rattle (redirected from rattles sabres)

rattle someone's cage

to make someone angry on purpose, often in order to make them seem silly. She tried to rattle his cage with questions about his failed army career.

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rattle someone's cage

to make someone angry on purpose. I rattled his cage by telling him I hated his art.

Etymology: based on the idea of rattling (= making a noise by repeatedly hitting) the cage to annoy the animal inside it

rattle off something

to say something quickly. She rattled something off in French that I didn't understand.

Usage notes: often used when someone gives a list of facts or other related information from memory: Walter could rattle off the statistics of players from the 1920s and ‘30s.

reel off something