stir up a hornet's nest

1. To create, provoke, or trigger a dangerous, troublesome, or complicated situation. The government's military interventions really just stirred up 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 up a hornet's nest among environmentalists.

See also: nest, stir, up

stir up a hornet's nest

Fig. to create a lot of trouble. (Fig. on stir something up .) If you say that to her, you will be stirring up a hornet's nest. There is no need to stir up a hornet's nest.

See also: nest, stir, up

stir up a hornets' nest

Make trouble, cause a commotion, as in Asking for an audit of the treasurer's books stirred up a hornets' nest in the association. This metaphoric term, likening hornets to angry humans, dates from the first half of the 1700s.

See also: nest, stir, up

stir up a hornet's nest

If you stir up a hornet's nest, you do something that makes a lot of people very upset and angry. He has been asking a lot of questions and stirring up a hornet's nest around town. I seem to have stirred up a hornet's nest with my article about the teaching of Shakespeare in schools. Note: Sometimes people just talk about a hornet's nest. It's not that companies are unaware of illegal software. It's more that they are scared of uncovering a hornet's nest — they would simply rather not know. Wasserman had no idea what a hornet's nest he was stepping into. Note: A hornet is a large wasp with a powerful sting.

See also: nest, stir, up

References in periodicals archive ?

I don't want to stir up a hornet's nest, but if I was a black person and people called me names it would be classed as racist and the offenders could be arrested for it.

Why pick on people like me?

I KNOW this may stir up a hornet's nest but I still really admire Rooney.

Your SHOUT: Rooney did us all a favour

I knew, when I wrote about my teenage weight problem last week, that I'd stir up a hornet's nest.

Fiona: Your shout

Did not most of us learn as children not to stir up a hornet's nest and is that not what the hawks in the Bush administration have done?

PUBLIC FORUM FAULTY SYSTEM

The languid Venus is a "demonic phantom," and the children represent "nightmare terrors" (141) who are about to stir up a hornet's nest as they obscenely play with lance and conch shell.

Inventing the Renaissance Putto.

There is no meat on the bones yet and all David Moffett has done is to stir up a hornet's nest.