lull before the storm

lull before the storm

A period of inactivity or tranquility before something chaotic begins. Likened to a literal period of calm before a storm begins. Oh, this is the lull before the storm—the dinner rush will turn this place into a mad house.
See also: before, lull, storm
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

lull before the storm

 and calm before the storm
a quiet period just before a period of great activity or excitement. (Literal in reference to weather.) It was very quiet in the cafeteria just before the students came in for lunch. It was the lull before the storm. In the brief calm before the storm, the clerks prepared themselves for the doors to open and bring in thousands of shoppers.
See also: before, lull, storm
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.

the lull (or calm) before the storm

a period of unusual tranquillity or stability that seems likely to presage difficult times.
See also: before, lull, storm
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary

the ˌcalm/ˌlull before the ˈstorm

(saying) a period of unnatural calm before an attack, violent activity, etc: What the country was experiencing was not peace, but just the calm before another storm.
See also: before, calm, lull, storm
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • the lull before the storm
  • be in the calm before the storm
  • in the calm before the storm
  • the calm before the storm
  • the calm/lull before the storm
  • calm before the storm
  • calm before the storm, the
  • halcyon days
  • take a nap
  • the party is over
References in periodicals archive
'Let the handshake not be the lull before the storm,' he said.
Kaparo blames politicians for NCIC's failures, says Kenyans still divided
Maybe it's the lull before the storm? Events that occur next will be far from dull.
STARS
Maybe it's the lull before the storm. Events that occur next will be far from dull.
stars
Maybe, it's the lull before the storm? Events that occur next will be far from dull.
Justin Toper YOUR HOROSCOPE WITH
Dear readers, "the lull before the storm" is over, and expect the "tempests of town" will continue hovering above, and there's no telling when they will veer off!
What to watch for this week
One should have read the doctrine along with General Bajwa's repeated reiterations that the army does not pose any threat to democracy - notwithstanding one's lurking fears in the current atmosphere of eerie lull before the storm, dispelling of doom and gloom when elections are around the corner - is just the need of the hour.
Lethal perceptions
New Delhi must be careful not to mistake the lull before the storm in Kashmir.
Skating on thin ice in Kashmir
The lull before the storm of leather that will be"Showtime".
Davis is ready for the beast of a challenge
Apparently the lull before the storm! Is Chinnamma going to be the new power centre in Tamil Nadu?
'Amma Domini'
Chief executive Renate Samson said: "Whilst the findings of this report appear encouraging, the reduction in spending may be nothing more than a lull before the storm of more intrusive, biometric or 3D cameras appearing on our streets.
CCTV cameras switched off as budget slashed
"We are considering the socalled 'lull before the storm effect' (a period of mild activity for Mayon Volcano before the big one) amid minimum activity of Mayon.
Mayon still active, says Phivolcs exec
Lull before the storm: post card of trippers on the prom at Cliftonville, Kent, sent on eve of war
August 3, 1914: the end of the world as we know it. Tomorrow war would be declared... and our lives changed for ever
Although life was normal in Ain al-Hilweh Sunday morning, residents in the teeming camp, located on the outskirts of the southern city of Sidon, feared that the current calm was just a lull before the storm.
Tension between rival Islamists puts Ain al-Hilweh on edge
ySTANBUL (CyHAN)- Late last week I had reason to drop in on the hotel next door in the lull before the storm that was to be the Christmas and New Year festive season.
Broadening the mind