[blow] {sth} (far|way|up|all|) out of proportion
1
to make a situation appear much bigger or more serious than it actually is
The idiom "blow something out of proportion" originates from the realm of visual metaphor. It conveys the idea of exaggerating or magnifying the significance or seriousness of an event, issue, or situation beyond its actual or reasonable scale. This idiom suggests that someone has made something seem much more important, alarming, or dramatic than it truly is, often resulting in unnecessary panic or overreaction.
- I'm sure he didn't mean anything by that comment—don't blow it out of proportion.
- Of course, when the papers get hold of a story, it's blown out of all proportion.
- The incident has been blown up out of proportion.
- Things aren't as bad as you think.He really blew it all out of proportion.
- His reaction to a minor mistake was to blow it way out of proportion, causing unnecessary stress for everyone.