“眼中钉”常与“肉中刺(thorn in one’s flesh)”一同出现,指心中最痛恨和厌恶的人。
例句:
除去眼中钉
Remove the thorn in the flesh
约翰曾是我的眼中钉、肉中刺。
John was a thorn in my flesh.
我的教授年轻时是一名环保活动家,因此他当时显然是石油公司的眼中钉。
My professor was an environmental activist when he was younger, and, apparently, he was quite a thorn in the oil companies' sides at the time.