to make nothing of
Preserved but no longer current.
To fail to understand; not to succeed in some operation. Nourmahal (noor ma hal') (Arab., The Light of the Harem). One of the women in the harem of the Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid, afterwards called Nourjehan (Light of the World). The story of her love for Selim and how she regained his lost affections by means of a love- spell is told in Moore's Lalla Rookh.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “to make nothing of” mean?
To fail to understand; not to succeed in some operation. Nourmahal (noor ma hal') (Arab., The Light of the Harem). One of the women in the harem of the Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid, afterwards called Nourjehan (Light of the World). The story of her love for Selim and how she regained his lost affections by means of a love- spell is told in Moore's Lalla Rookh.
Is “to make nothing of” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.