[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./
[midnight oil] See: BURN THE MIDNIGHT OIL.
[midstream] See: CHANGE HORSES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREAM or CHANGE HORSES IN MIDSTREAM.
[might] See: WITH MIGHT AND MAIN.
[mighty] See: HIGH-AND-MIGHTY.
[mile] See: GIVE ONE AN INCH AND HE WILL TAKE A MILE, JAW DROP or JAW DROP A MILE, MISS BY A MILE, MISS IS AS GOOD AS A MILE.
[mile markers]{n.}, {slang}, {citizen’s band radio jargon} Small signs along interstate highways usually bearing a number. •/The Smokey is located at 131 mile marker./
[miles away]{adj. phr.} Inattentive; not concentrating. •/When Betty said, "We have theater tickets for tonight," Ken didn’t react as his mind was miles away./
[milk] See: CRY OVER SPILLED MILK.
[mill] See: RUN-OF-THE-MILL, THROUGH THE MILL.
[mill around]{v. phr.} To move impatiently in no particular direction. •/The crowd milled around, waiting for the arrival of the president./
[million] See: FEEL LIKE A MILLION, LOOK LIKE A MILLION DOLLARS.
[millstone around one’s neck]{n. phr.} An intolerable burden. •/Max said that his old car was a millstone around his neck./ Compare: MONKEY ON ONE’S BACK.
[mince words]{v. phr.} To choose words carefully for the sake of politeness or deception. •/I like people who speak frankly and truthfully without mincing words./
[mind] See: CROSS ONE’S MIND or PASS THROUGH ONE’S MIND, GIVE A PIECE OF ONE’S MIND, HALF A MIND, IN MIND, IN ONE’S MIND’S EYE, MAKE UP ONE’S MIND, NEVER MIND, ON ONE’S MIND, OUT OF ONE’S HEAD or OUT OF ONE’S MIND, PUT IN MIND OF, READ ONE’S MIND.
[mind like a steel trap]{n. phr.} A very quick and understanding mind, which is quick to catch an idea. •/Henry is not fond of sports, but he has a mind like a steel trap./ •/A successful lawyer must have a mind like a steel trap./
[mind one’s own business]{v. phr.} To not interfere in the affairs of others. •/He finally got tired of her criticism and told her to mind her own business./
[mind one’s p’s and q’s]{v. phr.} To be very careful what you do or say; not make mistakes. •/When the principal of the school visited the class the students all minded their p’s and q’s./ •/If you wish to succeed you must mind your p’s and q’s./ (From the old U.S. Navy when sailors marked on a board in the bar how many Pints and Quarts of liquor they had taken. It was bad manners to cheat.) Syn.: WATCH ONE’S STEP.
[mind-reader] See: READ ONE’S MIND.
[mind you]{v. phr.}, {informal} I want you to notice and understand. •/Mind you, I am not blaming him./
[mine] See: BACK TO THE SALT MINES, RUN OF THE MILL or RUN OF THE MINE.
[mine of information]{n. phr.} A person, a book, etc., that is a valuable source of information. •/A dictionary can be a mine of information./ •/He is a mine of information on the stock market./
[minority leader]{n. phr.} The leader of the political party that has fewer votes in a legislative house. •/The minority leader of the Senate supported the bill./ •/The minority leader in the House of Representatives held a caucus./ Compare: MAJORITY LEADER.
[mint money] See: COIN MONEY.
[minutes of the meeting]{n. phr.} The notes taken by the recording secretary; of an official body or an association recording of what was said and transacted during the given session. •/"Shall we accept the minutes of our last meeting as read by the secretary?" the chairman asked./
[misfire]{v.} To fail to appeal; fall flat. •/The standup comic’s jokes misfired with the audience./ Compare: GO OVER LIKE A LEAD BALLOON.
[miss] See: HEART SKIP A BEAT or HEART MISS A BEAT.
