make a meal of
To spend more time and energy on some task than it warrants; to make something overly complicated; to make a big thing out of.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Don't make a meal of it — just finish the report.”
“He made a meal of washing the dishes, taking two hours when it needed twenty minutes.”
“The critic made a meal of the novel's minor flaws, devoting pages to symbolism that most readers would barely notice.”
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absence makes the heart grow fonder
One feels more love or affection for those one loves when parted from them.
- 02
cannot make it
Cannot reach satisfactory or expected standards or do something competently; describes someone in a hopeless situation.
- 03
doctors make the worst patients
It is difficult to advise people on subjects that they are experts on.
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enough to make a cat laugh
Very outlandish or outrageous.
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enough to make the angels weep
Something so distressing that it causes one to lose hope and faith.
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fine feathers make fine birds
Something that appears beautiful or good is by definition beautiful or good.
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have it made
To have accomplished all there is to do; to have no further work or difficulty.
- 08
it takes all kinds to make a world
Diversity is essential: the world would be incomplete if everyone were alike; an expression of surprise at a person or people's eccentricity.
Last updated August 10, 2026