stir up a hornet's nest

stir up a hornet's nest

Meaning

• It means to cause an upheaval.
• A commotion which possibly ends in anger and frustration.

Example Sentences

1. When the auditor asked for more evidences, the treasury department stirred up a Hornet's nest because they did not have more. This is how the fraud was actually revealed.
2. He always comes home and stirs up a Hornet's nest when his school day has not gone well. His mother then makes something nice to eat for him to calm down.
3. It is a shame that every time such an atrocious act happens it stirs up a Hornet's nest. Instead women should be provided with more protection and security that such incidents do not take place at all.
4. The lawyer stirred up a Hornet's nest when his client was not released even after he had provided the bail papers. He called the judge directly to speak about the matter.

Origin
The phrase dates back from the 1700's and relates to the anger that hornets show as a metaphor to causing a commotion. The exact literary origin is unavailable but the phrase has been used by many authors for fictional as well as non-fictional work.