This week Shauna and Dan try not to make a mountain out of a molehill: Bonus: Celestial Scorpions, Time Management Skills, and the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
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Bunny Trails: A Word History Podcast
Episode 295: Mountain Out of a Molehill
Record Date: September 14, 2025
Air Date: October 1, 2025
Intro
Dan:
Welcome to Bunny Trails, a whimsical adventure of idioms and other turns of phrase.
I’m Dan Pugh
Shauna:
And I’m Shauna Harrison
Each week we take an idiom or other turn of phrase and try to tell the story from its entry into the English language, to how it’s used today.
Opening Hook
It starts with something small… a forgotten text, a sideways glance, a tiny mistake… and before long it’s grown into a towering drama that feels impossible to climb over. That’s what happens when we make a mountain out of a molehill.
Meaning
According to Oxford English Dictionary, to make a mountain (out) of a molehill means:
Quote
to attribute great importance to something,
esp. a difficulty or grievance, which is insignificant in reality;
to make a lot of fuss over a minor matter.
End quote
https://www.oed.com/dictionary/molehill_n?tab=meaning_and_use#36181865
We don’t have an official origin for this phrase but we can at least look at a brief timeline.
c1450
The word molehill has been in use since around 1450 in English. According to Oxford English Dictionary, the definition of molehill is,
Quote
A small mound or (occasionally) ridge of earth pushed up by a mole in burrowing near the surface of the ground.
End quote
https://www.oed.com/dictionary/molehill_n?tab=meaning_and_use
People spent a bit of time looking at the landscape… and oftentimes recognized that similar things in nature exist at various scales. Puddles, lakes, oceans… a molehill being compared to a mountain isn’t something wild. And anyone who knows what both things are would likely be able to understand the meaning of the phrase.
1570
The earliest reference I was able to find in print for the phrase is from John Foxe, Martyrologist in his 1570 work, The First Volume of the Ecclesiastical history contaynyng the Actes and Monuments; or thinges passed in every kynges tyme in this realme.
Quote
To much amplifying thinges yt be but small, makyng mountaines of Molehils.
End quote
https://www.oed.com/dictionary/molehill_n?tab=meaning_and_use#36181865
This early usage shows the phrase already carrying its familiar meaning of exaggeration, and from here it would continue to appear in literature and commentary, gaining traction as a common metaphor in the centuries that followed.
1677
We see the phrase used in John Gadbury’s 1677 work, The Just and Pious Scorpionist: or the Nativity of that thrice Excellent Man Sir Matthew Hales, Late Lord Chief Justice of England… Under the Celestial Scorpion: Astrologically Consider’d. Here’s an excerpt,
Quote
He can find any thing to be srnall or great at his pleasure ; he can make a Mountain of a Molehil, and a Molehil of a Mountain again;
End quote
https://archive.org/details/b3034119x/page/4/mode/2up?q=molehil
This time we’re seeing it in that figurative meaning and it’s used going both directions… some small made to seem more important as well as something significant made to seem unimportant. Which is an impressive skill.
So by the late 1600s, the phrase was flexible enough to describe not just exaggeration, but also minimization.
I want to read the next line from this because it has another term that you may find familiar,
Quote
he can Magnifie, and diminish, without the assistance of the Optiques.
End quote
Optics… they aren’t everything.
1710
The phrase was used by Jonathan Swift in 1710 in a piece for The Examiner. This was republished in the 1768 collective work “The” Works of Dr. Jonathan Swift, with the Author's Life and Character, Notes Historical, Critical and Explanatory. This is taken from that 1768 collection.
In the passage, the “it” being described is a political lie - or lying as an art. Swift describes lies almost like living creatures - how they are born, grow, sometimes die, and what they can accomplish. He’s mocking how lies in politics have power over people, saying:
Quote
No wonder if an infant so miraculous in its birth should be destined for great adventures; and accordingly we see it hath been the guardian spirit of a prevailing party for almost twenty years. It can conquer kingdoms without fighting, and sometimes with the loss of a battle. It gives and resumes employments; can sink a mountain to a molehill, and raise a molehill to a mountain;
End quote
https://www.google.com/books/edition/The_Works_of_Dr_Jonathan_Swift_with_the/zhkyvJD1lu8C?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Mountain+of+a+molehill&pg=PA298&printsec=frontcover
This is a powerful application of the phrase. He lists mountains and molehills alongside other examples, not as a means of explaining the phrase but as separate items in the list. Issues intentionally taken out of scale by the use of lies. Perhaps things really never change much.
