| Subject | English | Russian |
| idiom. | have been a thorn in the side | быть шилом в одном месте (of ... – для ... / у ...; CNN Alex_Odeychuk) |
| fig.of.sp. | thorn in the side | шило в пятой точке (e.g., ... has long been a thorn in the side of ... // Guardian, 2020 Alex_Odeychuk) |
| gen. | thorn in the side | бельмо в глазу (r1ng0) |