“pull one's chain”的词源有两大主流溯源：一是机械隐喻，早期机械装置（如老式钟表、绞车）依赖链条控制运转，“拉动链条”会干扰设备正常工作，引申为“干扰他人思路”；二是20世纪中期美国俚语，最初在口语中用于“逗弄凶猛的野兽动物、宠物时拉动铁链”，那它们必然会勃然大怒；后抽象为“对人故意进行善意作弄、逗弄、开玩笑；但是玩笑开过头就是对人进行愚弄、戏弄、捉弄、惹某人生气”。用像真的一样的事逗你急，可能有小不爽，但是被捉弄者最终能察觉是玩笑，它始终与“恶意欺骗、预谋愚弄”有本质区别。
My boss said I’d get a pay cut—I knew he was pulling my chain, he just wanted to see my reaction.
老板说我要被降薪——我知道他在逗我，他就是想看看我的反应。
解析：“降薪”是职场敏感话题，看似真实，“pull my chain”是“用敏感信息试探反应”，对方的“识破”源于“了解老板意图”，仅仅是“在逗我”。
When asked about resigning, the mayor smiled and said the reporter was pulling his chain.
当被问及辞职事宜时，市长笑着说记者在逗他。
The CEO laughed and said the investor was pulling his chain with that low offer.
CEO笑着说投资者用那么低的报价逗他。
The spokesperson claimed the foreign minister was pulling their chain with the sudden proposal.
发言人称外交部长突然提出的提议是在逗他们。
Stop pulling my chain—do you really want to go on a trip with me, or are you just joking?
别逗我了——你是真的想和我去旅行，还是只是在开玩笑？
He’s always pulling my chain by saying he has a crush on someone else, but I know he’s lying.
他总逗我说他暗恋别人，可我知道他在开玩笑。
After dating for a month, she still pulls my chain by pretending she doesn’t remember my birthday.
约会一个月后，她还总逗我，假装不记得我的生日。
The soldier told his teammate not to pull his chain—he thought the training cancellation was real.
士兵告诉队友别逗他了——他以为训练取消是真的。
The new employee thought his colleagues were pulling his chain when they said the boss hated latecomers—he didn’t know it was true until he was scolded.”
同事们说老板讨厌迟到，新员工以为他们在捉弄他——直到被批评才知道是真的。
Stop pulling my chain about my bad grades! It’s not funny, and you’re making me mad.
别再拿我的差成绩戏弄我了！这不好笑，你快把我惹生气了。
He kept pulling her chain by saying he was going to break up, and finally she got angry—she thought it wasn’t a joke.
他一直拿要分手的事戏弄她，最后她生气了——她觉得这根本不好笑。
The opposition leader said the president was pulling the public’s chain with his vague promise of tax cuts.
反对党领袖称，总统用模糊的减税承诺戏弄民众。
I’m in a bad mood today,So you’d better not pull my chain.
我今天心情很不好，你最好别往我的枪口上撞。
Tom told me he got a perfect score in the English exam, but I think he was pulling my chain—he failed last time.
汤姆告诉我他这次英语考试满分，但是我想他是在和我开玩笑，他上次考试都不及格。(2022年北京中考)
When my best friend said she would move to another city, I thought she was pulling my chain—she had never mentioned it before.
当我最好的朋友说她要搬到另一个城市时，我以为她在逗我——她之前从没提过这件事。（2025年考研英语二（翻译题第47题））
