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kick up a fuss

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kick up a fuss

 and kick up a row; kick up a storm

Fig. to become a nuisance; to misbehave and disturb (someone). (Row rhymes with cow. Note the variations in the examples.) The customer kicked up such a fuss about the food that the manager came to apologize. I kicked up such a row that they told me to leave. Oh, what pain! My arthritis is kicking up a storm.

See also: fuss, kick, up

kick up a fuss/row/stink

to complain loudly in order to show that you are very annoyed about something Our food was cold so my father kicked up a fuss and refused to pay the service charge.

See also: fuss, kick, up

kick up a fuss

Also, kick up a row or storm . Create a disturbance; start a fight. For example, The soup was cold, and Aunt Mary began to kick up a fuss, calling for the manager, or There's no need to kick up a row; the boys will leave quietly, or If they fire him, Carl is ready to kick up a storm. These expressions all employ kick up in the sense of "raise dust or dirt," a usage dating from the mid-1700s.

See also: fuss, kick, up