I see this behavior in my dogs probably the most, where it wants to flaunt something it has, like a toy, in order to try and make me jealous. It's not just the ask for attention, but the behavior to try and incite an emotional response.
-
1I'm not that big on "theory of mind" as it applies to puppies, but I kinda doubt they would "flaunt" a toy / ball with the intention of making their owner jealous. But you could refer to provocative or teasing behaviour from both bored puppies and people who want to make their partner jealous.– FumbleFingersMay 25, 2017 at 17:07
-
that is what "flaunt" means on it's own. Show off for the purpose of creating a reaction of jealousy or something similar.– Tom22May 25, 2017 at 22:47
3 Answers
show-off [shoh-awf, -of] noun http://www.dictionary.com/browse/show--off?s=t
- a person given to pretentious display.
- the act of showing off.
note "pretentious" can mean "making an exaggerated outward show; ostentatious" and something "ostentatious" is "in order to impress others" or "intended to attract notice"
also exhibitionist
I think if you just said "to provoke to jealousy" it would work. (Obviously not a single word as you requested but keep reading below...)
For example, this wording is in the ESV translation (and others) of the Greek New Testament. 1 Corinthians 10:22 "Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?"
Interesting side note is that the ancient Greek had a single word for it:
. Most English translations go with this multi-word translation of provoke to jealousy in 1 Corinthians and other places in the New Testament.
My dog tried to provoke me to jealousy through playing with the toy.
In many situations like this I might expect to see the term "taunt with", in the sense of "to taunt [someone] with [something]". There has been some difficulty finding a suitable definition to cite here, as most do not have this specific usage listed, but it is common where I live.
See here: http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/taunt+with
"taunt someone with something" -- to tease or tantalize someone with something. Jerry taunted Fran with the plate of fudge. Please don't taunt me with food I shouldn't eat.