make good
make good {v. phr.}
1. To do what one promised to do; make something come true.
Mr. Smith borrowed some money. He promised to pay it back on payday. He made good his promise.
Joe made good his boast to swim across the lake.
John's mother promised to take him and his friends to the zoo on Saturday. She made good her promise.
Compare: CARRY OUT.
2. To compensate; pay for loss or damage.
The policeman told the boy's parents that the boy must make good the money he had stolen or go to jail.
- Often used in the phrase "make it good".
The radio was broken while it was being delivered so the store had to make it good and send us a new radio.
Compare: MAKE UP.
3. To do good work at one's job; succeed.
Kate wanted to be a nurse. She studied and worked hard in school. Then she got a job in the hospital and made good as a nurse.
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Source: A Dictionary of American Idioms