- make-work
- noun Date: 1923 work assigned or done chiefly to keep one busy
New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.
make-work
Look at other dictionaries:
make-work — busy work, activity of no value, 1913 (adj.); 1937 (n.), Amer.Eng., from the verbal expression to make work (see MAKE (Cf. make) (v.) + WORK (Cf. work) (n.)). A big fire devoured a street; It will make work, I heard my father say; a ship was lost … Etymology dictionary
make-work — ˈmake work noun [uncountable] work that is not important but is given to people to keep them busy: • They want to move from their make work jobs into more challenging ones. * * * make work UK US noun [U] US ► jobs that are given to people,… … Financial and business terms
make-work — n. Active work of litle value, such as assignments given by teachers to students to keep them busy while the teacher performs other tasks, or chores performed to while away time; also called {busywork}. Syn: busywork. [WordNet 1.5 +PJC] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
make-work — n [U] AmE work that is not important but is given to people to keep them busy … Dictionary of contemporary English
make-work — make ,work noun uncount work that is given to someone so that they have something to do … Usage of the words and phrases in modern English
make-work — make′ work n. work created to keep a person busy • Etymology: 1935–40 … From formal English to slang
make-work — ☆ make work [māk′wʉrk΄ ] adj., n. (designating) a job, project, or assignment that serves no useful purpose other than to give an otherwise idle or unemployed person something to do … English World dictionary
make-work — /mayk werrk /, n. work, usually of little importance, created to keep a person from being idle or unemployed. [1935 40, Amer.; n. use of v. phrase make work] * * * … Universalium
make-work — noun An activity or task assigned or undertaken for the sake of activity or busy ness, rather than because of a particular need. The assignment was simply make work to keep them busy on a rainy day … Wiktionary
Make-work job — A make work job is a job that has less final benefit[to whom?] than the job costs to support. Make work jobs are similar to workfare but are publicly offered on the job market and have otherwise normal employment requirements (workfare jobs, in… … Wikipedia
make-work — noun active work of little value (Freq. 1) while he was waiting he filled the days with busywork • Syn: ↑busywork • Hypernyms: ↑work … Useful english dictionary
