"make head or tail of" meaning in All languages combined

See make head or tail of on Wiktionary

Verb [English]

Audio: En-au-make head or tail of.ogg [Australia] Forms: makes head or tail of [present, singular, third-person], making head or tail of [participle, present], made head or tail of [participle, past], made head or tail of [past]
Head templates: {{en-verb|make<,,made> head or tail of}} make head or tail of (third-person singular simple present makes head or tail of, present participle making head or tail of, simple past and past participle made head or tail of)
  1. (idiomatic, chiefly in the negative, with can't/cannot) To understand even minimally. Tags: idiomatic Translations (understand even minimally): no té ni cap ni peus (Catalan), to nedává ani hlavu ani patu [negative] (Czech), ei päätä eikä häntää (Finnish), ei löytää päätä eikä häntää (note: always negative) (Finnish), ymmärtää mitään (Finnish), ymmärtää ollenkaan (Finnish), sich einen Reim darauf machen (German), kihámoz/kihoz belőle (valamit) (Hungarian), eligazodik (rajta) (Hungarian), kiokoskodik (Hungarian), zöld ágra vergődik (vele) (Hungarian), egy szót/kukkot ért belőle (se/sem) (note: normally in the negative) (Hungarian), se füle, se farka (nincs a számára) (note: in the negative) (Hungarian), venirne a capo (Italian), połapać się [perfective] (Polish), siedzieć jak na tureckim kazaniu [imperfective] (Polish), dèan bun no bàrr (Scottish Gaelic), sacar lo que el negro del sermón (Spanish), no ver ni pies ni cabeza a (Spanish), no encontrar ni pies ni cabeza a (Spanish)
    Sense id: en-make_head_or_tail_of-en-verb-y7qpurZo Categories (other): English negative polarity items, English entries with incorrect language header, English entries with language name categories using raw markup, English negative polarity items, English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 90 10 Disambiguation of English entries with language name categories using raw markup: 90 10 Disambiguation of English negative polarity items: 93 7 Disambiguation of English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys: 90 10 Disambiguation of 'understand even minimally': 98 2
  2. To determine to be good or bad.
    Sense id: en-make_head_or_tail_of-en-verb-2Edb-8dV
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Synonyms: make heads or tails of [US] Related terms: coin toss, heads or tails, rhyme or reason

Inflected forms

Download JSON data for make head or tail of meaning in All languages combined (5.6kB)

{
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "makes head or tail of",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "making head or tail of",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "made head or tail of",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "made head or tail of",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "make<,,made> head or tail of"
      },
      "expansion": "make head or tail of (third-person singular simple present makes head or tail of, present participle making head or tail of, simple past and past participle made head or tail of)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "coin toss"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "heads or tails"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "word": "rhyme or reason"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "antonyms": [
        {
          "word": "make head nor tail of"
        },
        {
          "word": "make neither head nor tail of"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English negative polarity items",
          "parents": [
            "Negative polarity items",
            "Terms by semantic function"
          ],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "90 10",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "90 10",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with language name categories using raw markup",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "93 7",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English negative polarity items",
          "parents": [
            "Negative polarity items",
            "Terms by semantic function"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "90 10",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
          "parents": [
            "Terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "See if you can make head or tail of the last section in this chapter. I'm baffled.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "He was unable to make head or tail of some of the pattern-solving puzzles in the IQ test.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To understand even minimally."
      ],
      "id": "en-make_head_or_tail_of-en-verb-y7qpurZo",
      "links": [
        [
          "can't",
          "can't"
        ],
        [
          "cannot",
          "cannot"
        ],
        [
          "understand",
          "understand"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, chiefly in the negative, with can't/cannot) To understand even minimally."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "in the negative",
        "with can't/cannot"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ],
      "translations": [
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "ca",
          "lang": "Catalan",
          "sense": "understand even minimally",
          "word": "no té ni cap ni peus"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "cs",
          "lang": "Czech",
          "sense": "understand even minimally",
          "tags": [
            "negative"
          ],
          "word": "to nedává ani hlavu ani patu"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "understand even minimally",
          "word": "ei päätä eikä häntää"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "note": "always negative",
          "sense": "understand even minimally",
          "word": "ei löytää päätä eikä häntää"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "understand even minimally",
          "word": "ymmärtää mitään"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "fi",
          "lang": "Finnish",
          "sense": "understand even minimally",
          "word": "ymmärtää ollenkaan"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "de",
          "lang": "German",
          "sense": "understand even minimally",
          "word": "sich einen Reim darauf machen"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "understand even minimally",
          "word": "kihámoz/kihoz belőle (valamit)"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "understand even minimally",
          "word": "eligazodik (rajta)"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "understand even minimally",
          "word": "kiokoskodik"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "sense": "understand even minimally",
          "word": "zöld ágra vergődik (vele)"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "note": "normally in the negative",
          "sense": "understand even minimally",
          "word": "egy szót/kukkot ért belőle (se/sem)"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "hu",
          "lang": "Hungarian",
          "note": "in the negative",
          "roman": "nincs a számára",
          "sense": "understand even minimally",
          "word": "se füle, se farka"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "it",
          "lang": "Italian",
          "sense": "understand even minimally",
          "word": "venirne a capo"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "understand even minimally",
          "tags": [
            "perfective"
          ],
          "word": "połapać się"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "pl",
          "lang": "Polish",
          "sense": "understand even minimally",
          "tags": [
            "imperfective"
          ],
          "word": "siedzieć jak na tureckim kazaniu"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "gd",
          "lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
          "sense": "understand even minimally",
          "word": "dèan bun no bàrr"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "understand even minimally",
          "word": "sacar lo que el negro del sermón"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "understand even minimally",
          "word": "no ver ni pies ni cabeza a"
        },
        {
          "_dis1": "98 2",
          "code": "es",
          "lang": "Spanish",
          "sense": "understand even minimally",
          "word": "no encontrar ni pies ni cabeza a"
        }
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "To determine to be good or bad."
      ],
      "id": "en-make_head_or_tail_of-en-verb-2Edb-8dV"
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-make head or tail of.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/c/c0/En-au-make_head_or_tail_of.ogg/En-au-make_head_or_tail_of.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/En-au-make_head_or_tail_of.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0",
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ],
      "word": "make heads or tails of"
    }
  ],
  "word": "make head or tail of"
}

