teacup

[ tee-kuhp ]
/ ˈtiˌkʌp /

noun

a cup in which tea is served, usually of small or moderate size.
a teacupful.

Idioms for teacup

    tempest in a teacup/teapot, a disturbance or uproar about little or nothing: The fight over who should become the next assistant treasurer of the organization is just a tempest in a teacup. Also storm in a teacup.

Origin of teacup

First recorded in 1690–1700; tea + cup

Words nearby teacup

teaching fellow, teaching fellowship, teaching hospital, teaching machine, teaching practice, teacup, teacupful, teagarden, teahouse, teak, teakettle

British Dictionary definitions for tempest in a teapot

teacup
/ (ˈtiːˌkʌp) /

noun

a cup out of which tea may be drunk, larger than a coffee cup
Also called: teacupful the amount a teacup will hold, about four fluid ounces

Idioms and Phrases with tempest in a teapot

tempest in a teapot

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.