Meaning of “I'll make do”












8














When someone says "I'll make do" what does it mean?






meaning eggcorn







share|improve this question




















  • 15




    It means someone doesn't know how to spell "do". Opposite of the problem I saw yesterday on a sign at a gas station: "Do to the cold weather the car wash is closed."
    – Hot Licks
    Jan 14 '16 at 18:52










  • @Hot Licks. Not a very convincing stance, that people wouildn't know how to spell do. If that's supposed to be comical, imagine how funny I find that make due misspelled make do in 90% of instances.
    – vectory
    2 hours ago
















8














When someone says "I'll make do" what does it mean?






meaning eggcorn







share|improve this question




















  • 15




    It means someone doesn't know how to spell "do". Opposite of the problem I saw yesterday on a sign at a gas station: "Do to the cold weather the car wash is closed."
    – Hot Licks
    Jan 14 '16 at 18:52










  • @Hot Licks. Not a very convincing stance, that people wouildn't know how to spell do. If that's supposed to be comical, imagine how funny I find that make due misspelled make do in 90% of instances.
    – vectory
    2 hours ago














8












8








8


1





When someone says "I'll make do" what does it mean?






meaning eggcorn







share|improve this question















When someone says "I'll make do" what does it mean?






meaning eggcorn




meaning eggcorn






share|improve this question















share|improve this question













share|improve this question




share|improve this question








edited 1 hour ago









agc

2,523625




2,523625










asked Dec 11 '10 at 9:56









RamRam

57941021




57941021








  • 15




    It means someone doesn't know how to spell "do". Opposite of the problem I saw yesterday on a sign at a gas station: "Do to the cold weather the car wash is closed."
    – Hot Licks
    Jan 14 '16 at 18:52










  • @Hot Licks. Not a very convincing stance, that people wouildn't know how to spell do. If that's supposed to be comical, imagine how funny I find that make due misspelled make do in 90% of instances.
    – vectory
    2 hours ago














  • 15




    It means someone doesn't know how to spell "do". Opposite of the problem I saw yesterday on a sign at a gas station: "Do to the cold weather the car wash is closed."
    – Hot Licks
    Jan 14 '16 at 18:52










  • @Hot Licks. Not a very convincing stance, that people wouildn't know how to spell do. If that's supposed to be comical, imagine how funny I find that make due misspelled make do in 90% of instances.
    – vectory
    2 hours ago








15




15




It means someone doesn't know how to spell "do". Opposite of the problem I saw yesterday on a sign at a gas station: "Do to the cold weather the car wash is closed."
– Hot Licks
Jan 14 '16 at 18:52




It means someone doesn't know how to spell "do". Opposite of the problem I saw yesterday on a sign at a gas station: "Do to the cold weather the car wash is closed."
– Hot Licks
Jan 14 '16 at 18:52












@Hot Licks. Not a very convincing stance, that people wouildn't know how to spell do. If that's supposed to be comical, imagine how funny I find that make due misspelled make do in 90% of instances.
– vectory
2 hours ago




@Hot Licks. Not a very convincing stance, that people wouildn't know how to spell do. If that's supposed to be comical, imagine how funny I find that make due misspelled make do in 90% of instances.
– vectory
2 hours ago










3 Answers
3






active

oldest

votes


















24














The idiom is actually “to make do”, and it means to work with what you have, to continue somehow despite an impediment or non-ideal circumstance.



It uses do in the sense of “suffice”, as in “That’ll do”.






share|improve this answer































    1














    Some supplementary information in addition to Jon Purdy's answer:



    In British English (as opposed to American English) due is pronounced like few or queue so it's never confused with do.



    To "make do" is a useful expression in tough times such as war or recession. [This British Library page](http://www.bl.uk/learning/timeline/item106365.html] provides an example of both historic and contemporary usage:




    Make Do and Mend was a pamphlet issued by the British Ministry of
    Information in the midst of WWII. It was intended to provide
    housewives with useful tips on how to be both frugal and stylish in
    times of harsh rationing. With its thrifty design ideas and advice on
    reusing old clothing, the pamphlet was an indispensable guide for
    households. Readers were advised to create pretty ‘decorative patches’
    to cover holes in warn garments; unpick old jumpers to re-knit chic
    alternatives; turn men’s clothes into women’s; as well as darn, alter
    and protect against the ‘moth menace’. An updated version of the book
    was recently released to coincide with the economic recession,
    offering similar frugal advice for 21st century families.







    share|improve this answer










    New contributor




    user330997 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
    Check out our Code of Conduct.


















