poke the bear
The idiom "poke the bear" originates from the idea of disturbing a sleeping or resting bear, which is known to react aggressively when provoked.
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Definition
B2General
(informal)To intentionally provoke or irritate someone who is easily angered.
Example
- Don't poke the bear by bringing up that topic; you know how sensitive he is about it.
- She kept asking annoying questions, effectively poking the bear.
C1Political
(slang)To deliberately antagonize a powerful entity, often leading to negative consequences.
Example
- The country's leaders were warned not to poke the bear by imposing harsh sanctions.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "poke the bear":
poke outbear hangbear pitnose pokebear gardenloaded for bearblack bearbear cat