
IdiomNature
English
make a mountain out of a molehill
Meaning: To exaggerate the importance of something; to react more strongly to a situation than is reasonably called for.
Example: “It's just a small scratch on the car; don't make a mountain out of a molehill.”
Equivalents in other languages
French: En faire tout un fromage Literally: To make a whole cheese out of it
Russian: Делать из мухи слона (Delat' iz mukhi slona) Literally: To make an elephant out of a fly
French: Faire d'une mouche un éléphant Literally: To make an elephant out of a flyArabic: 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
Spanish: ahogarse en poca agua Literally: To drown in little water
French: Se noyer dans un verre d'eau Literally: To drown in a glass of water
Origin: A molehill is a very small pile of dirt made by a small animal, a mole, which digs tunnels underground. To think that a molehill is as large as a mountain is to greatly exaggerate.
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- take something by storm To win great success or popularity very quickly.
- take the wind out of someone's sails To deflate someone's confidence or spoil their high expectations.
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