make a federal case of

Idioms and Phrases

Also, make a big deal of . Give undue importance to an issue, as in I'll pay you back next week—you needn't make a federal case of it , or Jack is making a big deal of filling out his passport application . The first hyperbolic expression, almost always used in a negative context, alludes to taking a legal action before a high (federal) court. The second alludes to an important business transaction (see big deal , def. 1).