Commonly-Used Idioms, Sayings and phrasal verbs - "M" Idioms doc

509

M
mad as a hatter

- crazy
My neighbor is mad as a hatter and we never know what she will do next.

mad as a hornet

- very angry
Our boss was mad as a hornet when we saw him at the meeting yesterday.

made for each other

- two people are very well suited romantically
The young couple are made for each other and seem to be very happy.

made to measure

- made especially to fit the measurements of someone
When I was working in Hong Kong I purchased several suits that were made to
measure.

made to order

- put together on request
My father decided to buy a new computer desk that was made to order.

maiden voyage

- the first voyage of a ship or boat
The maiden voyage of the new cruise ship was popular with many people.





510

the main drag

- the most important street in a town
We spent Saturday evening driving up and down the main drag of the town.

make Idioms
make a bed

- arrange the sheets and blankets of a bed neatly
My mother always told me to make my bed when I was a child.

make a beeline for (someone or something)

- hurry directly toward someone or something
When I enter the cafeteria I always make a beeline for the dessert section.

make a big deal about (something)

- exaggerate the seriousness of something
I wish that my friend would not make a big deal about every small problem.

make a break for (something/somewhere)

- move or run quickly to something or somewhere
The audience made a break for the doors as soon as the concert was over.

make a bundle/pile

- make a lot of money
My father made a bundle on the stock market several years ago.






511

make a check out (to someone)

- write a check to give to someone with their name on it
I made a check out to the animal hospital after they cared for our dog.

make a clean breast of (something)

- confess something bad that you have done in order not to feel guilty/bad
The woman made a clean breast of things and worked hard to start over.

make a clean sweep of (something)

- do something completely or thoroughly
The new political party made a clean sweep of the large cities during the election.

make a comeback

- return to one's former (successful) career
The boxer has been training very hard in his attempt to make a comeback.

make a day of it

- do something all day
We decided to make a day of it and spend the day at the beach.

make a dent in (something)

- make progress doing something
We worked hard all day but we didn`t make a dent in the amount of work left to do.

make a difference

- cause a change in a situation
It doesn`t make a difference whether he comes to the meeting or not.


512

make a face (at someone)

- make a strange face to ridicule someone
The little girl made a face at the boy in her class.

make a fast/quick buck

- make money with little effort
The two men tried to make a fast buck during the construction boom.

make a fool out of (someone)

- make someone look foolish
The secretary made a fool out of her boss when she argued with him at the meeting.

make a fuss (over someone or something)

- worry about or make a bother about someone or something
My grandmother always makes a fuss over me when I go to visit her.

make a go of (something)

- succeed at something, produce good results
Although he tried hard he was never able to make a go of his business.

make a great show of (something)

- do something in a showy fashion
The woman made a great show of telling everybody about her new and rich
boyfriend.

make a hit

- be successful

Her cake made a hit at the party.


513

make a killing

- make a large amount of money
Her mother made a killing on the real estate market before she retired.

make a laughingstock of (someone)

- do something that makes people laugh at someone
I made a laughingstock of myself when I dropped the plate of crackers at the party.

make a living

- earn enough money to live
He cannot make a living by only doing a part-time job.

make a long story short

- bring a story to an end by omitting some details
I had to make a long story short in order to finish my story and leave to catch my train
home.

make a meal of (something)

- eat one main dish/food as an entire meal
We were able to make a meal of the chicken that my mother gave us last night.

make a mistake

- make an error
I made a mistake on the math test.

make a mountain out of a molehill

- make a big problem out of a small problem
He is making a mountain out of a molehill by worrying about his son`s problem.


514

make a name for oneself

- become well-known or famous
He has made a name for himself in the field of computers.

make a night/evening of (doing something)

- do something for the entire night/evening
We decided to stay home and make a night of playing cards.

make a note of (something)

- to write something on a piece of paper
I made a note of the people that I was going to phone on the weekend.

make a nuisance of oneself

- be a constant bother
I didn't phone the apartment manager to complain about the sink because I didn't want
to make a nuisance of myself.

make a pass at (someone)

- make romantic advances to someone
The man was fired because he made a pass at one of the women who he works with.

make a pitch (for someone or something)

- attempt to promote/sell/advance someone or something
The city made a pitch for more money from other levels of government to help build a
new sports stadium.







