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 • Oct. 28, 2024

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

From Washington Post • Dec. 5, 2022

It makes Warren G. Harding’s Teapot Dome scandal look like, well, a tempest in a teapot.

From New York Times • Jan. 5, 2019

As far as controversy over the Goldwater rule, it’s a tempest in a teapot to me.

From The Verge • Sep. 2, 2017

Much ado about nothing and a tempest in a teapot.

From Wild Justice by Sprague, Ruth M.