On The Make Meaning

(idiomatic, by extension) Actively seeking an opportunity for self-advancement; eager to ingratiate oneself to others in order to secure some advantage.

Example: 1973, Nov. 26, T. E. Kalem, "The Theatre: Savage Mating Dance," Time:
  Harry (Matthew Cowles) and Tim (Timothy Meyers) are an inseparable pair of macho punks always on the make for an easy sexual score.
1920, Upton Sinclair, 100%: The Story of a Patriot, ch. 1:
  In a city where everybody was "hustling," everybody, as they phrased it, "on the make," why should anyone take a second glance at Peter Gudge?