515

make a play for (someone)

- try to make someone romantically interested in you
I worked hard all term to make a play for a woman in my computer class.

make a point

- state something important
The speaker used some good examples in order to make a point during his speech.

make a point of (doing/saying something)

- do or say something with a definite intent
He always makes a point of visiting his aunt when he is in town.

make a practice of (something)

- turn something into a habit
I make a practice of going to bed at 11:00 PM every evening.

make a reservation

- reserve a seat in an airplane/restaurant etc. in advance
I phoned the airline last night so that I could make a reservation.

make a run for it

- dash for safety, make a quick escape
I made a run for it as soon as the class finished.

make a scene

- make a public display or disturbance
The woman made a scene in the supermarket when she saw the liquid soap on the
floor.

516

make a silk purse out of a sow's ear

- create something valuable out of something of no value
You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear and the fact is that the woman is not a
good singer and will probably never sing in the choir.

make a stink (about something)

- make a major issue out of something
The woman went to the store to make a stink about the broken CD player that she had
bought.

make an all-out effort

- make a big effort
The police made an all-out effort to discover who had robbed the three banks.

make an appearance

- appear somewhere, appear in a performance
The famous actor made an appearance at the party for the politician.

make an appointment (with someone)

- schedule a meeting with someone
I made an appointment with my dentist to have my teeth checked.

make an example of (someone)

- make a public issue out of someone's bad behavior
The teacher punished the student severely in order to make an example of him for the
other students.






517

make an exception (for someone)

- suspend a rule for someone for one time
The security guard made an exception for me and allowed me to enter the parking lot
after it was closed.

make an impression (on someone)

- produce a memorable effect on someone
The elderly man made an impression on me and I was very sad when I heard that he
had died.

make an issue of (something)

- turn something into an important matter
Our supervisor often tries to make an issue of events that are not important at all.

make allowances for (someone or something)

- allow extra time for someone or something, make excuses for someone or something
We had to make allowances for the fact that the new employee was very slow.

make amends for (something)

- do something to compensate for an error/injury/loss
I was forced to do some extra work to make amends for my mistake of last week.

make arrangements for (someone or something)

- make plans for someone or something
We made arrangements for a small wedding for my cousin.







518

make as if (to do something)

- act as if one were about to do something
The driver made as if he was going to turn right but he actually turned left.

make away with (something)

- take or carry away something
The cat made away with the fish that was sitting on top of the kitchen counter.

make believe

- act as if something is true although one knows that it is not, pretend
The children were playing make believe and pretended that they lived in a castle.

make book on (something)

- make or accept bets on something
The gamblers were planning to make book on the coming election.

make cracks (about someone or something)

- ridicule or make jokes about someone or something
The radio announcer made cracks about the famous athlete during the interview.

make do with (something)

- substitute one thing for another
If there is no cream for the coffee we will have to make do with milk.

make ends meet

- be able to live on the money that one has
It is hard to make ends meet on his salary.


519

make eyes at (someone)

- flirt with someone, look at someone to try and attract them
The boy was making eyes at the girl in his history class.

make for (someone or somewhere)

- go/start toward someone or somewhere
As soon as it began to get dark we decided to make for a quiet place to camp.

make free with (someone or something)

- take advantage or use something as if it were one's own
My roommate always makes free with my clothes which I don't like at all.

make friends

- form friendships with people or animals
She is shy and is not able to make friends easily.

make fun of (someone or something)

- ridicule someone or something
The students were making fun of the girl with the short hair.

make good money

- earn a large amount of money
My friend is able to make good money selling computer equipment in the evenings.

make good on (something)

- fulfill a promise, make something come true. repay a debt
Our boss made good on his promise to give everyone a raise in the new year.


520

make good time

- be successful in arriving at a destination in a short time or quicker than you expected
We made good time yesterday and arrived home before it got dark.

make hay while the sun shines

- do something at the right time, take advantage of an opportunity
You should make hay while the sun shines and paint the house while the weather is
good.

not make head nor tail of (something)

- not be able to understand something
We could not make head nor tail of what he was trying to say during his speech.

make it

- succeed
The woman worked hard and was able to make it in the publishing industry.

make (it/an event)

- attend an event
I was feeling sick so I was not able to make the monthly meeting of our club.

make it as far as

- travel as far as somewhere, endure something until you must stop
We made it as far as the city limits before our car began to have problems.

make it hot for (someone)

- make things difficult for someone
The questions from the reporters were making it hot for the city council member.


