make light of
Related to make light of: come to light, come off, shed light on, in line with
make light of (something)
1. To joke about something and not take it seriously. I know it's fun to make light of what happened, but the truth is that you both could have been seriously injured.
2. To treat something as insignificant or unimportant. The senator's spokesperson tried to make light of the allegations by saying similar accusations are made all the time.
See also: light, make, of
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.
make light of something
to treat something as if it were unimportant or humorous. I wish you wouldn't make light of his problems. They're quite serious. I make light of my problems, and that makes me feel better.
See also: light, make, of
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs.
make light of
Also, make little of. Treat as unimportant, as in He made light of his allergies, or She made little of the fact that she'd won. The first term, which uses light in the sense of "trivial," was first recorded in William Tyndale's 1526 Bible translation (Matthew 22:5), in the parable of the wedding feast, where the invited guests reject the king's invitation: "They made light of it and went their ways." The variant dates from the early 1800s. For an antonym, see make much of.
See also: light, make, of
The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
make light (or little) of
treat as unimportant. 1990 Vanity Fair Ian says they still hope to marry someday, and tries to make light of their non-wedding.
See also: light, make, of
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
make light of
To treat as unimportant: He made light of his illness.
See also: light, make, of
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition.
- in on the joke
- crack a joke
- lame joke
- inside joke
- running joke
- (old) chestnut
- an old chestnut
- chestnut
- laugh at
- laugh at (someone or something)