McLuhan, Marshall
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the same time secretly working as a SPY for the former
Soviet Union. In 1951 he escaped to Russia with another
British spy, Guy BURGESS, and the names 'Burgess and
Maclean' are often remembered together. ➔ see also BLUNT,
Anthony, PHILBY, Kim
**Mc·Lu·han, Marshall** /mə'klu:ən/ (1911-80) a Canadian
writer who was interested in the **MEDIA** (=newspapers, radio,
and television), and is known for inventing the phrase 'the
medium is the message', by which he meant that the way in
which people receive information has more influence on
what they think than the information itself. He also said that
the world was becoming a 'global village', meaning that
TELECOMMUNICATIONS were making the world seem smaller
and that the countries of the world were becoming more
dependent on one another.
**Mc·Ma·hon, Ed** /mək'ma:n/ (1923-) a US television **PRE-
SENTER** who worked with Johnny Carson on the *Tonight
Show* from 1962 to 1992
**MacMahon, Vince** /vins/ (1945-) an American man who
**PROMOTES** professional **WRESTLING**. He is the owner of World
Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), a company that was for-
merly called the World Wrestling Federation (WWF), but
which had to change its name after a **LAWSUIT** from the
World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). In 2001 he started
XFL, a new American football **LEAGUE**, but it failed after just
one season.
**Mac·mil·lan, Harold** /mək'mɪlən/ (1894-1986) a British poli-
tician in the Conservative Party, who was Prime Minister
from 1957 to 1963, during a period of great economic
improvement. He made two expressions popular in the UK,
when he told the British people 'You've never had it so
good' (meaning that most people had more money and a
better life than they ever had before), and when he talked
about 'the winds of change' blowing through Africa (mean-
ing that many African countries were becoming independ-
ent from Great Britain at that time). He later became Lord
Stockton.
**McMillan, Ter·ry** /'teri/ (1952-) a US writer known for her
book *Waiting to Exhale*, which was later made into a film,
about a group of African-American women who share stories
about their relationships with men, and who criticize men for
behaving badly
**Mc·Na·ma·ra, Robert S.** /mək'nə'mɑ:rəl-'mərə
'rəbərt 'rɑ:bərt/ (1916-) a US politician who became Secretary
of Defense in 1961, and who left his position 1968 because
he and President JOHNSON did not agree about US policy in
VIETNAM.
**McNaugh·ten Rules, M'Naghten Rules, the**
/mæk'nɔ:tən ,ru:lz/ the rules in English law which say that, if
it can be proved that someone did not know what they were
doing when they carried out a crime or did not know that it
was wrong, then they can **PLEAD INSANITY** (=give madness as
an excuse for their actions). The rules were established as a
result of the case of *REGINA V. MCNAUGHTEN* in 1843.
**Mac·Nei/Lehrer Re·port, the** /mək,ni:l 'lɛəʳə
rɪ.pɔ:rt||-'lerər rɪ.pɔ:rt/ a US news programme shown on
**PUBLIC TELEVISION**, known for the quality of its reporting
**Mc·Pher·son, Ai-mee Sem·ple** /mæk'fɜ:sən||-ɜ:r-,
'eɪmi 'sempl/ (1890-1944) a US **EVANGELIST**, who travelled all
around the US in the 1920s teaching the Christian religion.
She became extremely popular and had her own radio **STA-
TION** and a very large church in Los Angeles. She was
officially charged with tricking people into giving her
money, but a court of law decided she was not guilty.
**Mc·Queen, Alexander** /mə'kwi:n/ (1969-) a British **FASH-
ION DESIGNER** from the East End of London, known for his
unusual and sometimes shocking clothes. He has been the
main designer at Givenchy.
**McQueen, Steve** /mə'kwi:n, sti:v/ (1930-80) a US film
actor who often played strong, brave characters and was
known for being sexually attractive and for doing his own
**STUNTS** (=dangerous actions in a film). His films include *The
Magnificent Seven* (1960), *The Great Escape* (1963), and *Bullitt*
(1968).
