Rubbing feathers, in the context of the provided reference, means to upset or offend people. It signifies causing annoyance or irritation, often unintentionally.
Here's a breakdown:
- The phrase "ruffling feathers" is an idiom.
- Idioms are expressions where the words used don't have their literal meanings, but instead represent something else entirely.
- In this case, "ruffling feathers" evokes the image of disturbing a bird's plumage, which can be irritating to the bird. By extension, it means causing annoyance or offence to a person or group of people.
For example, the reference stated: "Her research has been ruffling feathers for years." This means that the person's research has been upsetting or offending people for a considerable amount of time.
