NTC''''s Pocket Dictionary of Words and Phrases part 41 potx

monetary ["man @ tEr i] adj. of or about money. (Adv: monetarily [ man @ "tEr @ li].) money ["m^n i] 1. n. currency; coins and bills issued by a govern- ment. (No plural.) 2. n. wealth; riches. (No plural.) → fork money out (for something ) → have money to burn → hush money → in the money → lay an amount of money out for someone or something → lay an amount of money out on someone or something → make good money → pour money down the drain → Put your money where your mouth is! → throw good money after bad Money burns a hole in someone’s pocket. a phrase meaning that someone spends as much money as possible, and that having money makes a person want to spend it. Money is no object. It does not matter how much something costs. Money talks. Money gives one power and influence to help get things done or to get one’s own way. monitor ["man @ t#] 1. n. a device that looks somewhat like a televi- sion set and is used to display computer information. 2. n. a measuring device that keeps a record of something. 3. tv. to watch, listen to, or keep a record of something. monk ["m^Nk] n. a man who devotes his life to religion as part of an all-male religious organiza- tion. monkey ["m^N ki] n. a small, hairy primate with a long tail. monkey around to fool around; to behave badly. monkey business peculiar or out- of-the-ordinary activities, espe- cially mischievous or illegal ones. monopoly [m@ "nap @ li] 1. n. the condition existing when someone or something has complete control over something. 2. n. a business that is the only provider of a serv- ice or product. 3. n. the right to be the only provider of a service or product, as authorized by a gov- ernment. monster ["man st#] n. a large crea- ture that scares people. monstrosity [man "stras @ ti] n. someone or something that is huge and very ugly. month ["m^nT] 1. n. one of the 12 divisions of a year. (The months of the year, in order, are January, Feb- ruary, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December .) 2. n. a period of about 30 or 31 days; a period of four weeks. → all month long monthly ["m^nT li] 1. adj. happen- ing every month; happening once a month. 2. adv. every month; once a month. months running Go to days run- ning. monument ["man j@ m@nt] 1. n. a structure that is built in memory of a person or event. 2. n. some- thing that preserves the memory of a person, culture, or event. (Figurative on Q.) monetary 366 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 366 TLFeBOOK mood ["mud] 1. n. a state of mind; the way one is feeling. 2. n. a fea- ture of a verb that shows whether it is a statement, a command, or a wish; mode W. → in no mood to do something → in the mood for something → in the mood to do something moon ["mun] 1. n. a large natural satellite that orbits around a planet. 2. n. the natural satellite that orbits around the earth. → ask for the moon → once in a blue moon → promise someone the moon → promise the moon (to someone ) moonlight ["mun laIt] 1. n. the light from a moon. (No plural.) 2. adj. done at night, while the moon is shining; happening while the moon is shining. (Prenominal only.) 3. iv. to have a second job in the evening or at night in addition to the job one has during the day. (Past tense and past participle: moonlighted.) moose ["mus] n., irreg. a northern animal—similar to a large deer— the males of which have wide, flat horns on their heads. (Plural: moose. See also elk W.) mop ["map] n. a group of thick, heavy strings or a sponge, attached to a pole, used wet or dry for cleaning floors. mop something down to clean a surface with a mop. mop something off to wipe the liq- uid off something. mop something up to clean some- thing with a mop, a towel, a sponge, etc. mop up to clean up [liquid or dirt] with a mop, a towel, a sponge, etc. moral ["mor @l] 1. adj. of or about good and bad, according to soci- ety’s standards of right and wrong. (Adv: morally.) 2. adj. showing or representing good behavior and values. (Adv: morally.) 3. n. the lesson that can be learned from a story. moral support ["mor @l s@ "port] n. help that is mental or psychologi- cal rather than physical or mone- tary. morale [m@ "rAl] n. confidence; the amount of confidence felt by a person or group of people. (No plural.) morality [m@ "rAl @ ti] n. the good- ness or rightness of someone’s behavior; good behavior measured by society’s standards of right and wrong. (No plural.) morals n. a person’s moral Q prin- ciples of behavior, especially con- cerning sex. (Treated as plural, but not countable.) more ["mor] 1. adj. the comparative form of much or many; a greater amount or number. (Prenominal only.) 2. pron. the comparative form of much or many; a greater amount or number. 3. n. an addi- tional amount or number. (No plural.) 4. adv. a word used to form the comparative form of some adjectives and adverbs; to a greater extent. 