[miss a trick]{v. phr.} To fail to see, hear, or notice something of even the slightest importance. •/He never misses a trick when it comes to the stock market./
[miss by a mile]{v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To shoot at something and be far from hitting it; not hit near. •/Jack’s first shot missed the target by a mile./ 2. To be very wrong; be far from right. •/Lee tried to guess on the examination, but his answers missed by a mile./ 3. To fail badly; not succeed at all. •/John Brown wanted to be governor but in the election he missed by a mile./
[missing link] n. 1. Something needed to complete a group; a missing part of a chain of things. •/A 1936 penny was the missing link in John’s collection of pennies./ •/The detective hunted for the fact that was the missing link in the case./ 2. An unknown extinct animal that was supposed to be a connection between man and lower animals. •/The missing link would be half man and half ape./
[miss is as good as a mile] It is the same if one fails or misses something by much or by little. — A proverb. •/We thought Tom had a home run but the ball went foul by inches. A miss is as good as a mile./
[Missouri] See: FROM MISSOURI.
[miss out]{v.}, {informal} To fail; lose or not take a good chance; miss something good. •/Jim’s mother told him he missed out on a chance to go fishing with his father because he came home late./ •/You missed out by not coming with us; we had a great time./ Compare: LOSE OUT.
[miss the boat] also [miss the bus] {v. phr.}, {informal} To fail through slowness; to put something off until too late; do the wrong thing and lose the chance. •/Mr. Brown missed the boat when he decided not to buy the house./ •/In college he didn’t study enough so he missed the boat and failed to pass./ •/Ted could have married Lena but he put off asking her and missed the boat./
[miss the point]{v. phr.} To be unable to comprehend the essence of what was meant. •/The student didn’t get a passing grade on the exam because, although he wrote three pages, he actually missed the point./
[mistake] See: BY MISTAKE.
[misty-eyed] or [dewey-eyed] {adj. phr.} 1. Having eyes damp with tears; emotional. •/The teacher was misty-eyed when the school gave her a retirement gift./ 2. Of the kind who cries easily; sentimental. •/The movie appealed to dewey-eyed girls./
[mixed bag]{n. phr.} A varied set of people, ideas, objects, or circumstances, including both the good and the bad. •/This report is a mixed bag of opinions./ •/There was a mixed bag of people at the press conference./
[mixed blessing]{n.} Something good that has bad features. •/John’s new bicycle was a mixed blessing. The other boys were always asking John to ride it./
[mixed up]{adj. phr.}, {informal} Confused in mind; puzzled. •/Bob was all mixed up after the accident./ Compare: BALL UP(1). 2. Disordered; disarranged; not neat. •/The papers on his desk were mixed up./ 3. {informal} Joined or connected (with someone or something bad). •/Harry was mixed up in a fight after the game./ •/Mary’s father told her not to get mixed up with the students that always break school rules./
[mix up]{v.} To confuse; make a mistake about. •/Jimmy doesn’t know colors yet; he mixes up purple with blue./ •/Even the twins' mother mixes them up./ Compare: MIXED UP.
[molehill] See: MAKE A MOUNTAIN OUT OF A MOLEHILL.
[moment] See: ON THE SPUR OF THE MOMENT.
[Monday] See: BLUE MONDAY.
[money] See: COIN MONEY or MINT MONEY, EASY MONEY, FOOL AND HIS MONEY ARE SOON PARTED, FOR LOVE OR MONEY, IN THE CHIPS or IN THE MONEY, MADE OF MONEY, MARRY MONEY, PUT ONE’S MONEY ON A SCRATCHED HORSE, RUN FOR ONE’S MONEY, SEE THE COLOR OF ONE’S MONEY, SPENDING MONEY or POCKET MONEY.
[money burns a hole in one’s pocket] See: BURN A HOLE IN ONE’S POCKET.
