Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

rattle someone's cage

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.25 in modern English

Syllables: rat-tle -some-one's cage
IPA

23

Scrabble Score

18

Letters

4

Syllables

11

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To demand attention from someone; to nag, nudge, or remind someone.

Informal

verb

To anger or to annoy someone.

Informal

Example Sentences

"Nobody has corrected the problem yet, so it's time to rattle their cage."
"If you really want to rattle his cage, ask him about his family."

Usage

Informal

Inflected Forms

rattles someone's cage (present, singular) rattling someone's cage (participle, present) rattled someone's cage (participle, past) rattled someone's cage (past)

Phrases

the squeaky wheel gets the grease yank someone's chain

Frequently Paired Words

the squeaky wheel gets the grease yank someone's chain

Synonyms

rattle someone's chain

Questions

What does rattle someone's cage mean?: To demand attention from someone; to nag, nudge, or remind someone.

How to pronounce rattle someone's cage

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