What sense of 'make' has been applied in “made the most of the last few hours”?
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They made the most of the last few hours in which they were allowed to do magic before the holidays. They played Exploding Snap, set off the very last of ...
"They made the most of the last few hours" sounds like an incomplete statement. I have gone through the definitions of the word "make" to get one that can fit for this context, but none of them seems to suit. What sense of 'make' has been applied in this sentence?
-- From Harry Potter.
word-usage word-meaning
asked Nov 8 at 13:53
dan
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up vote
5
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They made the most of the last few hours in which they were allowed to do magic before the holidays. They played Exploding Snap, set off the very last of ...
"They made the most of the last few hours" sounds like an incomplete statement. I have gone through the definitions of the word "make" to get one that can fit for this context, but none of them seems to suit. What sense of 'make' has been applied in this sentence?
-- From Harry Potter.
word-usage word-meaning
asked Nov 8 at 13:53
dan
3,45922257
add a comment |
up vote
5
down vote
favorite
up vote
5
down vote
favorite
They made the most of the last few hours in which they were allowed to do magic before the holidays. They played Exploding Snap, set off the very last of ...
"They made the most of the last few hours" sounds like an incomplete statement. I have gone through the definitions of the word "make" to get one that can fit for this context, but none of them seems to suit. What sense of 'make' has been applied in this sentence?
-- From Harry Potter.
word-usage word-meaning
asked Nov 8 at 13:53
dan
3,45922257
They made the most of the last few hours in which they were allowed to do magic before the holidays. They played Exploding Snap, set off the very last of ...
"They made the most of the last few hours" sounds like an incomplete statement. I have gone through the definitions of the word "make" to get one that can fit for this context, but none of them seems to suit. What sense of 'make' has been applied in this sentence?
-- From Harry Potter.
word-usage word-meaning
word-usage word-meaning
asked Nov 8 at 13:53
dan
3,45922257
asked Nov 8 at 13:53
dan
3,45922257
asked Nov 8 at 13:53
dan
3,45922257
asked Nov 8 at 13:53
dan
3,45922257
asked Nov 8 at 13:53
dan
3,45922257
3,45922257
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add a comment |
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
up vote
13
down vote
accepted
It is an idiomatic expression:
make the most of something:
to use or enjoy something as much as possible:
- We’re only in Paris for a day, so let’s make the most of it.
(Cambridge Dictionary)
answered Nov 8 at 14:02
user070221
4,0551729
1
I find this idiom easier to understand if I insert an "out": "make the most [out] of X" means you make the most [something, determined by context, but generally "fun"] out of the limited X you had.
– Nic Hartley
Nov 8 at 20:55
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
Surely this is an example definition 3a, not 2a:
to bring into being by forming, shaping, or altering material
The sense of the word here is that something -- say time -- is an essential ingredient for things that are good (enjoyment, accomplishment, friendship, etc.) and so you've "made the most" of time by maximizing your enjoyment, accomplishments, etc.
"Waste" is an exact antonym of "make the most of" in this sense, and note definition 3a of "make" is opposed to the meaning of the word "waste". Contrast:
I made the most of my time in college
I wasted my time in college
I made the most of my budget
I wasted my budget
I have made the most of my talents
I have wasted my talents
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make
edited Nov 9 at 18:09
J.R.♦
96.6k8126242
answered Nov 8 at 21:23
Jeffrey Hall
91
I don't think this definition fits the idiom very well. "Making the most of our time together" is hardly the same as making a cake or making a dress, which is the kind of thing definition 3a seems to be alluding to.
– J.R.♦
Nov 9 at 18:11
add a comment |
up vote
-1
down vote
Definition 2a:
to cause to happen to or be experienced by someone
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make
Playing Exploding Snap, etc. is something that they experienced. They made that happen. The word "of" introduces an indirect object that in this context indicates what the direct object was from. To make X of Y means to use Y to cause X (often, "make" takes the double preposition "out of": "make a coat out of fur", but in this context "of" is sufficient). They used the last few hours to make playing Exploding Snap, etc. happen. So playing Exploding Snap, etc. is something they made of the last few hours. Presumably, playing Exploding Snap, etc. was the most they could make of the last few hours.
answered Nov 8 at 17:18
Acccumulation
98016
add a comment |
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
3 Answers
3
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
active
oldest
votes
up vote
13
down vote
accepted
It is an idiomatic expression:
make the most of something:
to use or enjoy something as much as possible:
- We’re only in Paris for a day, so let’s make the most of it.
(Cambridge Dictionary)
answered Nov 8 at 14:02
user070221
4,0551729
1
I find this idiom easier to understand if I insert an "out": "make the most [out] of X" means you make the most [something, determined by context, but generally "fun"] out of the limited X you had.
