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[make a stab at] <v. phr.> To try doing something at random without sufficient preparation. * /The singer was not familiar with the aria but she decided to make a stab at it anyhow./ Contrast: STAB IN THE BACK, STAB IN THE DARK.

[make a stand] <v. phr.> 1. To take a firm position on an issue. * /He keeps talking about politics hut he never makes a stand for what he believes in./ 2. To take up a defensive position against the enemy. * /The retreating troops decided to make a stand by the river./ Contrast: LAST DITCH, LAST STAND.

[make a stir] See: MAKE A SCENE.

[make a touch] <v. phr.> To borrow money; try to borrow money. * /He is known to make a touch whenever he is hard up for cash./

[make a virtue of necessity] <v. phr.> Make the best of things as they are; do cheerfully what you do. * /After Mr. Wilson lost all his money, he made a virtue of necessity and found a new and interesting life as a teacher./ Compare: MAKE THE BEST OF.

[make away with] <v.>, <informal> Take; carry away; cause to disappear. * /The lumberjack made away with a great stack of pancakes./ * /Two masked men held up the clerk and made away with the payroll./ Compare: MAKE OFF.

[make-believe] <n.> False; untrue; created by illusion. * /The creatures of Star Wars are all make-believe./

[make believe] <v.> To act as if something is true while one knows it is not; pretend. * /Let's make believe we have a million dollars./ * /Danny made believe he didn't hear his mother calling./

[make book] <v. phr.> To serve as a bookmaker taking bets on the horse races. * /The police were out to prosecute anybody who made book illegally./

[make both ends meet] See: MAKE ENDS MEET.

[make bricks without straw] <v. phr.> To make something without the wherewithal; do something the hard way; do a job under hard conditions. * /John could not go to a library, and writing the report was a job of making bricks without straw./ * /It was making bricks without straw to put on plays in that old barn./

[make conversation] <v. phr.> To talk with someone just so that there will be talk. * /John made conversation with the stranger so that he would not feel left out./ * /Mary didn't really mean what she said about Joan. She was only making conversation./

[make do] <v. phr.> To use a poor substitute when one does not have the right thing. * /John did not have a hammer, and he had to make do with a heavy rock./ * /This motel isn't what we wanted, but we must make do./ * /Many families manage to make do on very little income./ Compare: GET ALONG.

[make ends meet] <v. phr.> To have enough money to pay one's bills; earn what it costs to live. * /Both husband and wife had to work to make ends meet./

[make eyes at] <v. phr.>, <informal> To look at a girl or boy in a way that tries to attract him to you; flirt. * /The other girls disliked her way of making eyes at their boyfriends instead of finding one of her own./

[make faces at] <v. phr.> To grimace; scowl. * /"Stop making faces at each other, you children," my aunt said, "and start eating."/

[make for] <v.> To go toward; start in the direction of. * /The children took their ice skates and made for the frozen pond./ * /The bee got his load of pollen and made for the hive./

[make free with] <v.> 1. To take or use (things) without asking. * /Bob makes free with his roommate's clothes./ * /A student should not make free with his teacher's first name./ 2. To act toward (someone) in a rude or impolite way. * /The girls don't like Ted because he makes free with them./ Compare: TAKE LIBERTIES.

[make friends] <v. phr.> To become friends; form a friendship. * /Mrs. Jones invited Bobby to her home to play with Don. She hoped that they would make friends with each other./ * /You can make friends with an elephant by giving him peanuts./

[make fun of] or [poke fun at] <v. phr.>, <informal> To joke about; laugh at; tease; mock. * /Men like to make fun of the trimmings on women's hats./ * /James poked fun at the new pupil because her speech was not like the other pupils./

[make good] <v. phr.> 1. To do what one promised to do; make something come true. * /Mr. Smith borrowed some money. He promised to pay it back on payday. He made good his promise./ * /Joe made good his boast to swim across the lake./ * /John's mother promised to take him and his friends to the zoo on Saturday. She made good her promise./ Compare: CARRY OUT. 2. To compensate; pay for loss or damage. * /The policeman told the boy's parents that the boy must make good the money he had stolen or go to jail./ - Often used in the phrase "make it good". * /The radio was broken while it was being delivered so the store had to make it good and send us a new radio./ Compare: MAKE UP. 3. To do good work at one's job; succeed. * /Kate wanted to be a nurse. She studied and worked hard in school. Then she got a job in the hospital and made good as a nurse./

[make good time] <v. phr.> To make unimpeded progress on a journey; arrive at one's destination sooner than estimated. * /There was not much traffic on the expressway so we made good time on our way to the airport./

[make haste] <v. phr.> To move fast; hurry. - Rarely used in speaking. * /The dog wriggled into one end of the hollow log, and the rabbit made haste to get out the other end./ * /Mary saw that she had hurt Jane's feelings, and made haste to say she was sorry./ Compare: MAKE TRACKS.

