Also: make a federal case out of
Meaning of Make a Federal Case Of Something
To make a federal case of something means to make a big deal out of something that is not important; to become overly upset or angry about an unimportant or trivial thing; to behave as if something is a much more serious problem or mistake than it actually is; to give undue attention or assign undue importance to something. 1,2
See make a mountain out of a molehill
Usage Notes
This idiom is always used negatively as in ‘don’t make a federal case of it.’ It is never considered a positive thing to ‘make a federal case of something.’
Sentence Examples
“I’ll pay you back your five dollars tomorrow. You don’t have to make a federal case of it.”
“I’m only two minutes late! No need to make a federal case out of it.”
“I made one grammatical error in my article and a bunch of commenters decided to make a federal case of it.”
“…there’s a reason why she’s 30 and not married. I mean, you gotta see the big deal she’s making about her friend’s birthday party. Oh, God. She’s making a federal case about it.” — Fever Pitch (2005)
“What are you giving me? I ordered a Courvoisier.” “Didn’t you order a Jack Daniels?” “I ordered a Courvoisier.” “You did say Courvoisier.” “Let’s not make a federal case out of it.” — Broadway Danny Rose (1984)
“This ain’t a Rolex. It says “Romex.” “What, you’re gonna make a federal case out of one lousy letter?” — Out to Sea (1997)
Origin
This hyperbolic idiom alludes to the federal court system of the United States and refers to a case brought at the local, or state level being escalated to the federal level, even as far as the Supreme Court, which is the highest court of the United States, something that occurs only in rare and specific circumstances. The idea is that someone is taking a relatively minor matter that would normally be solved at the local level and bringing it to the national, or federal level. This would make a relatively minor issue seem like a huge problem. Therefore, when we say someone is making a federal case of something, we mean they are overreacting or making too much of a fuss over a situation that could be resolved more easily.
- Ammer, Christine. American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2013.
- Definition of make a federal case out of something from the Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)