miss

miss out (on something) and lose out (on

something) to fail to participate in some-

thing; to fail to take part in something.

I’m sorry I missed out on the ice cream.

I lost out on it, too. We both missed out.

miss (something) by a mile to fail to hit

something by a great distance; to land

wide of the mark. Ann shot the arrow

and missed the target by a mile. “Good

grief, you missed by a mile,” shouted Sally.

miss the boat to miss out (on something);

to be ignorant (of something). (Also lit-

eral. Slang.) Pay attention, John, or

you’ll miss the boat. Tom really missed

the boat when it came to making friends.

miss the point to fail to understand the

important part of something. (Also lit-

eral.) I’m afraid you missed the point.

Let me explain it again. You keep ex-

plaining, and I keep missing the point.

[mission in life] Go to someone’s mission in

life.

mistake someone for someone else and mix

someone up with someone else to confuse

someone with someone else; to think that

one person is another person. I’m

sorry. I mistook you for John. Tom is al-

ways mistaking Bill for me. We don’t look

a thing alike, though. Try not to mix Bill

up with Bob.

mix and match 1. to assemble a limited

number of items, usually clothing, in a

number of different ways. Alice was

very good at mixing and matching her

skirts, blouses, and sweaters so that she al-

ways could be attractively dressed on a

limited budget.  Gary always bought

black, blue, and gray trousers and shirts

so he could mix and match without too

many bad combinations. 2. to select a

number of items from an assortment, of-

ten in order to get a quantity discount.

(As opposed to getting a quantity dis-

count for buying a lot of only one item.)

The candles were 25 percent off, and you

could mix and match colors, sizes, and

I found a good sale on shirts.

They were four for fifty dollars, and the

store would let you mix and match.

mix it up to argue or fight. (Also literal.

Slang.) First they were just talking, then

suddenly one of them got mad and they

really began to mix it up. Look at you,

Bill! Your face is bleeding. Have you been

mixing it up with John again?

mix someone or something up 1. to confuse

two things or two people with each other.

Please don’t mix these ideas up. They

are quite distinct. T I always mix up Bill

and Bob. Why do you mix them up? 2.

[with someone] to cause someone to be

confused or puzzled. I’m confused as

it is. Don’t mix me up anymore. T They

mixed up my uncle by giving him too

many things to remember. 3. [with some-

thing] to blend the ingredients of some-

thing; to assemble and mix the parts of

something. (Usually refers to fluid mat-

ter such as paint, gasoline, or milk.)

The glue will be ready to use as soon as I

mix it up. T Now, mix up the eggs, water,

and salt; then add the mixture to the flour

and sugar.

mix someone up with someone else Go to

mistake someone for someone else.

a mixed bag a varied collection of people

or things. (Refers to a bag of game

brought home after a day’s hunting.)

The new students in my class are a mixed

bag—some bright, some positively stupid.

The furniture I bought is a mixed bag.

Some of it is valuable and the rest is

worthless.

the moment everyone has been waiting

for Go to the big moment.

the moment of truth the point at which

someone has to face the reality or facts of

a situation. The moment of truth is

here. Turn over your test papers and begin.

Now for the moment of truth when we

find out whether we have got permission

or not.

Money burns a hole in someone’s pocket.

Someone spends as much money as pos-

sible. (Proverb. See also have money to

burn.) Sally can’t seem to save anything.

Money burns a hole in her pocket.

money burns a hole in your pocket, you

never have any for emergencies.

Money is no object. and Expense is no

object. It does not matter how much

something costs. Please show me your

finest automobile. Money is no object.

I want the finest earrings you have. Don’t

worry about how much they cost because

expense is no object.

Money is the root of all evil. Money is the

basic cause of all wrongdoing. (Proverb.

The full version is The love of money is the

root of all evil.) Why do you work so

hard to make money? It will just cause you

trouble. Money is the root of all evil.

Any thief in prison can tell you that money

is the root of all evil.

money talks money gives one power and

influence to help get things done or get

one’s own way. (Informal.) Don’t

worry. I have a way of getting things done.

Money talks.  I can’t compete against

rich old Mrs. Jones. She’ll get her way be-

cause money talks.

monkey around (with someone or something)

Go to mess around (with someone or some-

thing).

monkey business playful or out of the or-

dinary activities; mischievous or illegal

activities. There’s been some monkey

business in connection with the bank’s ac-

counts. Bob left the company quite sud-

denly. I think there was some monkey busi-

ness between him and the boss’s wife.

monkey suit a tuxedo. (Jocular. Possibly

alluding to the fancy suit worn by an or-

gan grinder’s monkey.) Do I have to

wear a monkey suit to dinner? All the

men except me wore monkey suits at din-

ner on the cruise.

months running Go to days running.

mop the floor up with someone to over-

whelm and physically subdue someone;

to beat someone. (Slang. See also wipe up

the floor with someone.) Stop talking like

that, or I’ll mop the f loor up with you! T

Did you hear that? He threatened to mop

up the f loor with me!

mope around to go about in a depressed

state. (Informal.) Since her dog ran

away, Sally mopes around all day. Don’t

mope around. Cheer up!

more and more an increasing amount; ad-

ditional amounts. As I learn more and

more, I see how little I know. Dad seems

to be smoking more and more lately.

more dead than alive exhausted; in very

bad condition; near death. (Almost al-

ways an exaggeration.) We arrived at

the top of the mountain more dead than

alive. The marathon runners stumbled

one by one over the finish line, more dead

than alive.

more fun than a barrel of monkeys Go

to (as) funny as a barrel of monkeys.

more often than not usually. These

f lowers will live through the winter more

often than not. This kind of dog will

grow up to be a good watchdog more of-

ten than not.

more someone or something than one can

shake a stick at a lot; too many to

count. (Folksy.) There were more snakes

than you could shake a stick at. There

are lots of f lowers in the field—more than

one can shake a stick at.

more than one can bear and more than

one can take; more than one can stand

more of something, such as trouble or

something bad, than a person can en-

dure. This news is more than I can bear!

I’ve heard enough of this horrid music.

It’s more than I can stand.

more than one can stand Go to more than

one can bear.

more than one can take Go to more than

one can bear.

the more the merrier the more people

there are, the happier they will be. Of

course you can have a ride with us! The

more the merrier. The manager hired a

new employee even though there’s not

enough work for all of us now. Oh, well,

the more the merrier.

the morning after (the night before) the

morning after a night spent drinking,

when one has a hangover. Oh, I’ve got

a headache. Talk about the morning after

the night before! It looked like a case of

the morning after the night before, and

Frank asked for some aspirin.

move heaven and earth to do something to

make a major effort to do something.

