do something up—
1. (of clothes) fasten; button up:
- You’ve done your buttons up the wrong way.
2. wrap smth.:
- The presents were all done up in shiny paper and put under the Christmas tree.
3. (of hair) arrange:
- Will you help me to do up my hair?
4. make smth. attractive or improve smth.:
- We shall have to do up the house next spring.
5. (of fruit, etc.) preserve:
- Mother is doing up some blackberries, so that we can eat them during the winter.
make something up—
1. (of the road) put a bitumen surface on to make it suitable for traffic:
- When are the council going to make up this road?
2. repay a loss of smth.; compensate for smth.:
- You must make up the time that you have wasted by working late tonight.
3. (of a story, excuse, etc.) invent; fabricate:
- These entertainers make their stories up as they go along.
4. apply cosmetics:
- He saw Teddy approach the clown, Diaz, who sat on his trunk making up his face.
5. constitute smth.:
- What are the qualities that should make up a man’s character?
6. put smth. together; complete a set of items:
- The train is made up but is not yet ready to start.
7. fulfill a written order or prescription:
- The chemist is still making up the order, and says it will be ready in an hour.