stir up a hornets' nest
Make trouble, cause a commotion, as in Asking for an audit of the treasurer's books stirred up a hornets' nest in the association. This metaphoric term, likening hornets to angry humans, dates from the first half of the 1700s.
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Nearby words
- stipulatory,
- stipule,
- stipuliform,
- stir,
- stir up,
- stir-crazy,
- stir-fried,
- stir-fry,
- stir-frying,
- stir.
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.