make a song and dance about
Meaning: To make an unnecessary fuss about something.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “It's only a scratch; don't make a song and dance about it.”
Category: Daily Life
Origin: From the music hall: a "song and dance" was a showy stage act. The British sense of making a fuss is from the early 20th century.
Equivalents in other languages
- Russian: огород городить (ogorod gorodit') — literally: to build a vegetable garden
- French: Faire un pataquès — literally: To make a pataquès
More idioms — Daily Life
- wide of the mark — Inaccurate or irrelevant.
- flat out — As fast or as hard as possible.
- can't carry a tune in a bucket — Sings very badly.
- a smash hit — To be a huge success.
- firing on all cylinders — Working at full power and efficiency.
- by the bucketload — In large quantities.
More English idioms
- yada yada yada — And so on; skipping boring details.
- swap spit — To kiss passionately (slang).
- hit the wall — To suddenly run out of energy.
- grab a bite — To eat something quickly.
- like a rat in a trap — Trapped with no way to escape.
- like the cat that got the cream — Very pleased with oneself.
From our proverbs
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- Vice is nourished by being concealed. — Secrecy allows wrongdoing to grow unchecked, while exposure and accountability naturally…
- Make the vine poor, and it will make you rich. — Pruning grapevines severely forces them to concentrate resources into fewer, higher-quali…