Reader question: Please explain this passage, particularly "gets under his skin: Mary Trump's best seller, "Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man" has sold more copies in its first week than her Uncle Donald's "The Art of the Deal" sold in 29 years - and Mary hopes that gets under his skin. My comments: Mary Trump, the niece of US President Donald Trump, wrote a book which has sold more in its first week than her uncle's book has sold in all of the 29 years since that book, The Art of the Deal, was put on the bookshelf. Wow, maybe the uncle could learn something from the niece about the art of the quick sell. Seriously, the uncle won't be happy. Donald Trump, among other things, is not someone who is happy for someone else's success, kin or no kin. To be fair, Mary is not a Trump supporter. She's what's known as a Never Trumper. That's why she said she actually hopes the fact that her book outsells her uncle's eats away at the uncle. Or, in our example, gets under his skin. That means it irritates him, gives him persistent pain and annoyance. If a piece of grass thorn - or a tiny wood splinter, for that matter - gets wedged under our skin, it gives us pain and irritation. Perhaps not so much pain, but the irritation is irksome, especially if we're unable to get the thorn or splinter out easily. |