stirred the pot
Incited ongoing conflict
Stirred the pot is the past tense of stir the pot, meaning to deliberately provoke conflict or controversy, often by raising contentious issues or spreading gossip.
The image is of agitating something that had settled: She stirred the pot by mentioning his ex at dinner.
The stirring may be mischievous or strategic—some people stir the pot for entertainment, others to expose tensions already present.
- tensionStretched or strained state
- rumorUnconfirmed circulating story
- angerIntense hostile emotion
- instigateCause to begin
- rileAnger through irritation
debate · play devil's advocate · discord · sow discord · gossip · provoke · scheming · incite · fan the flames · maneuvering · unsettle · controversy · agitate · influencing · troublemaker · drama queen · frustration · bad blood
stirred the potmade peace
Resolved a dispute
kept the peace · poured oil on troubled waters · built bridges · mediated · mended fences
stirred the potlet sleeping dogs lie
Avoid rekindling dormant issues
kept quiet · stood aside · bit one's tongue · held one's peace · kept one's head down