shake someone's tree

shake (one's) tree

To provoke or compel one into taking some sort of action or reform. I believe people are electing radical candidates like her because they want to shake the government's tree. The employees' strike certainly shook our tree a bit, so we've begun

See also: shake, tree

Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.

shake someone's tree

Arouse to action or reaction, disturb, as in He really shook Hollywood's tree.

See also: shake, tree

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.