Editing Thorn in the flesh (section)

== Modern usage ==
The phrase "thorn in the flesh" continues to be used as a metaphor for "a source of continual annoyance or trouble."<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title=Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2010|isbn=9780199547937|editor-last=Cresswell|editor-first=Julia|location=Oxford|pages=444|chapter=Thorn}}</ref> It is synonymous with the phrase "thorn in the side", which is also of biblical origin, based on the description in Numbers 33:55.<ref name=":0" /> As an example usage, the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' cites [[E. M. Forster]]'s 1924 novel ''[[A Passage to India]]'', in which Nawab Bahadur says, "I can be a thorn in Mr. Turton's flesh, and if he asks me I accept the invitation."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/200997|title=Thorn, n.|date=January 2018|website=OED Online|publisher=Oxford University Press|access-date=February 20, 2018}}</ref>