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make a mountain out of a molehill

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make a mountain out of a molehill

Cliché to make a major issue out of a minor one; to exaggerate the importance of something. Come on, don't make a mountain out of a molehill. It's not that important. Mary is always making mountains out of molehills.

See also: make, mountain, of, out

make a mountain out of a molehill

also make a molehill into a mountain

to cause something simple to seem much more difficult or important McAleer knows there's a mistake in the book and promised to correct it, but Rosen continues to complain about it - she's really trying to make a mountain out of a molehill. Clever lawyers can make a molehill into a mountain.

Usage notes: sometimes used in the form make a molehill out of a mountain (to cause something difficult to be much easier): By dividing up a big assignment and working on it a little bit every day, you can make a molehill out of a mountain.

Related vocabulary: blow something out of (all) proportion

See also: make, mountain, of, out

make a mountain out of a molehill

to make a slight difficulty seem like a serious problem (usually in continuous tenses) You're making a mountain out of a molehill. You wrote one bad essay - it doesn't mean you're going to fail your degree.

See also: make, mountain, of, out

make a mountain out of a molehill

Exaggerate trifling difficulties, as in If you forgot you racket you can borrow one-don't make a mountain out of a molehill. This expression, alluding to the barely raised tunnels created by moles, was first recorded in John Fox's The Book of Martyrs (1570).

See also: make, mountain, of, out

make a mountain out of a molehill

To exaggerate a minor problem.

See also: make, mountain, of, out