force one's lute 

verb
1. To annoy, irritate or mildly upset someone, sometimes unintentionally; grind one's gears, tick one off, get on one's nerves, rustle one's jimmies, overcook one's pasta.

Derived from a misinterpretation of a phrase from "An Experiment concerning the Spirit of Coals, a letter to Robert Boyle" by John Clayton.

2. (obsolete) To break a seal, and possibly, the object(s) it adheres to as a result. Usually in relation to chemistry equipment.

1. "It really forces my lute when fonts use the clearly inferior and much uglier double-story lowercase letter "A" (а) rather than the superior, easy-to-write, sleek and beautiful single-story lowercase "A" (ɑ). But what forces my lute even further is the fact that the eyesore of a symbol that is the double-story lowercase "A" has managed to slither its way into most modern typefaces, becoming the standard with, bafflingly, barely any public pushback. The first letter of our alphabet truly deserves better."

1. "I decided to take Gerald somewhere different for lunch. I think the buger-bungeps we were served were forcing his lute, and he was in a bad enough mood already."

1. "A light that bright and harsh could easily force one's lute as they're trying to sleep."

2. "...At first there came over only phlegm, afterward a black oil, and then likewise a spirit arose which I could noways condense; but it forced my lute, or broke my glasses."

force one's lute by SirDarwin March 30, 2024