[make haste with] See: HURRY ON WITH.

[make hay while the sun shines] <v. phr.> To do something at the right time; not wait too long. * /Dick had a free hour so he made hay while the sun shone and got his lesson for the next day./ Compare: MAKE THE MOST OF.

[make head or tail of] <v. phr.>, <informal> To see the why of; finding a meaning in; understand. - Used in negative, conditional, and interrogative sentences. * /She could not make head or tail of the directions on the dress pattern./ * /Can you make head or tail of the letter?/

[make headway] <v. phr.> To move forward; make progress. * /The university is making headway with its campus reorganization project./

[make it hot] <v. phr.>, <informal> To bring punishment; cause trouble. * /Dick threatened to make it hot for anyone who tied knots in his pajama legs again./

[make it snappy] <v. phr.>, <informal> To move quickly; be fast; hurry. - Usually used as a command. * /"Make it snappy," Mother said, "or we'll be late for the movie."/ * /The man hurried into the restaurant and told the waitress, "A cup of coffee, and make it snappy."/

[make it with] <v. phr.>, <slang>, <informal> 1. To be accepted by a group. * /Joe finally made it with the in crowd in Hollywood./ 2. <vulgar> To have sex with (someone). * /I wonder if Joe has made it with Sue./

[make light of] <v. phr.> To treat an important matter as if it were trivial. * /One ought to know which problems to make light of and which ones to handle seriously./ Compare: LAUGH OFF. Contrast: MAKE MUCH OF.

[make little of] <v. phr.> To make (something) seem unimportant; belittle. * /Mary made little of Jane's new bicycle because she was jealous./ * /Tom made little of his saving the drowning boy./ Contrast: MAKE MUCH OF.

[make love] <v. phr.> 1. To be warm, loving, and tender toward someone of the opposite sex; try to get him or her to love you too. * /There was moonlight on the roses and he made love to her in the porch swing./ 2. To have sexual relations with (someone). * /It is rumored that Alfred makes love to every girl he hires as a secretary./

[make merry] <v. phr.>, <literary> To have fun, laugh, and be happy, * /In Aesop's fable the grasshopper made merry while the ant worked and saved up food./ * /In the Bible story a rich man ate and drank and made merry./

[make mincemeat (out) of] <v. phr.> To destroy completely. * /The defense attorney made mincemeat of the prosecution's argument./

[make much of] <v. phr.> To make something seem of more worth or importance than it really is; praise. * /Visitors made much of the new collie./ * /The boy made much of the hard things of his mountain climb./ Contrast: MAKE LIGHT OF, MAKE LITTLE OF.

[make neither head nor tail of] <v. phr.> To be unable to figure something out. * /This puzzle is so complicated that I can make neither head nor tail of it./ Compare: HEADS OR TAILS.

[make no bones] <v. phr.>, <informal> 1. To have no doubts; not to worry about right or wrong; not to be against. - Used with "about". * /Bill makes no bones about telling a lie to escape punishment./ * /The boss made no bones about hiring extra help for the holidays./ 2. To make no secret; not keep from talking; admit. - Used with "about" or "of the fact". * /John thinks being poor is no disgrace and he makes no bones of the fact./ * /Mary made no bones about her love of poetry even after some of her friends laughed at her./

[make of] <v. phr.> To interpret; understand. * /What do you make of his sudden decision to go to Africa?/

[make off] <v.> To go away; run away; leave. * /When the deer saw the hunter it made off at once./ * /A thief stopped John on a dark street and made off with his wallet./ Compare: TAKE OFF.

[make one feel at home] <v. phr.> To be hospitable; welcome; make someone feel at ease. * /They are very popular hosts because they always manage to make their guests feel at home./

[make one out to be] <v. phr.> To accuse someone of being something. * /Don't make me out to be such a grouch; I am really quite happy-go-lucky./

[make one's bed and lie in it] To be responsible for what you have done and so to have to accept the bad results. * /Billy smoked one of his father's cigars and now he is sick. He made his bed, now let him lie in it./ Compare: FACE THE MUSIC(2).

[make one's blood boil] or [make the blood boil] <v. phr.>, <informal> To make someone very angry. * /When someone calls me a liar it makes my blood boil./ * /It made Mary's blood boil to see the children make fun of the crippled girl./ Compare: BOILING POINT.

