make a scene
verb1
Idiomatic To bring unnecessary attention to oneself, especially through a public expression of tumultuous emotion.
- I saw, though he tried to conceal it, that he was very much hurt at your behaviour, and I was sure, by his looks, that he did not think my jealous apprehension groundless; however, he protested he did, and persuaded me not to make a scene by arriving her in the middle of the night […]1814, Elizabeth Hervey, Amabel; or, Memoirs of a Woman of Fashion, volume 2, part 8, London: Henry Colburn, page 287:
- The next time I saw Miss Churm after this incident she surprised me greatly by making a scene about it—she accused me of having wished to humiliate her.1893, Henry James, “The Real Thing”, in The Real Thing and Other Tales, New York: Macmillan, page 25:
2 more examples
- She snuggled against me, while from the other side a boy was amateurishly trying to pick my pocket. I opened my mouth to protest, but thought better of it. Why make a scene at the end of such an enjoyable evening?1935, Christopher Isherwood, chapter 3, in Mr Norris Changes Trains, Penguin, published 1961, page 32:
- This time I had really hurt my son. Youqing wasn’t upset because I had hit him, but because I had made a scene in front of so many of his teachers and classmates.2003, Michael Berry, transl., To Live, New York: Knopf Doubleday, translation of 活着 [Huózhe] by Yu Hua, page 125:
- Related terms
- make a big thing out of, make a spectacle of oneself