English Reference
Idiom idiom

teething trouble


Synonym of teething troubles.

Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.


SIMPLE

The new software has a few teething troubles.

My new coffee machine has a bit of teething trouble with the water filter.

CONTEXTUAL

We expected some teething troubles when we first opened the restaurant, but everything is running smoothly now.

The new bus route is popular, but we are dealing with some teething trouble regarding the weekend schedule and driver shifts.

Most couples experience some teething trouble when they first move in together and have to share a small kitchen.

COMPLEX

Although the project faced significant teething troubles during the initial launch phase, the team successfully resolved the technical errors within the first month.


The term is a nineteenth-century metaphor drawn from the physiological process of a child's first teeth erupting through the gums. As the physical event is frequently accompanied by a degree of fever, restlessness, and general irritability, the phrase was adopted into wider English usage to denote the initial difficulties or minor malfunctions encountered during the early stages of a new project or the first operation of a machine.


Related idioms8entries
  1. 01

    borrow trouble

    To worry about future events not in one's control and that may not come to pass.

  2. 02

    bridge over troubled waters

    Someone or something that provides support, comfort, and a means to overcome difficult times.

  3. 03

    fish in troubled waters

    To try to take advantage of a confused or troubled situation.

  4. 04

    pour oil on troubled waters

    To calm, appease or quiet a person or situation.

  5. 05

    teething issues

    Synonym of teething troubles.

  6. 06

    teething problem

    A problem encountered with any new and untried product, system, or venture.

  7. 07

    teething troubles

    Problems that are to be expected with any new and untried product, system, or venture.

  8. 08

    trouble at mill

    Problems outside the household, especially in the workplace.

Last updated August 10, 2026