5. adv. of a greater amount. → bite off more than one can chew → wear more than one hat more and more an increasing amount; additional amounts. more and more 367 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 367 TLFeBOOK more than one can bear and more than one can take; more than one can stand more of something, such as trouble or something bad, than a person can endure. more than one can stand Go to more than one can bear. more than one can take Go to more than one can bear. morning ["mor nIN] 1. n. the period of the day from midnight to noon. 2. n. dawn; sunrise. 3. adj. hap- pening during Q. (Prenominal only.) → first thing (in the morning) the morning after (the night before) the morning after a night spent drinking, when one has a hangover. mornings adv. every morning Q. morsel ["mor s@l] n. a small piece of something, especially food. mortal ["mor t@l] 1. n. a human being; someone or something that must die; someone or something that will not live forever. 2. adj. unable to live forever; having to die at some time. (Adv: mortally.) mortar ["mor t#] 1. n. a kind of cement that binds bricks or stones to each other, especially when a wall is being built. (Plural only for types and instances.) 2. n. a short, wide cannon that shoots shells in a high arc. 3. n. a hard bowl used to hold substances being ground into powder. mortgage ["mor gIdZ] 1. n. an agreement by which a borrower grants a lender the ownership of an asset in exchange for a loan of money, thus protecting the loan with the asset. (When the loan is repaid, the ownership of the prop- erty is returned to the borrower. If the borrower is unable to pay the loan, the asset then belongs to the lender.) 2. tv. to use an asset to secure a loan. mosquito [m@ "skit o] n. a small insect, the female of which sucks blood from warm-blooded crea- tures. (Plural ends in -s or -es.) moss ["mOs] n. a small, soft green plant without flowers that grows in masses on rocks and other sur- faces. (Plural only for types and instances.) most ["most] 1. adj. the superlative form of much or many; the greatest amount or number. (Prenominal only.) 2. adj. over half; almost all. (Prenominal only. Adv: mostly.) 3. n. over half or almost all of a certain group of things or people; over half or almost all of some- thing. (No plural. Treated as sin- gular or plural, but not countable.) 4. adv. a word used to form the superlative form of some adjec- tives and adverbs; to the greatest extent. (Usually with the.) 5. adv. very. (Used for emphasis.) mostly ["most li] 1. adv. more than half; for the most part. 2. adv. most of the time; usually. motel [mo "tEl] n. a hotel for people traveling by car; a hotel alongside a highway. moth ["mOT] n., irreg. a small insect with large, broad wings and antennae, similar to a butterfly, but usually not as colorful. (Plural: [ "mODz].) more than one can bear 368 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 368 TLFeBOOK mothball ["mOT bOl] n. a small ball made of a substance that keeps moths away from clothes. mother ["m^D #] 1. n. a female who has given birth to a child or offspring. 2. n. a term of address used with one’s own Q. (Capital- ized when written as a proper noun.) 3. adj. [of one’s language or country] native. (Prenominal only.) 4. tv. to take care of some- one in the manner of Q. → tied to one’s mother’s apron strings motherhood ["m^D # hUd] n. the state of being a mother. (No plu- ral.) motion ["mo S@n] 1. n. movement; moving. (Plural only for types and instances.) 2. n. a formal proposal that something be done, made during a meeting. 3. tv. to direct someone by moving a part of one’s body, usually the hands. 4. iv. to point or indicate by moving a part of one’s body, usually the hands. → go through the motions → slow motion → table a motion motion picture ["mo S@n "pIk tS#] n. a movie; a film; a story on film. motion someone aside to give a hand signal to someone to move aside. motion someone away from someone or something to give a hand signal to someone to move away from someone or something. motive ["mot Iv] n. a reason for doing something; something— such as an idea, a need, or a way of thinking—that causes a person to do something. motor ["mot #] n. an engine; a machine that changes some kind of fuel into power that can lift, turn, or move things. motorboat ["mot # bot] n. a boat that is powered by a motor or engine. motorcycle ["mot # saI k@l] n. a vehicle that has two wheels and a frame larger and heavier than a bicycle, and that is powered by a motor. motorist ["mot @ rIst] n. someone who drives a car. motto ["mat o] n. a short statement that expresses a belief or a rule of behavior. (Plural ends in -s or -es.) mound ["maUnd] n. a small hill or pile. mount ["maUnt] 1. n. a support; an object that something is attached to or hung from. 2. n. a (particu- lar) mountain. (Abbreviated Mt.) 3. tv. to get on an animal or vehi- cle that one must ride with one leg on either side of the animal or vehicle. 