makes a mountain out of a molehill
Blows things up
To make a mountain out of a molehill is to treat a minor problem as if it were a major crisis.
The image contrasts the tiny heap of earth pushed up by a burrowing mole with a towering peak: Yes, the typo was embarrassing, but you're making a mountain out of a molehill.
The phrase usually carries a note of exasperation toward someone overreacting.
- overreactionDisproportionate emotional response
- cry wolfGive false warnings
- drama queenHabitual emotional exaggerator
- hyperboleRhetorical extreme exaggeration
- overstatementClaim beyond the facts
tempest in a teapot · proportionality · magnification · distortion · embellishment · dramatization · anxiety · splitting hairs · escalation · blow out of proportion · catastrophizing · end of the world · panic · misrepresentation · worry · inflation · exaggeration · sensationalism
makes a mountain out of a molehilldownplays
De-emphasizes significance of
minimizes · underplays · brushes off · trivializes · shrugs off
makes a mountain out of a molehillkeeps a cool head
Remains calm despite stress
rolls with the punches · goes with the flow · keeps one's cool · takes it easy · underreacts
mountain, mountains, mountainous, mountaineer, mountaineering