[make a splash]{v. phr.} To cause a sensation. •/The brilliant young pianist, barely 14 years old, made quite a splash on the concert circuit./

[make a stab at]{v. phr.} To try doing something at random without sufficient preparation. •/The singer was not familiar with the aria but she decided to make a stab at it anyhow./ Contrast: STAB IN THE BACK, STAB IN THE DARK.

[make a stand]{v. phr.} 1. To take a firm position on an issue. •/He keeps talking about politics hut he never makes a stand for what he believes in./ 2. To take up a defensive position against the enemy. •/The retreating troops decided to make a stand by the river./ Contrast: LAST DITCH, LAST STAND.

[make a stir] See: MAKE A SCENE.

[make a touch]{v. phr.} To borrow money; try to borrow money. •/He is known to make a touch whenever he is hard up for cash./

[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."/

[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.