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Glite Dictionary
handbags at dawn

handbags at dawn

9.8
A small, silly argument where people make a big show about a minor issue
  • idiom
  • UK
translation icon : pelea trivial
  • The two politicians had a handbags at dawn moment during the debate, with each exaggerating their points.

Examples

  • It was handbags at dawn or something.

  • When they started arguing over who was right, it quickly turned into handbags at dawn.

  • Their disagreement felt like handbags at dawn, full of dramatic gestures but lacking real substance.

How Serious

to fight
∞ 1.0
argument
617 2.3
handbags at dawn
  • UK
9.8
to tiff
  • Informal
6.8

Surface Forms

handbags at dawn singular
handbags at dawns plural

Morphology

handbag + at + dawn

The overall sense 'a petty or melodramatic quarrel' is not predictable from the literal meanings of 'handbag' (a personal bag) and 'dawn' (sunrise) — the phrase relies on a jocular, culturally specific image (mock dueling with handbags) rather than transparent composition. A B1 learner who knows the individual words but has not encountered the idiom would not reliably infer this figurative sense.

Etymology

Handbags at dawn paints a funny picture of a duel at dawn where people wave handbags instead of swords. One popular story says this silly image mocks formal fights, so the phrase now means 'a minor or silly quarrel'.