raise Cain

Cultural  

1. To create a disturbance: “Alan and his buddies were always raising Cain over at the frat house.”

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raise Cain Idioms  

1. Also,. Behave in a rowdy or disruptive way, as in He said he'd raise Cain if they wouldn't give him a refund, or The gang was out to raise hell that night, or The wind raised the devil with our picnic. The first term alludes to the son of Adam and Eve who killed his brother, Abel. It was first recorded in the St. Louis Daily Pennant (May 2, 1840): “Why have we every reason to believe that Adam and Eve were both rowdies? Because ... they both raised Cain.”. This statement makes a pun on raise, meaning “bring up” or “nurturing.” The two variants, alluding to bringing hell or the devil up to this world, are older, the first from about 1700, the second from about 1800.

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Example Sentences

“In my mind, the city was too slow to respond to the underserved or those who couldn’t raise Cain and get answers,” Mayor Jim Yarbrough said.

From Washington Times • May 31, 2019

Just because people protest and try to raise Cain every time change is in our midst, doesn’t mean they have a vision and want discourse or even a leader.

From Washington Times • Nov. 14, 2016

We sit down, we chitchat, we raise Cain with each other.

From Washington Times • Sep. 12, 2015

But White House reporters operate on a communal code, are likely to raise Cain with Salinger when favoritism is shown.

From Time Magazine Archive

She might take the occasion to raise Cain about the Christmas play.

From "Cold Sassy Tree" by Olive Ann Burns