1838-1843
The next item comes from volume 7 of an 11 volume collection of the works of Jeremy Bentham edited by the philosophic radical and political reformer John Bowring. Vol. 7 contains Rationale Of Judicial Evidence. It was written between 1838 and 1843.
Quote
Illustration—illustration merely. Amusement, and nothing more: or, if anything beyond amusement, this:—that the portentous worthlessness and depravity of the technical system, and of that sort of trash which among lawyers goes by the name of science, may be placed in yet another point of view: that, of the mountain of their nonsense, the relative as well as absolute magnitude may be measured by the molehill dimensions of such part of their productions as, without abuse of language, may be capable of passing under the name of sense.
End quote
https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/bowring-the-works-of-jeremy-bentham-vol-7-rationale-of-judicial-evidence-part-2
Bentham is using the comparison of mountains to molehills figuratively to contrast the bulk of lawyers’ writings with the tiny portion of them that contain actual reason.
I love the visual here… a mountain of nonsense beside a molehill of sense.
1927
The phrase appeared in part of the serial story, Silver Slippers, which was published in Good Housekeeping July 1927. Here is an excerpt,
Quote
He had an impulse of deep tenderness toward her. Yet his jealousy was aflame. He had not felt this way about the men in the hotel. He had known instinctively that they would never be his rivals. But this was different-her defence of her friendship with this slender boy, picturesque in his white and with his ruffled hair. Hallam always saw him as he had in the dazzling brightness of the lighthouse tower-or as he had steered his boat against the blue.
"I am not making a mountain of a molehill,"
End quote
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Good_Housekeeping/zj5MwCUedGUC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=%22Mountain+of+a+molehil%22&pg=RA3-PA107&printsec=frontcover
Here, the phrase is used almost in self-defense, a way to pull back from the heat of emotion.
1960
I have one more item for us to consider before moving to our modern examples.
The phrase was used in a helicopter ad by Hiller Aircraft Corporation, found in the August 1960 edition of Civil Engineering: The Magazine of Engineered Construction.
Quote
Hard work, relocating a power line over Wyoming's Rattlesnake Mountain. How much easier, though, with a Hiller's 305 horsepower to spot 40 foot poles, carry massive reels of cable, string lines in no time...and generally make a molehill out of a mountain.
End quote
https://archive.org/details/sim_civil-engineering-1930_1960-08_30_8/page/4/mode/2up?q=molehil
In this case, actual mountains are a factor but the mountain made to a molehill is the work that needs done. This use is another example showing the phrase is fairly interchangeable. Mountains can be molehills and molehills can be mountains.
We have several modern uses to cover and we’ll get to those, right after we say thank you to our sponsors.
A Quick Thank You
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Modern Uses
1993
Dan wants me to start in 1993 with an episode of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. In season 4 episode 11, which was titled Take My Cousin -- Please, Will tries to get his cousin Hillary to go on a date with Will’s teacher in order to get better grades in his class. But his teacher has a mole, which the famously shallow Hillary can’t quite look past, and that sets up this awful line from Will:
Quote
What is the matter with you? You're making a mountain out of a mole, Hill!
End Quote
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMrS58YFTjo
Dan:
I’ve heard from a couple of sources that Will Smith was struggling with finding his humor again during season 4 due to his preparations for the movie Six Degrees of Separation with Donald Sutherland where he plays a con-artist that is right at home in high-class society. He said he felt like he lost touch with his Philly roots and the character of the Fresh Prince. He did a bunch of things to help him find his place again, but he credits this line, which he ad-libbed, and the response from his cast-mates and the live audience, as the defining moment he knew he was back to his old self. And I hear him delivering this line in my head anytime someone uses this phrase.
