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Tempest in a teapot (in American English) or storm in a teacup (in British 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 and tempest in a glass of water.^[2]

The American English version of the phrase first appears in print in the January 1838 edition of the defunct The United States Democratic Review, in an article regarding the Supreme Court. To quote: "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 predates this with British variations dating back over three hundred years.^[4]

Both the American English and British English phrases are long preceded by Cicero's Latin "Excitabat enim fluctus in simpulo".^[5] The phrase, translated literally, reads: "He was stirring up billows in a ladle".^{[citation needed]}

Other languages

A similar phrase exists in numerous other languages:

• Czech: Bouře ve sklenici vody
• Dutch: Storm in een glas water
• Esperanto: Granda frakaso en malgranda glaso (a large storm in a small glass)
• Estonian: Torm veeklaasis
• Finnish: Myrsky vesilasissa
• French: une tempête dans un verre d'eau (a storm in a glass of water)
• German: ein Sturm im Wasserglas (a storm in a water glass)
• Hungarian: Vihar a biliben
• Icelandic: Stormur í vatnsglasi
• Italian: tempesta in un bicchiere d'acqua
• Latin: Excitare fluctus in simpulo
• Latvian: ētra ūdens glāzē
• Lithuanian: Audra stiklinėje
• 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)
• Russian: Буря в стакане
• Spanish: Una tormenta en un vaso de agua (A storm in a glass of water)

See also

• American and British English differences

References