make a pass at
Meaning: To make a sexual or romantic advance toward someone.
Language: English
Literally: (Already vivid in English)
Example: “At the office party, the new salesman made a pass at the boss's daughter.”
Category: Daily Life
Origin: "Pass" here is probably from fencing or from a hand movement, an attempt or thrust. It was in use by the 1920s; Dorothy Parker's 1926 quip "Men seldom make passes / At girls who wear glasses" helped make it famous.
Equivalents in other languages
- French: Proposer la botte à quelqu'un — literally: To propose the thrust to someone
- French: Faire du gringue — literally: To make some gringue
More idioms — Daily Life
- overstep the mark — To go beyond what is acceptable.
- shoot down in flames — To reject or destroy an idea or argument completely.
- rough around the edges — Lacking polish or refinement, though basically good.
- smoke the peace pipe — To make peace after a quarrel.
- seize the day — Make the most of the present moment.
- bow and scrape — To behave in an overly humble or flattering way toward someone powerful.
More English idioms
- come down on someone like a ton of bricks — To criticize or punish someone very severely.
- set tongues wagging — To cause people to gossip.
- give free rein — To give someone complete freedom to act.
- jump ship — To abandon a group or cause, often for a rival.
- left on the shelf — To be considered too old to marry; more generally, to be passed over.
- take with a grain of salt — To be skeptical about something; not to take it entirely at face value.
From our proverbs
- Make not a toil of your pleasure. — Pursuing enjoyment through rigid discipline defeats its purpose; leisure requires spontan…
- Don't stop the plough to catch a mouse. — Abandoning important long-term work for trivial immediate concerns wastes effort and dela…
- A man must plough with such oxen as he hath. — Work effectively with available resources rather than wasting energy wishing for better t…