HomeServicesBlogDictionariesContactSpanish Course
Home › Dictionary › English › make head or tail of
← Back to search

Meaning of make head or tail of | Babel Free

Verb CEFR C2

Definitions

  1. To understand even minimally.
    idiomatic
  2. To determine to be good or bad.

Equivalents

Deutsch sich einen Reim darauf machen
Español no encontrar ni pies ni cabeza a no ver ni pies ni cabeza a sacar lo que el negro del sermón
Suomi ei päätä eikä häntää
Gàidhlig dèan bun no bàrr
Magyar se füle, se farka
Italiano venirne a capo
Polski siedzieć jak na tureckim kazaniu

Examples

“See⟳ if you can make⟳ head or tail of the last⟳ section in this chapter. I'm baffled.”
“He was unable to make⟳ head or tail of some of the pattern-solving puzzles in the IQ test⟳.”
“IT has been such a headliny week, what with [Nikita] Khrushchev and all, events moving swiftly, frenzied activity in a wide variety of fields, action and reaction, tests, blasts, notes and comments that nobody except the Alsop Brothers seem to be able to make⟳ head or tail of it in the modest compass of a small column.”

CEFR level

C2
Mastery
This word is part of the CEFR C2 vocabulary — mastery level.
See all C2 English words →

See also

make headway make heavy going of make heavy weather make heavy weather of make history make interesting

Learn this word in context

See make head or tail of used in real conversations inside our free language course.

Start Free Course

Know this word better than we do? Language is a living thing — help us keep it growing. Collaborate with Babel Free