mad
mad
be as mad as a hatter /
to be crazy
{!::J
A long time ago, people
who made hats used a substance that
gave them an illness which made people
think they were crazy. •
Her brother's as
mad as a hatter.
be as mad as a hornet
American
to be very angry
{!::J
A hornet is a large
insect which stings people .•
He was as
mad as a hornet when he heard what she
said about him.
be as mad as a March hare
old-fashioned
to be crazy> This woman was dancing in
the road and singing very loudly - I
thought she was mad as a March hare.
Don't get mad, get even.
something that you say in order to tell
someone not to be angry when someone
has upset them, but to do something that
will upset them as much •
This is my

show (sb) what you are made of
/>(
to prove how strong or clever or brave
you are.
Next week's race will give her a
chance toshow what she's really made of
see what sb is made of •
Tomorrow it's
the twelve-mile run. Then we'll see what
you're made of
magic
a magic moment
a short period of time which is very
special, especially because something
happens which makes you very happy
• The young eagle was only in view for a
few seconds, butfor a bird-lover like me it
was a magic moment.
a magic touch
X
a special ability to do something very
well
>
The
film's
great success will no
doubt please the 46-yearold director who
was rumoured to have lost his magic
touch.
~/

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work like magic
if something works like magic, it is very
effective and suocessful
s
That new stain
remover worked like magic.
main
the main drag
American
&
Australian,
informal
the biggest and most important road in a
town. Wewalked up and down the town's
main drag lookingfor apost office.
be
sb's
main squeeze
American, informal
to be the person that someone has a
romantic or sexual relationship with
• Didn't you know? Jennifer is Bob's main
squeeze.
in the main
mostly, usually. Bystanders, middle-aged
women in the main, protested loudly.• In
the main, our students reach exam level
after ayear.
make

by repairing old things instead of buying
new ones • Ourfamily never had any new
furniture. Wejust had to make do and
mend.
243
maker
2 to be successful, especially in a job.
Now
he's got his own TV show he feels as
though he's really made it.• (sometimes +
as) She hasn't got a hope of making itasa
dancer.
3 to stay alive • She was losing so much
blood,I really thought she wasn't going to
make it.
make it with
sb American, informal
to have sex with someone • So what
happened after theparty? Did she make it
with him?
make or break
sth
to make something a success or a failure
• TV will either make or break courtroom
justice in this country.
be make or break for
sb/sth • The
Milan show will be make or break for his
new designs.
rnake-er-break •

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making
making
be a [athlete/star/writer etc.] in the
making
X
if someone is an athlete, star, writer, etc.
in the making, they are likely to develop
into that thing. This young swimmer is
an athlete in the making. /
be a [crisis/disaster etc.] in the making ~
if something is a crisis, disaster, etc. in
the making, it is likely to develop into
that thing. What we're witnessing here is
a disaster in the making.
be of your own making
if an unpleasant situation is of your own
making, you have caused it • The
problems she has with that child areall of
her own making.
be the making of sb
if you say that an event or experience
was the making of someone, you mean
that it made them develop good qualities
• (never in present tenses) A spell in the
army will be the making of him!
• University was the making of her;
because she was able to escape the
influence of herfamily at last.
makings

something that you say which means
people need things such as art, music and
poetry as well as food, in order to live a
happy life
iib
This phrase comes from
the Bible. • Our cultural heritage is
important. Man cannot live by bread
alone.
a man for all seasons slightly formal
a man who is very successful in many
different types of activity
iib
This is the
title of a play about Sir Thomas More.
• He's chairman of a large chemicals
company as well as a successful painter -
really a man for all seasons.
a man of Godformal
a male priest, or a very religious man •
I
don't expect to hear that kind of language
from a man of God.
a man of lettersformal
a man, usually a writer, who knows a lot
about literature • A distinguished
statesman and man of letters,he was born
just beforethe turn of the century.
a man of many parts
a man who is able to do many different

to do sth
",X
to be brave enough to do something
s
He
was man enough to admit he had made a
mistake.
be no good/use to man or beast
humorous
to not be useful at all •
This bike has got
twoflat tyres- it's no use to man or beast.
go to see a man about a dog
humorous
if you tell someone you are goingto see a
man about a dog,it is a wayof sayingthat
you do not want to tell them where you
are really going,especially when you are
going to the toilet.
I won't be long. I'm
just going to seea man about a dog.
It's every man for himself.
something that you say which means that
everyone in a particular situation is
trying to do what is best for themselves
and no one is trying to help anyone else
• It might be a civilized place to shop at
other times but come the January sales,
it's every manfor himself.
make a man (out) of

enjoy- Terry's what you'd
245
man-to-man
call a man's man. I don't expectyou'd ftnd
him at the ballet toomany nights a week.
to a man
slightly formal
X
if a group of people do something to a
man, they all do it •
They supported him
toa man.
man-about-town
a man-about-town
a rich man who usually does not work
and enjoys a lot of social activities.
He's
a millionaire businessman and man-
about-town who is seen in all the best
places.
man-eater
a man-eater
informal
a woman who attracts men very easily
and has many relationships.
She had a
reputation as a man-eater.
manna
manna from heaven
something that you need which you get

