Francophonie· medium
en faire tout un fromage
“to make a whole cheese out of it”
Meaning
to make a big deal out of something small
Explanation
This idiom means to blow something out of proportion or make a big deal about something insignificant.
Example
Il a cassé un verre et elle en fait tout un fromage!
He broke a glass and she's making a huge deal out of it!
Origin
First recorded around 1945 in 'En revenant des Kommandos'. The idea is that cheese-making starts from almost nothing (milk) and produces something elaborate, so you're making a big production out of very little.
Source
More like this
- arriver comme un cheveu sur la soupeTo turn up at the worst possible moment
- avoir de la bouteilleTo have plenty of experience
- avoir du bléto have money
- avoir du pain sur la plancheTo have a lot of work still to do
- avoir les yeux plus gros que le ventreTo take on more than one can handle
- courir sur le haricot à quelqu'unto get on someone's nerves