Crossword Genius

Boyfriend, when left out, responds and makes a mountain out of a molehill (10)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

overreacts

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'makes a mountain out of a molehill' is the definition.
I don't know anything about this answer so I can't judge whether this works.

'boyfriend when left out responds' is the wordplay.
I cannot really understand how this works, but
'left' could be 'over' (I've seen this before) and 'over' is found within the answer.
'responds' could be 'reacts' ('react' can be a synonym of 'respond') and 'reacts' is found in the answer.
This accounts for all the letters.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

'and' acts as a link.

Can you help me to learn more?

I've seen this clue in The Irish Times.
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