tickle the dragon's tail

The idiom "tickle the dragon's tail" alludes to taking a significant risk, akin to provoking a mythical dragon.

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Definition

(informal)To engage in an activity that is very risky and could lead to serious consequences.

Investing all his savings in a volatile stock was like tickling the dragon's tail.

(informal)To provoke or irritate someone who is known to have a bad temper.

Continuously criticizing her work was like tickling the dragon's tail; she eventually snapped.

(technical, academic)To bring two subcritical masses close together to find the point of criticality.

The scientists were aware of the dangers of tickling the dragon's tail during their nuclear experiments.

Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "tickle the dragon's tail":