– Nic Hartley
Nov 8 at 20:55
add a comment |
up vote
13
down vote
accepted
It is an idiomatic expression:
make the most of something:
to use or enjoy something as much as possible:
- We’re only in Paris for a day, so let’s make the most of it.
(Cambridge Dictionary)
answered Nov 8 at 14:02
user070221
4,0551729
1
I find this idiom easier to understand if I insert an "out": "make the most [out] of X" means you make the most [something, determined by context, but generally "fun"] out of the limited X you had.
– Nic Hartley
Nov 8 at 20:55
add a comment |
up vote
13
down vote
accepted
up vote
13
down vote
accepted
It is an idiomatic expression:
make the most of something:
to use or enjoy something as much as possible:
- We’re only in Paris for a day, so let’s make the most of it.
(Cambridge Dictionary)
answered Nov 8 at 14:02
user070221
4,0551729
It is an idiomatic expression:
make the most of something:
to use or enjoy something as much as possible:
- We’re only in Paris for a day, so let’s make the most of it.
(Cambridge Dictionary)
answered Nov 8 at 14:02
user070221
4,0551729
answered Nov 8 at 14:02
user070221
4,0551729
answered Nov 8 at 14:02
user070221
4,0551729
answered Nov 8 at 14:02
user070221
4,0551729
4,0551729
1
I find this idiom easier to understand if I insert an "out": "make the most [out] of X" means you make the most [something, determined by context, but generally "fun"] out of the limited X you had.
– Nic Hartley
Nov 8 at 20:55
add a comment |
1
I find this idiom easier to understand if I insert an "out": "make the most [out] of X" means you make the most [something, determined by context, but generally "fun"] out of the limited X you had.
– Nic Hartley
Nov 8 at 20:55
1
1
I find this idiom easier to understand if I insert an "out": "make the most [out] of X" means you make the most [something, determined by context, but generally "fun"] out of the limited X you had.
– Nic Hartley
Nov 8 at 20:55
I find this idiom easier to understand if I insert an "out": "make the most [out] of X" means you make the most [something, determined by context, but generally "fun"] out of the limited X you had.
– Nic Hartley
Nov 8 at 20:55
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
Surely this is an example definition 3a, not 2a:
to bring into being by forming, shaping, or altering material
The sense of the word here is that something -- say time -- is an essential ingredient for things that are good (enjoyment, accomplishment, friendship, etc.) and so you've "made the most" of time by maximizing your enjoyment, accomplishments, etc.
"Waste" is an exact antonym of "make the most of" in this sense, and note definition 3a of "make" is opposed to the meaning of the word "waste". Contrast:
I made the most of my time in college
I wasted my time in college
I made the most of my budget
I wasted my budget
I have made the most of my talents
I have wasted my talents
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make
edited Nov 9 at 18:09
J.R.♦
96.6k8126242
answered Nov 8 at 21:23
Jeffrey Hall
91
I don't think this definition fits the idiom very well. "Making the most of our time together" is hardly the same as making a cake or making a dress, which is the kind of thing definition 3a seems to be alluding to.
– J.R.♦
Nov 9 at 18:11
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
Surely this is an example definition 3a, not 2a:
to bring into being by forming, shaping, or altering material
The sense of the word here is that something -- say time -- is an essential ingredient for things that are good (enjoyment, accomplishment, friendship, etc.) and so you've "made the most" of time by maximizing your enjoyment, accomplishments, etc.
"Waste" is an exact antonym of "make the most of" in this sense, and note definition 3a of "make" is opposed to the meaning of the word "waste". Contrast:
I made the most of my time in college
I wasted my time in college
I made the most of my budget
I wasted my budget
I have made the most of my talents
I have wasted my talents
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make
edited Nov 9 at 18:09
J.R.♦
96.6k8126242
answered Nov 8 at 21:23
Jeffrey Hall
91
I don't think this definition fits the idiom very well. "Making the most of our time together" is hardly the same as making a cake or making a dress, which is the kind of thing definition 3a seems to be alluding to.
– J.R.♦
Nov 9 at 18:11
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
up vote
0
down vote
Surely this is an example definition 3a, not 2a:
to bring into being by forming, shaping, or altering material
The sense of the word here is that something -- say time -- is an essential ingredient for things that are good (enjoyment, accomplishment, friendship, etc.) and so you've "made the most" of time by maximizing your enjoyment, accomplishments, etc.
"Waste" is an exact antonym of "make the most of" in this sense, and note definition 3a of "make" is opposed to the meaning of the word "waste". Contrast:
I made the most of my time in college
I wasted my time in college
I made the most of my budget
I wasted my budget
I have made the most of my talents
I have wasted my talents
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make
edited Nov 9 at 18:09
J.R.♦
96.6k8126242
answered Nov 8 at 21:23
Jeffrey Hall
91
Surely this is an example definition 3a, not 2a:
to bring into being by forming, shaping, or altering material
The sense of the word here is that something -- say time -- is an essential ingredient for things that are good (enjoyment, accomplishment, friendship, etc.) and so you've "made the most" of time by maximizing your enjoyment, accomplishments, etc.
