Π§ΠΈΡΠ°ΡΡ ΠΎΠ½Π»Π°ΠΉΠ½ Β«Π‘Π»ΠΎΠ²Π°ΡΡ Π°ΠΌΠ΅ΡΠΈΠΊΠ°Π½ΡΠΊΠΈΡ ΠΈΠ΄ΠΈΠΎΠΌ: 8000 Π΅Π΄ΠΈΠ½ΠΈΡΒ». Π‘ΡΡΠ°Π½ΠΈΡΠ° 95
ΠΠ²ΡΠΎΡ Adam Makkai
[mark time]{v. phr.} 1. To move the feet up and down as in marching, but not going forward. β’/The officer made the soldiers mark time as a punishment./ 2. To be idle; waiting for something to happen. β’/The teacher marked time until all the children were ready for the test./ 3. To seem to be working or doing something, but really not doing it. β’/It was so hot that the workmen just marked time./
[marry money]{v. phr.} To marry a rich person. β’/Ellen married money when she became Halβs wife./
[masking tape]{n.} A paper tape that is stuck around the edges of a surface being painted to keep the paint off the surface next to it. β’/The painters put masking tape around the window frames to keep the paint off the glass./
[masse] See: EN MASSE.
[mast] See: NAIL ONEβS COLORS TO THE MAST.
[master copy]{n.} 1. A perfect text to which all copies are made to conform; a corrected version used as a standard by printers. β’/The master copy must be right, because if it isnβt, the mistakes in it will be repeated all through the edition./ 2. A stencil from which other copies are made. β’/Mr. Brown told his secretary to save the master copy so that they could run off more copies whenever they needed them./ β’/The master copy was too light so many of the copies didnβt come out clear./
[master key]{n. phr.} A key that opens a set of different locks. β’/The building janitor has a master key to all of the apartments in this building./
[mastermind]{v.} To create; direct; invent the central plan for several individuals to follow. β’/Lenin masterminded the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia./
[mastermind]{n.} A person who supplies the intelligence for a project and/or undertakes its management. β’/Winston Churchill was the mastermind in the war against Hitler./
[master of ceremonies] or [M.C.] or [emcee] {n.} The person in charge of introducing the various participants in a show or entertainment. β’/Bob Hope was the M.C. of many memorable shows./
[mat] See: WELCOME MAT IS OUT.
[matter] See: FOR THAT MATTER, LAUGHING MATTER, NO MATTER, THE MATTER.
[matter of course]{n. phr.} Something always done; the usual way; habit; rule. β’/A was a matter of course for John to dress carefully when he was meeting his wife./ β’/Bank officers ask questions as a matter of course when someone wants to borrow money./
[matter of fact]{n. phr.} Something that is really true; something that can be proved. β’/The town records showed that it was a matter of fact that the two boys were brothers./ β’/It is a matter of fact that the American war against England was successful./βββOften used for emphasis in the phrase "as a matter of fact". β’/I didnβt go yesterday, and as a matter of fact, f didnβt go all week./ β’/Mary wasnβt wearing a blue dress. As a matter of fact, she hasnβt got a blue dress./ Compare: FOR THAT MATTER, IN FACT. Contrast: MATTER OF OPINION.
[matter-of-fact]{adj.} 1. Simply telling or showing the truth; not explaining or telling more. β’/The newspaper gave a matter-of-fact account of the murder trial./ 2. Showing little feeling or excitement or trouble; seeming not to care much. β’/When Maryβs father died she acted in a very matter-of-fact way./ β’/He was a very matter-of-fact person./
[matter of opinion]{n. phr.} Something that may or may not be true; something that people do not all agree on. β’/Whether or not he was a good general is a matter of opinion./ Compare: MATTER OF FACT.