4. tv. to climb something; to go up something. 5. tv. to hang something to a fixed support; to attach something to a fixed sup- port. mount up 1. to get up on a horse. 2. [for something] to increase in amount or extent. mountain ["maUnt n] 1. n. a very tall mass of land that pushes up from the surface of the earth; a very tall hill. 2. n. a very tall pile of something; a very large amount of something. (Figurative on Q.) mountain lion ["maUnt n "laI @n] n. a large, American wild animal mountain lion 369 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 369 TLFeBOOK in the cat family, also called the panther or the cougar. mountain range ["maUnt n "rendZ] n. a row or line of mountains. mourn ["morn] 1. tv. to feel sorrow or sadness about the death or loss of someone or something. (E.g., to mourn the death of someone.) 2. tv. to feel sorrow or sadness about someone who has died. (E.g., to mourn someone.) 3. iv. to feel sor- row or sadness, especially about someone’s death. (E.g., to mourn because of a death.) mourner ["mor n#] n. someone who mourns; someone who attends a funeral. mouse ["maUs] 1. n., irreg. a small, furry rodent with tiny eyes and a long tail, like a rat but smaller. (Plural: mice.) 2. n., irreg. a device that can be moved around by one hand to control the movements of a pointer on a computer screen. (Plural: mice or mouses.) → (as) poor as a church mouse → (as) quiet as a mouse → play cat and mouse (with someone ) mousetrap ["maUs trAp] n. a sim- ple device that is used to trap mice that are indoor pests. mousse ["mus] n. a rich, creamy dessert made from cream, eggs, and fruit or chocolate. (Plural only for types and instances.) mouth 1. ["maUT] n., irreg. the opening on the faces of animals where food and air enter the body. (Plural: [ "maUDz].) 2. ["maUT] n., irreg. an opening of something; the entrance to something. (Figu- rative on Q.) 3. ["maUT] n., irreg. the place where a river joins a lake, sea, or ocean. 4. ["maUD] tv. to move Q as if one were speaking but without producing actual speech. → born with a silver spoon in one’s mouth → by word of mouth → down in the mouth → foam at the mouth → have a big mouth → have foot-in-mouth disease → have one’s heart in one’s mouth → laugh out of the other side of one’s mouth → leave a bad taste in someone’s mouth → live from hand to mouth → look as if butter wouldn’t melt in one’s mouth → make someone’s mouth water → melt in one’s mouth → not open one’s mouth → one’s heart is in one’s mouth → put one’s foot in one’s mouth → put words into someone’s mouth → Put your money where your mouth is! → stick one’s foot in one’s mouth → straight from the horse’s mouth → take the words (right) out of one’s mouth mouthpiece ["maUT pis] 1. n. the part of a musical instrument that is blown into; the part of a musical instrument that is put on or between one’s lips. 2. n. the part of a machine or device that is placed on or next to someone or some- thing’s mouth. mouthwash ["maUT waS] n. a liq- uid that is used to rinse one’s mouth in order to make the breath smell better or to kill germs in the mouth. move ["muv] 1. iv. to go to a differ- ent time or space; to change posi- mountain range 370 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 370 TLFeBOOK tion in time or space. 2. iv. to be in motion. 3. iv. to change where one lives or works. 4. tv. to transport someone or something to a differ- ent time or space; to cause some- one or something to change position. 5. tv. to cause someone or something to remain in motion. 6. tv. to affect someone’s emotions or feelings. 7. tv. to formally make a suggestion at a meeting; to for- mally propose something. (The object is a clause with that U.) 8. n. an instance of changing posi- tion as in Q; a movement. 9. n. the act of going to a new house to live. 10. n. one step in a plan; an action that has a specific result. 11. n. a player’s turn in a game. → on the move → prime mover move away (from someone or something ) 1. to withdraw from someone or something. 2. to move, with one’s entire household, to another residence. move back (from someone or something ) to move back and away from someone or something. (Often a command.) move heaven and earth to do something to make a major effort to do something. move in (for something ) to get closer for some purpose, such as a kill. move in (on someone or some- thing ) 1. to move closer to some- one or something; to make advances or aggressive movements toward someone or something. (Both literal and figurative senses.) 2. to attempt to take over or dominate someone or some- thing. move in(to something ) 1. [for someone] to come to reside in something or someplace. 2. to enter something or someplace. 3. to begin a new line of activity. move off (from someone or some- thing ) to move away from some- one or something. move on to continue moving; to travel on; to move away and not stop. move on something to do some- thing about something. move on (to something ) to change to a different subject or activity. move out (of someplace ) 1. to leave a place; to begin to depart. 