{
  "categories": [
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English entries with language name categories using raw markup",
    "English lemmas",
    "English multiword terms",
    "English negative polarity items",
    "English terms with audio links",
    "English terms with non-redundant non-automated sortkeys",
    "English verbs",
    "Requests for review of French translations"
  ],
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "makes head or tail of",
      "tags": [
        "present",
        "singular",
        "third-person"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "making head or tail of",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "present"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "made head or tail of",
      "tags": [
        "participle",
        "past"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "made head or tail of",
      "tags": [
        "past"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "make<,,made> head or tail of"
      },
      "expansion": "make head or tail of (third-person singular simple present makes head or tail of, present participle making head or tail of, simple past and past participle made head or tail of)",
      "name": "en-verb"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "verb",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "coin toss"
    },
    {
      "word": "heads or tails"
    },
    {
      "word": "rhyme or reason"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "antonyms": [
        {
          "word": "make head nor tail of"
        },
        {
          "word": "make neither head nor tail of"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        "English idioms",
        "English negative polarity items",
        "English terms with usage examples"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "text": "See if you can make head or tail of the last section in this chapter. I'm baffled.",
          "type": "example"
        },
        {
          "text": "He was unable to make head or tail of some of the pattern-solving puzzles in the IQ test.",
          "type": "example"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "To understand even minimally."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "can't",
          "can't"
        ],
        [
          "cannot",
          "cannot"
        ],
        [
          "understand",
          "understand"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(idiomatic, chiefly in the negative, with can't/cannot) To understand even minimally."
      ],
      "raw_tags": [
        "in the negative",
        "with can't/cannot"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "idiomatic"
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "To determine to be good or bad."
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "audio": "En-au-make head or tail of.ogg",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/c/c0/En-au-make_head_or_tail_of.ogg/En-au-make_head_or_tail_of.ogg.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c0/En-au-make_head_or_tail_of.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Australia"
      ],
      "text": "Audio (AU)"
    }
  ],
  "synonyms": [
    {
      "tags": [
        "US"
      ],
      "word": "make heads or tails of"
    }
  ],
  "translations": [
    {
      "code": "ca",
      "lang": "Catalan",
      "sense": "understand even minimally",
      "word": "no té ni cap ni peus"
    },
    {
      "code": "cs",
      "lang": "Czech",
      "sense": "understand even minimally",
      "tags": [
        "negative"
      ],
      "word": "to nedává ani hlavu ani patu"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "understand even minimally",
      "word": "ei päätä eikä häntää"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "note": "always negative",
      "sense": "understand even minimally",
      "word": "ei löytää päätä eikä häntää"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "understand even minimally",
      "word": "ymmärtää mitään"
    },
    {
      "code": "fi",
      "lang": "Finnish",
      "sense": "understand even minimally",
      "word": "ymmärtää ollenkaan"
    },
    {
      "code": "de",
      "lang": "German",
      "sense": "understand even minimally",
      "word": "sich einen Reim darauf machen"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "understand even minimally",
      "word": "kihámoz/kihoz belőle (valamit)"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "understand even minimally",
      "word": "eligazodik (rajta)"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "understand even minimally",
      "word": "kiokoskodik"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "sense": "understand even minimally",
      "word": "zöld ágra vergődik (vele)"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "note": "normally in the negative",
      "sense": "understand even minimally",
      "word": "egy szót/kukkot ért belőle (se/sem)"
    },
    {
      "code": "hu",
      "lang": "Hungarian",
      "note": "in the negative",
      "roman": "nincs a számára",
      "sense": "understand even minimally",
      "word": "se füle, se farka"
    },
    {
      "code": "it",
      "lang": "Italian",
      "sense": "understand even minimally",
      "word": "venirne a capo"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "understand even minimally",
      "tags": [
        "perfective"
      ],
      "word": "połapać się"
    },
    {
      "code": "pl",
      "lang": "Polish",
      "sense": "understand even minimally",
      "tags": [
        "imperfective"
      ],
      "word": "siedzieć jak na tureckim kazaniu"
    },
    {
      "code": "gd",
      "lang": "Scottish Gaelic",
      "sense": "understand even minimally",
      "word": "dèan bun no bàrr"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "understand even minimally",
      "word": "sacar lo que el negro del sermón"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "understand even minimally",
      "word": "no ver ni pies ni cabeza a"
    },
    {
      "code": "es",
      "lang": "Spanish",
      "sense": "understand even minimally",
      "word": "no encontrar ni pies ni cabeza a"
    }
  ],
  "word": "make head or tail of"
}

This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable All languages combined dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2024-04-26 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2024-04-21 using wiktextract (93a6c53 and 21a9316). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

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