rattle someone's cage
The idiom "rattle someone's cage" is often used informally to describe actions intended to provoke or annoy someone, sometimes humorously.
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Definition
B2General
(informal)To deliberately provoke or irritate someone to get a reaction.
Example
- If you really want to rattle his cage, bring up the topic of his ex-girlfriend.
B2General
(informal)To disturb or unsettle someone, causing them to lose their composure.
Example
- Her sudden outburst rattled his cage, leaving him speechless.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "rattle someone's cage":
yank someone's chainrustle someone's jimmiesget under someone's skinring someone's bellruffle upset someone's teeth on edgerarked updrive someone crazygive someone a hard timeget in someone's hairshake upstir uptread on someone's toes