make a virtue of necessity

make a virtue of necessity
make a virtue of necessity
Prov. to do what you have to do cheerfully or willingly. •

When Bill's mother became sick, there was no one but Bill to take care of her, so Bill made a virtue of necessity and resolved to enjoy their time together.

* * *
{v. phr.} Make the best of things as they are; do cheerfully what you do. * /After Mr. Wilson lost all his money, he made a virtue of necessity and found a new and interesting life as a teacher./ Compare: MAKE THE BEST OF.

Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.

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  • make a virtue of necessity — To do as if from a sense of duty (or with a sense of duty called in for the occasion) something unpleasant one is forced to do • • • Main Entry: ↑virtue * * * make a virtue of necessity phrase to pretend that you are doing something because you… …   Useful english dictionary

  • make a virtue of necessity — {v. phr.} Make the best of things as they are; do cheerfully what you do. * /After Mr. Wilson lost all his money, he made a virtue of necessity and found a new and interesting life as a teacher./ Compare: MAKE THE BEST OF …   Dictionary of American idioms

  • make a virtue of necessity —    If someone does something commendable, not deliberately but because they have no choice, and pretends to be doing it willingly and happily, they make a virtue of necessity.     When, because of the high price of petrol, I decided to walk to… …   English Idioms & idiomatic expressions

  • make a virtue of necessity — Meaning Origin From Shakespeare s Two Gentlemen of Verona. Second Outlaw Indeed, because you are a banish d man, Therefore, above the rest, we parley to you: Are you content to be our general? To make a virtue of necessity And live, as we do, in… …   Meaning and origin of phrases

  • make a virtue of necessity — formal to change something you must do into a positive or useful experience. It s a long way to drive so I thought I d make a virtue of necessity and stop off at some interesting places along the way …   New idioms dictionary

  • make\ a\ virtue\ of\ necessity — v. phr. Make the best of things as they are; do cheerfully what you do. After Mr. Wilson lost all his money, he made a virtue of necessity and found a new and interesting life as a teacher. Compare: make the best of …   Словарь американских идиом

  • make a virtue of necessity — make a duty into something attractive, make responsibility appear desirable …   English contemporary dictionary

  • make a virtue of necessity — verb To make the best of a difficult situation; to recast or portray an action or situation in which one has no alternatives as an action or situation which was deliberately chosen on its merits. Indeed, because you are a banishd man …   Wiktionary

  • make a virtue of necessity — idi to make the best of a difficult or unsatisfactory situation …   From formal English to slang

  • make a virtue of necessity — to pretend that you are doing something because you have chosen to do it and because it will bring you benefits, when in fact it is something that you must do …   English dictionary

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