like a bear with a sore head
British informal (Of a person) very irritable: he’ll be like a bear with a sore head when he gets up...- And then Dave's hayfever kicks in again, sending him to bed like a bear with a sore head.
- Like most ‘rugby widows’ she has become accustomed to the endless training nights, Sundays at home with the kids - and me parading round the house before games like a bear with a sore head (so that's why she's been calling me Victor Meldrew).
- He's like a bear with a sore head when he's been on the beers.
See parent entry: bear