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Making a mountain out of a molehill

Posted by Gail Ruggles on February 19, 2005

In section 12 of the First Story in Wilkie Collins' 1868 mystery novel "The Moonstone", Superintendent Seegrave says to Sergeant cuff(in referring to a tiny paint smudge on a door), "There is such a thing as making a mountain out of a molehill." He was indicating that the 'upstart' Cuff was making way too much of something he had considered trivial. He was to be proven wrong of course. Cuff replied "There is also such a thing as making nothing out of a molehill in consequence of your head being too high to see it." He was insulting Seegrave for his pompous attitude.

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