521

make it one's business to (do something)

- do something even if you may interfere in something that does not directly concern
you
The mother always makes it her business to know exactly what her children are doing.

make it up to (someone)

- do something for someone to compensate for an unfulfilled promise or debt
I can`t help you tonight but I will make it up to you later.

make it worth (someone's) while to do (something)

- make something profitable enough for someone to do
Our company always makes it worth our while to work on Saturday evenings.

make life miserable for (someone)

- make someone unhappy over a long period of time
The manager of the apartment made life miserable for the young couple with the
baby.

make light of (something)

- treat something as not being important, minimize something
My friend made light of my efforts to learn how to speak and write Chinese.

make little of (someone or something)

- minimize someone or something, belittle someone or something
My friend often makes little of the fact that he borrows money and then does not pay
it back quickly.






522

make merry

- have fun, laugh and celebrate
We decided to go to a nice restaurant and make merry for the evening.

make mincemeat out of (someone)

- beat someone up
The boxer made mincemeat out of his opponent during the boxing match.

make mischief

- cause trouble
The young boy seemed to enjoy the fact that he could make mischief whenever he
wanted.

make no bones about (something)

- make no secret of something, have no doubts about something
I made no bones about the fact that I am not interested in applying for the supervisor`s
job.

make no difference to (someone)

- not to matter to someone, not to care (about something)
It makes no difference to me if we go to the movie on Friday or on Saturday.

make no mistake (about something)

- have no doubt about something, be certain about something
I told the man to make no mistake about the fact that he was not permitted to park his
car in our parking area.

523

make nothing of (something)

- ignore something as if it had not happened
The woman made nothing of the fact that she almost hit a woman in the parking lot.

make of (someone or something)

- think or have an opinion about someone or something
"What do you make of the new manager in accounting."

make off with (someone or something)

- take someone or something away
The thief made off with a new television set from the store.

make one`s bed and lie in it

- be responsible for what you have done and accept the results of your actions
"You quit your job and now you have no money. You made your bed and now you
must lie in it."

make one`s blood boil

- become very angry
Every time that I see that man he makes my blood boil.

make one`s feelings known

- to reveal one's feelings about something
My friend made her feelings known about her desire not to attend the dinner.

make one`s hair stand on end

- frighten/horrify someone
The horror movie that we saw last week made my hair stand on end.


524

make one`s own way

- rely on one`s own abilities
His father wants him to join the family business but he wants to make his own way
and do something different.

make oneself at home

- relax and act as if you were at home
She always makes herself at home when she goes to visit her friends.

make oneself conspicuous

- attract attention to oneself
The man made himself conspicuous by wearing the pastel-colored sports jacket.

make oneself felt

- use one`s authority
He was able to make himself felt when he helped to resolve the conflict.

make oneself heard

- speak loudly so you will be heard above the noise
I had to speak loudly in order to make myself heard while the loud music was playing.

make oneself scarce

- leave quickly, go away
I think that I will make myself scarce and go to the beach for the day.

make or break (someone)

- either benefit or ruin someone
The new business venture will probably make or break my uncle.


525

make out

- to progress, to do well or not do well
"How did you make out at your job interview yesterday?"

make out (a report/application)

- fill out a report/application
I stayed out late last night in order to make out some reports for work.

make out (something)

- understand something by making an effort
I can never make out what my friend wants to say when he phones me.

make out (something)

- distinguish/identify something, manage to see or read something
The ship captain could not make out the name of the other boat because of the fog.
I was unable to make out the sign because I didn't have my glasses.

make out (something)

- make someone believe something, prove something
He made out that he was at the library last night but I know that he wasn`t.

make over (something)

- make something look different, change the style of something
We decided to make over our living room because we were tired of the old style.

526

make overtures to (someone)

- approach someone in a friendly way to begin talking about something or dealing
with something, make a formal proposal or offer
The woman made overtures to her friend to try and solve some of their recent
problems.

make peace with (someone)

- end a quarrel with someone
The two sisters were finally able to make peace with each other.

make points with (someone)

- gain favor with someone
I am sure that the woman is more interested in making points with her boss than doing
a good job.

make room for (someone or something)

- arrange space for someone or something
We made room for the new computer in the spare room.

make sense

- seem reasonable
His new proposal really does make sense.

make sense out of (someone or something)

- understand or interpret someone or something
I tried very hard to make sense out of the terrible tragedy at the hotel.






527

make short work of (something)

- finish something quickly
He made short work of the typing and has started working on the other report.

make (someone or something) available to (someone)

- supply someone with someone or something
The company made a car available to the sales staff.

make (someone) eat crow

- cause someone to admit an error or retract a statement
I wanted the supervisor to eat crow and admit that she had made a mistake.

make (someone) look good

- cause someone to appear successful or competent
The new sales contract that I had won made me look good.

make (someone) look ridiculous

- make someone look foolish
The complaint from my coworker made me look ridiculous.

make (someone) sick

- disgust someone
The attitude of the woman next door makes me sick.

make (someone's) blood run cold

- shock or horrify someone
The sight of the injured family in the car accident made my blood run cold.


