burr under someone's saddle

(N. Amer. informal)a persistent source of irritation

(北美，非正式)惱人的事，令人煩惱的事

he had been a burr under the saddle of the government in his time.

在他那時(shí)代，他一直是當(dāng)局的眼中釘，肉中刺。