tempest in a teapot



tempest in a teapot

Also, tempest in a teacup. A great disturbance or uproar over a matter of little or no importance. For example, All that because a handful of the thousand invited guests didn't show up? What a tempest in a teapot! This expression has appeared in slightly different forms for more than 300 years. Among the variations are storm in a cream bowl, tempest in a glass of water, and storm in a hand-wash basin. The British prefer storm in a teacup. The current American forms were first recorded in 1854. For a synonym, see much ado about nothing.
See also: teapot, tempest

Common Names:

NameGenderPronouncedUsage
Dorotheado-ro-TE-ah (German), dawr-ə-THEE-ə (English)German, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, English, Late Greek
Evpraksiya-Russian
Sean[ʃɔ:n]
Tomo-Croatian
Jowitayaw-VEE-tahPolish
Oghenekaro-Western African, Urhobo