make a big thing out of

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) IPA^(key): /ˈmeɪk ə ˈbɪɡ ˈθɪŋ aʊt əv/

Verb

make a big thing out of (third-person singular simple present makes a big thing out of, present participle making a big thing out of, simple past and past participle made a big thing out of)

1. (transitive, idiomatic) To call attention to or publicize.
2. (transitive, idiomatic) To make a fuss about, especially unnecessarily.
   • 2017 December 1, Tom Breihan, “Mad Max: Fury Road Might Already be the Best Action Movie Ever Made”, in The A.V. Club‎, archived from the original on 22 February 2018:

     He’s physical and monosyllabic. He does all sorts of cool shit, and he subtly rediscovers his own heroism without making a big thing out of it. But he’s a supporting character, and he knows it.