stir a hornet's nest
stir a hornet's nest
1. To create, provoke, or trigger a dangerous, troublesome, or complicated situation. The government's military interventions really just stirred a hornet's nest in the region.
2. To provoke or instigate a lot of very angry or offended reactions. The politician's off-the-cuff remark about pollution stirred a hornet's nest among environmentalists.
See also: nest, stir
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
- stir up a hornet's nest
- stir up a hornets' nest
- a hornet's nest
- a hornets' nest
- hornet's nest
- get (someone) out of a fix
- get out of a fix
- be in deep water
- in deep water