wider den Stachel löcken

German

Etymology

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

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)

  1. (biblical or dated higher register) to kick against the pricks (resist what is stronger than one, e.g. fate, authority, the majority)

Usage notes

  • The verb löcken is obsolete outside this idiom.
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