Storm in a teacup
Storm in a teacup (in British English), tempest in a teapot (in American English) is an idiom meaning a small event that has been exaggerated out of proportion.[1] There are also lesser known variants, such as storm in a cream bowl, storm in a hand-wash basin, tempest in a glass of water,[2] and storm in a glass of water.
The American English version of the phrase first appeared in print in the January 1838 edition of the defunct The United States Democratic Review regarding the Supreme Court. "This collegiate tempest in a teapot might serve for the lads of the University to moot; but, surely, was unworthy the solemn adjudication attempted for it."[3] The usage of the British English storm in a teacup is the original and more widely used version and predates this with variations dating back over three hundred years.[4]
Both the American and British phrases are long preceded by Cicero's Latin "Excitabat enim fluctus in simpulo".[5] The phrase, translated literally, reads: "He was stirring up waves in a ladle".
Other languages
A similar phrase exists in numerous other languages:
- Arabic: زوبعة في فنجان (a storm in a cup)
- Bulgarian: Буря в чаша вода Burya v chasha voda (storm in a glass of water)
- Chinese: 茶杯裡的風波、茶壺裡的風暴 (winds and waves in a teacup; storm in a teapot)
- Czech: Bouře ve sklenici vody (a storm in a glass of water)
- Danish: En storm i et glas vand (a storm in a glass of water)
- Dutch: Storm in een glas water (a storm in a glass of water)
- Esperanto: Granda frakaso en malgranda glaso (a large storm in a small glass)
- Estonian: Torm veeklaasis (storm in a glass of water)
- Finnish: Myrsky vesilasissa (storm in a glass of water)
- French: une tempête dans un verre d'eau (a storm in a glass of water)
- German: ein Sturm im Wasserglas (a storm in a glass of water)
- Greek: πνιγόμαστε σε μια κουταλιά νερό (to drown in a spoon of water)
- Hebrew: סערה בכוס תה Se'arah bekos teh (storm in a teacup)
- Hungarian: Vihar a biliben (a storm in the potty)
- Icelandic: Stormur í vatnsglasi (a storm in a glass of water)
- Italian: una tempesta in un bicchiere d'acqua (a storm in a glass of water)
- Japanese: コップの中の嵐 koppu no naka no arashi (a storm in a glass)
- Latin: Excitare fluctus in simpulo (to stir up waves in a ladle)
- Latvian: vētra ūdens glāzē (storm in a tea cup)
- Lithuanian: Audra stiklinėje (storm in a glass)
- Norwegian: Storm í et vannglass (a storm in a glass of water)
- Polish: Burza w szklance wody (a storm in a glass of water)
- Portuguese: Tempestade em copo d'água / Uma tempesta num copo d'água (storm in a glass of water / a tempest in a glass of water)
- Romanian: Furtună într-un pahar cu apă (storm in a glass of water)
- Russian: Буря в стакане burya v stakane (a tempest in a glass)
- Spanish: Una tormenta en un vaso de agua (a storm in a glass of water)
- Swedish: Storm i ett vattenglas (storm in a glass of water)
- Turkish: Bir kaşık suda fırtına (storm in a spoon of water)
- Telugu: Tea kappu lo thufaanu (storm in a tea cup)
- Ukrainian: Буря в склянці води (a tempest in a glass of water) - Transliteration: Buria v sklyantsi vody
Music and Art References
See also
References
- ^ Using English - Storm in a teacup accessed 20 May 2007
- ^ Christine Ammer, The American Heritage dictionary of idioms, p647, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 1997 ISBN 039572774X, 9780395727744
- ^ World Wide Words - Tempest in a teapot, accessed 23 December 2006
- ^ Eric Partridge, A Dictionary of Cliches, p426, Edition 5, Publisher Routledge, 1978 ,ISBN 0415065550, 9780415065559
- ^ De Legibus, III, 16