Словарь американских идиом (8000 единиц)

[mouthful] See: SAY A MOUTHFUL.

[mouth-watering] <adj.> Smelling or looking very good to eat. * /It was a mouth-watering meal./

[move] See: GET A MOVE ON, ON THE MOVE.

[move a muscle] <v. phr.> To move even a very little.
– Used in negative sentences and questions and with "if". * /The deer stood without moving a muscle until the hunter was gone./ * /The girls were so startled that they did not move a muscle./ * /You're sitting right where you were when I left! Have you moved a muscle?/ * /The robber said he would shoot the bank worker if he moved a muscle./

[move heaven and earth] <v. phr.> To try every way; do everything you can. * /Joe moved heaven and earth to be sent to Washington./ Compare: LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED.

[move in on] <v. phr.>, <slang>, <colloquial> To take over something that belongs to another. * /He moved in on my girlfriend and now we're not talking to each other./

[movement] See: LABOR MOVEMENT.

[moving spirit] <n. phr.> The main figure behind a business or an activity; the one who inspires the others. * /Mr. Smith is the moving spirit behind our expansion plans./

[much] See: AS MUCH AS, FOR AS MUCH AS, MAKE MUCH OF, SO MUCH, SO MUCH FOR, THINK A GREAT DEAL OF or THINK MUCH OF.

[much as] See: AS MUCH AS(1).

[much less] <conj.> And also not; and even less able or likely to.
– Used after a negative clause. * /I never even spoke to the man, much less insulted him./ * /John couldn't even pick up the box, much less carry it upstairs./ * /George can hardly understand arithmetic, much less algebra./ Compare: LET ALONE, NOT TO MENTION.

[mud] See: NAME IS MUD, STICK-IN-THE-MUD.

[mud in your eye] <n. phr.>, <informal> A cheering exclamation when people drink, much like "cheers!" * /Each time John raised his glass he said, "Well, here's mud in your eye!"/

[mug shot] <n. phr.> A police photograph showing the arrested person's full face and profile. * /"Go over these mug shots," Sergeant O'Malley said, "and tell me if you find the person who held up the liquor store!"/

[Muhammad] See: IF THE HILL WON'T COME TO MUHAMMAD, THEN MUHAMMAD MUST COME TO THE HILL.

[mull over] <v. phr.> To consider; think over. * /He mulled over the offer for some time, but finally rejected it./

[mum is the word] You must keep the secret; keep silent; don't tell anyone.
– Often used as an interjection. * /We are planning a surprise party for John and mum is the word./ * /"Mum is the word!" the robber captain told his men./

[murder] See: SCREAM BLOODY MURDER.

[muscle] See: MOVE A MUSCLE.

[muscle-bound] <adj.> Having your muscles large, hard, and tight from too much exercising; having muscles so developed that you can hardly move. * /Bob was big and strong, but he was muscle-bound, and Bill could beat him./ * /An athlete must train properly so as not to become muscle-hound./

[muscle in on] <v. phr.> To intrude; penetrate; force oneself into another's business or territory. * /The eastern Mafia muscled in on the western Mafia's turf and a shooting war was started./

[music] See: FACE THE MUSIC.

[musical chairs] <n. phr.> (Originally the name of a children's game.) The transfer of a number of officers in an organization into different jobs, especially each other's jobs. * /The boss regularly played musical chairs with department heads to keep them fresh on the job./

[music to one's ears] <n. phr.> Something one likes to hear. * /When the manager phoned to say I got the job, it was music to my ears./

[mustard] See: CUT THE MUSTARD.

[muster] See: PASS MUSTER.

[my God] or [my goodness] <interj.> Used to express surprise, shock, or dismay. * /My God! What happened to the car?/

[my lips are sealed] <informal sentence> A promise that one will not give away a secret. * /"You can tell me what happened, " Helen said. "My lips are sealed."/

N

[nail] See: HARD AS NAILS, HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD, TOOTH AND NAIL.

[nail down] <v. phr.>, <informal> To make certain; make sure; settle. * /Joe had a hard time selling his car, but he finally nailed the sale down when he got his friend Sam to give him $300./ * /The New York Yankees nailed down the American League Championship when they beat the Red Sox 3 to 0 on September 15./

[nail one's colors to the mast] <literary> To let everyone know what you think is right and refuse to change. * /During the election campaign the candidate nailed his colors to the mast on the question of civil rights./

[name] See: CALL NAMES, HANDLE TO ONE'S NAME, IN NAME, TAKE ONE'S NAME IN VAIN, TO ONE'S NAME.

[name calling] See: CALL NAMES.

[named after] <adj. phr.> Given the same name as someone. * /Archibald was named after his father./

[name day] <n.> The day of the saint for whom a person is named. * /Lawrence's name day is August 10, the feast of St. Lawrence./

[namedropper] <n. phr.> A person who is always mentioning well-known names. * /Since her move to Hollywood she has become a regular namedropper./

[name is mud] <informal> (You) are in trouble; a person is blamed or no longer liked.
– Used in the possessive. * /If you tell your mother I spilled ink on her rug my name will be mud./ * /Your name will be mud if you tell the teacher about the bad thing we did./ Compare: IN THE DOG HOUSE.

[name of the game] <n.>, <informal> The crux of the matter; that which actually occurs under the disguise of something else. * /Getting medium income families to support the rest of society - that's the name of the game!/

[narrow down] <v. phr.> To limit within very strict margins. * /Of the numerous applicants, the list has been narrowed down to just a few./

[narrow escape] <n. phr.> An escape by a very small margin; a near miss. * /If the truck that hit his car had been coming faster, it would have killed him; it was certainly a narrow escape that he only had a broken arm!/

[narrow-minded] <adj. phr.> Limited in outlook; resistant to new ideas; bigoted. * /He is generally very open about everything, but when it comes to politics, he is terribly narrow-minded./