- middle-of-the-road adj. 1. Pursuing a course of action midway between
extremes, especially following a course in politics that is neither liberal
nor conservative. 2. Abbr. MOR Of, relating to, or being a type of
entertainment, especially popular music, that appeals to a wide audience.
- middling adj. 1. of medium size, position, or quality. 2. Mediocre. n. 1.
Chiefly Southern US a. Pork or bacon cut from between the ham and shoulder of
a pig. Often used in the plural. b. Salt pork. Also called middling meat. 2.
middlings Any of various products, such as partially refined petroleum or ore,
that are intermediate in quality, size, price, or grade. 3. middlings Coarsely
ground wheat mixed with bran. adv.
- midriff n. 1. See diaphragm (sense 1). 2. The middle outer portion of the
front of the human body, extending roughly from just below the breast to the
waistline.
- mid-rise adj. Moderately tall: a mid-rise office building. n. A moderately
tall building.
- midst n. 1. The middle position or part; the center: in the mist of the
desert. 2. A position of proximity to others: a stranger in our midst. 3. The
condition of being surrounded or beset by something in the midst of all our
problems. 4. A period of time approximately in the middle of a continuing
condition or act: in the midst of the war. prep. Among; amid.
- mien n. 1. Bearing or manner, especially as it reveals an inner state of mind:
"He was a Vietnam veteran with a haunted mien" (J. Traub). 2. An appearance
or aspect.
- miff n. 1. A petulant bad-tempered mood; a huff. 2. A petty quarrel or
argument; a tiff. tr.v. To cause to become offended or annoyed.
- miffy adj. 1. Informal Easily offended; oversensitive. 2. Botany Difficult to
raise except under perfect conditions. Used of certain plants. miffiness n.
- might-have-been n. An event that could have but never did occur: "This is one
of the great might-have-beens of modern history" (A. M. Schlesinger, Jr.).
- mignonette n. Any of several Mediterranean plants of the genus Reseda,
especially R. odorata, widely cultivated for tis terminal, dense, spikelike
clusters of very fragrant but inconspicuous greenish flowers.
- milch adj. Giving milk: a milch cow.
- milchig adj. Derived from or made of milk or dairy products.
- mileage n. 6. Informal The amount of service something has yielded or may
yield in the future; usefulness: a tape player that still has a lot of mileage
left.
- Milesian2 n. 1. Mythology A member of a people who invaded Ireland and became
the ancestors of the Irish. 2. A native or inhabitant of Ireland. adj. Of or
relating to Ireland; Irish.
- milliary adj. 1. Having the appearance of millet seeds. 2. Pathology Having
small skin lesions that are the size and appearance of millet seeds.
- milieu n. An environment or a setting.
- milium n. A small, white or yellowish cystlike mass just below the surface of
the skin, caused by retention of the secretion of a sebaceous gland. Also
called whitehead.
- milk-and-water adj. Insipid; weak; wishy-washy.
- milk run n. Slang A routine trip involving stops at many places.
- milk toast n. Toast, usually buttered, served in warm milk, often with sugar
or seasonings.
- mill1 n. 6. A process, agency, or institution that operates in a routine way
or turns out products in the manner of a factory: The college was nothing more
than a diploma mill. 7. A slow or laborious process: It took three years to
get the bill through the legislative mill. v. -tr. 6. Western U.S. To cause
(cattle) to move in a circle or tightening spiral in order to stop a stampede.
--intr. 1. To move around in churning confusion: "A crowd of school children
milled about on the curb looking scared" (A. Tyler). 2. Slang To fight with
the fists; box. 3. To undergo milling.
- millennium n. 1. A span of one thousand years. 2. A thousand-year period of
holiness mentioned in Revelation 20, during which Jesus and his faithful
followers are to rule on earth. 3. A hoped-for period of joy, serenity,
prosperity, and justice. 4. A thousandth anniversary.
