Alarums And Excursions Meaning

Example : 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.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.