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yank someone's chain

verb

Definitions

  1. To tease someone

    To tease someone; to lead someone on; to goad someone into overreacting.

    • Near-synonyms: poke, prod
    • So, be careful what you are paying attention to. If it looks like someone is yanking your chain, he or she probably is.
    • “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.”

  2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically

    Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see yank, chain.

The neighborhood

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sense glosses and etymology drawn from English Wiktionary · source · CC-BY-SA