“I’ll move heaven and earth to be with you,

Mary,” said Bill. I had to move heaven

and earth to get there on time. Your fa-

ther and I had to move heaven and earth

to pay for your braces and your college bills,

and what thanks do we get?

move in (on someone or something) 1. [with

someone] to attempt to displace someone

or take over someone’s property, inter-

ests, or relationships. (Slang, especially

criminal slang. Compare this with mus-

cle in (on someone or something).) Look

here, pal, Sally’s my girl. Are you trying to

move in on me? It looks like the south-

side gang is trying to move in. We’ll have

to teach them a lesson. 2. [with someone]

to move into someone’s household. My

mother-in-law moved in on us for two

months. I wouldn’t move in on you

without an invitation. 3. to move closer

to someone or something, especially with

a camera. Now, slowly move in on the

cereal box. This will be a great advertise-

ment. Hold the camera very steady and

move in on the baby.

move into something to get started in a new

enterprise, job, etc. (Also literal.)

moved into a new job last week. It’s very

exciting work. John moved into a new

line of work, too.

move up (in the world) to advance (one-

self ) and become successful. The

harder I work, the more I move up in the

world. Keep your eye on John. He’s really

moving up.

movers and shakers people who get

things done; people who are productive

and cause other people to be productive;

people who create and produce. The

trouble with the ABC Company is that all

the movers and shakers are leaving to take

jobs elsewhere.  It seems as if all the

movers and shakers of the world are em-

ployed by a very small number of large

firms.

much ado about nothing a lot of excite-

ment about nothing. (This is the title of

a play by Shakespeare. Do not confuse

ado with adieu.)  All the commotion

about the new tax law turned out to be

much ado about nothing. Your promises

always turn out to be much ado about

nothing.

much in evidence very visible or evident.

John was much in evidence during the

conference. Your inf luence is much in

evidence. I appreciate your efforts.

much sought after wanted or desired very

much; highly desirable. This kind of

crystal is much sought after. It’s very rare.

Sally is a great singer. She’s much sought

after.

muddy the water to make something less

clear; to make matters confusing; to cre-

ate difficulty where there was none be-

fore. (Also literal.) Things were going

along quite smoothly until you came along

and muddied the water. The events of

the past month have muddied the water as

far as our proposed joint venture is

concerned.

muff one’s lines Go to fluff one’s lines.

mull something over to think about some-

thing; to ponder or worry about some-

thing. That’s an interesting idea, but I’ll

have to mull it over. T I’ll mull over your

suggestions and report to you next week.

mum’s the word don’t spread the secret.

Don’t tell anyone what I told you. Re-

member, mum’s the word. Okay, mum’s

the word. Your secret is safe with me.

murder on something very destructive or

harmful to something. Running a mar-

athon is murder on your knees. This dry

weather is murder on my crops.

muscle in (on someone or something) to try

forcefully to displace someone or take

over someone’s property, interests, or re-

lationships. (Slang, especially criminal

slang. Compare this with move in (on

someone or something).) Are you trying to

muscle in on my scheme? If you try to

muscle in, you’ll be facing big trouble.

a must something that you must do. (In-

formal. Preceded by be, become, or seem

like.) When you’re in San Francisco, see

the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s a must. It’s

a must that you brush your teeth after

every meal.

muster (up) one’s courage to build up

one’s courage; to call or bring forth one’s

courage. I mustered my courage and

dove from the high diving board. He

had to muster up all his courage in order

to attend the dance.

my gut tells me (that) something is so my in-

stincts tell me that something is so. (This

refers to one’s gut reaction or gut response,

that is, the way someone feels about

something.) My gut tells me that her

idea is a sound one. This looks good on

paper, but my gut tells me that it is all

wrong.

my one and only one’s spouse. (Informal.

See also the one and only.) Look at the

time. I’ve got to get home to my one and

only. You’re my one and only. There is

no one else for me.

make up

make something up 1. to repay or redo

something. T Can I make up the test I

missed? T Please make up the payment

you missed. You can make it up. 2. to

create a story or a lie. That’s not true!

You just made it up! Bob made up a

story about a tiny mouse and its friends. 3.

to mix something up; to assemble some-

thing. JOHN: Is my prescription ready?

DRUGGIST: No, I haven’t made it up yet.

T I’ll make up your prescription in a

minute.

make something up out of whole cloth to

create a story or a lie from no facts at all.

I don’t believe you. I think you made

that up out of whole cloth. T Ann made

up her explanation out of whole cloth.

There was not a bit of truth in it.

make something up to someone to repay

someone; to make amends to someone.

I’m so sorry I’ve insulted you. How can

I make it up to you? I’m sorry I broke

our date. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.

make something worth someone’s while to

make something profitable enough for

someone to do. If you deliver this par-

cel for me, I’ll make it worth your while.

The boss said he’d make it worth our while

if we worked late.

make the bed and make someone’s bed to

restore a bed to an unslept-in condition.

I make my bed every morning. The

maid goes to all the rooms to make the

beds.

make the best of something to try to make

a bad situation work out well. (Compare

this with make the most of something.)

It’s not good, but we’ll have to make the

best of it. Ann is clever enough to make

the best of a bad situation.

make the feathers fly Go to make the fur

fly.

make the fur fly and make the feath-

ers fly to cause a fight or an argument;

to create an uproar (about something). (In-

formal.) When your mother gets home

and sees what you’ve done, she’ll really

make the fur f ly. When those two get to-

gether, they’ll make the feathers f ly. They

hate each other.

make the grade to be satisfactory; to be

what is expected. (Informal.) I’m sorry,

but your work doesn’t exactly make the

grade. This meal doesn’t just make the

grade. It is excellent.

make the most of something to make some-

thing appear as good as possible; to ex-

ploit something; to get as much out of

something as is possible. (Compare this

with make the best of something.) Mary

knows how to make the most of her talents.

They designed the advertisements to

make the most of the product’s features.

make the scene to appear somewhere, es-

pecially at a social event. (Slang.)

hope I can make the scene Saturday night

at the party. The big race is tomorrow

Man, I’ve got to make the scene. The whole

world will be there!

make time (for someone or something) to

schedule time to see someone or do

something. I can make time for you to-

morrow morning. I am very busy, but I

can make time. You are going to have

to start making time for balanced meals.

make time (with someone) to flirt with,

date, or hang around with someone. (In-

formal.) I hear that Tom’s been mak-

ing time with Ann. I hear they’ve been

making time for months.

make up for lost time to do much of

something; to do something fast. Be-

cause we took so long eating lunch, we have

to drive faster to make up for lost time.

