Something that causes irritation and annoyance:
— He's a thorn in my flesh.

synonym: irritant.

Roget 663: bane, curse; evil etc. 619; hurtfulness etc. (badness) 649^†; painfulness etc. (cause of pain) 830; scourge etc. (punishment) 975; damnosa hereditas [Lat.]; white elephant.    sting, fang, thorn, tang, bramble, brier, nettle.    poison, toxin; teratogen; leaven, virus venom; arsenic; antimony, tartar emetic; strychnine, nicotine; miasma, miasm^†, mephitis^†, malaria, azote^†, sewer gas; pest.    [poisonous substances, examples] Albany hemp^†, arsenious oxide, arsenious acid; bichloride of mercury; carbonic acid, carbonic gas; choke damp, corrosive sublimate, fire damp; hydrocyanic acid, cyanide, Prussic acid, hydrogen cyanide; marsh gas, nux vomica [Lat.], ratsbane^†.    [poisonous plants] hemlock, hellebore, nightshade, belladonna, henbane, aconite; banewort^†, bhang, ganja^†, hashish; Upas tree.    [list of poisonous substances] Toxline (online).    rust, worm, helminth [Med.], moth, moth and rust, fungus, mildew; dry rot; canker, cankerworm; cancer; torpedo; viper etc. (evil doer) 913; demon etc. 980.    [Science of poisons] toxicology.    ... show more

Roget 830: painfulness etc. adj.; trouble, care etc. (pain) 828; trial; affliction, infliction; blow, stroke, burden, load, curse; bitter pill, bitter draught; waters of bitterness.    annoyance, grievance, nuisance, vexation, mortification, sickener^†; bore, bother, pother, hot water, sea of troubles" [Hamlet], hornet's nest, plague, pest.    cancer, ulcer, sting, thorn; canker etc. (bane) 663; scorpion etc. (evil doer) 913; dagger etc. (arms) 727; scourge etc. (instrument of punishment) 975; carking care, canker worm of care.    mishap, misfortune etc. (adversity) 735; desagrement [Fr.], esclandre [Fr.], rub.    source of irritation, source of annoyance; wound, open sore; sore subject, skeleton in the closet; thorn in the flesh, thorn in one's side; where the shoe pinches, gall and wormwood.    sorry sight, heavy news, provocation; affront etc. 929; head and front of one's offending" [Othello]. infestation, molestation; malignity etc. (malevolence) 907.    ... show more

Dutch: prikkelend

A small sharp-pointed tip resembling a spike on a stem or leaf.

synonyms: pricker, prickle, spikelet, spine, sticker.

Dutch: aartjes, dorentje, stekel, doorn, doren, prikkel
Polish: cierń

A Germanic character of runic origin.