rattle (somebody)
Meaning(s)
1. make somebody feel nervous, angry, or upset
Popularity
Medium
Professional
High
Social
How to Memorize
what he/she said really rattled me
Analysis
To rattle somebody can mean to behave towards someone in order to make them lose their composure or gain a psychological edge over them. That's why in social situations the word is commonly used in connection with sport. In a professional setting, you may want to rattle somebody if you are in competition with them, or if you want to test their character. A related expression is to 'rattle someone's cage.' To 'rattle' means to shake something in order to make noise. As a noun, a 'rattle' refers to a toy often given to babies.
Social Examples (Basic)
- Don't let what Peter said get under your skin. He's just trying to rattle you!
- Our tough tackling was rattling the opposition, and stopped them playing their usual game.
Professional Examples (Basic)
- I didn't expect the line of questioning in the job interview to be so aggressive. It really rattled me and it showed in my performance.
- Briefly losing my place during my speech at the conference was embarrassing, but I didn't let it rattle me.