Otherwise we won’t arrive on time. At

the age of sixty, Bill learned to play golf.

Now he plays it every day. He’s making up

for lost time.

make up for someone or something to take the

place of someone or something. John

can’t play in the game Saturday, but I think

I can make up for him. Do you think

that this cat can make up for the one that

ran away?

make up (with someone) to reconcile with

someone; to end a disagreement (with

someone). Bill and Max decided to

make up. They made up with each other

and are still very good friends.

make use of someone or something to use or

utilize someone or something. If you

make use of all your talents and skills, you

should succeed. The technician makes

good use of a number of special tools.

make waves to make trouble or difficul-

ties. (Also literal. Informal. Compare this

with rock the boat.) I don’t want to

make waves, but this just isn’t right.

Why do you always have to make waves?

Can’t you be constructive?

make way to make progress; to move

ahead. (Originally nautical. See also

make way (for someone or something).)

this project making way?

A sailboat

can’t make way if there is no wind.

make way (for someone or something) to clear

a path for someone or something.

Make way for the stretcher. Please make

way for the nurse. Here comes the doc-

tor—make way!

man-about-town a fashionable man who

leads a sophisticated life. He prefers

wine bars to pubs—quite a man-about-

town. Jack’s too much of a man-about-

town to go to a football game.

the man in the street the ordinary person.

Politicians rarely care what the man in

the street thinks. The man in the street

has little interest in literature.

man to man and woman to woman

speaking frankly and directly, one person

to another. Let’s discuss this man to

man so we know what each other thinks.

The two mothers discussed their child-

raising problems woman to woman.

Many hands make light work. A lot of

help will make a chore seem easier.

(Proverb.) Let’s all work together and

get this finished. Many hands make light

work. Many hands make light work, so

please lend a hand.

many is the time on many occasions.

Many is the time I wanted to complain,

but I just kept quiet. Many is the time

that we don’t have enough to eat.

march to (the beat of ) a different drum-

mer to believe in a different set of prin-

ciples. John is marching to a different

drummer, and he doesn’t come to our par-

ties anymore. Since Sally started march-

ing to the beat of a different drummer, she

has had a lot of great new ideas.

mark my word(s) remember what I’m

telling you. Mark my word, you’ll regret

this. This whole project will fail—mark

my words.

mark someone or something down 1. [with

someone] to make a note about someone;

to note a fact about someone. I’m go-

ing to the party. Please mark me down.

Mark me down, too. 2. [with someone]

[for a teacher] to give someone a low

score. He’ll mark you down for mis-

spelled words. T I marked down Tom for

bad spelling. 3. [with something] to lower

the price of something. Okay, we’ll

mark it down. T Let’s mark down this

price so it’ll sell faster.

mark something up 1. to mess something up

with marks. T Don’t mark up your book!

Who marked this book up? 2. to grade

a paper and make lots of informative

marks and comments on it. T The

teacher really marked up my term paper.

Why did you mark my test up so much?

I hardly made any errors. 3. to raise the

price of something. The grocery store

seems to mark the price of food up every

week. T They don’t mark up the price of

turkey at Thanksgiving.

a marvel to behold someone or something

quite exciting or wonderful to see. Our

new house is a marvel to behold. Mary’s

lovely new baby is a marvel to behold.

a match for someone, something, or some crea-

ture someone, something, or some crea-

ture that is the equal of someone, some-

thing, or some other creature, especially

in a contest. My older brother is no

match for me; he’s much weaker. Your

horse is a good match for mine in the race.

Either one might win.

matter-of-fact businesslike; unfeeling.

(See also as a matter of fact.) Don’t ex-

pect a lot of sympathy from Ann. She’s very

matter-of-fact. Don’t be so matter-of-

fact. It hurts my feelings.

a matter of life and death an issue of

great urgency; a situation that will affect

life or death. We must find a doctor. It’s

a matter of life and death. A matter of

life and death demands that I return home

at once.

a matter of opinion the matter of how

good or bad someone or something is; a

question about which there are different

opinions. It’s a matter of opinion how

good the company is. John thinks it’s great

and Fred thinks it’s poor. How efficient

the committee is is a matter of opinion.

mean business to be very serious and de-

termined about something. (Informal.)

Billy, get into this house and do your

homework, and I mean business.  We

mean business when we say you must stop

all this nonsense.

mean for someone to do something to intend

for someone to do something.

meant for us to go with them to the zoo.

John meant for Jane to do the dishes.

mean nothing (to someone) 1. not to make

sense to someone. This sentence means

nothing to me. It isn’t clearly written.

I’m sorry. This message means nothing. 2.

[for someone] not to have feeling for

(someone or something). Do I mean

nothing to you after all these years? Do

all those years mean nothing?

mean something (to someone) 1. to make

sense to someone. (See also the preced-

ing entry.) Does this line mean anything

to you? Yes, it means something. 2. for

someone to have feeling for (someone or

something). You mean a lot to me.

This job means a lot to Ann.

mean to (do something) to plan or intend to

do something. Did you mean to do

that? No, it was an accident. I didn’t

mean to.

meant to be destined to exist. Our love

was meant to be! It was not meant to be.

meant to be something destined or fated to

be something. Jane was meant to be a

chemist.  I was meant to be rich, but

something didn’t work right!

measure up (to someone or something) to be

equal to someone or something. Ann

is good, but she doesn’t measure up to

Mary. Tom measures up to the job.

measure up (to someone’s expectations)

and measure up to someone’s standards

to be as good as one expects. This mea-

sures up to my standards quite nicely.

This meal doesn’t measure up to my

expectations.

measure up to someone’s standards Go to

measure up (to someone’s expectations).

meat-and-potatoes basic, sturdy, and

hearty. (Often refers to a robust person,

usually a man, with simple tastes in food

and other things.) Fred was your meat-

and-potatoes kind of guy. No creamy

sauces for him. There is no point in try-

ing to cook up something special for the

Wilsons. They are strictly meat-and-

potatoes.

a Mecca for someone a place that is fre-

quently visited by a particular group of

people because it is important to them

for some reason. (From the city of

Mecca, the religious center of Islam.)

