Phrase guide

flutter the dovecote

verb · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • Received-Pronunciation: /ˌflʌtə ðə ˈdʌvkɒt/
  • General-American: /ˌflʌtɚ ðə ˈdʌvkɑt/
  • General-American: [-ɾɚ-]

1

verb

Meaning 1

To create a disturbance, usually within a group of people who are generally placid and unexcited.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: idiomatic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

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.”

Across languages

Translations

2 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Polish: robić zamieszanie — to create a disturbance, usually within a group of people who are generally placid and unexcited
  • Polish: zrobić zamieszanie — to create a disturbance, usually within a group of people who are generally placid and unexcited