raise Cain create trouble or a commotion. informal

☞ The sense of raise in this expression is that of summoning a spirit, especially an evil one; similar sayings include raise the Devil and raise hell. A mid-19th-century expression originating in the USA, the particular form raise Cain is possibly a euphemism to avoid using the words Devil or hell. Cain, according to the biblical book of Genesis, was the first murderer.