Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions

(Amelia) #1
pig out of yourself. I have a tendency to
make a pig of myself at affairs like this.

make a pileGo to make a bundle.


make a scoretv. to do a criminal act: to
buy or sell drugs, to rob someone, to per-
form a scam. (Underworld.) We made
a score with that bank job in Adamsville,
didn’t we? They made quite a score off
that junky.


make a stink (about someone or some-
thing)Go to raise a stink (about some-
one or something).


make book on somethingtv. to make or
accept bets on something. Well, she
might. But I wouldn’t make book on it. 
Don’t make book on my success in this
game.


make for somewherein. to set out for
somewhere; to run or travel to some-
where. Bart made for Philadelphia
when he heard the pigs in the Big Apple
were after him. Barlowe made for the
stairs, but two shots rang out, and he knew
it was all over for Mary.


make hamburger out of someone or
something and make mincemeat out
of someone or somethingtv. to beat
someone or something to a pulp; to de-
stroy someone or something. The
puppy made mincemeat out of my paper.
They threatened to make hamburger out
of me.


make it 1. tv. to achieve one’s goals. (See
also make (it) big.) I can see by look-
ing around this room that you have really
made it. I hope I make it someday. But
if not, I tried. 2. tv. to copulate [with]
someone. There was no doubt in his
mind that those bedroom eyes were telling
him their owner wanted to make it. She
wanted to make it, but he convinced her
they should wait.


make (it) bigtv. & in. to become success-
ful, especially financially. I always
knew that someday I would make it big.
My brother made big, but it has just led
to tax problems.


make it hot for someonetv. to make
things difficult for someone; to put


someone under pressure. (Note the vari-
ation in the examples.) The cops were
making it hot for him, so he blew town. 
The boss is making it a little hot for me,
so I had better get to work on time.
Make it snappy!exclam. Hurry up!; Make
it fast! We’re late, Tracy. Make it snappy!
Make it snappy, Fred. The cops are
headed up the walk now.
make like a tree and leavein. to leave;
to depart. (A pun on the leafof a tree.)
I have to leave now. It’s time to make
like a tree and leave. Hey, Jane. Don’t
you have an appointment somewhere?
Why don’t you make like a tree and leave?
make like someone or somethingin. to
act like someone or something. Why
don’t you make like a bunny and run
away? Beat it! Would you please make
like a butler and hold the door open for
me?
make mincemeat out of someone or
somethingGo to make hamburger out
of someone or something.
Make my day!exclam. Go ahead, do what
you are going to do, and I will be very
happy to do what I have to do! (A catch-
phrase said typically by a movie police
officer who has a gun pointed at a crim-
inal. The police officer wants the crimi-
nal to do something that will justify
pulling the trigger, which the police of-
ficer will do with pleasure. Used in real
life in any context, and especially in sar-
casm.) Move a muscle! Go for your gun!
Go ahead, make my day! Make my day.
Just try it.
Make no mistake (about it)!sent. <an ex-
pression signifying the sincerity of the
speaker’s previous statements.> Make
no mistake! This is the real thing. This
is a very serious matter. Make no mistake
about it.
make one’s bedtv. to be the cause of one’s
own misery. Well, I guess I made my
own bed. Now I have to lie in it. “We
all make our own beds,” said the minister.
make oneself scarcetv. to leave; to be in
a place less frequently. Here come the
boys in blue. I’d better make myself scarce.

make oneself scarce
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