2. to leave a place of residence permanently. move someone up to advance or promote someone. move up (in the world) to advance (oneself) and become successful. move up (to something ) to advance to something; to purchase a better quality of something. movement ["muv m@nt] 1. n. mov- ing; changing position in time or space. (Plural only for types and instances.) 2. n. a division of a symphony or other classical work of music. 3. n. a common social or political goal and the people who work together to promote it. → bowel movement movie ["muv i] 1. n. a film; a motion picture; a story on film. 2. the adj. use of Q. movie 371 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 371 TLFeBOOK mow ["mo] tv., irreg. to cut grass. (Past participle: mowed or mown.) mow someone or something down to cut, knock, or shoot someone or something down. mower ["mo #] n. a machine used to cut grass evenly. (Short for lawn mower. ) → lawn mower mown ["mon] a past participle of mow. Mr. ["mIst #] n. a title for an adult male. (The abbreviation of mis- ter .) Mrs. ["mIs @z] n. a title for a mar- ried woman. Ms. ["mIz] n. a title for an adult female. much ["m^tS] 1. adv., irreg. to a great extent; to a great degree; a lot. (Comp: more; sup: most.) 2. adj., irreg. a lot; to quite an extent or degree. (Comp: more; sup: most.) 3. n. a large extent; a large degree; a large amount. (No plural.) → how much → take too much on mucus ["mju k@s] n. the slimy sub- stance secreted by the body to protect and moisten certain tis- sues. (No plural.) mud ["m^d] n. a mixture of dirt and water; very wet soil. (No plu- ral.) → (as) clear as mud muddle through ( something ) to manage to get through something awkwardly. muddy ["m^d i] 1. adj. covered with mud. (Adv: muddily. Comp: muddier; sup: muddiest.) 2. adj. not clear; cloudy. (Said especially of colors or liquids. Figurative on Q. Adv: muddily. Comp: muddier; sup: muddiest.) muffler ["m^f l#] 1. n. part of the exhaust system of a car that soft- ens the noises of the engine. 2. n. a scarf that can be wrapped around the neck for warmth. mug ["m^g] 1. n. a drinking cup with a handle. 2. n. the contents of Q. 3. tv. to attack and rob some- one. mugger ["m^g #] n. someone who attacks and robs people on the street. muggy ["m^g i] adj. hot and humid. (Adv: muggily. Comp: muggier; sup: muggiest.) mulch ["m^ltS] 1. n. plant matter or other material spread on plants to protect them and to retain the moisture in the soil. (Plural only for types and instances.) 2. tv. to spread Q around plants in a gar- den. mule ["mjul] n. the offspring of one horse and one donkey. → (as) stubborn as a mule mull something over to think over something; to ponder something. multiple ["m^l t@ p@l] 1. adj. involving many parts; consisting of many parts. (Adv: multiply [ "m^l t@ pli].) 2. n. a number that can be divided by another number without a remainder; a number that can be divided evenly by another number. multiply ["m^l t@ plaI] 1. tv. to increase something. 2. iv. to mow 372 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 372 TLFeBOOK reproduce; to have offspring; to breed. 3. iv. to increase. multiply a number by a number to add an amount to itself the num- ber of times shown by another number; to perform multiplica- tion. multiply by something to use the arithmetic process of multiplica- tion to expand numerically a cer- tain number of times. munch ["m^ntS] tv. to eat a crisp food that makes a noise; to eat something noisily. munch on something to eat some- thing; to chew on something. municipal [mju "nIs @ p@l] adj. of, for, or serving a city, town, or vil- lage. (Adv: municipally.) mural ["mjUr @l] n. a picture or scene that is painted on the surface of a wall. murder ["m# d#] 1. n. the killing of a human, done on purpose and against the law. 2. tv. to kill some- one on purpose and against the law. → be murder on something → cry bloody murder → scream bloody murder murderer ["m# d# #] n. someone who kills someone else; someone who is found guilty of murder. murmur ["m# m#] 1. n. a low, quiet sound. 2. n. an irregular sound made by the heart, caused by defects in the heart. 3. iv. to make low, quiet sounds; to speak very quietly. 4. tv. to say some- thing very quietly. (The object can be a clause with that U.) muscle ["m^s @l] 1. n. a group of long tissues in the body that can be shortened to make parts of the body move. 2. n. strength; power. (No plural. Figurative on Q.) muscle in (on someone or some- thing ) to interfere with someone or something; to intrude on some- one or something. muscle someone out (of some- thing ) to force someone out of something; to push someone out of something. muscular ["m^s kj@ l#] 1. adj. in or of the muscles. 