watch the feathers fly

From the way feathers fly in all directions when chickens fight.

watch the feathers fly (third-person singular simple present watches the feathers fly, present participle watching the feathers fly, simple past and past participle watched the feathers fly)

1. To observe or allow a fight or upset that results from a situation.

There are many variants of this phrase, including see the feathers fly, watch some feathers fly, etc.

• watch the fur fly
• make the feathers fly