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marital vows
mare /meə/ n a female horse or DONKEY → compare STAL-LION
'mare's nest n 1 a discovery which proves to be untrue or valueless; a HOAX 2 AmE a situation or place which is very confused or untidy
Mar-garet, Princess /'mɑ:gret||'mɑ:r-/ (1930-2002) a Brit-ish princess, the younger sister of Queen Elizabeth II. She married a photographer, Anthony Armstrong-Jones (who later became Lord Snowdon) in 1960 and had two children, David (Viscount Linley) and Sarah. She was divorced (DIVORCE) in 1978.
mar-ga-rine /,mɑ:dʒə'ri:n, ,mɑ:gə-||'mɑ:rdʒərɪn/ also marge /mɑ:dʒ||mɑ:rdʒ/ BrE infml || also oleo AmE — n [U] a food similar to butter, which is made mainly from vegetable fats. Many people now eat margarine instead of butter because they believe that it is healthier, but most people think that butter tastes better. → see also SOFT MARGARINE
mar-ga-ri-ta /,mɑ:gə'ri:tə||,mɑ:r-/ n AmE an alcoholic drink consisting of TEQUILA and LEMON or LIME juice. It is usually served in a glass with salt around the top.
Mar-gate /'mɑ:geɪt||'mɑ:rg-/ a SEASIDE town on the coast of Kent in southeast England. It is typically thought of as a place where WORKING CLASS people from London used to go for a holiday.
mar-gin /'mɑ:dʒɪn||'mɑ:r-/ n 1 an area down the side of a page near the edge, where there is no writing or printing: Someone had scribbled some notes in the margin of the book. | a wide/narrow margin 2 an amount by which one thing is greater than another: In the end we won by a decisive margin. | We must leave no margin for error. (=we must make sure there is no chance at all of making a mistake) | Our profit margin (=the difference between the buying and selling price of our goods) is very low. 3 lit an area on the outside edge of a larger area: on the margin of the forest
mar-gin-al /'mɑ:dʒɪnəl||'mɑ:r-/ adj 1 [A no comp.] (printed or written) on or in the margin of a page: marginal illustra-tions/comments 2 small in importance or amount: The new law will have only a marginal effect on the lives of most people. 3 (of land) too poor to produce many crops, and farmed only when there is a special need for additional crops —-ly adv: This year's profits were marginally higher than last year's.
mar-gin-al-ize also -ise BrE /'mɑ:dʒɪnəl-aɪz||'mɑ:r-/ v [T] to cause (a group of people) to become unimportant and powerless in society: The decline in manufacturing industry has marginalized the Trade Unions involved in it, who now have far less influence.
,marginal 'seat also ,marginal con'stituency, mar-ginal n BrE a SEAT in the British parliament which may be won or lost by a small number of votes, and so is quite likely to pass from the control of one political party to another: MPs in marginal seats were worried by the government's handling of the health service. → compare SAFE SEAT
ma-ri-a-chi /,mɑ:ri'a:tʃi/ n Sp a kind of dance music played especially in Mexico —mariachi adj: a mariachi band
Mar-ie An-toi-nette /,mæri æntwə'net||mə,ri:-, ,mɑ:ri-/ (1755-93) the Queen of France from 1774 to 1792 and the wife of Louis XVI. She became unpopular because she did not seem to care about the poor citizens of France, and when she was told that they did not have enough bread to eat, she is supposed to have said, 'Let them eat cake'. She and Louis XVI were put in prison during the FRENCH REVOLUTION, and were killed by having their heads cut off by the GUILLOTINE.
Marie Ce-leste, the /,mæri sɪ'lest, ,mɑ:ri-||mə,ri:-/ a sailing ship that was found in the Atlantic Ocean in 1872, with no one on it. The ship was undamaged, and a table was prepared for a meal. No one knows why the sailors left the ship, or what happened to them.
Marie Claire /,mæri 'kleə||mə,ri:-/ trademark a monthly magazine for young women which contains articles on fashion, health etc
mar-i-gold /'mærɪɡəʊld/ n a plant with golden-yellow flowers
mar-i-ju-a-na, -huana /,mærɪ'dʒwɑ:nə, -'hwɑ:nə/ also grass, pot infml — n [U] a form of the drug CANNABIS,
consisting of the dried flowers and leaves of the Indian HEMP plant, smoked for pleasure → compare BHANG, HASHISH
CULTURAL NOTE In the US and the UK, the possession or use of marijuana is illegal. Some people think that marijuana should be made legal because it is considered much less harmful than hard drugs such as COCAINE or HEROIN. Some doctors think that people with certain medical conditions should be allowed to use it because it can reduce pain. Smoking marijuana became popular in the 1960s among young people in the US and UK. Politicians are sometimes asked if they have tried it, and Bill Clinton said he had smoked it once but 'did not inhale' (=did not suck the smoke into his LUNGS). There are now some very strong STRAINS (=types) of marijuana, usually referred to as SKUNK in the UK and CHRONIC in the US. They first became popular in Holland, where the laws against smoking and growing marijuana are less severe than in the UK and the US, and are known especially for their very strong smell. → see also Cultural Note at DRUG
ma-rim-ba /mə'rɪmbə/ n a musical instrument like a XYLO-PHONE
ma-ri-na /mə'ri:nə/ n a small port for pleasure boats
mar-i-nade /,mærɪ'neɪd/ n [C,U] a mixture of oil, wine, and/or VINEGAR, SPICES etc, in which meat or fish can be kept before cooking to make it tender and give it a special taste
mar-i-nate /'mærɪneɪt/ also mar-i-nade /'mærɪneɪd/ v [T] to keep (meat or fish) in a marinade before cooking
Ma-rin Coun-ty /mə,rɪn 'kaʊnti/ an area to the north of San Francisco, California, where many wealthy people live. It is quiet and hilly, with woods, pleasant countryside, large houses, and expensive restaurants.
ma-rine¹ /mə'ri:n/ adj 1 of, near, living in, or obtained from the sea: marine mammals such as whales and seals 2 of or for ships and their goods and trade at sea: marine insurance | marine law
marine² n (sometimes cap.) a soldier who serves on a naval ship, especially a member of the Royal Marines or the Marine Corps → see also MERCHANT NAVY
ma,rine bi'ology n [U] the scientific study of the plants and animals of the sea —marine biologist n
Ma'rine Corps, the also the Marines a part of the US armed forces consisting of soldiers who are based on ships. They are often considered to be the bravest and most skilled soldiers in the US forces, and are often sent into battle first. They are also known for having a very tough training programme.
mar-i-ner /'mærɪnər/ n tech or poet a sailor or seaman → see also ANCIENT MARINER
Ma-rines, the /mə'ri:nz/ n [P] 1 the Marine Corps 2 the ROYAL MARINES 3 tell that to the Marines old-fash especially AmE used to say that you do not believe what someone has just told you
Ma-ri-no, Dan /mə'ri:nəʊ, dæn/ (1961-) a US FOOTBALL player who is a QUARTERBACK for the Miami Dolphins team. He is known especially for his skill at throwing PASSES, and is considered to be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
mar-i-o-nette /,mæriə'net/ n a PUPPET
Mar-is, Roger /'mærɪs/ (1934-85) a US BASEBALL player who played for the New York Yankees team and is famous for hitting 61 HOME RUNS in 1961, which broke the record of Babe RUTH.
mar-i-tal /'mærɪtl/ adj of marriage —-ly adv
,marital 'bliss n [U] a state of being completely happy which is thought to come with marriage. The phrase is often used humorously to describe young, newly married people who have not yet experienced any difficulties or had any serious arguments.
,marital 'status n [U] an official expression often used on forms to ask whether a person is married or not, or has ever been married: Marital status: single/married/divorced/separated (Delete as appropriate)
,marital 'vows also marriage vows n [P] the solemn promises made by a man and woman when they get married → see also MARRIAGE