# alarums and excursions

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/alarums-and-excursions
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

Any frantic activity.

## Examples

- The kitchen was full of alarums and excursions before the dinner party.
- Moving day always involves plenty of alarums and excursions for the whole family.
- The backstage area is full of alarums and excursions before the play starts.
- Between the broken pipes and the leaking roof, the morning was filled with alarums and excursions.
- The airport terminal was a scene of alarums and excursions after the sudden cancellation of every international flight.
- We expected a quiet wedding, but the day turned into alarums and excursions when the rings went missing.
- The hospital hallway was a blur of alarums and excursions as the medical team rushed to help the new patients.
- The office descended into a state of alarums and excursions as the team scrambled to meet the impossible deadline.

## Origin

From a Shakespearean stage direction, the phrase indicates the specific moment when soldiers were required to march across the stage to the accompaniment of bugles and the beating of drums. It served as a functional cue for military noise and movement during the staging of his histories and tragedies.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.