What do You Mean by the expression ‘Storm in a Teacup’?

Storm in a teacup means a big fuss about something trivial; any small matter blown out of proportion.

This expression was first used in 52 BCE in the writings of Cicero. He used it to point out a trivial matter that caused disproportionate disturbance and uproar.

A synonym of this expression is “much ado about nothing”.

Let’s see an example —

“I can’t believe the boss raised a storm in a teacup over this. I was late by only five minutes.”

The boss made a big issue of such a trivial matter.

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Hi, I am Gauri Shanker, a Vocab teacher and enthusiast. I teach vocabulary in a fun and engaging way. You can check out my courses here.