tempest in a teapot

Idioms  

1. 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.

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Example Sentences

Is it just another tempest in a teapot?

From Salon

So is all of this a, well, tempest in a teapot?

From New York Times

The whole thing is a tempest in a teapot.

From Slate

“When you think about everything else going on in the world, there’s a side of it that sort of looks like a tempest in a teapot,” Mr. Rutledge, the Georgia dean, said.

From New York Times

“This is a tempest in a teapot and another cheap shot at these people because of who they work for.”

From Washington Post