Learn English – the term for (a person who responds/the act of responding) to a simple request as though it were an exaggerated version

phrase-requestssingle-word-requests

What is the term for (a person who responds/the act of responding) to a request as though it were a much more demanding/unreasonable request?

Example:

Andrew (at home) texts, "I'd like to take the car to get an oil change
sometime soon."
Barbara (driving) replies, "I'm driving Charlie
to the ER with a broken ankle, but I can turn around right now
and bring the car to you. I'm 30 minutes away from the house."

The feeling Barbara is trying to evoke is that she's a long-suffering person doing her best to satisfy Andrew's whims, no matter the cost. Or like the Jewish mother/lightbulb joke whose punchline is "Go, have a good time, I'll just sit here in the dark, alone." Except that Barbara's behavior is more intended to suggest that Andrew is both demanding and capricious, when he is neither.

I'm looking for a word or phrase that describes either Barbara or her behavior. "Hyperbole" isn't quite right, nor is "melodrama" (although it's closer)…

"Barbara's ________ makes me not want to talk to her at all."

Best Answer

Martyrdom [mahr-ter-duh m]/ noun

  1. the condition, sufferings, or death of a martyr.

  2. extreme suffering; torment.

Though in the sense that it is an exaggeration of Barbara's actual suffering, you could describe it as "purported martyrdom" or "melodramatic martyrdom".

Purported [per-pawr-tid, -pohr-]/ adjective

  1. reputed or claimed; alleged.

or

Melodramatic [mel-uh-druh-mat-ik]/ adjective

  1. of, like, or befitting melodrama.
  2. exaggerated and emotional or sentimental; sensational or sensationalized; overdramatic.

"Barbara's melodramatic martyrdom makes me not want to talk to her at all."

Histrionics [his-tree-on-iks]/ noun, (used with a singular or plural verb)

  1. dramatic representation; theatricals; acting.

  2. behavior or speech for effect, as insincere or exaggerated expression of an emotion; dramatics; operatics:

"Barbara's histrionics makes me not want to talk to her at all."

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