[mark time]{v. phr.} 1. To move the feet up and down as in marching, but not going forward. •/The officer made the soldiers mark time as a punishment./ 2. To be idle; waiting for something to happen. •/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. •/It was so hot that the workmen just marked time./
[marry money]{v. phr.} To marry a rich person. •/Ellen married money when she became Hal’s 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. •/The painters put masking tape around the window frames to keep the paint off the glass./
[masse] See: EN MASSE.
[mast] See: NAIL ONE’S 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. •/The master copy must be right, because if it isn’t, the mistakes in it will be repeated all through the edition./ 2. A stencil from which other copies are made. •/Mr. Brown told his secretary to save the master copy so that they could run off more copies whenever they needed them./ •/The master copy was too light so many of the copies didn’t come out clear./
[master key]{n. phr.} A key that opens a set of different locks. •/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. •/Lenin masterminded the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia./
[mastermind]{n.} A person who supplies the intelligence for a project and/or undertakes its management. •/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. •/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. •/A was a matter of course for John to dress carefully when he was meeting his wife./ •/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. •/The town records showed that it was a matter of fact that the two boys were brothers./ •/It is a matter of fact that the American war against England was successful./ — Often used for emphasis in the phrase "as a matter of fact". •/I didn’t go yesterday, and as a matter of fact, f didn’t go all week./ •/Mary wasn’t wearing a blue dress. As a matter of fact, she hasn’t 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. •/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. •/When Mary’s father died she acted in a very matter-of-fact way./ •/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. •/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. •/If you are convicted of speeding it becomes a matter of record./ •/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. •/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. •/The boss said he would fire us if we didn’t work harder and he means business./ •/When she went to college to study, she meant business./ •/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. •/Money for him was just a means to an end; actually he wanted power./
[mean well]{v. phr.} To have good intentions. •/Fred generally means well, but he has a tendency to be tactless./
[measure] See: BEYOND MEASURE, FOR GOOD MEASURE, MADE-TO-MEASURE, TAKE ONE’S MEASURE or TAKE THE MEASURE OF.
[measure off]{v. phr.} To mark by measuring. •/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. •/John didn’t measure up to the best catchers but he was a good one./ •/Lois' school work didn’t measure up to her ability./ Compare up: TO PAR. Contrast: FALL SHORT.
[meatball]{n.}, {slang} A dull, boring, slow-witted, or uninteresting person. •/You’ll never get an interesting story out of that meatball — stop inviting him./
[medicine] See: TAKE ONE’S 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 one’s death]{v. phr.} To die. •/Algernon met his death in a car accident./
[meet one’s eye]{v. phr.} To be in plain view or come into plain view; appear clearly or obviously. •/When John rounded the bend, a clear blue lake met his eye./ •/On a first reading the plan looked good, but there was more to it than met the eye./
[meet one’s match]{v. phr.} To encounter someone as good as oneself. •/The champion finally met his match and lost the game./
[meet one’s Waterloo]{v. phr.} To be defeated; lose an important contest. •/After seven straight victories the team met its Waterloo./ •/John fought instead of running, and the bully met his Waterloo./ (After Napoleon’s final defeat at Waterloo.)
[meet up with]{v. phr.} To meet by accident; come upon without planning or expecting to. •/When he ran around the tree, Bob suddenly meet up with a large bear./ •/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. •/In the woods he met with two strangers./ Syn.: COME UPON. 2. To meet together, usually by plan; join; have a meeting with. •/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). •/The farmer met with misfortune; his crops were destroyed by a storm./ •/The traveler met with an accident on the road./
[melt] See: BUTTER WOULDN’T MELT IN ONE’S MOUTH, MELT IN ONE’S 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. •/It is no longer considered entirely true that the United States is a melting pot; many immigrants speak a second language./
[melt in one’s mouth]{v. phr.} 1. To be so tender as to seem to need no chewing. •/The chicken was so tender that it melted in your mouth./ 2. To taste very good; be delicious. •/Mother’s apple pie really melts in your mouth./
[memory] See: IN MEMORY OF.
[mend] See: ON THE MEND.
[mend one’s fences]{v. phr.}, {informal} To do something to make people like or follow you again; strengthen your friendships or influence. •/The senator went home from Washington to mend his fences./ •/John saw that his friends did not like him, so he decided to mend his fences./
[mend one’s ways]{v. phr.} To reform; change one’s behavior from negative to positive. •/He had better mend his ways or he’ll wind up in jail./
[mental telepathy]{n. phr.} The passing of one person’s thoughts to another without any discoverable talking or carrying of signals between them. •/Mrs. Smith knew the moment her husband’s ship sank on the other side of the world. It seems like a case of mental telepathy./ •/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: CAT’S 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. •/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. •/Come on, you guys, — start doing some work, don’t just mess around all day!/ 2. {vulgar} To be promiscuous; to indulge in sex with little discrimination as to who the partner is. •/Allen needs straightening out; he’s 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. •/What did you have to mess up my accounts for?/ 2. To cause someone emotional trauma. •/Sue will never get married; she got messed up when she was a teenager./ 3. To beat up someone physically. •/When Joe came in after the fight with the boys, he was all messed up./
[method in (to) one’s madness]{n. phr.} A plan or organization of ideas hard to perceive at first, but that becomes noticeable after longer and closer examination. •/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. •/Watch out for Perkins; he’s 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. •/John wanted to go running. Bill said it was too hot. Tom took the middle ground and suggested a hike./ •/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. •/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. •/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. •/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./ •/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. •/The visitors were able to cross the midfield stripe once during the whole game./