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map
map
put
swhlsthlsb
on the map
><
to make a place, thing, or person famous
• The Alaska- Yukon-Pacific Exposition of
1909put Seattle on the map.• If Newcastle
Unitedwin the championship it will really
put them back on the map as far as
Europeanfootball is concerned.
[blowlbomb/wipe etc.]
sth/swh
off the
map
to destroy something completely,
especially with bombs •
At least eight
Spanish warships wereblown off the map.
marbles
lose
your
marbles
informal
to start acting in a strange way and
forgetting things •
I may be old, but I
haven't lost my marbles yet.

to spoil someone's plans and get an
advantage overthem by doing something
sooner or better than them •
The
company plans to steal a march on its
competitors by offering the same computer
at a lowerprice.
marching
give
sbtheir
marching orders
to tell someone to leave·
Debbie's
finally
given her husband his marching orders
after tenyears of an unhappy marriage.
get
your
marching orders.
He'd only
246
been in the job a month when he got his
marching orders.
mare
a mare's nest
a very confused situation •
The law on
restrictive trade is a mare's nest that
scarcelyanyone can comprehend.
margins

if something someone says or writes is
close to the mark, it is correct or nearly
correct> He says he can'tfind a job, but I
think it would be closer to the mark to say
he doesn't want to
ioprk.
be off the mark
:x",
if something someone says or writes is
off the mark, it is not correct •
His
criticisms are way off
the
mark .• Bedini
and Curzi wereprobably not far off the
mark in their analysis.
be quick off the mark
X
to be quick to act or to react to an event or
situation •
The police were quick off the
mark reaching the sceneof the accldent.
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be first/quickest off the mark'
Doyou
know which company was first off the
mark tosellcomputersfor home use?
be slow off the mark
')i'-
to be slow to act or to react to an event or

hit the mark )(
to be correct, suitable, or successful.
If
you're lookingfor a word todescribe
Date,
'urbane' would probably hit the mark.
• She had agood voice,but her songs never
quite hit the mark.
leave
your/its
mark on
sb/sth
to have an effect that changes someone or
something •
Her unhappy childhood left
its mark on her all through her life.
make
your/a
mark
to make people notice you or to have an
important effect on something
• (sometimes
+
as)
Mr Sorrell ftrst made
his mark as finance director at Wimpole
and Soames.•
(often
+
on)

a meat market
American
&
Australian,
informal
a place where people go to see sexually
attractive women or to find sexual
partners •
Beauty contests are just cattle
markets.• That new nightclub called The
Venueis awful- it's a real meat market.
corner the market
<-
to become so successful at selling or
making a particular product that almost
no one else sells or makes it •
They've
more or less cornered thefast-food market
- they're in every big city in the country.
marrow
be chilledlfrozen to the marrow
British
&
Australian
to be extremely cold
{!b
Marrow is the
soft material in the middle of your bones.
• After an hour on the mountain, we were
chilled to the marrow.

make a martyr of
yourself ~/
to do things which are difficult or
unpleasant for you, often when it is not
necessary
» She's made a real martyr of
herself, wearing herself out doing
eoerythingfor herfamily.
mask
sb's
mask slips
if someone's mask slips, they do
something which shows people their real
personality, when they have been
pretending to be a different, usually
nicer, type of person
Ib
A mask is
something that covers your face to hide
it.•
His mask had suddenly slipped, and
she saw him as the angry and cruel man
that hereally was.
match
be no match for
sth/sb
7-,
to be less powerful or effective than
something or someone else •
Health

die « (not used with
the) The results of the
peacenegotiations could bea matter of life
ordeathfor people in the war zone.
the matter in hand
British, American
&
Australian,formal
the matter at hand
American,formal
the subject or situation that is being
thought about or talked about.
Do these
248
figures have anything to do with the
matter in hand?
asa matter of course
..x
if something happens as a matter of
course, it happens without people
thinking about whether they want it or
not •
I don't think the Welsh language
should be taught in schools as a matter of
course- if students want to learn it, that's
their choice.
be a matter of opinion
X
1 if something is a matter of
opmion,

own hands
to deal with a problem yourself because
the people who should have dealt with it
have failed to do so •
The police haven't
done anything about the vandalism, so
local residents have taken matters into
their own hands.
max
to the max
American, informal
>-
as much as possible.
We're stretched to
the max - we can't possibly take on any
more work. • A lot of theseguys push their
bodies to the max, spending three or more
hours a day in the gym.
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may
be that as it may
slightly formal ,K
something that you say which means that
you accept that a piece of information is
true but it does not change your opinion
of the subject that you are discussing'
I
take your point that it's a tough job. Be
that as it may,he knew that when he tookit
on.

