Une tempête dans un verre d'eau
Meaning: A great commotion over something trivial.
Language: French
Literally: A storm in a glass of water
Category: Nature
Origin: Montesquieu is credited with saying it of political turmoil in San Marino, a republic small enough to make the scale comic. English says a storm in a teacup, or a tempest in a teapot.
More idioms — Nature
- Contre vents et marées — In the face of every obstacle.
- Autant en emporte le vent — Said of promises and words that will come to nothing.
- Aller à vau-l'eau — To fall into ruin; to drift towards collapse.
- Se mettre au vert — To retreat to the countryside to rest or lie low.
- Une volée de bois vert — A severe and public dressing-down.
- Le ventre mou — The weakest and most exposed part of something.
More French idioms
- Rendre son tablier — To resign, usually in protest.
- Sans tambour ni trompette — Discreetly, without any announcement.
- Prendre la tangente — To slip away, or to dodge a question.
- Partir à Tataouine — To be packed off somewhere remote and unpleasant.
- Un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l'auras — A certain small gain beats a larger promised one.
- Mieux vaut tenir que courir — Better to keep what you have than chase what you might get.
From our compliments & insults
- T'as pas inventé le fil à couper le beurre — You're not exactly a genius — the wire to cut butter is about the most obvious tool imagi…
- Tête de mule — An impossibly stubborn person who refuses to change their mind no matter what.
- C'est une vraie chèvre — They're hopelessly stubborn and infuriating — a goat that refuses to be moved.
Browse all compliments & insults →
Loading the full interactive collection…