New York City is a Mecca for theatergo-

ers. St. Andrews is a Mecca for golf en-

thusiasts because of its famous course.

meek as a lamb Go to (as) meek as a

lamb.

meet one’s death and meet one’s end to

experience something, especially death or

problems. After 20 years, my dog finally

met his death when he got hit by a bus.

The sky diver met his end when his para-

chute didn’t open.

meet one’s end Go to meet one’s death.

meet one’s match to meet one’s equal.

John played tennis with Bill yesterday, and

it looks as if John has finally met his

match. Listen to Jane and Mary argue.

I always thought that Jane was loud, but

she has finally met her match.

meet one’s Waterloo to meet one’s final

and insurmountable challenge. (Refers to

Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo.) The

boss is being very hard on Bill. It seems

that Bill has finally met his Waterloo.

John was more than Sally could handle.

She has finally met her Waterloo.

meet someone halfway to offer to compro-

mise with someone. (Also literal.) No,

I won’t give in, but I’ll meet you halfway.

They settled the argument by agreeing

to meet each other halfway.

meet the requirements (for something) to

fulfill the requirements for something.

Sally was unable to meet the requirements

for the job. Jane met the requirements

and was told to report to work the next

a meeting of minds the establishment of

agreement; complete agreement. After

a lot of discussion we finally reached a

meeting of minds. We struggled to bring

about a meeting of minds on the issues.

melt in one’s mouth 1. to taste very good.

(Also can be literal.) This cake is so

good it’ll melt in your mouth. John said

that the food didn’t exactly melt in his

mouth. 2. [of meat] to be very, very ten-

der. My steak is so tender it could melt

in my mouth. This fillet will melt in

your mouth!

mend (one’s) fences to restore good rela-

tions (with someone). (Also literal.) I

think I had better get home and mend my

fences. I had an argument with my daugh-

ter this morning. Sally called up her un-

cle to apologize and try to mend fences.

mend one’s ways to improve one’s behav-

harm was done. 2. [with something] to

make something disorderly. You really

messed this place up! T Who messed up

my bed?

middle-of-the-road halfway between two

extremes, especially political extremes.

(Also literal.) Jane is very left-wing, but

her husband is politically middle-of-the-

road. I don’t want to vote for either the

left-wing or the right-wing candidate. I

prefer someone with more middle-of-the-

road views.

might and main great physical strength;

great force. The huge warrior, with all

his might and main, could not break his




ior. John used to be very wild, but he’s

way through the castle gates.

The in-




mended his ways. You’ll have to mend

your ways if you go out with Mary. She

hates people to be late.

mention someone or something in passing to

mention someone or something casually;

to mention someone or something while

talking about someone or something else.

He just happened to mention in pass-

ing that the mayor had resigned. John

mentioned in passing that he was nearly

eighty years old.

merry as a cricket Go to (as) merry as a

cricket.

merry as the day is long Go to (as) merry

as the day is long.

mess about (with someone or something) Go

to mess around (with someone or something).

mess around (with someone or something)

and mess about (with someone or some-

thing); monkey around (with someone or

something); screw around (with someone

or something) to play with or waste time

with someone or something. (Slang.)

Will you please stop messing around with

that old car! Stop messing about! Get

busy! Tom wastes a lot of time messing

around with Bill. Don’t monkey around

with my computer! John is always

screwing around with his stereo.

mess someone or something up 1. [with some-

one] to rough someone up; to beat some-

one up. (Slang.) The robbers threatened

to mess Bob up if he didn’t cooperate. T

John messed up Bill a little, but no real

credible might and main of the sea crushed

the ship against the cliff.

milestone in someone’s life a very impor-

tant event or point in one’s life. (From the

stone at the side of a road showing the

distance to or from a place.)

wedding was a milestone in her mother’s

life. The birth of a child is a milestone

in every parent’s life.

milk of human kindness natural kindness

and sympathy shown to others. (From

Shakespeare’s play Macbeth, I. v.) Mary

is completely hard and selfish—she has no

milk of human kindness in her. Roger

is too full of the milk of human kindness

and people take advantage of him.

milk someone for something to pressure some-

one into giving information or money.

The reporter milked the mayor’s aide for

information. The thief milked me for

$20.

millstone about one’s neck a continual

burden or handicap. This huge and ex-

pensive house is a millstone about my neck.

Bill’s inability to read is a millstone

about his neck.

mince (one’s) words to lessen the force of

one’s statement by choosing weak or po-

lite words; to be euphemistic. (Formal.)

I won’t mince words. You did a rotten

job. I’m not one to mince words, so I

have to say that you behaved very badly.

mind one’s own business to attend only

to the things that concern one.

me alone, Bill. Mind your own business.

I’d be fine if John would mind his own

business.

mind one’s p’s and q’s to pay attention to

small details of behavior, especially man-

ners. When we go to the mayor’s recep-

tion, please mind your p’s and q’s. I al-

ways mind my p’s and q’s when I eat at a

restaurant with white tablecloths.

mind the store to take care of local mat-

ters. (Also literal. Informal.)

stay here in the office and mind the store

Please while I go to the conference. I had to stay

home and mind the store when Ann went

to Boston.

mind you <a phrase indicating that some-

thing should be taken into considera-

tion.> He’s very well dressed, but mind

you, he’s got plenty of money to buy

clothes. Lisa is unfriendly to me, but

mind you, she’s never very nice to anyone.

mind your manners to be careful to use

good manners. Mind your manners

while we visit Aunt Mary’s house.

Jimmy! Mind your manners!

a mine of information someone or some-

thing that is full of information.

Grandfather is a mine of information

about World War I. The new encyclo-

pedia is a positive mine of useful

information.

the minute something happens the point in

time at which an event happens. I’ll be

inside the minute it rains. Call me the

minute you get to town.

a miscarriage of justice a wrong or mis-

taken decision, especially one made in a

court of law. Sentencing the old man on

a charge of murder proved to be a miscar-

riage of justice. Punishing the student

for cheating was a miscarriage of justice.

He was innocent.

misplace one’s trust (in someone) to put

trust in the wrong person; to put trust in

someone who does not deserve it. The

writer misplaced his trust in his editor.

The voters misplaced their trust in the cor-

rupt politician

make

make arrangements (for someone or some-

thing) 1. to make plans for someone or

something. I’m making arrangements

for the convention. It starts next week,

and I hardly have time to make arrange-

ments. 2. [with someone] to plan accom-

modations for someone. John is com-

ing for a visit next week. Please make

arrangements for him at the hotel. I will

make arrangements for everyone when I

call the hotel.

make a run for it to run fast to get away

or get somewhere. (Informal. Compare

this with make a break for something or

somewhere.) When the guard wasn’t look-

ing, the prisoner made a run for it. In

the baseball game, the player on first base

made a run for it, but he didn’t make it to

second base.

make a scene and create a scene to

make a public display or disturbance.

