Idiom
flutter the dovecote
Meaning
To create a disturbance, usually within a group of people who are generally placid and unexcited.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“His sudden announcement really fluttered the dovecote.”
“You flutter the dovecote whenever you bring your loud dog into this quiet library.”
“My bold question about salaries always flutters the dovecote at these boring office meetings.”
“The arrival of the unexpected audit notice fluttered the dovecote among the quiet accounting staff.”
“The young intern really flutters the dovecote when she suggests that the senior partners should stop using paper files entirely.”
“A surprise guest at the wedding flutters the dovecote among the relatives who expected a very small, private ceremony.”
“The radical proposal from the new director fluttered the dovecote, causing a stir among the long-serving members who preferred the status quo.”
Examples
simple
“His sudden announcement really fluttered the dovecote.”
“You flutter the dovecote whenever you bring your loud dog into this quiet library.”
“My bold question about salaries always flutters the dovecote at these boring office meetings.”
contextual
“The arrival of the unexpected audit notice fluttered the dovecote among the quiet accounting staff.”
“The young intern really flutters the dovecote when she suggests that the senior partners should stop using paper files entirely.”
“A surprise guest at the wedding flutters the dovecote among the relatives who expected a very small, private ceremony.”
complex
“The radical proposal from the new director fluttered the dovecote, causing a stir among the long-serving members who preferred the status quo.”
Origin
Possibly from Coriolanus (written c. 1608–1609; published 1623) by the English playwright William Shakespeare (1564–1616), Act V, scene vi (spelling modernized): “[L]ike an eagle in a dovecote, I / Fluttered your Volcians in Corioles.”
Key words
Related idioms
- Updated