[money is no object]{informal sentence} The price of something is irrelevant. •/Please show me your most beautiful mink coat; money is no object./
[money to burn]{n. phr.}, {informal} Very much money, more than is needed. •/Dick’s uncle died and left him money to burn./ •/When Joe is twenty-one he will have money to burn./ •/Jean is looking for a husband with money to burn./ Compare: MADE OF MONEY.
[monkey] See: GREASE MONKEY, MAKE A FOOL OF or MAKE A MONKEY OF.
[monkey around] See: FUCK AROUND, HORSE AROUND, MESS AROUND.
[monkey business]{n.}, {slang}, {informal} 1. Any unethical, illegitimate, or objectionable activity that is furtive or deceitful, e.g., undercover sexual advances, cheating, misuse of public funds, etc. •/There is a lot of monkey business going on in that firm; you’d better watch out who you deal with!/ 2. Comical or silly actions; goofing off. •/Come on boys, let’s cut out the monkey business and get down to work!/
[monkey on one’s back]{n. phr.}, {informal} An unsolved or nagging problem. •/"My math course is a real monkey on my back," Jack complained./ Compare: ALBATROSS AROUND ONE’S NECK, MILLSTONE AROUND ONE’S NECK.
[monkey wrench] See: THROW A MONKEY WRENCH.
[monster] See: GREEN-EYED MONSTER.
[month in, month out] See: DAY IN AND DAY OUT.
[month of Sundays]{n. phr.}, informal A very long time. — Used for emphasis after "for" or "in" and usually with a negative verb. •/I have not had devil’s food cake in a month of Sundays./ •/When he got her first letter, he felt that he had not heard from her for a month of Sundays./ Syn.: DOG’S AGE.
[moon] See: ASK FOR THE MOON or CRY FOR THE MOON, DARK OF THE MOON, FULL OF THE MOON, ONCE IN A BLUE MOON, PROMISE THE MOON.
[moonshine]{n.} Illegally distilled alcoholic beverage made at home, mostly on a farm. •/Grandpa is at it again in the barn, making moonshine out of plums./
[mop the floor with] or [mop up the floor with] or [wipe the floor with] or [wipe up the floor with] {v. phr.}, {slang} To defeat very clearly or quickly; to beat badly. •/The bully threatened to mop up the floor with Billy./ •/Our team wiped the floor with the visiting team./
[mop up]{v. phr.} To disperse or liquidate isolated groups or detachments of opposing forces. •/Our forces won the basic battle but there still remain pockets of resistance they must mop up./
[mop up the floor with] See: MOP THE FLOOR WITH.
[more] See: BITE OFF MORE THAN ONE CAN CHEW.
[more often than not]{adv. phr.} More than half the time; fifty-one or more times out of a hundred; not quite usually, but fairly regularly. •/Nancy comes over on Saturday more often than not./ •/Ben is a fairly good runner. He wins more often than not./
[more or less]{adv. phr.} 1. Somewhat; rather; mostly; fairly. •/Earl made some mistakes on the test, but his answers were more or less right./ •/Ed is more or less intelligent./ •/Betty believes more or less in fairies./ Compare: IN A WAY. 2. About; nearly; not exactly, but almost. •/The new building cost more or less what the builder figured./ •/It is a mile, more or less, from his home to the school./ •/He has wanted to date her more or less since he first saw her./ Compare: OR SO.
[more than]{adv.} Over what you might expect; very. •/They were more than glad to help./ •/He was more than upset by the accident./ Contrast: LESS THAN.
[more than one can chew] See: BITE OFF MORE THAN ONE CAN CHEW.
[more than one could shake a stick at]{adj. phr.}, {informal} Very many; a great many; more than you can count. •/There were more people at the game than you could shake a stick at./ •/I had more assignments for homework than I could shake a stick at./
[more the merrier]{n. phr.} The more people who join in the fun, the better it will be. — Used in welcoming more people to join others in some pleasant activity. •/Come with us on the boat ride; the more the merrier./
