make a move
verb1
Idiomatic To take action.
- He swallowed hard on his tea. —Well, ah must be making a move. Thanks again.1994 [1993], Irvine Welsh, “The First Shag in Ages”, in Trainspotting, London: Minerva, →ISBN, page 149:
- “We'll give you a lift, darling,” Lady Genevieve said languidly, rising. “It's time we made a move.”2000, Carola Dunn, Rattle His Bones (2011 Macmillan ed.), p. 173 (Google preview)
2 more examples
- "Do you want to stay for another or shall we make a move?" He looks at his watch. "Yeah, let's go."2006, Roberta Kray, The Debt, paperback edition, →ISBN:
- “Should we make a move?” she asked over the music. “We could find a place to dance. or we could go back to our place.”2009, Dan Katz, Dave the Detective: Book #2 Identity Crisis, →ISBN, page 150:
3
Idiomatic, Often, Followed by on To initiate a conversation or perform an action intended to engage the willing attention of a person in whom one has a romantic or sexual interest; to approach someone of romantic or sexual appeal in hopes of escalating to a romantic or sexual encounter or relationship.
- [T]he video how-to site Howcast . . . breaks from its more staid counterparts, such as Expert Village and eHow, by injecting a necessary dose of humor. Come here to learn "how to make a move on a girl while watching a movie on a couch".2007, Anita Hamilton, “50 Best Websites 2008: Howcast”, in Time, retrieved 13 Jul 2014:
4
Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see make, move.