saber-rattling

[sey-ber-rat-ling]

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of saber rattling¹

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

Idioms and Phrases

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.

Example Sentences

By most independent accounts, Maduro likely lost last year’s election — monitors disputed his claimed victory — but his many backers are making a high-profile show of support given the U.S. saber-rattling.

From Los Angeles Times

Venezuela could also find itself in U.S. military crosshairs as Washington amps up its saber-rattling against the South American nation.

From Los Angeles Times

The White House's saber-rattling against the American judiciary, a body conceived to hold government officials and elected politicians in check, prompted a rare rebuke from Supreme Court chief justice John G. Roberts.

From Salon

That may be what Trump’s saber-rattling, in the end, is all about.

From Slate

And, overall, the tone is much more contentious than during the West Coast negotiations, where there was relatively little saber-rattling and few people on either side viewed a strike as a serious threat.

From Los Angeles Times