the calm before the storm
/ðə ˌkɑːm bɪˌfɔː ðə ˈstɔːm/NEUTRAL · C1
Meaning
a quiet period just before trouble or great activity
Examples
- 1The office is quiet this morning, but it's the calm before the storm: the auditors arrive at noon.
- 2The first week of the school holidays was the calm before the storm; then all four cousins came to stay.
- 3Enjoy the empty shop while you can — it's the calm before the storm, and the sale starts at nine.
- 4Everyone slept well the night before the big move, but it was only the calm before the storm.
- 5Dad went very still when he opened the phone bill — the calm before the storm, we all knew.
Grammar
Usually after be or feel like. Keep the before both nouns; calm is a noun here.
More idioms about weather
All 20 idioms and the topic quiz →take a rain checkto refuse an invitation politely but suggest another timeevery cloud has a silver liningthere is something good in every bad situationweather the stormto get through a difficult period without serious harmcome rain or shinewhatever happens, in any conditionshave your head in the cloudsto be dreamy and not think about practical thingssteal your thunderto take the attention or praise that someone else expected
English Idioms400 idioms in 20 topics — with reviews that keep them from fading
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