"alarums and excursions" meaning in English

{
  "etymology_text": "From a Shakespearean stage direction, indicating that soldiers should march across the stage, blowing bugles and beating drums, etc.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "p",
        "head": "alarums and excursions"
      },
      "expansion": "alarums and excursions pl (plural only)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "60 40",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English coordinated pairs",
          "parents": [
            "Coordinated pairs",
            "Terms by etymology"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "47 53",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1898, Henry Augustin Beers, chapter 11, in 18th Century: A History of English Romanticism",
          "text": "The French armies were not far off, and there were alarums and excursions all along the border.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "All the sounds and activities of preparations for war."
      ],
      "id": "en-alarums_and_excursions-en-noun-mQ6ZEUTU",
      "links": [
        [
          "sound",
          "sound"
        ],
        [
          "activities",
          "activities"
        ],
        [
          "preparation",
          "preparation"
        ],
        [
          "war",
          "war"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "plural",
        "plural-only"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "47 53",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "39 61",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "41 59",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English pluralia tantum",
          "parents": [
            "Pluralia tantum",
            "Nouns",
            "Lemmas"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "35 65",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1922, J. S. Fletcher, chapter 19, in In the Mayor's Parlour",
          "text": "He had been well aware ever since his coming to Hathelsborough of an atmosphere of intrigue and mystery; every development that occurred seemed to thicken it. . . . It puzzled him, being still a stranger to the habits and customs of these people, to see that life in Hathelsborough went on, amidst all these alarums and excursions.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1991, Stephen King, Needful Things",
          "text": "The various alarums and excursions in The Rock that early evening did not dent attendance at these meetings very much […]",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Any frantic activity."
      ],
      "id": "en-alarums_and_excursions-en-noun-vQMd9I4E",
      "links": [
        [
          "frantic",
          "frantic"
        ],
        [
          "activity",
          "activity"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, by extension) Any frantic activity."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "broadly",
        "idiomatic",
        "plural",
        "plural-only"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "alarums and excursions"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English coordinated pairs",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English nouns",
    "English pluralia tantum",
    "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys"
  ],
  "etymology_text": "From a Shakespearean stage direction, indicating that soldiers should march across the stage, blowing bugles and beating drums, etc.",
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "p",
        "head": "alarums and excursions"
      },
      "expansion": "alarums and excursions pl (plural only)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1898, Henry Augustin Beers, chapter 11, in 18th Century: A History of English Romanticism",
          "text": "The French armies were not far off, and there were alarums and excursions all along the border.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "All the sounds and activities of preparations for war."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "sound",
          "sound"
        ],
        [
          "activities",
          "activities"
        ],
        [
          "preparation",
          "preparation"
        ],
        [
          "war",
          "war"
        ]
      ],
      "tags": [
        "plural",
        "plural-only"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English terms with quotations",
        "Quotation templates to be cleaned"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "ref": "1922, J. S. Fletcher, chapter 19, in In the Mayor's Parlour",
          "text": "He had been well aware ever since his coming to Hathelsborough of an atmosphere of intrigue and mystery; every development that occurred seemed to thicken it. . . . It puzzled him, being still a stranger to the habits and customs of these people, to see that life in Hathelsborough went on, amidst all these alarums and excursions.",
          "type": "quotation"
        },
        {
          "ref": "1991, Stephen King, Needful Things",
          "text": "The various alarums and excursions in The Rock that early evening did not dent attendance at these meetings very much […]",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Any frantic activity."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "frantic",
          "frantic"
        ],
        [
          "activity",
          "activity"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, by extension) Any frantic activity."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "broadly",
        "idiomatic",
        "plural",
        "plural-only"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "word": "alarums and excursions"
}