grind your teeth

grind (one's) teeth

To internalize one's anger without expressing it externally. The image is that of a person literally grinding their teeth together out of anger. Don't just sit there, grinding your teeth—if you're mad at me, let's talk about it.
See also: grind, teeth
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

grind your teeth

If someone grinds their teeth, they are angry about something, but do not express their anger. We journalists, who once were just like him, grind our teeth as we contemplate his success. Note: You can also talk about grinding of teeth, teeth-grinding, and tooth-grinding. There has been much grinding of teeth about what is seen by the government as the harshness of the European Community's decisions. When you are a little boy of nine, your father can seem like a hero one minute, only to cause you tooth-grinding embarrassment the next.
See also: grind, teeth
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.
See also:
  • grind (one's) teeth
  • express (one's) anger
  • express anger
  • cage of anger
  • the cage of anger
  • jump up and down
  • bristle with anger
  • shake (one's) fist at (someone or something)
  • shake your fist
  • give vent to
References in periodicals archive
But only masochists need bother trying to see a violent British crime movie which is so unpalatable - intentionally or otherwise - that you'll almost grind your teeth away in 91 minutes flat.
"You grind your teeth during moments of anxiety, don't you, Mr Lockley?" observed the dentist.
(4) Don't grind your teeth. Grinding your teeth in your sleep can have the same effect.
Her chapters include, "Dentistry for Midlife People," (if you grind your teeth at night, she recommends asking your dentist for a mouth guard); "Preserving Your Vision and Hearing," (to prevent macular degeneration and cataracts, she suggests wearing sunglasses that block 99 percent or more of the UVA and UVB light) and "Gastrointestinal Problems," (TV ads for expensive acid reflux medicine, she says, overstate the seriousness of heartburn.
And since there is usually no real control over when the array begins rebuilding, you have no recourse except to grind your teeth, watch the rebuild and get ready for the phone calls.
To those who love simple, direct, non-Latinized English: Got ready to grind your teeth! Not me.
Has anyone told you that you grind your teeth in your sleep?
If you habitually clench or grit or grind your teeth, you increase the wear on the cartilage lining of the joint.
You have increasing pain in front of your ear when you chew and if you grind your teeth.
You just have to grind your teeth and get on with it."
See your dentist who can check your bite and fit you with a mouthguard to wear at night if you grind your teeth. Otherwise, see your GP as it could be an early symptom of RA or a similar arthritis and the earlier it's treated, the better the outlook.
And if you grind your teeth at night, the Dentek Nightguard can be customised to fit at home and is a far cheaper way to protect your teeth than made-to-measure mouthguards.