fart in a mitten
n.— «I could not bear to cut any of this out, you did a helluva good job and because the whole god damned thing started over a fart in a mitten made by me I can truthfully confirm that you have the meat of the situation down exactly.» —“Re: Harassment training (was Expres Test)” by Gord Beaman in Prince Edward Island, Canada Usenet:can.community.military July 18, 2000. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)
Further reading
Responding to someone during a dispute with What does that have to do with the price of tea in China? is a way to deflect the comment or derail the discussion entirely. While the phrase the price of tea in China is the most common version...
There was a time when William Shakespeare was just another little seven-year-old in school. Classes in his day were demanding — and all in Latin. A new book argues that this rigorous curriculum actually nurtured the creativity that later flourished...