English for Students

English Phrases : Storm in Teacup

What is the meaning of Storm in Teacup?

Supposing a storm started brewing in your teacup. Would you get scared? Probably not. How big a storm can be created in a small teacup, anyway? Not big at all. So when you say that the commotion that someone created was a storm in a teacup, what you mean is that the excitement and commotion was over some very trivial matter. It was uproar over practically nothing.

Here are a few examples:

• The fight that Sumatra and Rosie had wasn't anything serious, just a storm in a teacup.

• Don't worry about the silly row. It was just a storm in a teacup.

Americans tend to say tempest in a teapot.