When John found a f ly in his drink, he

started to create a scene. Oh, John

please don’t make a scene. Just forget about it

make as if to do something to act as if one

were about to do something. The thief

made as if to run away but changed his

Jane made as if to smack the

child.

make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear to

create something of value out of some-

thing of no value. (Often in the negative.)

Don’t bother trying to fix up this old

bicycle. You can’t make a silk purse out of

a sow’s ear. My mother made a lovely

jacket out of an old coat. She succeeded in

making a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.

make a stink (about something) Go to cre-

ate a stink (about something).

make away with someone or something and

make off with someone or something to take

someone or something away; to make

someone or something disappear. The

robber made away with the jewelry. The

maid quickly made off with the children.

We only saw them for a moment.

make book on something to make or accept

bets on something. (Slang.) It looks as

if it will rain, but I wouldn’t make book on

it. John’s making book on the football

game this Saturday.

make (both) ends meet to manage to live

on a small amount of money. (Also lit-

eral.) It’s hard these days to make ends

meet. I have to work overtime to make

both ends meet.

make chin music to talk or chatter.

(Slang.) We sat around all evening mak-

ing chin music. You were making chin

music when you should have been

listening.

make cracks (about someone or something) to

ridicule or make jokes about someone or

something. (Informal.) Please stop

making cracks about my haircut. It’s the

new style. Some people can’t help mak-

ing cracks. They are just rude.

make do (with someone or something) to do

as well as possible with someone or

something. You’ll have to make do with

less money next year. The economy is very

weak. We’ll have to make do with John

even though he’s a slow worker. Yes, we’ll

have to make do.

make eyes (at someone) to flirt with some-

one. Tom spent all afternoon making

eyes at Ann. How could they sit there

in class making eyes?

make fast work of someone or something Go

to make short work of someone or something.

make for somewhere to run or travel to

somewhere. (Slang, especially criminal

slang.) When I got out of class, I made

for the gym. When he got out of jail, he

made for Toledo.

make free with someone or something 1.

[with someone] Go to take liberties with

someone or something. 2. [with something]

to take advantage of or use something as

if it were one’s own. (Compare this with

take liberties with someone or something.)

I wish you wouldn’t come into my house

and make free with my food and drink.

Please make free with my car while I’m

gone.

make friends Go to make a friend.

make fun (of someone or something) to ridi-

cule someone or something. Please stop

making fun of me. It hurts my feelings.

Billy teases and makes fun a lot, but he

means no harm.

make good as something to succeed in a

particular role. I hope I make good as

a teacher. John made good as a football

player.

make good (at something) to succeed at

something. Bob worked hard to make

good at selling. Jane was determined to

make good.

make good money to earn a large amount

of money. (Informal.) Ann makes good

money at her job. I don’t know what she

does, but she makes good money.

make good on something 1. to fulfill a

promise. Tom made good on his pledge

to donate $1,000. Bill refused to make

good on his promise. 2. to repay a debt.

(See also make something good.) I could-

n’t make good on my debts, and I got in a

lot of trouble. If you don’t make good on

this bill, I’ll have to take back your car.

make good time to travel fast; to progress

rapidly. I am making good time. My re-

port is almost finished. Now that we are

clear of the city traffic, we can make good

time.

make hamburger out of someone or some-

thing and make mincemeat out of some-

one or something to beat up or overcome

someone or something. (Literal when re-

ferring to foodstuffs. Figurative with

people. Slang.) Stop acting silly, or I’ll

make hamburger out of you. Our team

made mincemeat out of the other team.

make it to succeed. (See also make some-

thing.) I hope Bob’s new business makes

it. Donna wants to graduate this year.

I hope she makes it.

make it as far as something Go to make it

(until something).

make it hot for someone to make things dif-

ficult for someone; to put someone un-

der pressure. (Also literal. Slang.)

Maybe if we make it hot for them, they’ll

leave. John likes making it hot for peo-

ple. He’s sort of mean.

make it one’s business to do something to do

something on one’s own even if it means

interfering in something that does not di-

rectly concern one. (As opposed to mind-

ing one’s own business. See also take it

upon oneself to do something.) I know I

doesn’t concern me, but I made it my busi-

ness to call city hall because someone had

to. Jane made it her business to find out

exactly what had happened to the old lady.

make it to something Go to make it (until

something).

make it (until something) and make it to

something; make it as far as something to

endure until something; to last until

some time. I hope my car can make it

to the next town. Do you think you can

make it until we come to a stopping point?

I made it as far as the first turn and de-

cided to give up.

make it worth someone’s while to make

something profitable enough for some-

one to do. (See also worth someone’s

while.) If you deliver this parcel for me,

I’ll make it worth your while. The boss

said he’d make it worth our while if we

worked late.

make life miserable for someone to make

someone unhappy over a long period of

time. My shoes are tight, and they are

making life miserable for me. Jane’s boss

is making life miserable for her.

make light of something to treat something

as if it were unimportant or humorous.

I wish you wouldn’t make light of his

problems. They’re quite serious. I make

light of my problems, and that makes me

feel better.

make little of someone or something to min-

imize someone or something; to play

someone or something down; to belittle some-

one or something. John made little of my

efforts to collect money for charity.

neighbors made little of John and thought

he would amount to nothing.

make love (to someone) to share physical or

emotional love (or both) with someone.

(This phrase usually has a sexual mean-

ing.) Tom and Ann turned out the lights

and made love. The actress refused to

make love to the leading man on stage.

make merry to have fun; to have an en-

joyable time. The guests certainly made

merry at the wedding. The children were

making merry in the backyard.

make mincemeat out of someone or some-

thing Go to make hamburger out of some-

one or something.

make mischief to cause trouble. Bob

loves to make mischief and get other peo-

ple into trouble.  Don’t believe what

Mary says. She’s just trying to make

mischief.

Make no bones about it. Make no mis-

take (about it).; Do not doubt it. (Folksy.)

This is the greatest cake I’ve ever eaten.

Make no bones about it. Make no bones

about it, Mary is a great singer.

make no difference (to someone) not to

matter to someone; for someone not to

care (about something). It makes no

difference to me what you do. Do what-

ever you want. It really makes no

difference.

make no mistake (about it) without a

doubt; certainly. (Informal.) This car

is a great buy. Make no mistake about it.

