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Definition
impertinence or impudence (rude and bold)Less commonly today, but commonly in classic literature, gall may refer to a feeling of deep bitterness, anger, or frustration as in "nothing is more galling than..." It also has a specialized meaning referencing a swollen part of a tree, or a skin sore that is caused by rubbing. Finally, gall can reference bile.
- She had the gall to ask for a raise.
gall = impertinence or impudence (rude and bold)
- all the greed and all the gall Is boiled away for once and all.Roald Dahl -- Charlie And The Chocolate Factory
- And raise the level of the gall of yesterday Within the cup, by adding to it today's yearning.Boris Pasternak -- Doctor Zhivago
- MORE My Master had easel and gall, not wine, given him to drink.Robert Bolt -- A Man for All Seasons
- But now I am going to sharpen my pen till they can feel its point; I shall dip it in venom and gall; I shall hurl my inkpot at their heads!Henrik Ibsen -- An Enemy of the People
- Things like "how dare you," "appalling nerve," and "unspeakable gall.Sara Gruen -- Water for Elephants
- Lucas actually had the gall to laugh.Bella Forrest -- A Shade of Vampire
- It just galled her to think they'd been beaten by a human.Eoin Colfer -- Artemis Fowl
- A' has a little gall'd me, I confess; And, as the jest did glance away from me, 'tis ten to one it maim'd you two outright.William Shakespeare -- The Taming of the Shrew
- Their hope was to push the galling foes away from the fence.Stephen Crane -- The Red Badge of Courage
- 'No matter how galling his wife's conduct, it never seemed to touch him.Agatha Christie -- Early Cases Of Hercule Poirot
- Still, somehow this line of thought wasn't as consoling as it should have been; the idea of all those years of life in hand was a galling reminder!Albert Camus -- The Stranger
- A few minutes later Makalu Gall appeared, having been dragged down the glacier on a piece of plastic by a half-dozen Sherpas.Jon Krakauer -- Into Thin Air
- Poles, sharpen'd in the flames, from high they throw, With imitated darts, to gall the foe.Virgil -- The Aeneid
- That particularly galled me, because it implied the immortality of those left behind: You will live forever in my memory, because I will live forever!John Green -- The Fault in Our Stars
- Paco has the gall to pat me on the shoulder.Simone Elkeles -- Perfect Chemistry
- The way she said it still galled him, and absently tapping his pen against his notebook, Jeremy shook his head.Nicholas Sparks -- True Believer
- "It's galling," he told me in the winter of 2002.Tracy Kidder -- Mountains Beyond Mountains
- He does not lack for gall, this Frog.George R.R. Martin -- A Dance With Dragons
- After Grandpa went back to work just before Christmas, Aunt Loma had the gall to go ask him herself to raise Camp's pay.Olive Ann Burns -- Cold Sassy Tree
gall = impertinence or impudence (rude and bold)