English

Noun

alarums and excursions pl ‎(plural only)

1. All the sounds and activities of preparations for war.
   • 1898, Henry Augustin Beers, 18th Century: A History of English Romanticism, ch. 11:

     The French armies were not far off, and there were alarums and excursions all along the border.

2. (idiomatic, by extension) Any frantic activity.
   • 1922, J. S. Fletcher, In the Mayor's Parlour, ch. 19:

     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.

Usage notes

• As a Shakespearean stage direction: Soldiers march across the stage, blowing bugles and beating drums, etc.