grain
When referring to cereal crops like wheat or corn, "grain" is usually an uncountable noun (e.g., "The silo is full of grain"). When referring to individual seeds or small particles, it becomes a countable noun (e.g., "a few grains of sand"). In the phrase "against the grain," it refers both literally to the direction of wood fibers and figuratively to doing something that goes against one's natural inclinations.
💬Casual Conversation
The synth-wood paneling is splitting. I can't sand it against the grain.
Stop messing around and just patch it. We're behind schedule.
Meanings
Wheat or any other cultivated cereal crop used as food.
"The farmers harvested the grain in late summer."
The longitudinal arrangement or direction of fibers in wood or the texture of stone.
"It is easier to sand the wood when you go with the grain."
To form into grains or crystals.
"The chemical process helps to grain the substance uniformly."