grow teeth
v. phr.— «Mickelson taps in for par on the 9th to finish the front nine on -3. Meanwhile on the 11th, John Daly puts his considerable weight behind an effort to slash out of knee-high rough. It’s a great effort, but “grows teeth,” as they say in America, and comes to a stand-still a couple of inches short of the dancefloor.» —“The Open—live!” by Barry Glendenning Guardian (United Kingdom) July 20, 2006. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Understanding the varieties of conversational styles can mean the difference between feeling you’re understood and being insulted. “High-involvement” speakers interrupt or talk along with someone else to signal their enthusiasm...
In the 15th century, the word respair meant “to have hope again.” Although this word fell out of use, it’s among dozens collected in a new book of soothing vocabulary for troubled times. Plus, baseball slang: If a batter...