(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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(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.
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Regional slang from around the English-speaking world — British, Australian, Irish, Caribbean, Nigerian, Filipino, AAVE, and the hyphenated-English dialects that make the internet sound local.
See all Regional & Other slang on Slangora.