mix
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imagining that he is a brave and important person living a
dangerous and exciting life. His name is used, especially in
newspapers, to describe someone who seems very ordinary
but who either imagines they have an exciting secret life or
who actually does have one: Their quiet neighbour turned
out to be a Walter Mitty character, running a huge drug-
smuggling business from his garage.
mix¹ /mɪks/ v 1 [I,T(UP, with)] to combine so that the parts no
longer have a separate shape, appearance etc, or cannot
easily be separated: Oil and water don't mix. | Oil doesn't mix
with water. | You can't mix oil and water. | You can mix blue
and yellow paint to make green. | She put the butter and sugar
into a bowl and mixed them up together. | to mix business with
pleasure 2 [T(for)] to make by combining substances: to mix a
cocktail | She mixed a hot drink for him. | [+obj[i]+obj[d]] His
wife mixed him a hot drink. 3 [I(with)] (of a person) to be, or
enjoy being, in the company of others: She mixes well (with
other children). | He's mixing with the wrong people. 4 [T] tech
to control the balance of (sounds in a record, film
etc) 5 mix it infml, especially BrE to fight or behave in a rough
threatening way
Compare mix, blend, mingle, merge, and
combine. Mix in meaning 1 above is the most general
word to use about substances: to mix butter, eggs, and
flour. Blend is often used about the action of mixing in
careful proportions to produce a particular taste, smell, or
other good result: to blend spices | blended whisky.
Mingle is usually intransitive and is used a of people: I
mingled with the crowd b of flowing liquids of different
origin, colour, temperature etc: The fresh water of the
Amazon mingles with the salt water of the South Atlantic.
Merge is intransitive and is used when one thing
becomes lost in another, or two things become one: an
insect that merges with its surroundings | the place
where two roads merge. When two or more things
combine they join or stick to each other, but keep their
own identities, and may be separated again under suitable
conditions: Hydrogen combines with oxygen to form
water.
mix sthg. ⇔ in phr v [T] to combine (a substance) thor-
oughly with other substances: Add the milk to the flour, and
then mix in three eggs.
mix sbdy./sthg. ⇔ up phr v [T] 1 [ (with)] to mistakenly
think that (someone or something) is another rather similar
person or thing: It's easy to mix him up with his brother;
they're so alike. 2 to put into disorder: If you mix up those
papers we won't be able to find the one we need quickly enough.
→ see also MIXED UP, MIX-UP
mix² n 1 [C;U] (usually in comb.) a combination of all or most of
the substances needed to make the stated thing: cake
mix 2 [S(of)] a group of different things, people etc; mixture:
There was a strange mix of people at the party. | It's a question
of getting the right mix of policies to appeal to the electorate.
mixed /mɪkst/ adj 1 of different kinds: He has mixed feel-
ings about his daughter's marriage. (=he likes it in some
ways but not in others) 2 [no comp.] of or for both sexes: a
mixed school | mixed bathing | This joke isn't suitable to be
told in mixed company. (=isn't suitable for women to hear)
,mixed-a'bility adj [A] containing pupils of many different
levels of ability: a mixed-ability school/class
,mixed 'bag n [S] infml a collection of things of many
different kinds, and usually of different qualities: The
reviews the play got were a pretty mixed bag. (=some were
good, but many were bad too)
,mixed 'blessing n [S] something that is bad as well as
good: Getting that well-paid job was a bit of a mixed blessing;
it means we'll have to live abroad for several years.
,mixed 'doubles n pl. mixed doubles a match, especially of
tennis, in which a man and a woman play against another
man and woman
,mixed e'conomy n the operation of a country's money
supply, industry, and trade by a mixture of CAPITALIST and
SOCIALIST principles
,mixed 'farming n [U] the raising of farm animals and the
growing of crops on the same farm
,mixed 'grill n a dish of various kinds of meat grilled (GRILL)
together, usually including STEAK, LIVER, SAUSAGES etc
,mixed 'herbs n [P] a mixture of various kinds of dried HERB
sold ready mixed and used in cooking
,mixed 'marriage n a marriage between people of different
races or religion
,mixed 'metaphor n a use of two different METAPHORS
together with a foolish or funny effect: 'She is a tower of
strength and is galloping ahead' is a mixed metaphor.
