make waves—
1. (usually of wind) cause waves to rise or appear:
- See over to the right, is that something stirring, or is it just the wind making waves?
2. unsettle a comfortable situation; stir up trouble:
- He is a solid dependable Scotsman who runs a company at a profit and doesn’t make waves.
3. impress people by doing smth. very well:
- After a difficult period when it was struggling to survive, Courtauld Films is now making waves from its new base.
raise waves— = make waves 1:
- These small waves raised by the evening wind are as remote from storm as the smooth reflecting surface.