take umbrage, to

take umbrage

To become offended or angered by something. Hey, I take umbrage at the idea that I didn't put my full effort into this project.See also: take, umbrage

take umbrage

Feel resentment, take offense, as in Aunt Agatha is quick to take umbrage at any suggestion to do things differently. This expression features one of the rare surviving uses of umbrage, which now means "resentment" but comes from the Latin umbra, for "shade," and presumably alludes to the "shadow" of displeasure. [Late 1600s] See also: take, umbrage

take ˈumbrage (at something)

(formal or humorous) be offended or angry because of something, often without a good reason: She took umbrage at my remarks about her hair.See also: take, umbrage

take umbrage, to

To feel slighted; to take offense. The word “umbrage,” which comes from the Latin umbra, meaning “shade” or “shadow,” is rarely heard today except in this expression. Presumably the analogy here is to the shade or shadow of displeasure. A 1934 interview with Alan Dent used it with a play on words: “Interviewer: Can ghosts be angry?—Dent: What else is there to do in the shades except take umbrage?” (quoted in James Agate, Ego, March 11, 1934; cited in Penguin Dictionary of Modern Quotations).See also: take