To instigate something (anzetteln)
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Today, someone who instigates something is, for example, breaking up a quarrel or is causing trouble. In German the word is "anzetteln" and seems to imply that a "Zettel" (a piece of paper) is involved. But the piece of paper that forms the basis of the expression "anzetteln" is not made of paper, but of threads.
Weavers called the longitudinal threads of the fabric slips (in German "Zettel"). So originally, anyone who was stretching the threads could start weaving. The verb "anzetteln" (to instigate) entered everyday language in a figurative sense early on, in the 15th or 16th century. Initially used both negatively (to instigate war) and positively (to instigate salvation), to instigate has been used exclusively pejoratively since early modern times.
The expression therefore has nothing to do with paper notes.