    • You have obviously no idea of all the different English dialects. The link is largely out of context. make do appeared earlier than that, around turn of the century.
      – vectory
      2 hours ago





















    -2














    I always think that "make due" would make almost more sense (I realize the idiom is actually "make do"). "Making due" could imply accomplishing something owed/expected despite obstacles, which is really the sense of the phrase.






    share|improve this answer





















    • The sense of the idiom is "make X do the job that (the more difficult/rare/expensive) Y would do if there were no limitations.
      – Hot Licks
      3 mins ago











    Your Answer








    StackExchange.ready(function() {
    var channelOptions = {
    tags: "".split(" "),
    id: "97"
    };
    initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

    StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function() {
    // Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
    if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled) {
    StackExchange.using("snippets", function() {
    createEditor();
    });
    }
    else {
    createEditor();
    }
    });

    function createEditor() {
    StackExchange.prepareEditor({
    heartbeatType: 'answer',
    autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
    convertImagesToLinks: false,
    noModals: true,
    showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
    reputationToPostImages: null,
    bindNavPrevention: true,
    postfix: "",
    imageUploader: {
    brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
    contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
    allowUrls: true
    },
    noCode: true, onDemand: true,
    discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
    ,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
    });


    }
    });














    draft saved

    draft discarded


















    StackExchange.ready(
    function () {
    StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fenglish.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f6616%2fmeaning-of-ill-make-do%23new-answer', 'question_page');
    }
    );

    Post as a guest















    Required, but never shown

























    3 Answers
    3






    active

    oldest

    votes








    3 Answers
    3






    active

    oldest

    votes









    active

    oldest

    votes






    active

    oldest

    votes









    24














    The idiom is actually “to make do”, and it means to work with what you have, to continue somehow despite an impediment or non-ideal circumstance.



    It uses do in the sense of “suffice”, as in “That’ll do”.






    share|improve this answer




























      24














      The idiom is actually “to make do”, and it means to work with what you have, to continue somehow despite an impediment or non-ideal circumstance.



      It uses do in the sense of “suffice”, as in “That’ll do”.






      share|improve this answer


























        24












        24








        24






        The idiom is actually “to make do”, and it means to work with what you have, to continue somehow despite an impediment or non-ideal circumstance.



        It uses do in the sense of “suffice”, as in “That’ll do”.






        share|improve this answer














        The idiom is actually “to make do”, and it means to work with what you have, to continue somehow despite an impediment or non-ideal circumstance.



        It uses do in the sense of “suffice”, as in “That’ll do”.







        share|improve this answer














        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer








        edited Feb 24 '18 at 3:22

























        answered Dec 11 '10 at 10:01









        Jon PurdyJon Purdy

        28k786134




        28k786134

























            1














            Some supplementary information in addition to Jon Purdy's answer:



            In British English (as opposed to American English) due is pronounced like few or queue so it's never confused with do.



            To "make do" is a useful expression in tough times such as war or recession. [This British Library page](http://www.bl.uk/learning/timeline/item106365.html] provides an example of both historic and contemporary usage:




            Make Do and Mend was a pamphlet issued by the British Ministry of
            Information in the midst of WWII. It was intended to provide
            housewives with useful tips on how to be both frugal and stylish in
            times of harsh rationing. With its thrifty design ideas and advice on
            reusing old clothing, the pamphlet was an indispensable guide for
            households. Readers were advised to create pretty ‘decorative patches’
            to cover holes in warn garments; unpick old jumpers to re-knit chic
            alternatives; turn men’s clothes into women’s; as well as darn, alter
            and protect against the ‘moth menace’. An updated version of the book
            was recently released to coincide with the economic recession,
            offering similar frugal advice for 21st century families.







            share|improve this answer










            New contributor




            user330997 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.


















            • You have obviously no idea of all the different English dialects. The link is largely out of context. make do appeared earlier than that, around turn of the century.
              – vectory
              2 hours ago


















            1














            Some supplementary information in addition to Jon Purdy's answer:



            In British English (as opposed to American English) due is pronounced like few or queue so it's never confused with do.



