yank someone's chain
English
Alternative forms
- jerk someone's chain
- pull someone's chain
Pronunciation
Audio (AU) (file)
Verb
yank someone's chain
- (idiomatic) To tease someone; to lead someone on; to goad someone into overreacting.
- 2006, James A. McKenna, Beyond Bluffs: Master the Mysteries of Poker, →ISBN, page 198:
- So, be careful what you are paying attention to. If it looks like someone is yanking your chain, he or she probably is.
- 2008, Tom Morrisey, In High Places, →ISBN, page 198:
- “For the same reason you were yanking my chain about the double ropes,” I said. “You want to see if I'm going to be any help to you or a total idiot when it comes to this retail thing.”
- 2012, Alison Fraser, His Mistress's Secret, →ISBN:
- It was so easy to yank his chain, Tiree smirked to herself, as she dialled Les's London flat.
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- Used other than with a figurative or idiomatic meaning: see yank, chain.
Synonyms
- (goad someone into overreacting): poke