mean they do not have that quality or
they have no experience of that activity
• Work?He doesn't know the meaning of
the word! • And the irony of Phil talking
about ethics. Hedoesn't know the meaning
of the word.
249
meat
means
a means to an end
;x".
something that you are not interested in
but that you dobecause it will help you to
achieve something else • (not used with
the) Mike doesn't have any professional
ambitions. For him, work is just a means
toan end.
a manlwoman of means
X
someone who has a lot of money' I could
tell from her address that she was a
woman of means.
measure
have the measure of
sb/sth
slightly
formal
to understand what someone or
something is like and to know how to deal
with them. What was clear was that the

the most important or basic parts of
something • They stuck to the meat and
potatoes of broadcasting - sports and
news.
meat-and-potatoes
American, informal
• (always before noun) Thefocus was on
jobs, health care, and other meat-and-
potatoes issues.
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medal
be meat and drink to
sb
if something is meat and drink to
someone, they very much enjoy doing it
and find it easy, although most people
would find it difficult or unpleasant
s
He
gives all these talks to terrifyingly large
audiences but it's meat and drink toPeter.
be the meat in the sandwich
British
&
Australian
to be in a difficult situation because you
are the friend of two people who are
arguing •
I grew up with my parents
continually yelling at each other

stepped out of a time machine.
medicine
give sba doseltaste of
their
own V
medicine
f\....
to do the same bad thing to someone that
they have often done to you, in order to
show them how unpleasant it is •
She's
always turning up latefor me so I thought
I'd give her a taste of her own medicine
and seehow she likes it.
meeting
a meeting of minds
slightly formal
a situation in which two people find that
they have the same ideas and opinions
and find it easy to agree with each other
• Government officials say there was a
250
meeting of minds between the two leaders
during the six-hour talks in Pretoria.
melting "/
a melting pot
»":
a place where people of many different
races and from many different countries
live together'

memories .•
'Tremember whereIfirst saw
her - it was at
Tim
Fisher's party about
ten years ago.' 'Yes,you're right - you've
got a memory like an elephant!'
jog
your
memory
to cause you to remember something
• Policeare hoping tojog people's memory
by showing them pictures of a car that
was used in a robbery.
take a stroll/trip down memory lane )/
to remember some of the happy things
that you did in the past.
We were just
taking a stroll down memory lane and
recalling the days of our youth.
men
the men in grey suits
X
men in business or politics who have a lot
of power and influence although the
public does not see them or know about
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them •
As usual, it is the men in grey
suits who will decide the future of the

brief but idyllic menage
a
trois.
mend
be on the mend
t<.
if you are on the mend, your health is
improving after an illness.
He's still a bit
tired but he's definitely on the mend.
mental
go mental informal
'K
to become very angry
Oc
She'll go mental
when she seeswhat you've done to her car!
make a mental note
X
"-
to make an effort' to remember
something, often something that you
want to do later • (often
+
to do sth)
I
made a mental note to call my mother and
tell her what he'd said.•
(often
+

to ask someone to help you or to forgive
you when you are in a difficult situation
• If all elsefails, I might throw myself on
Sandra's mercy and see if she'll drive me
there.
mess
a mess of
sth
American, informal
a lot of something.
Hepicked up a mess
of keys and handed me one.
message
get the message informal
>\
to understand what someoneIS trying to
tell you even if they are not expressing
themselves directly.
Next time he calls,
tell him you're busy for the next three
months - he'll soon get the message.
• Okay, I get the message - you want to be
alone.
messenger \ ..
shoot the messenger humorous
>(
to blame or punish the person who tells
you about something bad that has
happened instead of the person who is
responsible for it •

to compete or do something difficult.
be on
your
mettle
slightlvformal
to be determined to prove that you are
good at something, especially in a
difficult situation. It's a tough interview
- you'll have to beonyour mettle.
prove/show
your
mettle
slightly formal
to prove that you are good at doing
something by succeeding in a difficult
situation • A relative newcomer to the
game, he's certainly proved his mettle in
the last twogames.
mick
mickey-taking
British
&
Australian,
informal • I had to put up with a bit of
mickey-taktng from some of the blokes
when Lfirst told them but they've calmed
down now.
Mickey-Mouse
Mickey-Mouse
informal

