stir up a hornet's nest
In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.
Meaning · English
To provoke a situation that causes a great deal of trouble or anger.
Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt
Kích động một tình huống gây ra nhiều rắc rối hoặc tức giận
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Register: neutral
Sources & notes
Curated everyday-idiom list, site editorial 2026-07-30.
Common questions
What does “stir up a hornet's nest” mean?
To provoke a situation that causes a great deal of trouble or anger.
Is “stir up a hornet's nest” formal or informal?
stir up a hornet's nest is generally neutral.