"Waste" is an exact antonym of "make the most of" in this sense, and note definition 3a of "make" is opposed to the meaning of the word "waste". Contrast:
I made the most of my time in college
I wasted my time in college
I made the most of my budget
I wasted my budget
I have made the most of my talents
I have wasted my talents
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make
edited Nov 9 at 18:09
J.R.♦
96.6k8126242
answered Nov 8 at 21:23
Jeffrey Hall
91
edited Nov 9 at 18:09
J.R.♦
96.6k8126242
edited Nov 9 at 18:09
J.R.♦
96.6k8126242
edited Nov 9 at 18:09
J.R.♦
96.6k8126242
96.6k8126242
answered Nov 8 at 21:23
Jeffrey Hall
91
answered Nov 8 at 21:23
Jeffrey Hall
91
answered Nov 8 at 21:23
Jeffrey Hall
91
91
I don't think this definition fits the idiom very well. "Making the most of our time together" is hardly the same as making a cake or making a dress, which is the kind of thing definition 3a seems to be alluding to.
– J.R.♦
Nov 9 at 18:11
add a comment |
I don't think this definition fits the idiom very well. "Making the most of our time together" is hardly the same as making a cake or making a dress, which is the kind of thing definition 3a seems to be alluding to.
– J.R.♦
Nov 9 at 18:11
I don't think this definition fits the idiom very well. "Making the most of our time together" is hardly the same as making a cake or making a dress, which is the kind of thing definition 3a seems to be alluding to.
– J.R.♦
Nov 9 at 18:11
I don't think this definition fits the idiom very well. "Making the most of our time together" is hardly the same as making a cake or making a dress, which is the kind of thing definition 3a seems to be alluding to.
– J.R.♦
Nov 9 at 18:11
add a comment |
up vote
-1
down vote
Definition 2a:
to cause to happen to or be experienced by someone
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make
Playing Exploding Snap, etc. is something that they experienced. They made that happen. The word "of" introduces an indirect object that in this context indicates what the direct object was from. To make X of Y means to use Y to cause X (often, "make" takes the double preposition "out of": "make a coat out of fur", but in this context "of" is sufficient). They used the last few hours to make playing Exploding Snap, etc. happen. So playing Exploding Snap, etc. is something they made of the last few hours. Presumably, playing Exploding Snap, etc. was the most they could make of the last few hours.
answered Nov 8 at 17:18
Acccumulation
98016
add a comment |
up vote
-1
down vote
Definition 2a:
to cause to happen to or be experienced by someone
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make
Playing Exploding Snap, etc. is something that they experienced. They made that happen. The word "of" introduces an indirect object that in this context indicates what the direct object was from. To make X of Y means to use Y to cause X (often, "make" takes the double preposition "out of": "make a coat out of fur", but in this context "of" is sufficient). They used the last few hours to make playing Exploding Snap, etc. happen. So playing Exploding Snap, etc. is something they made of the last few hours. Presumably, playing Exploding Snap, etc. was the most they could make of the last few hours.
answered Nov 8 at 17:18
Acccumulation
98016
add a comment |
up vote
-1
down vote
up vote
-1
down vote
Definition 2a:
to cause to happen to or be experienced by someone
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make
Playing Exploding Snap, etc. is something that they experienced. They made that happen. The word "of" introduces an indirect object that in this context indicates what the direct object was from. To make X of Y means to use Y to cause X (often, "make" takes the double preposition "out of": "make a coat out of fur", but in this context "of" is sufficient). They used the last few hours to make playing Exploding Snap, etc. happen. So playing Exploding Snap, etc. is something they made of the last few hours. Presumably, playing Exploding Snap, etc. was the most they could make of the last few hours.
answered Nov 8 at 17:18
Acccumulation
98016
Definition 2a:
to cause to happen to or be experienced by someone
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/make
Playing Exploding Snap, etc. is something that they experienced. They made that happen. The word "of" introduces an indirect object that in this context indicates what the direct object was from. To make X of Y means to use Y to cause X (often, "make" takes the double preposition "out of": "make a coat out of fur", but in this context "of" is sufficient). They used the last few hours to make playing Exploding Snap, etc. happen. So playing Exploding Snap, etc. is something they made of the last few hours. Presumably, playing Exploding Snap, etc. was the most they could make of the last few hours.
answered Nov 8 at 17:18
Acccumulation
98016
answered Nov 8 at 17:18
Acccumulation
98016
answered Nov 8 at 17:18
Acccumulation
98016
answered Nov 8 at 17:18
Acccumulation
98016
98016
add a comment |
add a comment |
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