X
something that two people or groups that
are arguing can agree about. The lawyer
will then attempt to find the middle
ground between the twoparties.
be caught in the middle ~
to be in a difficult situation because two
people who you know well are arguing
and both of them criticize each other to
you • My mother and sister are always
arguing and I find myself caught in the
middle.
(out) in the middle of nowhere
-X
in a place that is far away from where
most people live. I'll need a map tofind
that pub - it's out in the middle of
nowhere, apparently.
middle-aged
a middle-aged spread
the fat area around the waist that a lot of
people get as they grow older • A dark
blue shirt worn outside his trousers
concealedthe middle-aged spread.
middle-of-the-road
middle-of-the-road
1 not extreme politically· Neither party is
exactly radical - they're both fairly
middle-of-the-road.
2 entertainment that is middle-of-the-road

because you are the most powerful
person or country •
To allow this
invasion to happen will give a signal to
everypetty dictator that might is right.
mile
a mile a minute
American
&
Australian
very quickly'
Mike was very excited and
talking a mile a minute .• My heart beat
a mile a minute waiting for his plane to
land.
a mile off
informal
X
if you can see or recognize something a
mile off, you notice it very easily'
It's
obvious hefancies you - you can seethat a
mile off
byamile
;<
by miles
if someone or something wins or is the
best by a mile, they win easily or are
much better than everyone or everything
else •

the milk of human kindness
literary
being good and kind to other people
Ib
This phrase comes from
Shakespeare's play 'Macbeth' .•
She's one
Of those amazing people who's just
overflowing with the milk of human
kindness.
mill
>---
go through the mill
to experience a very difficult or
unpleasant period in your life.
She really
went through the mill with that son of
hers.
put sbthrough the mill
to ask someone a lot of difficult
questions in order to test them •
They
really put me through the mill in my
intervlew.
million
look/feel (like) a million dollars
British,
American
&
Australian

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mincemeat
mincemeat
make mincemeat of
sb informal
to defeat someone very easily •
A good
lawyer would have made mincemeat of
them in court.
mind
your
mind goesblank
if you are asked a question and your
mind goes blank, you cannot think of
anything to say.
I was
so
nervous during
the interview that when I was asked about
my experience,my mind went blank.
your
mind is a blank.
I can't even tell
you what his name was - my mind's a
complete blank.
mind over matter
the power of the mind to control and
influence the body and the physical
world generally •
I'm sure you can talk

be all in
the/your
mind
if yousaythat a problemthat isworrying
someone is all in their mind, you mean
that they have imagined the problem and
that it does not really exist •
His doctor
tried toconvincehim that he wasn't ill and
that it was all in the mind.
be of like/one mind
be of the same mind
if two or more people are of like mind,
they agree with each other about
254
something
>
(often
+
on)
We're of like
mind on mostpolitical issues.
be out of
your
mind
informal
to be crazy •
You paid three thousand
pounds for that heap of junk! Are you out
of your mind?

fan ever since.
mind-blowing
informal • The special
effectsin thisfilm are mind-blowing.
bring
sthlsb
to mind
to cause you to think of someone or
something •
Something about his face
brings tomind an oldfriend of mine.
cast
your
mind back
to try to remember something
»
(usually
+ to)
Castyour mind back to thefirst time
we met Tony. Can you remember who he
was with?
come/springto mind
if someone or something springs to
mind, you immediately think of them
• I'm trying to think of someone who
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might help out with the kids. Yvette comes
to mind .• 'Don't you think sex is funny,
Marty?' "Funny' isn't the word that
immediately springs tomind, no.'

probably what he had in mind.
have your mind on sth
to be thinking about something •
It's
hard to work when you've got your mind
on other things.
your mind is on sth •
I wasn't really
listening - my mind was on other matters.
have a mind like a steel trap
to be able to think very quickly, clearly
and intelligently·
She'll be a brilliant
lawyer - she has a mind like a steel trap.
have a mind of its own
humorous
if a machine or vehicle has a mind of its
own, it does not work or move the way
you want it to, as if it is controlling itself
• This computer's got a mind of its own - it
just won't do what I ask it to.
in your mind's eye
X
in your imagination or memory. In my
on sb's mind
if something is on someone's mind, they
are thinking about it a lot or worrying
about it •
Something's worrying you, isn't
it?What's onyour mind? I wanted to talk

it, you could have the job finished in an
afternoon.
read sb's mind
humorous
to know what someone is thinking
without being told.
'Howabout
a
drink,
then?' 'Youread my mind, Kev.'
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