We support your candidacy—make no

mistake.

make nothing of something to ignore some-

thing as if it had not happened; to think

no more about something. (Often with

it.) My father caught me throwing the

snowball, but he made nothing of it. I

made nothing of the remark, even though

it seemed quite rude. I saw him leave,

but I made nothing of it.

make off with someone or something Go to

make away with someone or something.

make oneself at home to make oneself

comfortable as if one were in one’s own

home. Please come in and make your-

self at home. I’m glad you’re here. Dur-

ing your visit, just make yourself at home.

make oneself conspicuous to attract atten-

tion to oneself. Please don’t make your-

self conspicuous. It embarrasses me.

Ann makes herself conspicuous by wearing

brightly colored clothing.

make oneself heard to speak loudly so that

one will be heard above the noise. I

had to shout to make myself heard. He

screamed to make himself heard over the

sound of the plane’s engines.

make oneself or something a laughingstock

Go to make a laughingstock of oneself or

something.

make oneself scarce to go away. (Slang.)

Hey, kid, go away. Make yourself scarce.

When there is work to be done, I make my-

self scarce.

make (oneself) up to put makeup on one-

self. I have to make up now. I go on

stage in ten minutes. I will make my-

self up. I don’t need your help.

make one’s mind up to decide.

make your mind up. Which do you want?

T Would you help me make up my mind?

make one’s way through something Go to

pick one’s way through something.

make or break someone either to improve

or ruin someone. The army will either

make or break him. It’s a tough assign-

ment, and it will either make or break her.

make out (with someone or something) 1. to

manage to do (something) with someone

or something. I think I can make out

with this hammer. If I can’t make out

with John, I’ll have to ask for more help. 2.

[with someone] to flirt with, kiss, or hug

someone; to make love (to someone).

(Slang.) Bob was trying to make out

with Sally all evening. She didn’t want

to make out, so she left.

make over someone or something Go to make

a fuss (over someone or something).

make overtures to give hints about some-

thing; to present or suggest ideas. The

company made overtures about hiring me.

Tom is making overtures about inviting

us to his country home next month.

make peace (with someone) to end a quar-

rel with someone. (Compare this with

kiss and make up.) Don’t you think it’s

time to make peace with your brother?

There is no point in arguing anymore.

Yes, it’s time we made peace.

make points (with someone) to gain favor

with someone. (Slang.) Tom is trying

to make points with Ann. He wants to ask

her out. He’s trying to make points by

smiling and telling her how nice she looks.

make reservations Go to make

reservation.

make sense to be understandable to some-

one. John doesn’t make sense. What

John says makes sense.

make sense out of someone or something to

understand or interpret someone or

something. (Also with some, as in the

second example.) I can hardly make

sense out of John. I’m trying to make

some sense out of what John is saying.

make short work of someone or something

and make fast work of someone or some-

thing to finish with someone or something

quickly. I made short work of Tom so I

could leave the office to play golf. Billy

made fast work of his dinner so he could

go out and play.

make someone eat crow to cause someone

to retract a statement or admit an error.

(Informal.) Because Mary was com-

pletely wrong, we made her eat crow.

They won’t make me eat crow. They don’t

know I was wrong.

make someone look good to cause someone

to appear successful or competent (espe-

cially when this is not the case). (Also lit-

eral.) John arranges all his affairs to

make himself look good. The manager

didn’t like the quarterly report because it

didn’t make her look good.

make someone look ridiculous to make

someone look foolish (not funny). This

hat makes me look ridiculous.

make me look good. Don’t make me look

ridiculous!

make someone or something available to some-

one to supply someone with someone or

something. I made my car available to

Bob. They made their maid available

to us.

make someone or something over Go to do

someone or something over.

make someone’s bed Go to make a bed;

make the bed.

make someone’s blood boil to make some-

one very angry. (Informal.)

makes my blood boil to think of the

amount of food that gets wasted around

here. Whenever I think of that dishon-

est mess, it makes my blood boil.

make someone’s blood run cold to shock or

horrify someone. The terrible story in

the newspaper made my blood run cold.

I could tell you things about prisons that

would make your blood run cold.

make someone’s flesh crawl to cause some-

one’s skin to feel funny or get goose pim-

ples through fright. Just to hear the

story of the killings made my f lesh crawl.

The horror movie made our f lesh crawl.

make someone’s gorge rise to cause some-

one to become very angry. The unnec-

essary accident made my gorge rise. Get-

ting his tax bill made Bob’s gorge rise.

make someone’s hair curl Go to curl some-

one’s hair.

make someone’s hair stand on end to cause

someone to be very frightened. (Literal if

referring to the effects of a charge of sta-

tic electricity. Informal.) The horrible

scream made my hair stand on end. The

ghost story made our hair stand on end.

make someone’s head spin Go to make

someone’s head swim.

make someone’s head swim and make

someone’s head spin 1. to make someone

dizzy or disoriented. Riding in your car

makes my head spin. Breathing the gas

made my head swim. 2. to confuse or

overwhelm someone. All these numbers

make my head swim. The physics lec-

ture made my head spin.

make someone sick to disgust someone.

I am really tired of your vile talk. You

make me sick! She screamed at him that

he made her sick and then she ran out of

the house.

make someone’s mouth water to make

someone hungry (for something). (Also

literal for causing saliva to flow into

someone’s mouth. Informal.) That

beautiful salad makes my mouth water.

Talking about food makes my mouth

water.

make someone’s position clear to clarify

where someone stands on an issue. I

don’t think you understand what I said.

Let me make my position clear. I can’t

tell whether you are in favor of or against

the proposal. Please make your position

clear.

make someone the scapegoat for something

to make someone take the blame for

something. They made Tom the scape-

goat for the whole affair. It wasn’t all his

fault. Don’t try to make me the scape-

goat. I’ll tell who really did it.

make someone up to put makeup on some-

one. She made herself up before leav-

ing the house. T The crew made up the

cast before the play.

make something to attend an event. (See also

make it.) I hope you can make our

party. I am sorry, but I won’t be able to

make it.

make something a practice Go to make a

practice of something.

make something from scratch to make

something by starting with the basic in-

gredients. (Informal.) We made the

cake from scratch, using no prepared in-

gredients. I didn’t have a ladder, so I

made one from scratch.

make something good and make something

right to replace or restore something.

(Informal. See also set something right.)

