can't make head or tail of

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Also can't make heads or tails of. Fail to understand, be quite confused about, as in I can't make head or tail of these directions. A version of this term dates back to Roman times, when Cicero wrote Ne caput nec pedes (“neither head nor feet”) to describe confusion. In the current idiom the precise allusion is unclear: head and tail may mean top and bottom, beginning and end, or the two sides of a coin. [Second half of 1600s]

QUIZ

ARE YOU A TRUE BLUE CHAMPION OF THESE "BLUE" SYNONYMS?

We could talk until we're blue in the face about this quiz on words for the color "blue," but we think you should take the quiz and find out if you're a whiz at these colorful terms.

Question 1 of 8

Which of the following words describes “sky blue”?

navy

beryl

azure

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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Words nearby can't make head or tail of

canting, canting arms, cantle, cantling, can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, can't make head or tail of, canto, canto fermo, canton, Canton crepe, Canton enamel

How to use can't make head or tail of in a sentence

As this list shows, punishments typically run to a short-ish jail sentence and/or a moderately hefty fine.
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The gunman hardly broke stride as he nonetheless shot Merabet in the head, killing him.
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Genetics alone does not an eating disorder make, generally speaking, and Bulik points out that environment still plays a role.
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And yes, our values include tolerance of those who wish to make fun of religion.
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The court ruled she lacked the maturity to make her own medical decisions.
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And to tell the truth, she couldn't help wishing he could see, so he could make the game livelier.
The Tale of Grandfather Mole|Arthur Scott Bailey
Madame Ratignolle, more careful of her complexion, had twined a gauze veil about her head.
The Awakening and Selected Short Stories|Kate Chopin
Only in the carnage of the head, the tilt of the chin, was the insolence expressed that had made her many enemies.
Ancestors|Gertrude Atherton
Old Mrs. Wurzel and the buxom but not too well-favoured heiress of the house of Grains were at the head of the table.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills
She sat straight up in bed, and jerked her hands to her head, and screamed long and terribly.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux