their friends and people they worked with to protect themselves. Today most Americans are embarrassed about this period in their history, and people who refused to give information about themselves or others are admired. McCarthyism is sometimes used to mean any accusation of disloyalty to your country that is made without proof. → see also BLACKLIST, COMMUNIST, HUAC
Mc·Cart·ney, Lin·da /mə'ka:tni, 'lində/(1941-98) the wife of the former member of the Beatles Sir Paul McCartney. She worked for ANIMAL RIGHTS, and began a successful business making VEGETARIAN READY MEALS. She was working as a photographer when she met Paul McCartney, and they married in 1969. She died of CANCER.
McCartney, Paul (1942-) a British singer and SONGWRITER who was a member of The Beatles, and who wrote most of their songs with John Lennon. He led a new band called Wings in the 1970s, and continued writing and performing music. His first wife, Linda McCartney (1941-98), was a photographer and was famous for being a VEGETARIAN. In 2002 he married Heather Mills. His official title is Sir Paul McCartney.
McCartney, Stel·la /'stelə/ (1971-) a British FASHION DESIGNER who works for Gucci and has her own range of clothes. She is the daughter of the POP musician Sir Paul McCartney.
McClellan, George /mə'kleən/ (1826–85) a US GENERAL (=military leader) in the UNION army in the American Civil War
Mc·Cov·ey, Willie /mə'kʌvi/ (1938-) a US BASEBALL player who played for several teams, including the San Francisco Giants. He is famous for hitting HOME RUNs, including 18 GRAND SLAMS.
Mc·Crae, John /mə'kreɪ/ (1872-1918) a Canadian poet who wrote the famous war poem In Flanders Fields
Mc·Coy /mə'kɔɪ/ the real McCoy infml something that is real and is not a copy, especially something valuable: 'Is that watch a Rolex?' 'Yes, it's the real McCoy.'
Mc·Cul·lers, Carson /mə'kələzİl-lərz/ (1917-67) a US writer whose best-known novels include The Heart is a Lonely Hunter and Reflections in a Golden Eye, both of which have been made into films. Her best-known short stories are included in the collection The Ballad of the Sad Café. She often wrote about loneliness, and many of her characters are people who do not fit into ordinary society.
Mac-don·aid, Flora /mək'dənəldil-'da:/(1722-90) a Scottish woman who helped BONNIE PRINCE CHARLIE to escape from Scotland after the Battle of CULLODEN by making him dress in women's clothes and pretend to be her
Macdonald, Ramsey (1866–1937) a British politician in the Labour Party, who became the first Labour Prime Minister in 1924. He was later Prime Minister of a 'National Government' (=a government formed from members of all the political parties) during the period of economic difficulty and high unemployment of the 1930s.
Macdonald, Ross (1915-83) a US writer of crime stories, whose real name was Kenneth Millar. The main character in his books is the PRIVATE DETECTIVE, Lew Archer.
Mc•Don•alds /mək'dɒnəldzɪl-ˈdɑːl-/ trademark the world's most famous FAST FOOD restaurant, which sells HAMBURGERS, cooked chicken pieces, FRENCH FRIES, SALADS, and other types of fast food. Its best-known product is the BIG MAC. There are thousands of McDonalds restaurants all over the world, and they are especially popular with children and young people. The company started in the US, and many people think of McDonalds as a typical part of the American way of life.
Mc·Don·nell Doug·las /mək,dənl 'dʌgləs‖-,da:nl-/ trademark an American company that was started after the Douglas Aircraft Company and the McDonnell Douglas Corporation joined together in 1967. The company made aircraft including military planes such as the F-15 Eagle. It also made MISSILES including the Tomahawk. In 1997, McDonnell Douglas became part of the Boeing company.
