cut against the grain , also: saw against the grain

"But I know enough not to cut against the grain.

It cuts against the grain of everything about him.

It's clearly cutting against the grain and is an action picture with a brain and a voice.

Besides, these Islanders have taken delight in cutting against the grain.

It cuts against the grain of the whole system of justice and I could never put the commissioner in that position."

But mostly, because the notion of fierce resistance cut against the grain of how this war was justified to the American people.

Beef teriyaki style was cut against the grain, leaving the meat overly chewy.

He can zig when his linemen zag, cutting against the grain to find an open spot.

Each cuts against the grain of Hamptons excess to offer a lighter, slightly whimsical take on summer living.

Even the first Bush administration, for all its reputed pragmatism, reached for big solutions that cut against the grain of events.

The desire for a normal life of love, work and friendship runs through these essays, cutting against the grain of the totalitarian state.

Also cutting against the grain in support of school choice is Milwaukee mayor John Norquist.

She began writing her own songs while honing a style of dress and grooming that, like her music, cuts against the grain.

It cut against the grain of Decker's nature to turn his back on a mystery such as the meta-genome that Masada had uncovered.

"It may cut against the grain, Rayjhis," Wave Thunder said, "but it also might just work.

That's why I encourage everyone to take chances, to court danger, to welcome anxiety, to flaunt insecurity, to rock every boat and always cut against the grain.

If "Pasadena" cuts against the grain of what we expect from network television, and from a prime-time soap on Fox, it should come as no surprise.

His vote cut against the grain of his usual support of the outer boroughs, whose votes were crucial to his election as City Council President.

"It cuts against the grain of the culture," said Bob Leslie, a human resources manager in White Plains who has helped create more than 30 informational interviews.

Obviously, it cuts against the grain of the paisley psychedeliasts and inept Byrds tribute acts clogging up the Creation roster.

"It cuts against the grain to turn Zhorzh into one of the heroes of this piece of fiction," Gray Harbor said heavily, and shook his head.

This is because "green" wood is far easier to slice near-finished to shape with the grain than to cut against the grain as per turning on the lathe.

That view cuts against the grain of widespread anti-American sentiments that dominate Arab public opinion, except in Kuwait, where support for Iraqi regime change is high.

Mrs Thatcher sees nothing in the single market which cuts against the grain of her policies over the past decade, since it should promote the free enterprise culture within the EC.

Bryson is an American who spent 20 years living in England, and among his first revelations is how deeply the idea of walking anywhere cuts against the grain of his native country.