[matter of record]{n. phr.} A fact or event that is kept officially as a legal record. β’/If you are convicted of speeding it becomes a matter of record./ β’/A birth certificate or a marriage license is a matter of record./
[may] See: BE THAT AS IT MAY, COME WHAT MAY, LET THE CHIPS FALL WHERE THEY MAY.
[M.C.] or [emcee] {v.} To act as master of ceremonies at a show. β’/The famous actor emceed the entire television show./
[me] See: DEAR ME, PICK-ME-UP, SO HELP ME.
[mean business]{v. phr.}, {informal} To decide strongly to do what you plan to do; really mean it; be serious. β’/The boss said he would fire us if we didnβt work harder and he means business./ β’/When she went to college to study, she meant business./ β’/He just liked the company of the other girls he dated, but this time he seems to mean business./
[means] See: BY ALL MEANS, BY MEANS OF, BY NO MEANS, WAYS AND MEANS.
[means to an end]{n. phr.} An action leading to some end or purpose. β’/Money for him was just a means to an end; actually he wanted power./
[mean well]{v. phr.} To have good intentions. β’/Fred generally means well, but he has a tendency to be tactless./
[measure] See: BEYOND MEASURE, FOR GOOD MEASURE, MADE-TO-MEASURE, TAKE ONEβS MEASURE or TAKE THE MEASURE OF.
[measure off]{v. phr.} To mark by measuring. β’/She measured off three yards with which to make the new dress./
[measure up]{v.} To be equal; be of fully high quality; come up. β’/John didnβt measure up to the best catchers but he was a good one./ β’/Lois' school work didnβt measure up to her ability./ Compare up: TO PAR. Contrast: FALL SHORT.
[meatball]{n.}, {slang} A dull, boring, slow-witted, or uninteresting person. β’/Youβll never get an interesting story out of that meatballβββstop inviting him./
[medicine] See: TAKE ONEβS MEDICINE.
[medium] See: STRIKE A HAPPY MEDIUM.
[meet] See: MAKE ENDS MEET.
[meet halfway] See: GO HALFWAY.
[meeting] See: BEST BIB AND TUCKER or SUNDAY-GO-TO-MEETING CLOTHES.
[meet oneβs death]{v. phr.} To die. β’/Algernon met his death in a car accident./
[meet oneβs eye]{v. phr.} To be in plain view or come into plain view; appear clearly or obviously. β’/When John rounded the bend, a clear blue lake met his eye./ β’/On a first reading the plan looked good, but there was more to it than met the eye./
[meet oneβs match]{v. phr.} To encounter someone as good as oneself. β’/The champion finally met his match and lost the game./
[meet oneβs Waterloo]{v. phr.} To be defeated; lose an important contest. β’/After seven straight victories the team met its Waterloo./ β’/John fought instead of running, and the bully met his Waterloo./ (After Napoleonβs final defeat at Waterloo.)
[meet up with]{v. phr.} To meet by accident; come upon without planning or expecting to. β’/When he ran around the tree, Bob suddenly meet up with a large bear./ β’/The family would have arrived on time, but they met up with a flat tire./
[meet with]{v.} 1. To meet (someone), usually by accident. β’/In the woods he met with two strangers./ Syn.: COME UPON. 2. To meet together, usually by plan; join; have a meeting with. β’/The two scouts met with the officers to talk about plans for the march./ 3. To experience (as unhappiness); suffer (as bad luck); have (as an accident or mishap). β’/The farmer met with misfortune; his crops were destroyed by a storm./ β’/The traveler met with an accident on the road./
[melt] See: BUTTER WOULDNβT MELT IN ONEβS MOUTH, MELT IN ONEβS MOUTH.
[melting pot]{n. phr.} A country where different nationalities mingle and mix with the result that, in the second generation, most people speak the main language of the country and behave like the majority. β’/It is no longer considered entirely true that the United States is a melting pot; many immigrants speak a second language./
[melt in oneβs mouth]{v. phr.} 1. To be so tender as to seem to need no chewing. β’/The chicken was so tender that it melted in your mouth./ 2. To taste very good; be delicious. β’/Motherβs apple pie really melts in your mouth./
[memory] See: IN MEMORY OF.
