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saber rattling

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Rattle
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sa⋅ber-rat⋅tling

  [sey-ber-rat-ling]
Use saber rattling in a Sentence
–noun
a show or threat of military power, esp. as used by a nation to impose its policies on other countries.
Origin:
1920–25; see saber, rattle 1 , -ing 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Rattle
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saber rattling  
n.  

  1. A flamboyant display of military power.

  2. A threat or implied threat to use military force.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Idioms & Phrases

saber rattling

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.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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