stɜːr ʌp ə ˈhɔːrnɪts nest
Animals
informal
intermediate
- Literally:
- Disturbing a nest of hornets
What does "stir up a hornets' nest" mean?
- To create a lot of trouble or controversy
- To provoke a strong, angry reaction
Examples
- His comments stirred up a hornets' nest on social media.
- Be careful not to stir up a hornets' nest with that question.
- She stirred up a hornets' nest by questioning the policy.
Origin
From the danger of disturbing hornets, which will swarm and sting aggressively when their nest is disturbed.
How to use it
Usually a warning about consequences. The reaction is predictably hostile.
Similar expressions
cause trouble
provoke reaction
open a can of worms
Opposites
keep the peace
let sleeping dogs lie
avoid conflict
Related idioms
- kill two birds with one stone
To accomplish two goals with a single action
- let the cat out of the bag
To reveal a secret accidentally
- elephant in the room
An obvious problem or issue that everyone is aware of but no one wants to discuss
- don't count your chickens before they hatch
Don't assume success before it actually happens
- hold your horses
To wait and be patient
- fish out of water
Someone who feels awkward or uncomfortable in a particular situation
Use it in a practice answer
Try "stir up a hornets' nest" in a CELPIP-style Speaking or Writing task. The AI feedback tells you whether your word choice worked.