ˈmake-up
[f. phr. make up (see make v.1 96).]
1. a. The manner in which something is made up, put together, or composed; composition, constitution. spec. The character or temperament of a person (cf. quot. 1821). Also transf.
| 1821 Examiner 708/1 Some national distinctions in the make-up of French and English minds. 1864 H. Spencer Illustr. Univ. Progr. 62 Something in the pattern or make-up of their clothes. 1891 Field 5 Dec. 865/3 Our Cambridge correspondent describes the practice..and gives the make up of the crews. 1896 Allbutt's Syst. Med. I. 169 There may be an inherited defect in the ‘make-up’ of one particular tissue. 1898 [see get v. 81 b]. 1908 W. McDougall Introd. Social Psychol. iv. 117 Constitutional conditions..that exert a constant influence..responsible for much in the mental make-up of the adult. 1928 Morning Post 23 Mar. 15 M. Poincaré..works alone, and has nothing of the people's tribune in his make-up. 1942 R.A.F. Jrnl. 13 June 5 The lack of conscience in the make-up of the Japanese. 1965 G. N. Garmonsway in Bessinger & Creed Medieval & Ling. Stud. 140 He becomes the prototype of the more ruthless type of Germanic hero, with a touch in his make-up of the berserk or ruffian. 1975 Country Life 6 Feb. 343/1 Dogs possessing faults in their make-up..are liable to pass them on to their offspring. |
b. The balancing of accounts at the end of a certain period;
cf. make v.
1 96 j. Also
attrib.| 1952 Economist 21 June 839 Electricity repayments by B.E.A. completed by the date of the May make-up. 1975 Guardian 20 Jan. 12/2 On the latest make-up date, the banks' acquisitions of interest-bearing liabilities were..higher. |
2. a. Chiefly
Theatr. An appearance of face, dress, etc. assumed in order to impersonate a character.
| 1858 Geo. Eliot in Cross Life (1885) II. 61 The Zouaves, with their wondrous make-ups as women. 1862 Dickens Lett. 16 Mar. (1880) II. 177 Add to this a perfectly picturesque and romantic ‘make up’..and you have the leading virtues of the impersonation. 1872 Punch 19 Oct. 163/1 His make-up was admirable, his playing of the first and last act well-nigh faultless. 1882 Besant Revolt of man iii. 61 In her make-up she studiously affected..the vigour and strength of middle life. |
b. concr. Cosmetics, paint, etc. used by actors in making up. Also used by women generally.
| 1886 All Year Round 28 Aug. 78 The whole tribe of Cosmetics, curtly designated in theatrical parlance as ‘make-up’. 1888 Pall Mall G. 27 Jan. 2/1, I..asked for a towel and soap to wash my make-up off. 1932 ‘N. Shute’ Lonely Road vii. 135 She had made herself look quieter than before. It may have been that she had less make-up on. 1959 J. Braine Vodi xxi. 229 Her mother would..put on a little makeup. The lipstick and rouge seemed to give the large face..not less but more dignity. 1974 Listener 7 Nov. 603/3 We've all got our ‘titfers’ on, four layers of make-up, every jewel we can find. |
c. Style of costume, get-up.
rare.
| 1883 Daily News 6 Sept. 2/2 The mongrel cross-country make-up indulged in for the Spa promenade. |
d. The action or process of ‘making up’ with cosmetics, etc.
| 1890 Cent. Dict., Make up,..the preparation of an actor for impersonating the character assigned to him, including dress, painting and altering the appearance of the face, etc. 1922 J. Erskine Coll. Poems 120 If this world be a stage, what hours we give To tedious make-up in the tiring-room. 1930 Punch 8 Jan. 47/2 One ‘make-up’ each morning, says Popkin, is plenty. 1951 Good Housek. Home Encycl. 20/2 It is a good idea to have also a magnifying mirror for shaving or make-up. 1974 Country Life 28 Nov. 694/3 A cleanse and make-up from {pstlg}2.50, a make-up lesson {pstlg}5. |
e. A make-up room; the place where an actor or the like is ‘made up’; the work of such a place.
colloq.| 1960 Guardian 5 May 9/4, I..lost no time phoning Groucho, who was ‘in make-up’. 1967 M. Shulman Kill 3 iii. viii. 146 ‘She's been to make up?’ ‘Only a bit of powder. We thought the wan look was best.’ 1972 New Statesman 28 Apr. 554/3 There are still important women in BBC TV. They have four of the top 70 jobs, to do with planning, education and children's programmes. And Head of Make-up, of course. 1973 Listener 20 Dec. 838/3 They've got a new girl in make-up here and I'm not sure whether she has caught the Ronnie Corbett look. |
3. Printing. The process of making up type into columns or pages; the matter so made up. Also, an editor's selection of articles to form a number of a periodical.
| 1852 Smedley L. Arundel xv, That is the ‘make-up’, as we call it, of the third and fourth sheets of the Magazine. 1884 in Cassell's Encycl. Dict. 1899 Daily News 23 May 10/5 Compositor (Society) seeks situation. All-round jobbing, posters, make up, etc. |
4. a. A made-up story; an invention or fiction.