M
**mac·ra·mé** /mə'krɑ:mɪll,mækrə'meɪ/ *n* [U] the art or prac-
tice of knotting string together in decorative patterns
**mac·ro·bi·ot·ic** /ˌmækrəbaɪ'ɒtɪk◂ ʌ-'ɑ:tɪ:k◂/ *adj* of a way
of thinking which puts value on living according to nature,
especially by eating chiefly whole grains and vegetables: *a
macrobiotic cookbook* ➔ *see also* HEALTH FOOD
**mac·ro·cos·m** /'mækrəʊkɒzəmɪl-ka:◂/ *n* 1 [the] the world
as a whole; universe 2 [C] any large system containing
smaller systems ➔ *compare* **MICROCOSM**
**mac·ro·ec·o·nom·ics** /ˌmækrəʊ'ɛkənɒmɪks, -ɪkə◂
-'nɑ:◂/ *n* [S] the study of large economic systems such as
those of a country ➔ *compare* **MICROECONOMICS**
—**macroeconomic** *adj*
**Mac the 'Knife** a character in *The Threepenny Opera* (1928),
written by Bertolt BRECHT with music by Kurt WEILL, based
on the character of Captain MACHEATH
**Mc·Veigh, Tim·o·thy** /mək'veɪ, 'tɪməθi/ (1968-2001) a US
man who was accused of exploding a bomb in a government
building in Oklahoma City in 1996. More than 160 people
were killed by the explosion. A court found him guilty of this
crime in 1997, and **SENTENCED** him to death.
**Mc·Vic·ar, John** /mək'vɪkə/ (1940-) a British man who
educated himself while in prison for **ARMED ROBBERY** (=rob-
bery with a gun), and became a writer. McVicar escaped from
prison in 1968 and was free for two years before being caught
again. His life story was made into a film called *McVicar* in
1980.
**Mc·Vit·ie's** /mək'vɪtiz/ *trademark* a British company that
makes many different types of popular **BISCUITS** and small
cakes, such as Hobnobs and Jaffa Cakes
**Ma·cy's** /'meɪsɪz/ *trademark* a very large **DEPARTMENT STORE** in
New York City, with stores in some other US cities, mainly
in the eastern states
**CULTURAL NOTE** Every year Macy's holds a famous
**PARADE** for Thanksgiving Day, which is broadcast on
television all over the US.
**mad** /mæd/ *adj* **-dd-** 1 [(with)] especially *BrE* ill in the mind;
**INSANE**: *He went mad and had to be put into a mental
hospital.* | *She was almost mad with grief/jealousy.* 1 (*fig.*) *Stop
that noise; it's driving me mad!* (=annoying me very much)
➔ *opposite* **SANE** 2 especially *BrE* very foolish: *You're mad to
drive so fast.* | *What a mad idea!* | *You paid £50 for that hat?
You must be stark raving mad!* 3 [F+about, on] *infml* filled
with strong feeling, interest, or admiration: *They're mad
about football.* 4 [F(with, at)] *infml* especially *AmE* angry: *The
director got mad at me because I forgot my lines.* | *It made me
hopping mad.* (=very angry) 5 [A] wild; uncontrolled:
*Everyone made a mad dash/rush for the door.* 6 *like mad
infml* very hard, fast, loud etc: *They ran like mad to catch the
moving bus.* 7 (**as**) **mad as** a **hatter/as** a **March hare** *infml*
completely mad ➔ *see also* **MAD HATTER**, **MARCH
HARE** 8 **mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday
sun** *quote* a phrase from a song by Noël Coward which made
fun of the way British people refused to take notice of local
customs in COLONIAL times 9 **mad keen** *BrE infml* extremely
keen: *The children are mad keen to go to the zoo.* ➔ *see also*
**MADLY**
**Mad·a·gas·car** /ˌmædə'gæskə/ *n* a country that is an island
in the Indian Ocean off the southeast coast of Africa. It is
known for having some types of animal that do not exist
anywhere else in the world, such as the **LEMUR**. Population:
16,979,744 (2003). Capital: Antananarivo. —**Madagascan** *n*,
*adj*
**mad·am** /'mædəm/ *n* 1 (*often cap.*) (a respectful way of
addressing a woman, especially a customer in a shop): *Are
you being served, Madam?* ➔ *compare* **MISS**³, **SIR** 2 *derog*
especially *BrE* a (young) female who likes to give orders: *She's a
little madam - don't let her order you around.* 3 a woman
who is in charge of a house of **PROSTITUTES** (=women who earn money by having sex) taking from them some of their payment
**Madam** **1 Dear Madam** used at the beginning of a business letter to a woman $\rightarrow$ compare SIR **2 Madam President/ Ambassador etc** a title of respect used when you are speaking to a woman who has an important official position $\rightarrow$ compare MR
**Madame** /'mædəm, ma'dɑ:m/ $n$ $pl.$ **Mesdames** /meɪ'dæm||meɪ'dɑ:m/ a title used to address a Frenchspeaking woman, especially a married one; MRS: *Madame Lefevre*