bone in the throat

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bone in the throat (plural bones in the throat)

1. (idiomatic) A source of continuing annoyance; a hindrance.
   • 1876, George MacDonald, chapter 67, in Thomas Wingfold, Curate:

     For an unbelieving face, whether the dull dining countenance of a mayor, or the keen searching countenance of a barrister, is a sad bone in the throat of utterance.

   • 1992 January 31, Alan S. Oser, “The Federal Budget: Developers Are Cheered by Talk of New Tax Rules”, in New York Times, retrieved 4 June 2016:

     The inability to deduct losses from commercial or residential rentals from other real estate income has been a bone in the throat of real estate development companies.

   • 2011 July 13, Jeff Winkler, “Michelle Obama deserved a grilling on her burger choice”, in Guardian, UK, retrieved 4 June 2016:

     The act . . . gave the USDA "authority to set nutritional standard for all foods regularly sold in schools during the day." That was a bit of a bone in the throat for parents who think their children should be governed by the smallest bureaucracy possible.

   • 2013 October 16, Howard Fineman, “15 Reasons Why American Politics Has Become An Apocalyptic Mess”, in Huffington Post, retrieved 4 June 2016:

     [E]ven though Obamacare relies on the typical American mix of private sector profit and government regulation, it remains a bone in the throat of American politics.

• thorn in someone's side