saber-rattling

American  

[sey-ber-rat-ling] / ˈseɪ bərˌræt lɪŋ /

noun

1. a show or threat of military power, especially as used by a nation to impose its policies on other countries.

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saber rattling Idioms  

1. A flamboyant display of military power; also, aggressive blustering. For example, There had been a great deal of saber rattling between the two nations but hostilities had never broken out. This term, originating about 1920 and alluding to an officer indicating he would draw his saber, at first referred to threatening military force but later was extended to more general use, as in Both candidates engaged in pre-debate saber rattling.

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Etymology

Origin of saber-rattling

First recorded in 1920–25; saber, rattle ¹, -ing ¹

Example Sentences

Russian President Vladimir Putin has already used nuclear saber-rattling to throttle American support for Ukraine.

From The Wall Street Journal

Tinubu, Nigeria’s bespectacled 73-year-old leader, was shocked by the saber-rattling from one of his country’s most important partners.

From The Wall Street Journal

The combative approach draws from some old standards: War on Drugs tactics, War on Terrorism rationales and Cold War saber-rattling.

From Los Angeles Times

Whether it is saber-rattling or not, the unveiling of these retaliatory tools reinforces the countries’ desire to build up their self-reliance.

From Barron's

New Zealand is beautiful, English-speaking, a democracy, and quite remote—“far from the war in Europe, the tinderbox that is the Middle East, the saber-rattling in the South China Sea, and the domestic politics in the U.S.,” emails Stuart Nash, CEO of Nash Kelly Global, a New Zealand immigration advisory firm.

From Barron's