Examples of use:
“You could be forgiven for thinking the whole furore was a storm in a teacup.”
“Cleveland Golf Club captain, Martin Flemming, told Teesside Live the incident was merely a ‘storm in a teacup’ and that it is common practice for staff to shout if someone is in potential danger on the course.”
“A trader is fuming about replacement tropical tree planters near his business, but the head of Penzance BID has branded the matter ‘a storm in a teacup.’”
The phrase apparently dates back to the 19th century, although a similar phrase, “a storm in a cream bowl” dates back to the 1670s [1].
The North American version of this phrase “a tempest in a teapot” is also regularly used.
e.g. “It was a tempest in a teapot. There was no excess of any eye problem in those patients.”
[1] Cresswell, Julia. “tea” in The Oxford Dictionary of Word Origins. Oxford University Press, 2009.
Photo credit: Petra Bensted
No comments:
Post a Comment