to pull that stunt
1
8.1
- phrasal verb
- Informal
:
hacer esa locura
- I can't believe he would pull that stunt during such an important meeting.
Examples
-
That's why the people who reserve the privilege of using it to gain unfair advantage want the rest of us to give them a pass when they pull that stunt.
Blog text (31) -
Would've been if your daughter hadn't pulled that stunt with Ginger.
-
l bet you pull that stunt with your father all the time.
-
You pull that stunt with one of the other emergency services, you get arrested.
-
"I had a strategy all set if The Dodger ever tried to pull that stunt on me.
Fiction book (1997) -
If the same guy pulled that stunt 40 years ago, he was going to get his ass beat, and rightfully so.
Blog text (11) -
Without the city backing you, you can't pull those stunts.
Fiction book (1999) -
They tried pulling that stunt on me when I had given them copies of civilian records, and the traveling MD said she could not find any information on me.
Blog text (11) -
If you pull that stunt at school again, you will get in trouble.
-
She always knows how to pull that stunt at the right moment to impress everyone.
Antonyms
How Reckless
124
3.7
- Informal
1
8.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
The components 'pull' (to perform/do) and 'stunt' (a dangerous or attention-seeking act) together give a literal sense of 'perform that stunt', so a learner who knows both words will grasp the basic meaning. However, the evaluative/idiomatic nuance—that it is a reckless or foolish act causing disapproval and often used figuratively for non-physical misbehavior—is not fully predictable without exposure, so it is only partly transparent.
Etymology
The phrase pull that stunt comes from circus and stage performers who would literally pull a risky stunt or trick to shock the audience. So today it means 'to do a reckless or shocking action' that surprises or angers people.