tempest in a teacup
Storm over nothing
A tempest in a teacup is a disproportionate reaction to a minor matter—great agitation over something trivial.
The image is of a violent storm contained in something as small as a teacup: The whole controversy was a tempest in a teacup.
The American variant is "tempest in a teapot."
- overreactionDisproportionate emotional response
- big dealImportant matter or occurrence
- drama queenHabitual emotional exaggerator
- frivolityUnserious, lighthearted conduct
- triflesInsignificant things
making a mountain · small potatoes · insignificance · indignation · getting worked up · minutiae · calm down · cool your jets · melodrama · fluster · hyperbole · brouhaha · agitation · impatience · de-escalate · anxiety · frustration · irritation
tempest in a teacupexistential threat
Peril to survival itself
matter of life and death · watershed moment · cataclysm · apocalypse · seismic shift
tempest in a teacuptip of the iceberg
Visible portion suggesting hidden mass
elephant in the room · perfect storm · powder keg · well-founded fear · the big picture
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