Verb. To get worked up; to make a mountain out of a molehill; to pump up one’s (probably) already over-inflated ego and exaggerate one’s importance; to make a big deal out of something rather insignificant. Lit. to “poodle up”; anyone who’s seen how stereotypical wealthy Viennese old ladies dote on their poodles and other lapdogs, spending considerable amounts at the Hundecoiffeur (dog beauty parlor) will immediately grasp the origins of this expression.
