vulgar slang Flipped upside down; head over heels. Primarily heard in US. My poor sister just went ass over teacup on the ice out there! I hope she isn't hurt!Finding out Bill is selling the company has turned my whole world ass over teacup—I can't believe I'm going to have to find a new job after 25 years!
an argument or disagreement over a very minor matter. The entire issue of who was to present the report was just a tempest in a teapot. The argument at the office turned into a tempest in a teacup. No one really cared about the outcome.
a situation where people get very angry or worried about something that is not important (not used with the ) I think it's all a storm in a teacup - there's probably no danger to public health at all.
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.