| 1844 Alb. Smith Adv. Mr. Ledbury lv. (1886) 167 The whole story is one of the most singular make-ups that ever attained universal credence. 1877 Spurgeon Serm. XXIII. 101 Have you undergone a great transformation? The necessity for it is no make-up of mine, remember. |
b. colloq. or
dial. Something (
esp. food) made up from odds and ends. Also
attrib.| 1854 A. E. Baker Gloss. Northamptonshire Words II. 6 A make-up dinner, a dinner composed of scraps and remnants. 1877 J. M. Neilson Poems 48 The treacle mak'-up on the candyman's stand. 1924 ‘L. Malet’ Dogs of Want v. 129 The sort of refreshments caterers supply at a public entertainment like this—left-overs and make-ups, from the local restaurants. |
5. a. A compensation.
rare.
| 1859 W. Chadwick Life De Foe vi. 309 He was taken into diplomatic service by Harley, as a make-up..for his forced neglect of his pamphleteer while confined in Newgate. |
b. Replacement of the water lost from a boiler or the like by evaporation, leakage, etc.; water added for this purpose.
| 1930 Engineering 10 Jan. 56/1 Others..treat the entire boiler feed water, including condensate and make-up, [etc.]. 1971 Sci. Amer. May 71/2 The amount of water required for ‘makeup’ in a large cooling tower is considerable. 1972 R. G. Kazmann Mod. Hydrol. (ed. 2) iv. 133 A 500 megawatt plant will use 500,000 gallons of water an hour for makeup purposes. |
6. attrib. as (sense 2 a)
make-up girl,
make-up man,
make-up room; (sense 2 b)
make-up box,
make-up kit,
make-up tray; (sense 2 d)
make-up mirror; (sense 3)
make-up copy,
make-up editor,
make-up hand,
make-up man;
make-up bed, a bed that can be set up temporarily.
| 1911 A. Bennett Hilda Lessways iv. i. 276, I quite forgot about the *make-up bed for Florrie. |
| 1885 J. K. Jerome On the Stage 93 A ‘*make-up’ box, a dressing-case, writing-case, etc., etc., made a pretty big pile. |
| 1960 G. A. Glaister Gloss. Bk. 249/1 *Make-up copy, i.e., a set of folded sheets and plates put in the correct order as a pattern. |
| 1903 J. Ralph Making of Journalist xiii. 153 Around the walls are the desks..that of the night or ‘*make-up’ editor, and that of the managing editor. 1972 H. Evans Editing & Design: Newsman's English i. 8 In the composing room..an editorial man watches... He may be called a production editor, a make-up editor or a stone sub or stone editor. |
| 1957 Times 28 Aug. (Radio & T.V. Suppl.) p. xix/2 Ordeal by Television..under the impersonal inspection of..camera-men, *make-up girls. 1971 ‘W. Haggard’ Bitter Harvest vii. 74 A make-up girl had powdered his bald patch... Now he sat..in the sweaty studio. |
| 1949 R. Hostettler Technical Terms Printing Industry 122/2 *Make-up hand. |
| 1955 A. Huxley Genius & Goddess 51 Ruth..squandered a year's accumulated savings on a *make-up kit and a bottle of cheap perfume. |
| 1896 Living Topics Mag. (N.Y.) Jan. 105 The best stage manager in England, as well as the best *make-up man and character delineator. 1922 S. A. Cuneo From Printer to President 43 It was necessary for the owner to be a typesetter, a make-up man, a press feeder, in fact an all 'round printer. 1959 Make-up man [see goose pimples]. 1973 W. McGivern Reprisal (1974) 116 A part in a picture..a make-up man to fuss over her. |
| 1964 Harper's Bazaar Nov. 99 The *make-up mirror..in black opaline and ormolu, {pstlg}27. 1966 H. Nielsen After Midnight (1967) vi. 86 A make-up mirror on the bedside table. |
| 1900 Daily News 15 Nov. 6/1 Some curious illustrations are derived from the ‘*make-up room’. |
| 1889 Pall Mall G. 29 Oct. 3/1 On it are placed candles, a looking-glass, a ‘*make-up’ tray [etc.]. |
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Add:
[5.] c. U.S. colloq. A second examination for a student who has missed or failed the first one.
Cf. resit n.| 1934 in Webster. 1942 Berrey & Van den Bark Amer. Thes. Slang §835/1 Make-up (exam), a second examination to take the place of one omitted or in which a student has failed. 1958 Barnard Coll. Announcement 1958–59 161 Instructors are not required to give make-ups to those absent from previously announced quizzes. 1976 National Observer (U.S.) 13 Mar. 11/2 (Advt.), Separate subject courses for 8th grade math, history, English... Excellent for make-up, brush-up or enrichment. 1987 D. A. Dye Platoon iv. 65 Out here there are no make-ups for failed exams. 1992 R. M. Davis Mid-Lands x. 129 Every job was a test with no make-up. |
[6.] make-up game Baseball, a game previously postponed which is played to complete the number of scheduled league matches.
| 1976 Laurel (Montana) Outlook 30 June 18/1 A *make-up game was played with the Owl Cafe scoring 9 and Terry's Texaco, 4. 1986 Toronto Star 28 May e2/5 Bridge has played a dozen club matches in 30 days because of makeup games squeezed between regular-season weekend matches. 1992 B. Geist Little League Confidential xv. 143 Perhaps they smelled blood in the water in our makeup game with Yo Norb's Stool Concepts squad. |