try patience

try (one's) patience

To frustrate or annoy one by continued unwanted behavior; to test the limits of one's patience. His tangential questions are clearly trying the professor's patience, who asked that all questions be held until the end of the lecture. Will you take the kids to the playground for an hour? They're really trying my patience.
See also: patience, try
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

try someone's patience

to strain someone's patience; to bother someone as if testing the person's patience. (Try means test here.) My loud neighbors are trying my patience today. You really try my patience with all your questions!
See also: patience, try
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
See also:
  • try (one's) patience
  • try one's patience
  • try somebody's patience
  • try the patience of (someone)
  • drive (one) up the wall
  • drive someone up the wall
  • drive up the wall
  • drive/send somebody up the wall
  • drive one out of mind
  • drive (one) out of (one's) mind
References in periodicals archive
The Prime Minister said he appealed to the politicians of Kyrgyzstan asking not to try patience of Russia.
He also referred to what happened to Turkey's basketball team in Greek Cypriot side, "they should not try patience of Turkey" he noted.
*** Gulliver's Travels 3D (PG) A resolutely unfunny Jack Black continues to try patience, grandstanding in update of the classic tale as he's shipwrecked on an island of tiny people and learns that it's how big your heart is that counts.
BOTTOM LINE: Try patience to increase your unfair advantage.
Try Patience and Wearable Stone by I.D Bare Essentials.
Off to Somerset Park is a pack of playing cards so manager GORDON DALZIEL can try patience. After all, he's been trying mine for long enough - give us a trophy, please, Daz.