Faire d'une mouche un éléphant

Meaning: To make a mountain out of a molehill; to exaggerate wildly.

Language: French

Literally: To make an elephant out of a fly

Category: Animals

Origin: French expression, 18th century, parallel to the Latin musca elephantus.

Equivalents in other languages

Russian: Делать из мухи слона (Delat' iz mukhi slona) — literally: To make an elephant out of a fly
Arabic: يعمل من الحبة قبة (Ya'mal min al-ḥabba qubba) — literally: To build a dome out of a seed
Czech: Dělat z komára velblouda — literally: To make a camel out of a mosquito
Romanian: A face din țânțar armăsar — literally: To make a stallion out of a mosquito
Turkish: Pireyi deve yapmak — literally: To make a camel out of a flea

faire la morte — Pretending not to notice something or ignoring a situation.
montrer les dents — Displaying aggression, defiance, or readiness to fight.
être un ours — Being unfriendly, grumpy, and difficult to approach socially.
avoir une mémoire d'éléphant — Having exceptional ability to remember details over time.
avoir une langue de vipère — Speaking maliciously, spreading rumors, or being verbally cruel.
faire ses griffes — Practicing or preparing oneself for a challenging task or confrontation.

avoir des fourmis — Experiencing a tingling or prickling sensation in a limb losing circulation.
être sur des charbons ardents — Being extremely anxious or impatient about something.
avoir un chat dans la gorge — Having difficulty speaking due to hoarseness or a sore throat.
se battre contre les moulins à vent — Fighting a hopeless battle against something immovable or pointless.
faire ses choux gras — Profiting greatly from a situation at someone else's expense.
avoir un tuyau — Having inside information or a useful tip about something.