I know I owe you some money, but don’t

worry, I’ll make it good.  I’m sorry I

broke your window. I’ll make it right,

though.

make something out of nothing 1. to make

an issue of something of little impor-

tance. (See also make a mountain out of

a molehill.) Relax, John, you’re making

a big problem out of nothing. You have

no evidence. You’re making a case out of

nothing. 2. to create something of value

from nearly worthless parts. My un-

cle—he sells sand—made a fortune out of

nothing. My model airplane won the

contest even though I made it out of

nothing.

make something (out) of something 1. to

make an interpretation of something.

Can you make anything out of this mes-

sage? I don’t understand it. I’m sorry, I

can’t make any sense out of it. 2. to inter-

pret something negatively, possibly lead-

ing to a disagreement. (Informal. Com-

pare this with make nothing of something.)

So, I’m wrong! You want to make some-

thing of it? The hostess made too much

out of my absence.

make something right Go to make something

good.

make something to order to put something

together only when someone requests it.

(Usually said about clothing. See also

build something to order.) This store only

makes suits to order. Our shirts fit per-

fectly because we make each one to order.

M

mad about someone or something Go to crazy

about someone or something.

mad as a hatter Go to (as) mad as a

hatter.

mad as a hornet Go to (as) mad as a

hornet.

mad as a March hare Go to (as) mad as

a March hare.

mad as a wet hen Go to (as) mad as a wet

hen.

mad as hell Go to (as) mad as hell.

mad enough to chew nails and angry

enough to chew nails angry enough to

bite through metal nails I am mad

enough to chew nails! Who took my check-

book? Her sudden tirade made him an-

gry enough to chew nails.

mad for someone or something Go to mad

about someone or something.

made for each other [for two people] to

be very well suited romantically. Bill

and Jane were made for each other. Mr.

and Mrs. Smith were not exactly made for

each other. They really don’t get along.

made from the same mold Go to cut from

the same cloth.

made to measure [of clothing] made es-

pecially to fit the measurements of a par-

ticular person. Jack has his suits made

to measure because he’s rather large.

Having clothes made to measure is rather

expensive.

made to order put together on request.

(Compare this with in stock.) This suit

fits so well because it’s made to order.

His feet are so big that all his shoes have

to be made to order.

maiden voyage the first voyage of a ship

or boat. The liner sank on its maiden

voyage. Jim is taking his yacht on its

maiden voyage.

main strength and awkwardness great

force; brute force. (Folksy.) They fi-

nally got the piano moved in to the living

room by main strength and awkwardness.

Lifting the table must be done carefully.

This is not a job requiring main strength

and awkwardness.

make a bed and make someone’s bed to

arrange neatly the sheets and blankets of

a bed. The hotel maid made our bed.

Billy had to make his bed before he went

to school.

make a beeline for someone or something to

head straight toward someone or some-

thing. (Refers to the way bees fly in a

straight line. Informal.) Billy came into

the kitchen and made a beeline for the

cookies. After the game, we all made a

beeline for John, who was serving cold

drinks.

make a big deal about something Go to

make a federal case out of something.

make a break for something or somewhere to

move or run quickly to something or

somewhere. (Informal.) Before we

could stop her, she made a break for the

door and got away.  The mouse got

frightened and made a break for a hole in

the wall.

make a bundle and make a pile to make

a lot of money. (Slang.) John really

made a bundle on that deal. I’d like to

make a pile and retire.

make a check out (to someone) to write a

check naming someone as payee.

Please make a check out to John Jones. T

Do you want cash, or should I make out a

check?

make a clean breast of something to con-

fess something; to get something off one’s

chest. You’ll feel better if you make a

clean breast of it. Now tell us what hap-

pened.  I was forced to make a clean

breast of the whole affair.

make a clean sweep to do something

completely or thoroughly, with no ex-

ceptions. (Informal.) The boss decided

to fire everybody, so he made a clean

sweep.   They made a clean sweep

through the neighborhood, repairing all

the sidewalks.

make a comeback to return to one’s for-

mer (successful) career. (Informal.)

After ten years in retirement, the singer

made a comeback. You’re never too old

to make a comeback.

make a day of doing something and make

a day of it to spend the whole day do-

ing something. We went to the museum

to see the new exhibit and then decided to

make a day of it. They made a day of

cleaning the attic.

make a day of it Go to make a day of do-

ing something.

make a dent in something to begin to con-

sume or accomplish something. (Also lit-

eral. Informal.) Bob, you’ve hardly

made a dent in your dinner! There is a

lot of rice left. We hardly made a dent in

it all week. Get busy! You haven’t even

made a dent in your work.

make a face to twist one’s face into a

strange expression in order to show one’s

dislike, ridicule, etc., or in order to make

someone laugh. The comedian made

faces in order to amuse the children.

Jane made a face when she was asked to

work late.

make a face (at someone) 1. to make a face

at someone in ridicule. Mother, Billy

made a face at me! The teacher sent

Jane to the principal for making a face in

class. 2. to attempt to communicate to

someone through facial gestures, usually

an attempt to say “no” or “stop.”

started to tell John where I was last night,

but Bill made a face so I didn’t. John

made a face at me as I was testifying, so I

avoided telling everything.

make a fast buck and make a quick

buck to make money with little effort.

(Slang.) Tom is always ready to make

a fast buck. I made a quick buck selling

used cars.

make a federal case out of something and

make a big deal about something to ex-

aggerate the seriousness of something.

(The first entry head can be literal.

Slang.) Come on. It was nothing! Don’t

make a federal case out of it.  I only

stepped on your toe. Don’t make a big deal

about it.

make a fool out of someone and make a

monkey out of someone to make some-

one look foolish. John made a monkey

out of himself while trying to make a fool

out of Jim. John made a fool out of him-

self at the party. Are you trying to make

a monkey out of me?

make a friend and make friends to es-

tablish a link of friendship with someone.

I have never found it difficult to make

friends. Mary had to make new friends

when she changed schools.

make a fuss (over someone or something)

and make over someone or something 1. to

worry about or make a bother about

someone or something. Why do you

fuss over a problem like that?  Please

don’t make a fuss. Everything will be all

right.  Don’t make over me so much!