2013
On Psychology Today online, we find the article How To Make A Mountain Out Of A Molehill: The key to understanding the source of our emotional troubles by Jennifer Kunst Ph.D., published December 13, 2013. Dr. Kunst describes how some turn their experiences from molehills into mountains,
Quote
So the other day, I was working with a patient and we were trying to understand why she had overreacted to something. To protect her confidentiality, I won’t tell you the exact issue but you can probably guess the general scenario. Someone takes your parking spot or cuts you off on the freeway. Someone criticizes you or doesn’t follow-through on a commitment they made to you. Attendance at your event, or views on your blog, or tips at your table are down that day. These experiences would bother any of us. But some of us, on some days, in some states of mind, will be more than bothered; we will be terribly hurt, angry, upset, or even enraged. In such states of mind, a minor injury is felt to be a mortal wound. A difference of opinion is felt to be World War III.
End quote
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/a-headshrinkers-guide-to-the-galaxy/201312/how-to-make-a-mountain-out-of-a-molehill
2021
Hypnotherapist Jack Elias used the phrase in his article, How to Make a Mountain Out of a Molehill published May 30, 2021. It includes the following,
Quote
Basic Recipe for Creating a Mountain out of a Molehill
1. First, be mentally and physically speedy – don’t be still
2. Make sure you keep stirring things up: thoughts, feelings
3. Assume the other person should be able to read your mind and understand exactly what you mean
4. Communicate vaguely. Don’t slow down to consider if you’re making sense
Once you have all these ingredients, just keep stirring. If you do all of the above, you can expect the molehill to quickly grow.
End quote
https://jackelias.com/2021/05/30/how-to-make-a-mountain-out-of-a-molehill/
He goes on to say,
Quote
Of course I don’t recommend that you follow this recipe. But sometimes it’s good to introduce a little humor when we’re looking at our common patterns. I have certainly created some mountains in my time.
End quote
https://jackelias.com/2021/05/30/how-to-make-a-mountain-out-of-a-molehill/
2023
Mountains Molehills is an oil on canvas painting by Inez Andrucyk of the United States. Here is her comment on the piece,
Quote
This is a humorous painting about how sometimes we make mountains out of molehills and sometimes enjoy sparring with one another. It is both a celebration of the fun of gamesmanship and a reminder to not to go over the edge.
End quote
https://www.saatchiart.com/art/Painting-Mountains-Molehills-2/726658/10912715/view
I like that this is a lighthearted take on the phrase. She used a colorful blend in an abstract style. For my perspective, I can make out two figures who almost seem to have their faces pushed close to one another… nose-to-nose, if you will, as they disagree. However, there are no defined facial features or even body parts… it’s truly an abstract. I do enjoy it.
2025
The phrase was used in the title of an article shared on GameRant. Stardew Valley's 1.7 Update Hopefully Won't Make a Mountain Out of a Molehill by Ediz Guner was published in September, 2025. Here is an excerpt,
Quote
While it's great that he's still developing new content for Stardew Valley nearly a decade after its debut, ConcernedApe should make sure to temper expectations for this update if it isn't that large in scope, so that fans won't get disappointed by it when it eventually comes out.
End quote
https://gamerant.com/stardew-valley-1-7-update-big-small-features-expectations/
This is a common theme for video game releases and updates. You want to hype it up but not over-sell. I think there are a few games that break this rule and don’t promise more than they offer in the end. And we’re going to talk more about this in our behind the scenes which airs every Friday on Patreon. That’s Patreon.com/BunnyTrailsPod
2025
The song A Mountain Out of a Molehill is from the 2025 album Everything and Nothing by Huey Briss. Here are some of the lyrics,
Quote
I never really understood the way this life was designed
Rich keep getting richer and the poor can just die
Say we all get freedom, we can soar to the sky
Make it all look good, it's a horrid disguise
Uh, it's only so much energy to give
Wanna save the children, they forget about the kids
Moving too fast, never noticing the truth
The old time wisdom never made it to the youth
It's phones in the home, the YouTube streaming
No books getting read 'cause nobody got a reason
Time ain't slowing, better get it while you breathing
All in all, we came out decent
End quote
https://youtu.be/SYhzKtzdplU?si=5TvHpn7evT4c4UMp
The song has a good beat, sort of mellow flow but a deep message. The hook and chorus repeat that you can’t keep wasting time. I like it.