2. adj. having mus- cles that are strong and well devel- oped. (Adv: muscularly.) museum [mju "zi @m] n. a building where art or things of or about sci- ence, history, or some other sub- ject are placed on display for the public to see and learn about. mushroom ["m^S rum] 1. n. a kind of fungus that is often used as food. 2. iv. to grow very quickly or suddenly. mushroom into something to grow suddenly into something large or important. mushy ["m^S i] adj. soft and pulpy. (Adv: mushily. Comp: mushier; sup: mushiest.) music ["mju zIk] 1. n. the sounds of the voice or of instruments mak- ing pleasant tones in a series or a series of groups. (No plural in standard English. Number is expressed with piece(s) of music.) 2. n. a piece of paper that shows the notes of a particular song or melody. (No plural.) → face the music music 373 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 373 TLFeBOOK → set something to music musical ["mju zI k@l] 1. adj. caus- ing music to be made; producing notes or tones. (Adv: musically [ Ik li].) 2. adj. of or about music. (Adv: musically [ Ik li].) 3. n. a play or movie in which the actors sing songs, usually as a way of moving the story forward. musician [mju "zI S@n] n. someone who plays a musical instrument; someone who writes music; someone who is in a band or an orchestra. muss something (up) ["m^s ] to make something messy, especially one’s hair; to move someone’s hair out of place. mussel ["m^s @l] n. a kind of shell- fish, usually having very dark shells, that can be eaten as food. must ["m^st] 1. aux. a form show- ing a requirement to do some- thing; [to] have to [do some- thing]. (Uses had to for a past tense.) 2. aux. a form indicating probability or likelihood. (Uses the form has to have plus the past participle or must have plus the past participle for a past tense.) 3. n. something that is necessary or essential. must not aux. a form that indicates what one is not allowed to do. mustache ["m^s tAS] n. hair that grows on the upper lip. mustard ["m^s t#d] 1. n. a plant with a bright yellow flower. (No plural.) 2. n. a seasoning or sauce made from the powdered seeds of Q, water or vinegar, and spices. (Plural only for types and instances.) muster (up) one’s courage to build up one’s courage; to call or bring forth one’s courage. mustn’t ["m^s @nt] cont. must not. (Indicates what one is not allowed to do or what one may not do.) musty ["m^s ti] adj. smelling old and stale; smelling like mold. (Adv: mustily. Comp: mustier; sup: mustiest.) mutual ["mju tSu @l] 1. adj. shared by two or more people; equally felt or done by each person toward the other. (Adv: mutually.) 2. adj. common to two or more people; known to two or more people. (Adv: mutually.) mutual fund ["mju tSu @l "f^nd] n. an investment in which a large number of people own shares of investments in many assets. (Can be shortened to fund.) muzzle ["m^z @l] 1. n. [in certain animals] the part of the face that sticks out. 2. n. a cover put over the mouth of an animal so that it will not bite someone or some- thing. 3. n. the front end of a gun; the barrel of a gun. 4. tv. to put W on an animal. my ["maI] 1. pron. the first-person singular possessive pronoun. (Describes people or things belonging to the speaker or writer. Used as a modifier before a noun. Compare this with mine Y.) 2. interj. a word used to show surprise. myself [maI "sElf] 1. pron. the first- person singular reflexive pronoun. musical 374 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 374 TLFeBOOK 2. pron. Q used to emphasize the speaker or the writer as subject of the sentence. → by myself mystery ["mIs t@ ri] 1. n. the qual- ity of not being explained, known, or understood; the quality of being hidden or secret. (Plural only for types and instances.) 2. n. a book that involves a crime or murder that is solved in the story. 3. the adj. use of Q. myth ["mIT] 1. n. a fable; a story that explains a mystery of nature or tells how something came into existence. 2. n. someone or some- thing that is imaginary or invented; something that is not based in fact. (Figurative on Q.) mythical ["mIT @ k@l] adj. imagi- nary; [of a character, story, or sit- uation] invented. (Adv: mythically [ Ik li].) mythology [mIT "al @ dZi] 1. n. the study of myths. (Plural only for types and instances.) 2. n. a col- lection of myths about someone, something, or some culture. mythology 375 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 375 TLFeBOOK . ["mor @l] 1. adj. of or about good and bad, according to soci- ety’s standards of right and wrong. (Adv: morally.) 2. adj. showing or representing good behavior and values. (Adv: morally.). meeting. 3. tv. to direct someone by moving a part of one’s body, usually the hands. 4. iv. to point or indicate by moving a part of one’s body, usually the hands. → go through the motions → slow. ["maUT pis] 1. n. the part of a musical instrument that is blown into; the part of a musical instrument that is put on or between one’s lips. 2. n. the part of a machine or device that