chain (redirected from yanking chain)

a ball and chain

something which limits your freedom. The house had become a ball and chain - we couldn't sell it and neither could we rent it out.

See also: ball

pull/yank someone's chain (American & Australian, informal)

to say or do something that upsets another person, especially because you enjoy upsetting them. Boy, she really knows how to pull your chain!

See also: pull, yank

a weak link (in the chain)

the weakest part of a system or the weakest member of a group of people that could cause the whole system or group to fail. It's a strong team, though the goalkeeper may be a weak link because he's rather inexperienced. The weak link in the chain is the computer software that controls the system.

See also: weak

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yank someone's chain

to upset someone. She knows that playing that music really yanks my chain.

push someone's buttons

See also: yank