make mischief

Idioms  

1. Cause trouble, as in Don't listen to her gossip—she's just trying to make mischief. This idiom was first recorded in 1884, but the related noun mischief-maker, a person who causes trouble especially by tale-bearing, dates from about 1700.

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Example Sentences

But anyone hoping to sign up to get a say in who will be the next prime minister - or to make mischief with the process - is out of luck.

From BBC • Jul. 14, 2022

When Mama Frog ordered her son to play nicely on a hillside, he would instead head to the riverbank to make mischief.

From Salon • Jun. 14, 2022

The lone ones may snatch red hoods, but they don’t make mischief for its own sake.

From New York Times • Feb. 16, 2022

He was a father who arrived home with flair, stepping in from the garage and shouting, “Hello to my little family-amily,” but he also had a look stern enough to make mischief wither.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 23, 2022

There had been no more elevator episodes, though this does not mean that Sammy did not make mischief, nor that Tess and Dot kept out of it.

From The Corner House Girls on a Houseboat How they sailed away, what happened on the voyage, and what was discovered by Hill, Grace Brooks