Are "go against the grain" and "swim against the tide/current" synonymous? [closed]

Question

Are "go against the grain" and "swim against the tide/current" synonymous?

Thanks in advance

Answer 1

More-or-less, yes.

Go against the grain:

To do something or be in opposition or contrary to what is generally understood, assumed, practiced, or accepted.

Swim against the tide:

To go against or disagree with a prevailing or popularly held opinion or perspective; to act or behave contrary to the majority of others.

It's easier to cut wood along its grain, and it's easier to swim with the tide or current, so both idioms refer to doing something in a way that's more difficult than it has to be, or (in a more neutral sense) different than what most people would do in the same situation. From its usage examples, "go against the grain" can also be used for an action that seems contrary to your own instincts, while "swim against the tide" is just used with external (cultural, social, practical, etc) norms, but they are otherwise expressing very similar ideas.