            To "make do" is a useful expression in tough times such as war or recession. [This British Library page](http://www.bl.uk/learning/timeline/item106365.html] provides an example of both historic and contemporary usage:




            Make Do and Mend was a pamphlet issued by the British Ministry of
            Information in the midst of WWII. It was intended to provide
            housewives with useful tips on how to be both frugal and stylish in
            times of harsh rationing. With its thrifty design ideas and advice on
            reusing old clothing, the pamphlet was an indispensable guide for
            households. Readers were advised to create pretty ‘decorative patches’
            to cover holes in warn garments; unpick old jumpers to re-knit chic
            alternatives; turn men’s clothes into women’s; as well as darn, alter
            and protect against the ‘moth menace’. An updated version of the book
            was recently released to coincide with the economic recession,
            offering similar frugal advice for 21st century families.







            share|improve this answer










            New contributor




            user330997 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.


















            • You have obviously no idea of all the different English dialects. The link is largely out of context. make do appeared earlier than that, around turn of the century.
              – vectory
              2 hours ago
















            1












            1








            1






            Some supplementary information in addition to Jon Purdy's answer:



            In British English (as opposed to American English) due is pronounced like few or queue so it's never confused with do.



            To "make do" is a useful expression in tough times such as war or recession. [This British Library page](http://www.bl.uk/learning/timeline/item106365.html] provides an example of both historic and contemporary usage:




            Make Do and Mend was a pamphlet issued by the British Ministry of
            Information in the midst of WWII. It was intended to provide
            housewives with useful tips on how to be both frugal and stylish in
            times of harsh rationing. With its thrifty design ideas and advice on
            reusing old clothing, the pamphlet was an indispensable guide for
            households. Readers were advised to create pretty ‘decorative patches’
            to cover holes in warn garments; unpick old jumpers to re-knit chic
            alternatives; turn men’s clothes into women’s; as well as darn, alter
            and protect against the ‘moth menace’. An updated version of the book
            was recently released to coincide with the economic recession,
            offering similar frugal advice for 21st century families.







            share|improve this answer










            New contributor




            user330997 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.









            Some supplementary information in addition to Jon Purdy's answer:



            In British English (as opposed to American English) due is pronounced like few or queue so it's never confused with do.



            To "make do" is a useful expression in tough times such as war or recession. [This British Library page](http://www.bl.uk/learning/timeline/item106365.html] provides an example of both historic and contemporary usage:




            Make Do and Mend was a pamphlet issued by the British Ministry of
            Information in the midst of WWII. It was intended to provide
            housewives with useful tips on how to be both frugal and stylish in
            times of harsh rationing. With its thrifty design ideas and advice on
            reusing old clothing, the pamphlet was an indispensable guide for
            households. Readers were advised to create pretty ‘decorative patches’
            to cover holes in warn garments; unpick old jumpers to re-knit chic
            alternatives; turn men’s clothes into women’s; as well as darn, alter
            and protect against the ‘moth menace’. An updated version of the book
            was recently released to coincide with the economic recession,
            offering similar frugal advice for 21st century families.








            share|improve this answer










            New contributor




            user330997 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.









            share|improve this answer



            share|improve this answer








            edited 11 mins ago









            Chappo

            2,61841225




            2,61841225






            New contributor




            user330997 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.









            answered 3 hours ago









            user330997user330997

            111




            111




            New contributor




            user330997 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.





            New contributor





            user330997 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.






            user330997 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.












            • You have obviously no idea of all the different English dialects. The link is largely out of context. make do appeared earlier than that, around turn of the century.
              – vectory
              2 hours ago




















            • You have obviously no idea of all the different English dialects. The link is largely out of context. make do appeared earlier than that, around turn of the century.
              – vectory
              2 hours ago


















            You have obviously no idea of all the different English dialects. The link is largely out of context. make do appeared earlier than that, around turn of the century.
            – vectory
            2 hours ago






            You have obviously no idea of all the different English dialects. The link is largely out of context. make do appeared earlier than that, around turn of the century.
            – vectory
            2 hours ago













            -2














            I always think that "make due" would make almost more sense (I realize the idiom is actually "make do"). "Making due" could imply accomplishing something owed/expected despite obstacles, which is really the sense of the phrase.






            share|improve this answer





















            • The sense of the idiom is "make X do the job that (the more difficult/rare/expensive) Y would do if there were no limitations.
              – Hot Licks
              3 mins ago
















            -2














            I always think that "make due" would make almost more sense (I realize the idiom is actually "make do"). "Making due" could imply accomplishing something owed/expected despite obstacles, which is really the sense of the phrase.






            share|improve this answer





















            • The sense of the idiom is "make X do the job that (the more difficult/rare/expensive) Y would do if there were no limitations.
              – Hot Licks
              3 mins ago














