put (one's) back up
To be or become angry, hostile, defensive, defiant, or irritable, or to instill such a feeling in someone else. John put his back up when his parents brought up the subject of college. Election season always puts my dad's back up.
get/put somebody’s ˈback up
make somebody annoyed: His silly remarks always get her back up.This idiom refers to the way cats arch their backs when they are angry.