Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

make head or tail of

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.30 in modern English

Syllables: make -head- or -tail of
IPA

29

Scrabble Score

16

Letters

4

Syllables

12

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To understand even minimally.

verb

To determine to be good or bad.

Example Sentences

"See if you can make head or tail of the last section in this chapter. I'm baffled."
"'I cannot make head or tail of it,' confessed Miss Barrowford, as the senseful fingers crossed and recrossed the scrawl, now following a vague spidery line, now drawn where no visible mark appeared to lead. 'Is there any meaning, do you think?'"
"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."

Inflected Forms

makes head or tail of (present, singular) making head or tail of (participle, present) made head or tail of (participle, past) made head or tail of (past) make heads or tails of (alternative, US)

Phrases

coin toss heads or tails rhyme or reason

Frequently Paired Words

coin toss heads or tails rhyme or reason

Antonyms

make head nor tail of make neither head nor tail of

Questions

What does make head or tail of mean?: To understand even minimally.

How to pronounce make head or tail of

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