Phrase guide

mountain in labour

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

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noun

Meaning 1

A mighty preparation with very small results.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

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Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

An allusion to a line from the Ancient Roman poet Horace: "parturiunt montes, nascetur ridiculus mus".

Word forms

Inflections and variants

mountains in labour — plural

Word family

Derived and related words

Derived: none provided

Related: none provided

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