Talk:Tempest in a teapot

Chinese equivalent saying or phrase inaccurate

Chinese: 茶杯裡的風波、茶壺裡的風暴 (winds and waves in a teacup; storm in a teapot) -- This is merely a direct translation; Chinese speakers would not understand the meaning. 60.248.6.24 (talk) 01:55, 11 July 2018 (UTC)BLM

I've noticed the same thing in Russian and Bulgarian versions as well. It's just a direct translation and it's unlikely to be used in a general conversation or a book.

Multicus (talk) 11:14, 8 October 2024 (UTC)

Removal of "storm in a potty"

I think this edit was probably vandalism because:

• I could not find this phrase anywhere except where it was picked up from Wikipedia
• The anon who added it in December, fact tagged it at the same time. Cardamon (talk) 06:42, 3 February 2009 (UTC)

American name

Why is the american phrase used here? The article clearly states that the british phrase predates it by hundreds of years, yet according to the disambiguation the british phrase is a variant of the american one. Unless I have a complete misunderstanding of spacetime, these two are mutually exclusive. I think it's pretty clear that the article should be renamed to "Storm in a teacup", the article changed to reflect this, and the current "Storm in a teacup" (which is a disambiguation, to "Storm in a teacup (disambiguation)". I'd do this myself but I'm an IP user; so please, can someone the pages for me, using WP:BOLD, thanks. --22:20, 27 April 2010 (UTC)

Is this a storm in a teacup? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 84.13.35.198 (talk) 10:31, 14 May 2010 (UTC)

To me, it makes absolutely no sense to have the later phrase be the name of the article, especially as the British English version is clearly also in use by Americans, as shown by the Red Hot Chili Peppers song cited in the article. Again, I would change it myself but I don't know how. Howtheocritushadsung (talk) 11:48, 24 April 2011 (UTC)

Indeed, I am an American who has never heard of the supposed "American" version; "storm" is the universally familiar English phrase. The article should be moved to "storm". 184.77.159.253 (talk) 02:04, 28 June 2011 (UTC)

I agree with all of the above - if I knew how I'd change it, but perhaps somebody else could? Stands to reason the American version can't be more well known - nobody drinks tea like the British!! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.113.167.76 (talk) 09:36, 26 October 2011 (UTC)

Moved, per discussion and WP:BOLD. Ma®©usBritish ^{[Chat • RFF]} 18:21, 27 November 2011 (UTC)

I'm a big fan of WP:BOLD! But sometimes it can mean we have to reverse ourselves later. All the comments supporting the move are based on false "facts" in the WP article that are clearly not supported by the references. The references do not say that the British version is the original or that it is over 300 years old, only that it is the "current" British version. Instead they say there were "other versions" over 300 years old, and then separately say that the British prefer "storm in a teacup", listing it in merely as a variation of "tempest in a teapot". In fact, from the references in the Wikipedia article, a British author says: "Of the two best-known versions tempest in a teapot seems to be the older version", even though he personally uses "storm in a teacup". Here is another link that lists 2 separate references (as early as 1820) quoting the British Lord Chancellor Thurlow as using "tempest in a teapot" sometime during his tenure of 1783-1792.

This article move really needs to be reverted asap. --Tom Hulse (talk) 19:34, 11 December 2011 (UTC)

Any more comments before I start moving things back and fixing the errors in the article? All the comments supporting the move were based false facts not in the references, except for the Red Hot Chili Peppers comments which is incorrect in that it only shows 1 American person's version, not all, and it could have been one of the authors of the song who speaks Australian English. -- Tom Hulse (talk) 17:43, 26 December 2011 (UTC)

I'm from Canada and have never heard anything other than "tempest in a teapot". Also, re Tagalog, how does "flower of the tongue" connect to this expression?77Mike77 (talk) 05:38, 27 September 2013 (UTC)

Should be at storm. Just went looking for that page, had never heard of tempest before. Not British or American.

All Greek to me

I would challenge the Greek version of this saying on the grounds that the meaning is different. "Drown in a spoon of water" probably, IMO, means to make a stupid mistake. Korean has a similar aphorism, "drown in a platter of water," which means...to make a stupid mistake. Tito john (talk) 12:56, 7 October 2013 (UTC)