rattle sabres

present singular third person rattles sabres · participle present rattling sabres · participle past rattled sabres · past rattled sabres

1. alternativeAlternative form of sabre-rattle.

   Just because the Soviets rattle sabres is no reason why we should rattle sabres.

   1961, United States. Congress. Senate. Committee on Foreign Relations, Nominations of W. Averell Harriman, Frank M. Coffin, Philip M. Klutznick and Abram Chayes, page 17

   2 more examples

   Those who rattle sabres, I think history has shown, have gained in the long run only hatred or ridicule, or both.

   1921, Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science

   For its part, the Russian Interior Ministry “used its contacts with its Ukrainian counterparts to identify potential agents and sources,” while the task for the Russian military was “to rattle sabres loudly on the border” for maximum effect.

   2015, Fiona Hill, Clifford G. Gaddy, Mr. Putin: Operative in the Kremlin, page 338