Even as polls show the former secretary of state trouncing other Democratic contenders in a hypothetical primary, O'Malley has begun citing differences between him and Clinton on issues such as the minimum wage, social security benefits and a major trade deal brokered by the Obama administration that has irked progressives.
Irked by Warren's criticisms of the deal Obama chided his long-time ally for being a "politician" who was making "arguments" that "don't stand the test of fact and scrutiny".
He told himself that he was robbed but also wondered if his sheer domination of his fellow man had irked the Almighty: "I knew that God didn't pick on any small animals, that lightning only struck the biggest animals, that those are the only ones that vex God.
They reportedly irked their father's staffers with some of their Twitter messages, including one that mocked Obama aide David Axelrod for having a bushy upper lip.
Lukashenko also irked the Kremlin by attempting to make closer ties with the EU.
Several times we saw couples acting indecently which irked us," villager Savio Rebeiro told AFP.
As Nick Bisley of La Trobe University in Melbourne puts it, it is not a question of Australia's having to choose, but "of having to manage the choice it has made": an alliance with America.China was certainly irked by Australia's agreement in 2011 to play host to 2,500 American marines in its Northern Territory, part of America's "pivot" towards Asia.
That irked Mr Rakoff, who pointed out other flaws, too: a lack of clear evidence or reasoning behind settlement amounts, inadequate penalties and harm to the public interest.The same problems have also been cited in more recent rejections.
Librarians are irked by this, but not yet anxious.
Quinn, some say, irked the IRA men in pub brawls and otherwise.
RICHARD WARD, the boss of Lloyd's, a marketplace for insurance, is irked by all the headlines about bonuses and bail-outs in the City.