Wrap up:
What I like about this phrase is how it reminds me that perspective isn’t fixed… it shifts with time, emotion, and circumstance. Something that feels overwhelming in the moment can later seem small, and sometimes the things we dismiss as small are actually worth our full attention. The phrase carries both a warning and a balance check: don’t over inflate the trivial, but also don’t minimize what truly matters. We have to be careful not to make mountains out of molehills or molehills out of mountains.
Shauna:
That’s about all we have for today. If you have any thoughts on the show, or pop culture references we should have included, reach out to us on Patreon, patreon.com/bunnytrailspod, or comment on our website, bunnytrailspod.com
Dan:
It’s poll time!
Recently we asked our Patrons about their time management techniques. It seems our patrons use a variety of methods with the top approaches including Limiting Multitasking, a Daily Prioritized To-Do List, and Time Blocking. Here’s a quick definition of the ones our Patrons mentioned:
Time Blocking – Schedule specific blocks of time for different tasks or activities throughout your day, such as blocking out 1 - 5pm to work on writing this episode
Task Batching – Group similar tasks together and handle them in a single block to reduce mental switching costs. This works well when things are similar enough in nature that you're already in the right mindset to do that kind of thing, like mowing the lawn, then pruning the bushes, then watering the herb garden.
Daily Prioritized To-Do List – Create a daily list of tasks ordered by priority to stay on track and avoid distractions
Limit Multitasking – Focus on one task at a time to improve concentration and the quality of work
The Two-Minute Rule – If a task takes less than two minutes to complete, do it immediately. This keeps from bogging down your to-do list creation with minor tasks.
Set Deadlines – Assign realistic deadlines to tasks to create a sense of urgency and maintain momentum. I learned in college that a looming deadline is my best motivator. And it works for me even if I set my own deadline that no one else cares about. Though those sorts of deadlines don’t work for some others.
Emily said:
Quote
I think I’m a combination of to-do list and 2-minute rule? If, while working on something on my to-do list I see something to be done quickly, I’ll do the quick thing and return to my to-do task.
End Quote
Shauna:
Jan shared
Quote
I always *intend* to use various time management techniques to accomplish the things I need to do, but always get distracted and then end up falling back on the old 'run around like a chicken with their head cut off' rushing about to get everything done.
End quote
I feel that Jan. I find that trying to use a specific technique gets me wrapped up in the process of planning rather than the doing of the tasks.
But one of the best time-management tricks I’ve learned is Dan, your 90% rule. When a project feels nearly finished, pause and ask two questions:
Is it good enough - are there real errors or problems to fix?
Will the improvement be worth the time it takes to make it?
I use this regularly, especially with my artwork. I’m more likely to stop at the 95% point… and I usually go back for a final pass and make a few tweaks, but the last 5% of perfection often isn’t noticeable to anyone else. As a perfectionist in many ways, this has been a lifesaver. I get results I’m proud of while preserving my sanity and freeing up that last-5%-time for other things.
Dan:
Yeah, I learned that 90% solution in college when I realized a 90% is an A and a 99% is an A. And while the perfectionist in me wants to get the full completion, when I have limited resources such as time, sometimes I have to decide if the extra work is worth it. You know, is the juice worth the squeeze? And it has worked great for me outside of the collegiate setting, too. Especially for a recovering perfectionist like me.
But for me, I'm primarily a to-do list guy. I prioritize my items the night before or the morning of, then work through the list in order. I do not multi-task well, so stick to one project at a time and prioritize my list to ensure I can get everything done. It's not always most important to least important, but a combination of most important AND how long it will take to ensure I can actually achieve everything on my list. Or to ensure the things that will get moved to tomorrow are things that do not have to be done today. Doing the to-do list also gives me a sort of deadline, which helps create that motivation for me, too.
I also use the two-minute rule if I'm not already doing something else. If I'm in the middle of something I don't worry about it, but if I'm not in the middle of something then I'll go ahead to knock it out if it takes less than two minutes.
As a reminder, our silly polls mean absolutely nothing and are not scientifically valid. And patrons of all levels, including our free tiers, can take part. Head over to patreon.com/bunnytrailspod to take this week’s poll!
Outro
Dan:
Thanks for joining us. We’ll talk to you again next week. Until then remember,
Together:
Words belong to their users.
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