English idiom

make a meal of

Register · Neutral CEFR B2

Post

Figurative meaning

to devote far too much effort to a task and make it seem needlessly complicated

Word picture

A small task is pictured being expanded into a full meal with many parts and a long preparation.

Example

“The form takes five minutes, so there is no need to make a meal of it.”

Dictionary details

Component words

make meal

Tags

Expressions connected by reviewed component words or topic tags.

make a go of

to turn an undertaking into a lasting success

make short work of

to finish a task or overcome an opponent with surprising speed and ease

kiss and make up

to reconcile and become friendly again after an argument

make a killing

to earn a very large amount of money quickly

make a splash

to attract considerable public attention by doing something impressive or notable

make or break

to be the single decisive factor between success and failure

Source methodology

Meanings, register, CEFR, and examples come from the reviewed dictionary record. Expression notes may describe a reviewed present-day word picture or a background note; they are not presented as verified etymology.

External links

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