English Idioms & Idiomatic Expressions
Alphabetical List - M
(page 3 : (can't) make an omelette →
find your match)
| (can't) make an omelette without ... | This expression
means that it is impossible to make
important changes without causing some
unpleasant effects. Some people will lose their jobs after the merger but you can't make an omelette without breaking eggs. |
| make a pig of | If you make a
pig of yourself, you eat and drink too
much. Watch what you eat - don't make a pig of yourself! |
| make a pig's ear of | If you make a
pig's ear of something, you do a task
or a chore very badly or make a complete
mess of it. Gary offered to paint the kitchen but he made a pig's ear of it. |
| make a point of | If you make a
point of doing something, you make an
effort to do what you think is the right
thing to do. The singer made a point of thanking the musicians and the technicians. |
| make right noises | If you make the
right noises, you behave as if you
support or agree with something by making
suitable or conventional remarks. Sam seemed to approve of the idea; he certainly made all the right noises. |
| make sense of | If you make
sense of something, you understand it
or find the meaning. I couldn't make sense of the instructions. |
| make short work of | If you make
short work of something, you do it or
finish it quickly. The players were hungry after the match so they made short work of the food. |
| make it snappy | If someone tells
you to make it snappy, they are
asking you very sharply to hurry up or be
quick about something. Fetch me a bandage and make it snappy! |
| make someone see reason | If you make
someone see reason, you persuade them
to stop acting foolishly and behave more
sensibly. He wanted to drop out of medical school in his fourth year but his uncle managed to make him see reason. |
| make a song and dance | If someone
complains in an annoying way or becomes
unnecessarily excited about something
unimportant, they make a song and dance
about it. OK, you don't like carrots. Don't make a song and dance about it! |
| make up for lost time | If you make up
for lost time, you increase your
efforts or work harder to complete something
or meet a deadline. Progress has stopped because of bad weather, but we are determined to make up for lost time. |
| make your way to | If you make
your way to a destination, you manage
to get there without difficulty. Don't worry. I'll make my way to your home from the station. |
| make yourself scarce | If
you make yourself scarce, you leave
a place in order to avoid an embarrassing
situation. When Mark and Laura started to argue, I decided to make myself scarce. |
| off the mark | If something is
off the mark, it is incorrect or
inaccurate. His estimation of the cost was completely off the mark. |
| find/meet your match | If you find
or meet your match, you
encounter someone who is equal to you in
skills or abilities. Barry is an excellent tennis player, but he met his match in William. |
alphabetical lists M ...
| M1 | M2 | M3 | M4 | M5 | M6 | M7 | M8 | M9 |
more alphabetical lists ...
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X-Y-Z |