Definition of get (one's) goat

• The Great Northern Railway (now a part of the BNSF Railroad) constructed a tunnel in the Cascades mountains in Washington in the early 1900s. The railroad set up construction camps at various locations along the line. Each camp had an adminstrative building with the Great Northern flag displayed out front. The logo for the GN railroad was the mountain goat, which was used in advertising, painted on freight and passenger cars, etc. In time, there developed competition between the camps for the best performance - most miles of track laid, bridges built, etc. From time to time, one camp would raid another and take their flag, which of course upset the camp that lost its flag with the goat logo. Thus the phrase "get my goat."

  The above explanation was sourced from the archives of the Great Northern Railway Historical Society.

  Last edited on Oct 07 2014. Submitted by Anonymous on Oct 07 2014.

verb

• to make a person angry.

  He really gets my goat.

  • See more words with the same meaning: to become angry, go crazy, freak out.

  Last edited on Jan 05 2013. Submitted by Tom D. from Orlando, FL, USA on Mar 13 2005.

origin

• "Get (one's) goat" began as American prison slang, which in turn came from an off-color joke. The joke: Men stranded on a desert island find a herd of goats. Being starved for love, they have sex with the female goats. This goes on day after day until one day a fight breaks out between two men. When asked to explain, one man points at the other and shouts angrily, "He's got my goat!" That's how the expression began.
  
  This definition is questionable and is pending deletion. It will be saved from deletion if legitimate citations are found.

  Last edited on Jan 05 2013. Submitted by Anonymous on Jan 04 2013.