fazer uma tempestade num copo de água
Meaning: To make an excessive fuss over something trivial.
Language: Portuguese
Literally: to make a storm in a glass of water
Category: Nature
Origin: The phrase depicts the absurdity of creating a tempest within an impossibly small space, emphasizing the disproportionate reaction to a minor matter.
Equivalents in other languages
- English: a storm in a teacup — literally: a storm in a teacup
- French: Une tempête dans un verre d'eau — literally: A storm in a glass of water
More idioms — Nature
- in het water vallen — for a plan or undertaking to fail or fall through.
- in de kiem smoren — To nip something in the bud; to stop a problem before it grows.
- vuur met vuur bestrijden — to counter a harmful action using the same method or intensity.
- ta sig vatten över huvudet — Get in over one's head; take on more than one can manage.
- tidens tand — The slow decay and wearing away of things through the passage of time, the gradual damage…
- djungelns lag — Survival of the fittest; a state of lawlessness where brutal competition and violence det…
More Portuguese idioms
- dar um tiro no pé — To harm oneself through one's own actions; to undermine one's own interests.
- sujo falando do mal lavado — Hypocritical criticism from someone guilty of the same fault being criticized.
- pôr os pontos nos is — To clarify a matter by spelling out details explicitly.
- Engolir sapos — To put up with unpleasant things without complaining.
- Pagar o pato — To take the blame for something you didn't do.
- Descascar o abacaxi — To solve a very difficult, thorny problem.
From our tongue twisters
- A aranha arranha a rã. A rã arranha a aranha. — Contrasts the soft single r of aranha against the hard rolled rr of arranha — one letter…
- O rato roeu a roupa do rei de Roma; a rainha com raiva roeu o resto. — An unstoppable 'r' trill drill — every key word begins or ends with the Portuguese r.
- Um tigre, dois tigres, três tigres tristes triscam trigo num trigal. — A 'tr' cluster drill that adds a sad adjective to make the alliteration worse.