[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.
[make sport of] See: MAKE FUN OF.
[make sure]{v. phr.} To see about something yourself; look at to be sure. •/Father makes sure that all the lights are off before he goes to bed./ •/Mary thought she had time to get to school but she ran all the way just to make sure./ •/Before you write your report on the life of Washington you should make sure of your facts./
[make the best of]{v. phr.} To do something you do not like to do and not complain; accept with good humor. •/The girl did not like to wash dishes but she made the best of it./ Compare: MAKE A VIRTUE OF NECESSITY.
[make the blood boil] See: MAKE ONE’S BLOOD BOIL.
[make the feathers fly]{v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To enjoy working; be strong and work hard. •/When Mrs. Hale did her spring cleaning she made the feathers fly./ 2. See: MAKE THE FUR FLY.
[make the fur fly] or [make the feathers fly] {v. phr.}, {informal} Say or write mean things about someone or to jump on and fight hard. •/A man fooled Mr. Black and got his money. Mr. Black will really make the fur fly when he finds the man./ •/Mrs. Baker’s dog dug holes in her neighbor’s garden. The neighbor really made the fur fly when she saw Mrs. Baker./
[make the grade]{v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To make good; succeed. •/It was clear that Mr. Baker had made the grade in the insurance business./ •/It takes hard study to make the grade in school./ 2. To meet a standard; qualify. •/That whole shipment of cattle made the grade as prime beef./
[make the most of]{v. phr.} To do the most you can with; get the most from; use to the greatest advantage. •/She planned the weekend in town to make the most of it./ •/George studied hard. He wanted to make the most of his chance to learn./ •/The teacher went out of the room for five minutes and some bad boys made the most of it./ •/Bill liked Mary; he would do anything for her, and Mary made the most of it./ Compare: MAKE HAY WHILE THE SUN SHINES.
[make the scene]{v. phr.}, {slang} To be present; to arrive at a certain place or event. •/I am too tired to make the scene; let’s go home./
[make things hum] See: KEEP THINGS HUMMING.
[make time]{v. phr.}, {slang} 1. To be successful in arriving at a designated place in short or good time. •/We’re supposed to be there at 6 P.M., and it’s only 5:30 — we’re making good time./ 2. To be successful in making sexual advances to someone. •/Joe sure is making time with Sue, isn’t he?/
[make tongues wag] See: TONGUES TO WAG.
[make tracks]{v. phr.}, {informal} To go fast; get a speedy start; hurry. •/Man, it’s time we made tracks!/ •/The boys made tracks for home when it began to get dark./ Compare: GET GOING, MAKE HASTE.
[makeup]{n.} (stress on "make") 1. Cosmetics. •/All the actors and actresses put on a lot of makeup./ 2. Attributive auxiliary in lieu of, or belated. •/The professor gave a makeup to the sick students./
[make up]{v.} (stress on "up") 1. To make by putting things or parts together. •/A car is made up of many different parts./ 2. To invent; think and say something that is new or not true. •/Jean makes up stories to amuse her little brother./ 3a. To do or provide (something lacking or needed); do or supply (something not done, lost, or missed); get back; regain; give back; repay. •/I have to make up the test I missed last week./ •/I want to go to bed early to make up the sleep I lost last night./ •/We have to drive fast to make up the hour we lost in Boston./ •/Vitamin pills make up what you lack in your diet./ •/The toy cost a dollar and Ted only had fifty cents, so Father made up the difference./ — Often used in the phrase "make it up to". •/Uncle Fred forgot my birthday present but he made it up to me by taking me to the circus./ •/Mrs. Rich spent so much time away from her children that she tried to make it up to them by giving them things./ Compare: MAKE GOOD. 3b. To do what is lacking or needed; do or give what should be done or given; get or give back what has been lost, missed, or not done; get or give instead; pay back. — Used with "for". •/We made up for lost time by taking an airplane instead of a train./ •/Saying you are sorry won’t make up for the damage of breaking the window./ •/Mary had to make up for the time she missed in school when she was sick, by studying very hard./ •/The beautiful view at the top of the mountain makes up for the hard climb to get there./ 4. To put on lipstick and face paint powder. •/Clowns always make up before a circus show./ •/Tom watched his sister make up her face for her date./ 5. To become friends again after a quarrel. •/Mary and Joan quarreled, but made up after a while./ Compare: BURY THE HATCHET. 6. To try to make friends with someone; to win favor. — Followed by "to". •/The new boy made up to the teacher by sharpening her pencils./
[make up one’s mind]{v. phr.} To choose what to do; decide. •/They made up their minds to sell the house./ •/Tom couldn’t decide whether he should tell Mother about the broken window or let her find it herself./ Contrast: ON THE FENCE.
[make waves]{v. phr.}, {informal} Make one’s influence felt; create a disturbance, a sensation. •/Joe Catwallender is the wrong man for the job; he is always trying to make waves./
[make way]{v. phr.} To move from in front so someone can go through; stand aside. •/The people made way for the king./ •/When older men retire they make way for younger men to take their places./
[mama’s boy]{n. phr.}, {informal} A boy who depends too much on his mother; a sissy. •/The other boys called Tommy a mama’s boy because he wouldn’t come out to play unless his mother stayed near him./
[man] See: COMPANY MAN, EVERY LAST MAN also EVERY MAN JACK, FRONT MAN, HIRED MAN, LADY’S MAN, NEW MAN, SEPARATE THE MEN FROM THE BOYS, TO A MAN, YES-MAN.
