bone in the throat

plural bones in the throat

1. idiomaticA source of continuing annoyance; a hindrance.

   For an unbelieving face, whether the dull dining countenance of a mayor, or the keen searching countenance of a barrister, is a sad bone in the throat of utterance.

   1876, George MacDonald, chapter 67, in Thomas Wingfold, Curate

   3 more examples

   The inability to deduct losses from commercial or residential rentals from other real estate income has been a bone in the throat of real estate development companies.

   1992 January 31, Alan S. Oser, “The Federal Budget: Developers Are Cheered by Talk of New Tax Rules”, in New York Times, retrieved 04 Jun 2016

   The act . . . gave the USDA "authority to set nutritional standard for all foods regularly sold in schools during the day." That was a bit of a bone in the throat for parents who think their children should be governed by the smallest bureaucracy possible.

   2011 July 13, Jeff Winkler, “Michelle Obama deserved a grilling on her burger choice”, in Guardian, UK, retrieved 04 Jun 2016

   [E]ven though Obamacare relies on the typical American mix of private sector profit and government regulation, it remains a bone in the throat of American politics.

   2013 October 16, Howard Fineman, “15 Reasons Why American Politics Has Become An Apocalyptic Mess”, in Huffington Post, retrieved 04 Jun 2016