[make one's blood run cold] See: BLOOD RUNS COLD.

[make one's ears burn] See: EARS BURN.

[make oneself at home] <v. phr.> To feel comfortable; act as if you were in your own home. * /If you get to my house before I do, help yourself to a drink and make yourself at home./ * /John was an outdoor man and could make himself at home in the woods at night./ Compare: AT EASE, AT HOME(2).

[make oneself scarce] <v. phr.>, <slang> To leave quickly; go away. * /The boys made themselves scarce when they saw the principal coming to stop their noise./ * /A wise mouse makes himself scarce when a cat is nearby./

[make one's hair stand on end] See: HAIR STAND ON END.

[make one's head spin] <v. phr.> To be bewildered; be confused. * /It makes my head spin to think about the amount of work I still have to do./

[make one's mark] <v. phr.> To become known to many people; do well the work you started to do; make a reputation. * /Shakespeare made his mark as a playwright./

[make one's mouth water] <v. phr.> 1. To look or smell very good; make you want very much to eat or drink something you see or smell. * /The pies in the store window made Dan's mouth water./ * /The picture of the ice cream soda made his mouth water./ 2. To be attractive; make you want to have something very much. * /Judy collects folk song records, and the records in the store window made her mouth water./ Compare: LICK ONE'S CHOPS.

[make one's pile] <v. phr.> To make one's fortune. * /The rich man made his pile in the stock market./

[make one's way] <v. phr.> 1. To go forward with difficulty; find a path for yourself. * /They made their way through the crowd./ 2. To do many hard things to earn a living; make a life work for yourself. * /He was anxious to finish school and make his own way in the world./ Compare: SHIFT FOR ONESELF.

[make one tick] <v. phr.> To cause to operate; to motivate. * /He is so secretive that we are unable to figure out what makes him tick./

[make or break] <v. phr.> To bring complete success or failure, victory or defeat. * /Playing the role of Hamlet will make or break the young actor./

[make out] <v.> 1. To write the facts asked for (as in an application blank or a report form); fill out. * /The teacher made out the report cards and gave them to the students to take home./ * /Mrs. Smith gave the clerk in the store some money and the clerk made out a receipt./ 2. To see, hear, or understand by trying hard. * /It was dark, and we could not make out who was coming along the road./ * /They could not make out what the child had drawn. /* /The book had many hard words and Anne could not make out what the writer meant./ * /Mr. White does many strange things. No one can make him out./ Syn.: FIGURE OUT. 3. <informal> To make someone believe; show; prove. * /Charles and Bob had a fight, and Charles tried to make out that Bob started it./ * /The boy said he did not take the money but the teacher found the money in the boy's desk and it made him out to be a liar./ 4. <informal> Do well enough; succeed. * /John's father wanted John to do well in school and asked the teacher how John was making out./ * /The sick woman could not make out alone in her house, so her friend came and helped her./ 5. To kiss or pet. * /What are Jack and Jill up to? - They're making out on the back porch./

[make over] <v.> 1. To change by law something from one owner to another owner; change the name on the title (lawful paper) from one owner to another. * /Mr. Brown made over the title to the car to Mr. Jones./ 2. To make something look different; change the style of. * /He asked the tailor to make over his pants. The tailor cut off the cuffs and put a belt across the back./

[make passes at] See: MAKE A PASS AT.

[make rounds] <v. phr.> To travel the same route, making several stops along the way. * /The milkman makes his rounds every morning./ * /The doctor makes the rounds of the hospital rooms./

[make sense] <v. phr.> 1. To be something you can understand or explain; not be difficult or strange. * /The explanation in the school book made no sense because the words were hard./ Compare: MAKE HEAD OR TAIL OF. 2. To seem right to do; sound reasonable or practical. * /Does it make sense to let little children play with matches?/

[make short work of] <v. phr.> To finish rapidly. * /The cat made short work of the baby rabbit./ * /Tim was anxious to get to the movies so he made short work of his homework./

[make sit up] <v. phr.> To shock to attention; surprise; create keen interest. * /Her sudden appearance at the party and her amazingly low-cut dress made us all sit up./

[make something of] <v. phr.> 1. To make (something) seem important. * /When girls see another girl with a boy, they often try to make something of it./ 2. To start a fight over; use as an excuse to start a quarrel. * /Bob accidentally shoved Bill in the corridor, and Bill made something of it./ * /Ann didn't like what Mary said about her. She tried to make something of what Mary said./ Compare: START SOMETHING.