poke the bear
(slang, idiomatic) To deliberately anger Russia or the Russian government.
Definitions
(slang, idiomatic) To deliberately anger Russia or the Russian government.
His advice to Zuckerberg, the Times later reported, was “Don’t poke the bear”—avoid incurring the wrath of Trump and his supporters.
“Lol I am exactly the type of "poke the bear in the zoo" person who would bombard the comments with "Citation please" for every genAI claim”
— Bluesky· May 2026
Comments
(US, idiomatic) To deliberately aggravate somebody, especially somebody in a position of power or authority.
Throughout my training I witnessed several doctors run out of town because their honesty and outspokenness began to poke the bear.
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(intransitive, Australia, often with "at") To impart false information in an attempt to mislead.
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(intransitive, Australia, New Zealand, often with "at") To ridicule.
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(UK, Irish, slang, vulgar) To irritate someone very much; to make someone very annoyed.