alarm bell

alarm bell

A sudden warning or intimation of danger, risk, or ill fortune. (Often pluralized.) Alarm bells were going off in my head when I saw the panicked expression on her face. The new report set alarm bells ringing among the board members because it forecasts a large decrease in enrollment. A: "Her new boyfriend's anger management issues don't seem to be setting off an alarm bell for her." B: "Yikes, the situation is worse than I thought."
See also: alarm, bell
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2024 Farlex, Inc, all rights reserved.
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