rock the boat

Idioms  

1. Disturb a stable situation, as in An easygoing manager, he won't rock the boat unless it's absolutely necessary. This idiom alludes to capsizing a small vessel, such as a canoe, by moving about in it too violently. [Colloquial; early 1900s]

---

Example Sentences

Among those perceived flaws was an addictive personality, a stormy temper and, yes, a desire to “not rock the boat,” as she puts it.

From Los Angeles Times

"It's quite a wacky way to do it with beer and athletes, it's not something that normally goes together, but I think because of that it makes it stand out a little bit. And you've got to rock the boat a little bit sometimes to get eyes on you."

From BBC

Esther wishes she had made a formal complaint at the time, but says she did not because he was an important author, and she didn't want to rock the boat.

From BBC

Whether from a calculation of how best to maintain the status quo or from simple lack of imagination, authoritarians generally do not want to rock the boat.

From Salon

Rather than rock the boat in times of trouble, Walter has practiced patience when it comes to personnel decisions.

From Los Angeles Times