wider den Stachel löcken
German
[edit]Etymology
[edit]From Acts of the Apostles, verse 26:14, where it is used of Saul / Paul defying Christ. The figure of speech originally referred to insubordinate draught animals.
Verb
[edit]wider den Stachel löcken (weak, third-person singular present löckt wider den Stachel, past tense löckte wider den Stachel, past participle wider den Stachel gelöckt, auxiliary haben)
- (biblical or dated higher register) to kick against the pricks (resist what is stronger than one, e.g. fate, authority, the majority)
Usage notes
[edit]- The verb löcken is obsolete outside this idiom.