(colloquial) function; work. In other words, to go to this degree of via, to study all the philosophers, all the religious leaders, all of the messiahs and savants of all times and ages to find out what makes things tick is just about as silly as buying a manual describing the repairs on a Cadillac but never riding in one. -Man's Search and Scientology's Answer (4 July 1957)v. to touch or tap a person or thing lightly or to touch with a fleeting sharp or glancing blow.(colloquial) function; work. What makes man tick?(colloquial) function; work.