Example
“A hiring freeze plus a market crash created the perfect storm.”
Dictionary details
Related idioms
Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.
the calm before the storm
Neutral · CEFR B2
a quiet period immediately before trouble, intense activity, or chaos
weather the storm
Neutral · CEFR B2
survive a difficult period without suffering lasting damage
make or break
Neutral · CEFR B2
to be the single decisive factor between success and failure
when it rains it pours
Informal · CEFR C1
when problems come, they come all at once
can of worms
Informal · CEFR B1
a complicated problem that causes trouble the moment it is touched
domino effect
Neutral · CEFR B1
a chain reaction in which one event triggers a series of similar events
Source methodology
Meanings, register, CEFR, and examples come from the reviewed dictionary record. Expression notes may describe a reviewed present-day word picture or a background note; they are not presented as verified etymology.