negative to positive. •/He had better mend his ways or he’ll wind up injail./
[mental telepathy]{n. phr.} The passing of one person’s thoughts toanother 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 theworld. It seems like a case of mental telepathy./ •/Most or all men whopractice mental telepathy on stage have really trained themselves to detecttiny 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 patientor animal in order to avoid further suffering. •/Mercy killing of humans isillegal 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 allday!/ 2. {vulgar} To be promiscuous; to indulge in sex with littlediscrimination 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. Tocause someone emotional trauma. •/Sue will never get married; she got messedup when she was a teenager./ 3. To beat up someone physically. •/When Joecame in after the fight with the boys, he was all messed up./
[method in (to) one’s madness]{n. phr.} A plan or organization ofideas hard to perceive at first, but that becomes noticeable after longer andcloser examination. •/We thought he was crazy to threaten to resign from theuniversity but, when he was offered a tenured full professorship, we realizedthat 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 anargument; a compromise. •/John wanted to go running. Bill said it was toohot. Tom took the middle ground and suggested a hike./ •/The committeefound a middle ground between the two proposals./
[middleman]{n.} A person or small business standing in an intermediaryposition between two parties. •/A retail merchant is the middleman betweenthe factory and the consumer./
[middle of the road]{n. phr.} A way of thinking which does not favorone idea or thing too much; being halfway between two different ideas. •/Theteacher did not support the boys or the girls in the debate, but stayed in themiddle of the road./
[middle-of-the-road]{adj.} Favoring action halfway between twoopposite movements or ideas; with ideas halfway between two opposite sides;seeing good on both sides. •/The men who wrote the Constitution followed amiddle-of-the-road plan on whether greater power belonged to the United Statesgovernment or to the separate states./ •/Senator Jones favors amiddle-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 onceduring the whole game./
[midnight oil] See: BURN THE MIDNIGHT OIL.
[midstream] See: CHANGE HORSES IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREAM or CHANGE HORSESIN 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 DROPA 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 Smokeyis located at 131 mile marker./
[miles away]{adj. phr.} Inattentive; not concentrating. •/When Bettysaid, "We have theater tickets for tonight," Ken didn’t react as his mind wasmiles 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. •/Maxsaid that his old car was a millstone around his neck./ Compare: MONKEY ONONE’S BACK.
[mince words]{v. phr.} To choose words carefully for the sake ofpoliteness or deception. •/I like people who speak frankly and truthfullywithout mincing words./
[mind] See: CROSS ONE’S MIND or PASS THROUGH ONE’S MIND, GIVE A PIECE OFONE’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 MINDOF, 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 amind like a steel trap./ •/A successful lawyer must have a mind like asteel trap./
[mind one’s own business]{v. phr.} To not interfere in the affairs ofothers. •/He finally got tired of her criticism and told her to mind her ownbusiness./
[mind one’s p’s and q’s]{v. phr.} To be very careful what you do orsay; not make mistakes. •/When the principal of the school visited the classthe students all minded their p’s and q’s./ •/If you wish to succeed youmust mind your p’s and q’s./ (From the old U.S. Navy when sailors marked on aboard in the bar how many Pints and Quarts of liquor they had taken. It was badmanners to cheat.) Syn.: WATCH ONE’S STEP.
[mind-reader] See: READ ONE’S MIND.
[mind you]{v. phr.}, {informal} I want you to notice andunderstand. •/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 avaluable source of information. •/A dictionary can be a mine ofinformation./ •/He is a mine of information on the stock market./
[minority leader]{n. phr.} The leader of the political party that hasfewer votes in a legislative house. •/The minority leader of the Senatesupported the bill./ •/The minority leader in the House of Representativesheld a caucus./ Compare: MAJORITY LEADER.
[mint money] See: COIN MONEY.
[minutes of the meeting]{n. phr.} The notes taken by the recordingsecretary; of an official body or an association recording of what was said andtransacted during the given session. •/"Shall we accept the minutes of ourlast meeting as read by the secretary?" the chairman asked./
[misfire]{v.} To fail to appeal; fall flat. •/The standup comic’sjokes 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 ofeven the slightest importance. •/He never misses a trick when it comes to thestock market./
[miss by a mile]{v. phr.}, {informal} 1. To shoot at something andbe far from hitting it; not hit near. •/Jack’s first shot missed the targetby a mile./ 2. To be very wrong; be far from right. •/Lee tried to guess onthe examination, but his answers missed by a mile./ 3. To fail badly; notsucceed at all. •/John Brown wanted to be governor but in the election hemissed by a mile./
[missing link] n. 1. Something needed to complete a group; a missing partof a chain of things. •/A 1936 penny was the missing link in John’scollection of pennies./ •/The detective hunted for the fact that was themissing link in the case./ 2. An unknown extinct animal that was supposed tobe a connection between man and lower animals. •/The missing link would behalf man and half ape./
[miss is as good as a mile] It is the same if one fails or misses somethingby much or by little. — A proverb. •/We thought Tom had a home run but theball 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 goodchance; miss something good. •/Jim’s mother told him he missed out on achance to go fishing with his father because he came home late./ •/Youmissed out by not coming with us; we had a great time./ Compare: LOSE OUT.
[miss the boat] also [miss the bus]{v. phr.}, {informal} Tofail through slowness; to put something off until too late; do the wrong thingand lose the chance. •/Mr. Brown missed the boat when he decided not to buythe house./ •/In college he didn’t study enough so he missed the boat and