            -2












            -2








            -2






            I always think that "make due" would make almost more sense (I realize the idiom is actually "make do"). "Making due" could imply accomplishing something owed/expected despite obstacles, which is really the sense of the phrase.






            share|improve this answer












            I always think that "make due" would make almost more sense (I realize the idiom is actually "make do"). "Making due" could imply accomplishing something owed/expected despite obstacles, which is really the sense of the phrase.







            share|improve this answer












            share|improve this answer



            share|improve this answer










            answered Jan 14 '16 at 18:37









            Benjamin RobinsonBenjamin Robinson

            109




            109












            • The sense of the idiom is "make X do the job that (the more difficult/rare/expensive) Y would do if there were no limitations.
              – Hot Licks
              3 mins ago


















            • The sense of the idiom is "make X do the job that (the more difficult/rare/expensive) Y would do if there were no limitations.
              – Hot Licks
              3 mins ago
















            The sense of the idiom is "make X do the job that (the more difficult/rare/expensive) Y would do if there were no limitations.
            – Hot Licks
            3 mins ago




            The sense of the idiom is "make X do the job that (the more difficult/rare/expensive) Y would do if there were no limitations.
            – Hot Licks
            3 mins ago


















            draft saved

            draft discarded




















































            Thanks for contributing an answer to English Language & Usage Stack Exchange!


            • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

            But avoid …



            • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

            • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.


            To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.





            Some of your past answers have not been well-received, and you're in danger of being blocked from answering.


            Please pay close attention to the following guidance:


            • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

            But avoid …



            • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

            • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.


            To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.




            draft saved


            draft discarded














            StackExchange.ready(
            function () {
            StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fenglish.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f6616%2fmeaning-of-ill-make-do%23new-answer', 'question_page');
            }
            );

            Post as a guest















            Required, but never shown





















































            Required, but never shown














            Required, but never shown












            Required, but never shown







            Required, but never shown

































            Required, but never shown














            Required, but never shown












            Required, but never shown







            Required, but never shown







            -

            Popular posts from this blog

            What visual should I use to simply compare current year value vs last year in Power BI desktop

            Image
            0 I have column SubToBind that shows current year ratio and column PY SubToBind which shows previous year ratio. How can I simply create a card that would be displaying them both in a nice way? Something like that: I cannot achieve that with regular card, I also tried Card with States by OKViz but also unable to see both values. In KPI visual - I dont like the word "Goal", it will confuse end users. Are there any cards or other visuals that would do the job? Thanks powerbi dax powerbi-embedded share | improve this question edited Jun 11 '18 at 20:11 Oleg ...
            Read more

            How to ignore python UserWarning in pytest?

            Image
            up vote 1 down vote favorite I am using openpyxl for parsing .xlsm files, and pytest for testing. When I open a file, I get the: OpenPyxl -> UserWarning: Data Validation extension is not supported and will be removed That is not really a problem bcs. program works and I can't change the .xlsm file to fix that. But... When I run pytest with something like: def test_wrong_file_format(): assert check_excel(open_excel('file.xlsm')) == True I will get the warning i mentioned altought check_excel(open_excel('file.xlsm')) returns True and the test should suceed... Is there a nice way to tell the pytest that "It's not a bug it's a feature" and tests should pass even when they get this warning? Is there other way than using something like: with pytest.warns(UserWarning): ...
            Read more

            Alexandru Averescu

            Image
            Alexandre Averescu Alexandru Averescu Naissance 3 avril 1859 Babele, Ismail  (ro) près de Izmaïl (principauté de Moldavie) Décès 2 octobre 1938 (à 79 ans) [ 1 ] Bucarest Origine   Roumanie Arme cavalerie Grade Maréchal Années de service 1901-1917 Commandement chef d'état-major général 2 e  armée 3 e  armée Groupe d'armée sud armée du Danube Conflits Guerre russo-turque de 1877-1878 Deuxième guerre balkanique Première Guerre mondiale Faits d'armes Bataille de Turtucaia/Tutrakan Bataille de Mărăști Distinctions Autres fonctions 3 fois président du Conseil des ministres ministre des Affaires étrangères ministre sans portefeuille conseiller de la Couronne modifier   Alexandre Averescu (en roumain : Alexandru Averescu .mw-parser-output .prononciation>a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/Loudspeaker.svg/11px-Loudspeaker.svg.png")center ...
            Read more