[man] or [the man] {n.}, {slang} 1. The police; a policeman. •/I am gonna turn you in to the man./ 2. The boss; the leader; the most important figure in an organization or outfit. •/The man will decide./
[man-about-town]{n. phr.} A sophisticate; an idler; a member of cafe society; one who knows where the best plays and concerts are given. •/Ask Mark where to go when you’re in New York City; he’s a real man-about-town./
[manger] See: DOG IN THE MANGER.
[man in the moon]{n. phr.} An imaginary or nonexistent person (often used to indicate a person of ignorance). •/Stop asking me such difficult questions about nuclear physics; I know as much about it as the man in the moon./
[man in the street]{n. phr.} The man who is just like most other men; the average man; the ordinary man. •/The newspaper took a poll of the man in the street./ Compare: JOE DOAKES, JOHN Q. PUBLIC.
[manner] See: ALL MANNER OF, TO THE MANNER BORN.
[man of few words]{n. phr.} A man who doesn’t talk very much; a man who says only what is needed. •/The principal is a man of few words, but the pupils know what he wants./
[man of his word]{n. phr.} A man who keeps his promises and does the things he agrees to do; a man who can be trusted. •/My uncle is a man of his word./
[man of letters]{n. phr.} A writer; an author; a scholar. •/Chekhov was not only a practicing physician but also a first-rate man of letters./
[man of means]{n. phr.} A rich person. •/He became a man of means by successfully playing the stock market./
[man of parts]{n. phr.}, {literary} A man who has several different skills, talents, or qualities. •/The pianist is a man of parts. He wrote the piece he played, and he also plays the organ and paints well./
[man-of-war]{n. phr.} 1. A stinging jellyfish in the Gulf of Mexico. •/"No swimming today," the sign said, "as we have a man-of-war alert."/ 2. A large battleship displaying its national flag or insignia. •/The shipwreck victims were picked up by an American man-of-war./ 3. The albatross bird. •/After several days at sea we noticed some men-of-war majestically sailing through the skies./
[man-to-man]{adj.} Honest and full in the telling; not hiding anything embarrassing. •/Tom and his father had a man-to-man talk about his smoking pot./ Compare: HEART-TO-HEART.
[many] See: GOOD MANY or GREAT MANY, IN SO MANY WORDS, SO MANY.
[many a]{adj.} Many (persons or things) — Used with a singular noun. •/Many a boy learns to swim before he can read./ •/I have spent many a day in his home./
[many hands make light work] If many people work together, even a hard job becomes easier. — A proverb. •/Come on boys, many hands make light work. If we work together, we can finish painting the barn./
[many is me] There are a great number of (persons or things); many are the (persons or things). — Used at the beginning of a sentence with a singular noun. •/Many is the man I have lent money to./ •/Many was the time I ate at that restaurant./ Compare: MANY A.
[many moons ago]{adv. phr.} A long, long time ago. •/Many moons ago, when I was young, I was able to dance all night./
[map] See: PUT ON THE MAP.
[map out]{v. phr.} To arrange; lay out; plan. •/The candidate will meet with his campaign manager tomorrow to map out his campaign strategy./
[marble] See: HAVE ALL ONE’S BUTTONS or HAVE ALL ONE’S MARBLES.
[March] See: MAD AS A HATTER or MAD AS A MARCH HARE.
[march] See: STEAL A MARCH ON.
[mare’s nest]{n. phr.} Something that doesn’t exist; a discovery that proves to be worthless. •/He claims that he has discovered a gasoline substitute but we suspect it will turn out to be a mare’s nest./
[marine] See: TELL IT TO THE MARINES.
[mark] See: MAKE ONE’S MARK, TOE THE LINE or TOE THE MARK, UP TO THE MARK at UP TO PAR(2), WALK THE CHALK or WALK THE CHALK LINE or WALK THE CHALK MARK, WIDE OF THE MARK.
[markdown]{n.} A reduction in price. •/Joan asked, "Do you like my new sandals? They were markdowns at Marshall Field’s."/
[mark down]{v. phr.} 1. To lower the price. •/The department store marked down their prices on women’s sandals./ 2. To give a poor grade to a student. •/Peter was marked down for his numerous spelling errors./ 3. To make a written note of something. •/Here is my phone number; mark it down./
[marked man]{n. phr.} A man whose behavior has made him the object of suspicion; a man whose life may be in danger. •/When Dave dared to criticize the dictator openly, he became a marked man./
[market] See: FLEA MARKET, IN THE MARKET FOR, ON THE MARKET, PLAY THE MARKET.
[mark off]{v. phr.} Mark with lines; lay out in sections. •/The field will be marked off in accordance with the special track events that will take place tomorrow./
[mark one’s words]{v. phr.} To pay close attention to what one says; an emphatic expression indicating prophecy. •/"It will certainly rain tomorrow," he said. "Mark my words."/
[mark time]{v. phr.} 1. To move the feet up and down as in marching, but not going forward. •/The officer made the soldiers mark time as a punishment./ 2. To be idle; waiting for something to happen. •/The teacher marked time until all the children were ready for the test./ 3. To seem to be working or doing something, but really not doing it. •/It was so hot that the workmen just marked time./
