to raise a tempest in a tea-pot

fluctus, ūs (ante-class. form of the gen. sing. fluctuis, Varr. and Nigid. ap. Gell. 4, 16, 1; nom. plur. flucti, Pac. and Att. ap. Non. 488, 12), m. [fluo; cf. fluctio], the peculiar motion of fluids, a flowing, waving.

In abstr. (rare; cf.:

unda, fluentum): jactetur aquae fluctu quoque terra vacillans,

Lucr. 6, 554 sq. —Of the flowing motion of the magnetic fluid (v. aestus):

Cogitur offensare pulsareque fluctu Ferrea texta suo,

Lucr. 6, 1053.—In mal. part., Lucr. 4, 1271; cf. fluctuo, I. a fin. —

Transf., a flow, flood. —In concr., a wave, billow, surge, esp. of the sea (the predom. signif. of the word in prose and poetry; esp. freq. in the plur.).

Sing.: fons aquae dulcis, qui fluctu totus operiretur, nisi, etc., the flood, i. e. high tide, Cic. Verr. 2, 4, 53, § 118: alia fluctus differt, dissipat visceratim membra, Maria salsa spumant sanguine, Enn. ap. Non. 183, 18 (Trag. v. 144 ed. Vahl.):

ab saxo avortit fluctus ad litus scapham,

Plaut. Rud. 1, 2, 76; 82:

fluctum a saxo frangi,

Cic. Fam. 9, 16, 6:

fluctus uti... volutus Ad terras immane sonat per saxa,

Verg. G. 3, 237:

ad fluctum aiunt declamare solitum Demosthenem, ut fremitum assuesceret voce vincere,

to the waves, Cic. Fin. 5, 2, 5.—

Plur.: indu mari magno fluctus extollere certant, Enn. ap. Macr. S. 6, 2 (Ann. v. 425 ed. Vahl.): mulserat huc navim compulsam fluctibus pontus, id. ap. Prisc. p. 870 P. (Ann. v. 257 ed. Vahl.):

excitatis maximis fluctibus,

Cic. Rep. 1, 6:

(insulae) fluctibus cinctae,

id. ib. 2, 4; cf.:

Massilia, quae cincta Gallorum gentibus barbariae fluctibus alluitur,

id. Fl. 26, 63:

sese fluctibus committere,

id. Verr. 2, 2, 37, § 91:

sedatis fluctibus,

id. Inv. 2, 51, 154:

puppes ad magnitudinem fluctuum tempestatumque accommodatae,

Caes. B. G. 3, 13, 3:

in fluctibus consistere,

id. ib. 4, 24, 2:

fluctibus compleri,

id. ib. 4, 28 fin.:

luctantem Icariis fluctibus Africum Mercator metuens,

Hor. C. 1, 1, 15:

o navis, referent in mare te novi Fluctus,

id. ib. 1, 14, 2:

mulcere fluctus et tollere vento,

Verg. A. 1, 66:

procella... fluctus ad sidera tollit,

id. ib. 1, 103:

revomere salsos fluctus pectore,

id. ib. 5, 182.—Prov.: excitare fluctus in simpulo, to raise a tempest in a tea-pot, i. e. to make much ado about nothing, Cic. Leg. 3, 16, 36.—

Poet. transf., a stream of odors:

unde fluens volvat varius se fluctus odorum,

Lucr. 4, 675.—And of a stream of fire:

atro volvens incendia fluctu,

Val. Fl. 7, 572.—

Trop., like tempestas and unda, and our waves or billows, for turbulence, commotion, disturbance:

qui in hac tempestate populi jactemur et fluctibus,

Cic. Planc. 4, 11; cf.

contionum,

id. Mil. 2, 5:

rerum Fluctibus in mediis,

Hor. Ep. 2, 2, 85; cf. also Lucr. 5, 11:

hoc omne tempus post consulatum objecimus iis fluctibus, qui per nos a communi peste depulsi, in nosmet ipsos redundarunt,

Cic. de Or. 1, 1, 3; id. Att. 8, 3, 5:

fluctus civiles,

Nep. Att. 6:

capere irarum fluctus in pectore,

Lucr. 3, 298; so,

irarum,

id. 6, 74; Verg. A. 12, 831; Val. Max. 9, 3 init.:

tristes curarum,

Lucr. 6, 34:

belli,

id. 5, 1290.