make up to

make up to idiom
Make ingratiating or fawning overtures to, flirt with, as in She was always making up to the boss's assistant. This usage was first recorded in 1781.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

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