2. to be very solicitous and helpful

toward a person or a pet. How can any-

one make a fuss over a cat? Billy was

embarrassed when his mother made a fuss

over him. 3. to argue about someone or

something. Please don’t make a fuss

over who gets the last cookie. Please dis-

cuss it. Don’t make a fuss over it!

make a go of it to make something work

out all right. (Informal.) It’s a tough sit-

uation, but Ann is trying to make a go of

it. We don’t like living here, but we have

to make a go of it.

make a great show of something to make

something obvious; to do something in

a showy fashion. Ann made a great

show of wiping up the drink that John

spilled. Jane displayed her irritation at

our late arrival by making a great show of

serving the cold dinner.

make a hit (with someone or something) to

please someone. (Informal.) The singer

made a hit with the audience. She was

afraid she wouldn’t make a hit. John

made a hit with my parents last evening.

make a killing to have a great success, es-

pecially in making money. (Slang.)

John has got a job selling insurance. He’s

not exactly making a killing. Bill made

a killing at the racetrack yesterday.

make a laughingstock of oneself or some-

thing and make oneself or something a

laughingstock to make oneself a source

of ridicule or laughter; to do something

that invites ridicule. Laura made her-

self a laughingstock by arriving at the fast-

food restaurant in full evening dress.

The board of directors made the company

a laughingstock by hiring an ex-convict as

president.

make a living to earn enough money to

live on. I’ll be glad when I get a job and

can make a living. I can hardly make a

living with the skills I have.

make allowance(s) (for someone or some-

thing) 1. to allow time, space, food, etc.,

for someone or something. When

planning the party, please make allowances

for John and his family. I’m making al-

lowance for ten extra guests. 2. to make

excuses or explanations for someone or

something; to take into consideration the

negative effects of someone or some-

thing. You’re very late even when we

make allowance for the weather.  We

have to make allowance for the age of the

house when we judge its condition.

make a long story short to bring a story

to an end. (A formula that introduces a

summary of a story or a joke.) And—

to make a long story short—I never got

back the money that I lent him. If I can

make a long story short, let me say that

everything worked out fine.

make a meal of something to eat only a large

portion of one kind of food as an entire

meal. There were lots of salad makings,

so we fixed a large salad and made a meal

of it. We had tons of leftover turkey af-

ter the festival, so the next day we sat down

and made a meal of it.

make amends (for something) to do some-

thing as an act of restitution or to make

up for some error, injury, or loss that one

has caused. After the argument, Jane

later called her friend to make amends.

After amends had been made, Jane took

her friend to dinner.

make a monkey out of someone Go to

make a fool out of someone.

make a mountain out of a molehill to

make a major issue out of a minor one;

to exaggerate the importance of some-

thing. Come on, don’t make a mountain

out of a molehill. It’s not that important.

Mary is always making mountains out

of molehills.

make an all-out effort to make a thor-

ough and energetic effort. (See also all-

out effort.) Sally made an all-out effort

to get to class on time. In my job, I have

to make an all-out effort every day.

make a name (for oneself) to become fa-

mous. Sally wants to work hard and

make a name for herself. It’s hard to

make a name without a lot of talent and

hard work.

make an appearance to appear; to appear

in a performance. (Compare this with

put in an appearance.) We waited for

thirty minutes for the professor to make an

appearance, then we went home. The

famous singing star made an appearance

in Detroit last August.

make an appointment (with someone) to

schedule a meeting with someone. I

made an appointment with the doctor for

late today. The professor wouldn’t see me

unless I made an appointment.

make an example of someone to make

a public issue out of someone’s bad

behavior. The judge decided to make an

example of John, so he fined him the full

amount. The teacher made an example

of Mary, who had disturbed the class con-

stantly with her whispering.

make an exception (for someone) to sus-

pend a rule or practice for someone in a

single instance. Please make an excep-

tion just this once. The rule is a good

one, and I will not make an exception for

anyone.

make an exhibition of oneself to embarrass

oneself by showing off or doing some-

thing daring in public. (Sometimes un-

der the influence of alcohol.) You can

be certain that Joan will have too much to

drink and make an exhibition of herself.

Sit down and be quiet. Stop making an

exhibition of yourself.

make a night of doing something to do some-

thing for the entire night. We partied

until three in the morning and then de-

cided to make a night of it. Once or

twice in the early spring we make a night

of fishing.

make an impression (on someone) to pro-

duce a memorable effect on someone.

(Often with good, bad, or some other ad-

jective.) Tom made a bad impression on

the banker. I’m afraid that you haven’t

made a very good impression on our visi-

tors. You made quite an impression on

my father.

make an issue of someone or something Go to

make a point of someone or something.

make a note of something to write some-

thing down. Please make a note of this

address. This is important. Make a note

of it.

make a nuisance of oneself to be a constant

bother. I’m sorry to make a nuisance

of myself, but I do need an answer to my

question Stop making a nuisance of

yourself and wait your turn.

make an uproar Go to create an uproar.

make a pass at someone to flirt with some-

one; to make a romantic advance at

someone. (This often has sexual impli-

cations. Compare this with make a play

(for someone).) I was shocked when Ann

made a pass at me. I think Bob was

making a pass at me, but he did it very

subtly.

make a pile Go to make a bundle.

make a pitch (for someone or something) to

say something in support of someone or

something; to attempt to promote, sell,

or advance someone or something. (In-

formal.) Bill is making a pitch for his

friend’s new product again. The the-

atrical agent came in and made a pitch for

her client. Every time I turn on the tele-

vision set, someone is making a pitch.

make a play (for someone) to attempt to at-

tract the romantic interest of someone.

(Informal. Compare this with make a

pass at someone.) Ann made a play for

Bill, but he wasn’t interested in her. I

knew he liked me, but I never thought he’d

make a play.

make a point to state an item of impor-

tance. (Also literal, as in sports and

games.) You made a point that we all

should remember. He spoke for an hour

without making a point.

make a point of doing something to make an

effort to do something. Please make a

point of mailing this letter. It’s very im-

portant. The hostess made a point of

thanking me for bringing f lowers.

make a point of someone or something and

make an issue of someone or something to

turn someone or something into an im-

portant matter. Please don’t make a

point of John’s comment. It wasn’t that im-

portant. I hope you make an issue of

Tom’s success and the reasons for it. Tom

has a lot of problems. Please don’t make an

issue of him.

make a practice of something and make

something a practice to turn something

into a habitual activity. Jane makes a

practice of planting daisies every summer.

Her mother also made it a practice.

make a quick buck Go to make a fast

buck.

make a reservation and make reserva-

tions to reserve a seat, as in an airplane,

restaurant, or theater in advance; to re-

serve a room, as in a hotel in advance.

Did you make a reservation or are we just

going to chance getting a table? I made

reservations for a f light at twelve noon.