start something

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Cause trouble, especially a quarrel or fight, as in Stop bringing that up—do you want to start something ? [ Colloquial ; early 1900s]

"You'd better keep those hands up," he went on quickly, as he saw the two rascals making a move as if to start something.

"Oh, we'll start something, leave it to us," said Roly Poly.

It would be approximate, of course, but it would give us a start—something more definite than we have now.

To tell the truth, I was spoiling for a fight and I half wished they would start something.

"You go awn and start something—and you'll wisht you hadn't," they heard him croak from the big gate, and chuckled over his wrath.

April 24, 2024gallimaufry

[gal-uh-maw-free ]

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

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