make out like a bandit

Idioms and Phrases

Succeed extremely well, as in He invested in real estate and made out like a bandit . This expression likens other forms of success to that of a triumphant robber. It may, however, come from an intermediate source, that is, the use of bandit (or one-armed bandit ) for a slot machine, which is far more profitable for the house than for gamblers. [ Slang ; c. 1970]