Stirring the Pot
Meaning
Stirring the pot is an idiomatic phrase, used to describe a third party, meddling in the feud of two people or groups, with the aim of creating more chaos.
It is a metaphorical reference to a stew, where most of the ingredients settle at the bottom overtime, waiting to be “brought up” by someone.
Origin
The exact origin of the phrase is unknown, however early documentations of it appear as far back as the 1770’s.
While “stirring the pot” has been brewing for a lot of time, it truly started seeing widespread usage following the turn of the 20th century.
Spread and Usage
“Stirring the pot” has become a recognizable idiom all over the Anglosphere, further embedded by the common imagery of witches, brewing deadly potions maliciously in a pot, frequently appearing in the Disney classics of the 1900’s.
It was first defined on Urban Dictionary in 2007.
External References
- Coworkinginsights.com – Stir the Pot
- Grammarist.com – Stir the pot
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