poke the bear
To deliberately aggravate somebody, especially somebody in a position of power or authority.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Do not poke the bear by asking him about his mistakes.”
“She decides not to poke the bear by complaining about her landlord's new rules.”
“The manager is already angry today, so do not poke the bear by bringing up the budget cuts.”
“You should avoid mentioning the late delivery to the chef while he is busy, or you might be poking the bear during the dinner rush.”
“The journalist knew that asking the politician about the old scandal was like poking the bear, but she needed the truth for her story.”
“By publicly questioning the director's authority during the board meeting, the junior analyst knowingly poked the bear and risked his career.”
The idiom originates from the nineteenth-century geopolitical tendency to represent Russia as a bear. It began as a shortening of the specific phrase "poke the Russian bear," which described the act of threatening or provoking Russia into a state of war. Under the metaphor, a diplomatic or military slight was treated as the physical agitation of a large and predictably irritable animal.
- 01
average bear
The norm; an average person; Used in comparisons
- 02
bad news bears
Said of someone or something that will bring disaster or bad fortune to one.
- 03
bear a hand
To make haste; to help quickly.
- 04
bear away the bell
To be superior in something.
- 05
bear fruit
To produce good results; to yield benefits; to succeed.
- 06
bear in mind
To hold (something) in the memory; to remember; also, to be mindful of or pay attention to (something); to consider; to note.
- 07
bear oneself
To behave and conduct oneself in a particular manner.
- 08
bear the brunt
To endure the worst part of something.
Last updated August 10, 2026