yank someone's chain
To tease someone; to lead someone on; to goad someone into overreacting.
Near-synonyms: poke, prod
yank
/ˈjæŋk/
noun 7verb 2
Collocations
4ADJ.
fine, hard, quick, septic, short, true
VERB + YANK
didn't, don't, gotta, happen, power, rope, tried, want
YANK + NOUN
dandelions, drug, electricity, splinter
PREP.
off, on, out, out, with
Definitions
noun
1
A sudden, vigorous pull (sometimes defined as mass times jerk, or rate of change of force).
He unjammed the rope with a short yank.
2
A masturbation session.
He rested his hand on his bare chest, an innocent enough spot, but soon it drifted of its own accord down his stomach to slide beneath the waistband of his briefs. Fine. A quick yank would relieve the sexual tension that simmered in him.
3
alternative form of shank (“stabbing weapon”).
Tell my young bad, she can vouch for me I was only thirteen with a yank on me
verb
1
To pull (something) with a quick, strong action.
Now a white-backed rams its head down the wildebeest’s throat and yanks out an eight-inch length of trachea, ribbed like a vacuum hose.
[Regarding risks of AI] And you just have to have somebody close to the power cord. [Laughs.]^([sic]) Right when you see it about to happen, you gotta yank that electricity out of the wall, man.
2
To remove from distribution.
They yanked the product as soon as they learned it was unsafe.
noun
1
Alternative letter-case form of Yank (“Yankee”).
Thesaurus
Synonyms
noun — an American (especially to non-Americans)
- yankee
- yankee-doodle
noun — an American who lives in the North (especially during the Am
verb — pull, or move with a sudden movement
Antonyms
Idioms & Phrases
Example Bank
601
He unjammed the rope with a short yank.
Wiktionary02
He rested his hand on his bare chest, an innocent enough spot, but soon it drifted of its own accord down his stomach to slide beneath the waistband of his briefs. Fine. A quick yank would relieve the
Wiktionary03
Tell my young bad, she can vouch for me I was only thirteen with a yank on me
Wiktionary04
Now a white-backed rams its head down the wildebeest’s throat and yanks out an eight-inch length of trachea, ribbed like a vacuum hose.
Wiktionary05
[Regarding risks of AI] And you just have to have somebody close to the power cord. [Laughs.]^([sic]) Right when you see it about to happen, you gotta yank that electricity out of the wall, man.
Wiktionary06
They yanked the product as soon as they learned it was unsafe.
WiktionaryUsage Notes
i Register
In some senses, yank is marked as slang, informal, derogatory, US, UK. Watch for register when choosing this word.
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