A sore point is a sensitive subject that someone finds painful or annoying to talk about: The failed driving test is still a sore point, so better not to mention it. Sore means aching, as in a sore throat: it doesn't hurt much, but touch it and it's unpleasant. With a person: a sore point with the artists.
When would you say a sore point?
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be a sore point; remain a sore point; a sore point with / for someone
- The cancelled exhibition is still a sore point with the artists.
- Sharing the tiny office remains a sore point for both teams.
- He changed the subject because the failed driving test was a sore point.
What changed
First versionThe result is a sick topic for her, so she prefers not to discuss it.
RevisionThe result is a sore point for her, so she prefers not to discuss it.
Sick and sore both have to do with feeling bad, so sick topic sounds like a logical label for a painful subject. But sick is about illness, and the idiom uses sore and point: a sore point. Replace sick topic with sore point, and it sounds like English.
A pet peeve is a small thing that annoys you, and people happily complain about it: My pet peeve is loud chewing. A sore point is a topic a person avoids. A bone of contention is something people argue about.
Your turn
Don't mention his driving test — it's still a ___ point.
Show the answer
sore — A painful topic is a sore point. Sick point isn't an English phrase.
Describe a topic that's best not raised in your family or among your friends. Use a sore point.
The missing photograph is still a sore point because nobody admitted taking it.
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