my folly,
            They most must laugh.                 --Shak.
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   3. To injure; to harass; to annoy; as, the troops were galled
      by the shot of the enemy.
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            In our wars against the French of old, we used to
            gall them with our longbows, at a greater distance
            than they could shoot their arrows.   --Addison.
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Galling \Gall"ing\, a.
   Fitted to gall or chafe; vexing; harassing; irritating. --
   {Gall"ing*ly}, adv.
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51 Moby Thesaurus words for "galling":
      ablative, abradant, abrasive, afflictive, aggravating, annoying,
      attritive, bothering, bothersome, chafing, distasteful, disturbing,
      erosive, exasperating, fretting, gnawing, grating, grievous,
      grinding, harassing, importunate, importune, irking, irksome,
      irritant, irritating, irritative, painful, pesky, pestering,
      pestiferous, pestilent, pestilential, plaguesome, plaguey,
      plaguing, provoking, rasping, scratchy, stinging, teasing,
      tiresome, tormenting, troublesome, troubling, unpalatable,
      vexatious, vexing, wearisome, worrisome, worrying