Do you know what the idiom ‘a storm in a teacup’ means? If something is ‘a storm in a teacup’, it is a small problem that people are too worried or upset about. In other words, the problem is smaller than people think. It’s also said as ‘a storm in a teapot’, ‘a tempest in a teapot’ (US) or ‘make a mountain out of a molehill’.
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This idiom is often used in informal situations to calm people down about something unimportant. It is also sometimes used to tease people when they get upset about small things.
Here are some examples:
Mum won’t be angry for long, it’s only a storm in a teacup.
I think you’re making a storm in a teacup over this, it’s just a small scratch on the car.
Don’t worry about your mistake, it’s a storm in a teacup. Everyone will have forgotten about it by tomorrow.
Have you ever made ‘a storm in a teacup’ over something?
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Extra tip! Be careful not to mistake this idiom with the idiom ‘not my cup of tea’. ‘Not my cup of tea’ means something you don’t like doing, for example, Going to live concerts isn’t my cup of tea. I don’t like big crowds. |
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