McDou-gall's /mək'du:gəlz/ trademark a BRAND (=type) of flour sold in the UK
Mac·Dow·ell, An·die /mak'dauel, 'ændi/ (1958-) an Ameri- can actress and model whose films include Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Green Card, and Four Weddings and a Funeral
Mac·duff /mək'dʌf/ 1 a character in the play Macbeth by William SHAKESPEARE, who kills Macbeth at the end of the play 2 lead on, Macduff a slightly incorrect QUOTATION from the play Macbeth, where the actual words are 'lay on, Macduff', now often used humorously when asking someone to lead you to a place
mace $ ^{1} $/mers/n 1 a decorative rod, often made of or covered with precious metals, which is carried or placed in front of an official in certain ceremonies as a sign of power 2 a short heavy stick (CLUB) used as a weapon in former times, usually of metal with sharp points sticking out around the head: to swing a mace
mace² n [U] 1 à powder made from the dried shell of a NUTMEG and used as a SPICE (=to give food a special taste) in cooking 2 AmE trademark (usually cap.) a chemical which causes painful stinging in the eyes and on skin. It is sometimes used as a weapon for defence, especially by women: a Mace spray
Ma·ce·do·ni·a /,mæsˈdəunie/ 1 a country in southeast Europe, north of Greece and south of Serbia. It was formerly part of Yugoslavia, but became an independent country in 1991. There has been disagreement about the use of the name Macedonia because there is an area of Greece that is also called Macedonia, so the country has the official name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). Population: 2,063,122 (2003). Capital: Skopje. 2 a PROVINCE of northern Greece which is part of the ancient country of Macedonia. Its capital city is Thessaloniki, and the highest mountain in Greece, Mount OLYMPUS, is on its southern border. 3 also Ma·ce·don /'mæsˈdən -dɒnli-da:n/ an ancient country in the northern part of ancient Greece, whose most famous king was ALEXANDER THE GREAT —Macedonian n, adj
Mc·En·roe, John /'mækənrəʊ/ (1959-) a US tennis player, who won the men's SINGLES competition (=when one man plays against another man) at Wimbledon three times and the US Open at Forest Hills four times between 1979 and 1984. He is known for his angry behaviour, and for saying 'You cannot be serious' when he disagreed with an UMPIRE's decision. After he stopped playing tennis, he started working as a COMMENTATOR for TV.
ma·cer·ate /'mæsəreit/ v [l;T] tech to (cause to) become soft by putting or being left in water: Paper can be made from powdered wood which has been macerated. —ation /,mæsə'reifən/ n [U]
Mc-Ew-an's Ex-port /mə,kju:ənz 'ekspozitll-ɔrt/ trademark
a type of dark beer made in Scotland
Mc·Ew·an, I·an /mə'kju:ən, 'iən/ (1948-) a British writer whose books typically deal with the subject of human cruelty and violence. His novels include The Cement Garden, Black Dogs, and Amsterdam, which won the Booker Prize in 1999.
Mc·Gill U·ni·ver·si·ty /mə,gil ju:n₅'v3:s₅'till-3:r-/ a well-known university in Montreal, in Canada
Mc·Gov·ern, George Stanley /mə'gʌvənˈl-vərn/ (1922-) a US politician in the Democratic Party, known for his opposition to the Vietnam War. He lost the election for US President in 1972, when his opponent was Richard Nixon, because he was supported by only one US state.
Mc·Graw, Dr. Phil /mə'gro:, fil/ (1951-) a US PSYCHOLOGIST who became famous on Oprah Winfrey's talk show by giving people sensible advice. In 2002 he started his own talk show, called Dr. Phil. He has also written several SELF-HELP books, including one about losing weight.
Mc·Greg·or, E·wan /mə'gregər, 'juːən/ (1971-) a Scottish actor whose films include Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, and Moulin Rouge.
Mc·Gwire, Mark /mə'gwaɪər/ (1963-) US BASEBALL player. In 1998, he was the first player in history to hit 70 HOME RUNs in one SEASON (=set of games played during one year).
Mach /mæk‖ma:k/ n [U] (always followed by a number) the speed of an aircraft in relation to the speed of sound. Mach 1 is equal to the speed of sound (about 1200 kph or 750 mph); It can fly at about Mach 2. (=twice the speed of sound)
Mac·heath, Captain /mək'hiθ/ a character in The Beggar's Opera (1728) by John Gay who is a HIGHWAYMAN (=a man who robbed travellers)