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Vocabulary : Idioms : M : much ado about nothing

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much ado about nothing

Meaning: If you say something is much ado about nothing, you think it's an overreaction to something that shouldn't have caused so much trouble.

For example:

  • Some people make a big fuss about which table they get in a restaurant, but as far as I can see it's much ado about nothing as long as the food's the same.

  • All this nonsense about status and "losing face" is much ado about nothing as far as I'm concerned.

Origin: "Much Ado about Nothing" is the title of a well-known play by William Shakespeare, and as a result the phrase has survived into modern English in it's original form.

Quick Quiz:

The fight was much ado about nothing. It all started because a guy
  1. shot someone in the leg
  2. stepped on someone's foot
  3. beat up someone's brother

Discuss: much ado about nothing

Idiom of the Day

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