[mend] See: ON THE MEND.
[mend oneβs fences]{v. phr.}, {informal} To do something to make people like or follow you again; strengthen your friendships or influence. β’/The senator went home from Washington to mend his fences./ β’/John saw that his friends did not like him, so he decided to mend his fences./
[mend oneβs ways]{v. phr.} To reform; change oneβs behavior from negative to positive. β’/He had better mend his ways or heβll wind up in jail./
[mental telepathy]{n. phr.} The passing of one personβs thoughts to another without any discoverable talking or carrying of signals between them. β’/Mrs. Smith knew the moment her husbandβs ship sank on the other side of the world. It seems like a case of mental telepathy./ β’/Most or all men who practice mental telepathy on stage have really trained themselves to detect tiny clues from the audience./
[mention] See: NOT TO MENTION.
[meow] See: CATβS MEOW.
[mercy] See: AT THE MERCY OF.
[mercy killing]{n. phr.} The act of killing a terminally ill patient or animal in order to avoid further suffering. β’/Mercy killing of humans is illegal in most countries, yet many doctors practice it secretly./
[merrier] See: MORE THE MERRIER.
[merry] See: LEAD A MERRY CHASE, MAKE MERRY.
[message] See: GET THE MESSAGE.
[mess around]{v. phr.} 1. To engage in idle or purposeless activity. β’/Come on, you guys,βββstart doing some work, donβt just mess around all day!/ 2. {vulgar} To be promiscuous; to indulge in sex with little discrimination as to who the partner is. β’/Allen needs straightening out; heβs been messing around with the whole female population of his class./ Compare: FOOL AROUND.
[mess up]{v. phr.}, {slang}, {informal} 1. To cause trouble; to spoil something. β’/What did you have to mess up my accounts for?/ 2. To cause someone emotional trauma. β’/Sue will never get married; she got messed up when she was a teenager./ 3. To beat up someone physically. β’/When Joe came in after the fight with the boys, he was all messed up./
[method in (to) oneβs madness]{n. phr.} A plan or organization of ideas hard to perceive at first, but that becomes noticeable after longer and closer examination. β’/We thought he was crazy to threaten to resign from the university but, when he was offered a tenured full professorship, we realized that there had been method in his madness./
[mickey mouse(1)]{adj.}, {slang} Inferior; second rate; chicken; easy; gimmicky. β’/Watch out for Perkins; heβs full of mickey mouse ideas./
[mickey mouse(2)]{n.} ({derogatory}) A stupid person; a policeman; a white man (as used by blacks).
[midair] See: UP IN THE AIR(2) also IN MIDAIR.
[middle] See: CHANGE HORSES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREAM, IN THE MIDDLE.
[middle ground]{n.} A place halfway between the two sides of an argument; a compromise. β’/John wanted to go running. Bill said it was too hot. Tom took the middle ground and suggested a hike./ β’/The committee found a middle ground between the two proposals./
[middleman]{n.} A person or small business standing in an intermediary position between two parties. β’/A retail merchant is the middleman between the factory and the consumer./
[middle of the road]{n. phr.} A way of thinking which does not favor one idea or thing too much; being halfway between two different ideas. β’/The teacher did not support the boys or the girls in the debate, but stayed in the middle of the road./
[middle-of-the-road]{adj.} Favoring action halfway between two opposite movements or ideas; with ideas halfway between two opposite sides; seeing good on both sides. β’/The men who wrote the Constitution followed a middle-of-the-road plan on whether greater power belonged to the United States government or to the separate states./ β’/Senator Jones favors a middle-of-the-road policy in the labor-management dispute./
[midfield stripe]{n.} The line across the center of a football field; the 50-yard line. β’/The visitors were able to cross the midfield stripe once during the whole game./