,mixed 'spice n [U] a mixture of various kinds of SPICE sold
ready mixed and used especially in making cakes
,mixed 'up adj 1 [F+in] connected with (something bad): I
didn't realize he was mixed up in that banking scandal. |
Don't get mixed up in other people's quarrels. 2 [F+with] con-
nected with (someone undesirable): Since we came to live on
this housing estate he's been getting mixed up with a very
rough crowd of boys. 3 troubled and confused in one's
mind: He listened to so much conflicting advice that he got all
mixed up. | a completely mixed-up kid → see also MIX UP,
MIX-UP
mix-er /'mɪksə/ n 1 (often in comb.) a machine by or in which
substances are mixed: a food mixer | a cement mixer → see
picture at KITCHEN 2 a non-alcoholic drink for mixing with
an alcoholic drink, especially a SPIRIT: We've got tonic water or
bitter lemon as mixers. 3 tech a person who balances and
controls the words, music, and sounds for a film 4 AmE (an
organized activity at) a party whose purpose is to let people
who have just met each other get to know each other better:
There's a mixer for new transfer students on Friday
night. 5 good/bad mixer a person who is happy/not happy
in the company of people, likes/does not like talking to
them etc: a bad mixer who never talks to people at parties
'mixing ,bowl n an especially large bowl used in cookery for
mixing materials, especially for cakes
mix-ture /'mɪkstʃə/ n 1 [C(of)] a set of substances mixed
together so as to give a combined effect: This tobacco is a
mixture of three different sorts. → compare COM-
POUND¹ 2 [S(of)] a combination of things or people of
different types: I listened to his excuse with a mixture of
amusement and disbelief. 3 [U] a usually liquid substance
made for the stated purpose by combining other substances:
a bottle of cough mixture (=medicine for stopping
coughs) 4 [U] fml the action of mixing or state of being
mixed 5 BrE the mixture as before infml, usually derog the same
treatment or set of actions as before: We were hoping for
something original in this new film but it's the mixture as
before.
'mix-up n infml a state of disorder and confusion, as caused by
bad planning etc: There was a mix-up at the station and some
of us got on the wrong train. → see also MIXED UP, MIX UP
Mi-ya-ke, Is-sey /mi'ja:ki, 'isi/ (1939–) a Japanese fashion
DESIGNER. He is famous for using new types of cloth and new
ways of making clothes.
Miz-ra-hi, Isaac /mɪz'ra:hi/ (1961–) an American fashion
DESIGNER who worked for several famous designers before
starting his own company in 1987. He is known especially
for his women's CASUAL (=informal) clothes.
Mk written abbrev. for MARK¹, and MARK³
ml written abbrev. for MILLILITRE(s)
MLitt /em 'lɪt/ n Master of Letters; a university degree, at a
lower level than a PhD, which you can get at some British
universities by studying for two years after your BA. MLitt is
written after someone's name to show that someone has this
degree: Helen Noble, MLitt | She has an MLitt.
M'lord /mɑːˈlɔːd||ˈlɔːrd/ n 1 a word used to address a
judge 2 old use a word used by a servant to address a man
who belongs to a NOBLE family
MLR /em el 'ɑːr/ abbrev. for MINIMUM LENDING RATE
M'lud /mɑːˈlʌd/ n used to address a judge in a British court of
law (=short for 'my lord')
mm written abbrev. for MILLIMETRE(s)
MMR /em em 'ɑːr/ a VACCINE against the diseases MEASLES,
MUMPS, and RUBELLA. The vaccine is given to babies at
around 13 months old, and again when children are around
four or five years old. A medical study said there might be a
connection between the MMR and children with AUTISM, and
some parents refused to allow their children to have the