528

make (someone's) flesh crawl

- cause someone's skin to feel funny
The movie was very violent and it made my flesh crawl.

make (someone's) hair stand on end

- cause someone to be very frightened
The sound of the screaming woman made my hair stand on end.

make (someone's) head spin

- make someone confused or overwhelmed, make someone dizzy
The numbers and information that I had to learn in the accounting course made my
head spin.

make (someone`s) mouth water

- make someone want to eat something because of the thought or smell of the food
It made my mouth water when I looked at the menu.

make (someone's) position clear

- clarify where someone stands on an issue
The politician made his position clear on the issue of taxes.

make (something) from scratch

- make something by starting with the basic ingredients
We made the soup from scratch.

make (something) out of nothing

- make an issue out of something of little importance
My friend always wants to make something out of nothing and fights with everyone.

529

make (something) right/good

- replace or restore something
I worked hard to make my relationship with my friend right.

make (something) to order

- make something only when someone requests it
The construction company must make many parts for their equipment to order.

make (something) up to (someone)

- repay someone, make amends to someone
I was late for work so I had to make it up to my boss by working late.

make (something) worth (someone's) while

- make something profitable enough for someone to do
I made it worth my friend's while to help me move by buying him dinner.

make sure

- to make certain, to establish something without a doubt
I want to make sure that my friend is going to meet me tomorrow.

make the best of (something)

- do as well as possible in a bad situation
He made the best of his time working in the department that he hated.

make the grade

- succeed, qualify for something
He was not able to make the grade and could not join the football team.


530

make the most of (something)

- use something to one's greatest advantage
He made the most of his time in Europe and visited many art galleries.

make the scene

- be present, go to a certain place or event
He decided to make the scene and go to the disco for the evening.

make time for (someone or something)

- schedule time to see someone or do something
The man makes time for his son every weekend so that they can play sports together.

make time with (someone)

- flirt with someone
The man was trying to make time with the waitress in the restaurant.

make up for lost time

- do something quickly (because you wasted time before)
We wasted several days before we started to prepare for our holiday so we had to
work hard to make up for lost time.

make up for (something)

- compensate for a loss or mistake
I have to work hard in order to make up for last year's poor sales.

make up one's face

- put on cosmetics
She always wants to make up her face before she goes to the store.


531

make up one`s mind

- decide something
I haven`t made up my mind about whether or not I will accept the new job.

make up (something)

- make something by putting things or parts together
We made up the new machine by using parts from old machines.
A car is made up of many different parts.

make up (something/a story/an excuse)

- invent a story, think and say something that is not true
She made up the story about how she got lost in the mountains.

make up (something/money/time)

- do or supply something that is lacking, regain/repay something
I had to make up the time that I was sick by working on Saturday.

make up (with someone)

- become friends again after a quarrel
The girl made up with her friend after their fight last week.

make use of (someone or something)

- use someone or something
I made use of my friends garage to keep some of my tools.

make waves

- create a disturbance
He is very quiet at work and does not like to make waves.


532

make way for (someone or something)

- to stand aside, to move so someone or something can pass by
The truck went to the side of the road to make way for the ambulance.

.



a man-about-town

- a fashionable man who leads a sophisticated life
My friend is a man-about-town and goes out almost every evening.

man in the street

- an average or ordinary person
According to the man in the street the government is not very popular.

man-to-man

- frank or honest, direct
I had a man-to-man talk with my friend about his problem last night.

many is the time

- on many occasions
Many is the time that I have sat at home waiting for a phone call that never came.

march to (the beat of) a different drummer

- believe in a different set of principles
My friend marches to the beat of a different drummer and always does what he thinks
is the right thing to do.


533

mark Idioms


mark down (a price)

- lower the price of something
The store decided to mark down the prices of their winter coats.

mark down (something)

- make a note about something
The traffic policeman marked down all of the cars that were parked illegally.

mark my word(s)

- remember what I'm telling you
"Mark my words, if you do not finish your homework project you are not going to go
out this weekend."

mark time

- be idle, wait for something to happen
He has been marking time for over a month now as he waits to hear about the new

job.

mark time (to music)

- move one`s feet up and down to music
He was marking time to the music as he was driving his car.

mark up (a price)

- raise the price of something
The store marked up the price of the camping equipment at the beginning of the
summer.