Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)
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[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."/