English Explanatory Dictionary

flutter in the dovecote

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. A disturbance, usually one caused within a group of people who are generally placid and unexcited.

Pronunciation

/ˌflʌtə ɪn‿ðə ˈdʌvkɒt/ /ˌflʌtɚ ɪn‿ðə ˈdʌvkɑt/ [-ɾɚ-] LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-flutter in the dovecote.wav

Word forms

flutter in the dovecote

Etymology

Probably from flutter the dovecote, 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.”

Related words

flutter the dovecot flutter the dovecote flutter the dovecotes put the cat among the pigeons kerfuffle
This entry uses open data from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA/GFDL). Word forms are used for search and are not indexed as separate pages.
Back to search All on F Russian dictionary Dahl dictionary