These words first applied to
fish rising to the
bait.
Writers on the art of
angling popularized the word
rise in this sense 300 years ago, and the metaphor from fly-fishing became standard English. Just as the fish rises to the bait and is
caught, the person who
rises to the lure of a practical joke becomes the butt of it. From its original meaning of raising a laugh at someone's expense, the
expression has been
extended to include the idea of attracting attention in general -- getting a rise out of a sales prospect, etc.
Hendrickson, R. (1998) QPB Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins. Facts On File, Inc., New York.