tempest in a teapot

Idioms and Phrases

Also, tempest in a teacup . A great disturbance or uproar over a matter of little or no importance. For example, All that because a handful of the thousand invited guests didn't show up? What a tempest in a teapot! This expression has appeared in slightly different forms for more than 300 years. Among the variations are storm in a cream bowl, tempest in a glass of water , and storm in a hand-wash basin . The British prefer storm in a teacup . The current American forms were first recorded in 1854. For a synonym, see much ado about nothing .