Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)

[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./