war cloud

something that threatens war; a harbinger of conflict.

Origin of war cloud

First recorded in 1820–30

The war-cloud had settled on the isthmus of Schleswig-Holstein.

Chats on Royal Copenhagen Porcelain |Arthur Hayden
A war-cloud, as large as Kruger's hand, has just risen in the South, and is spreading itself over the whole world.

The Hill |Horace Annesley Vachell
A war-cloud over-shadowed the two great divisions of the yellow race.

The Wings of the Morning |Louis Tracy
He had tried to stay the wild storm of secession when the war-cloud hung gloomily over his state.

Voyage of the Paper Canoe |Nathaniel H. Bishop

When the war-cloud burst every German was promptly expelled from Antwerp.

Fighting in Flanders |E. Alexander Powell