yank someone's chain
The phrase 'yank someone's chain' is commonly used in informal settings to describe teasing or provoking someone.
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Definition
B2Informal Conversation
(idiomatic, informal)To tease or joke with someone in a way that may provoke them.
Example
- Don't take him seriously; he's just yanking your chain.
- She loves to yank her brother's chain by hiding his phone.
B2Informal Conversation
(idiomatic, informal)To deliberately irritate or provoke someone.
Example
- Stop yanking my chain with those annoying comments.
- He yanked her chain by pretending he forgot their anniversary.
Similar
Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "yank someone's chain":
pull someone's legpull someone's plonkerrattle someone's cagedrag the chainjerk aroundyank offring someone's bellgive someone a hard timetwist someone's armrustle someone's jimmiesjoke around